To trust an Audi dealership....

[Minkymooks]

Bought a 2 yr old used Audi A4 last August with 27k miles on clock from an audi dealership. Clutch started slipping and at its service/mot this week was told the clutch is almost completely worn out. I've only done 5k miles mainly on motorway and am not a heavy footed driver.
Also found out that the car had been "remapped" - I had no idea what this even meant but it is a modification to the engine control unit to make it have more power - it needs to be mentioned to insurance as a modification (or invalidates insurance) and could have contributed to premature clutch wear. May also invalidate warranty! I was not told about the remapping when it was sold to me and husband thinks probably previous owner a boy racer who has hammered the car.

Audi want £2500 to fix clutch as "wear and tear". I am fuming and think I should have been told of remapping ( wouldn't have bought car with it) and I don't think I should pay for a new clutch which I think must have worn due to previous driver/ modification. Plus warranty worthless and wondering what will go wrong with car next.

Do you think I could get money back on car as lost faith in it
Have complained to dealership who sold it ... So far have an apology and they are looking into it for me. Would have thought my own tough luck if bought from private seller but bought through audi dealership at premium for "peace of mind" grrrrr

£2500 to fix clutch!?!? WHAT!? Thats a 250 quid repair at most not 2.5k! you should've been told of remapping and it will likely make your insurance go through the roof.

I have never heard of re-mapping. So this is not a question I would ever think to ask a car dealer when considering a purchase

Would the dealer have been able to tell if a car had been re-mapped?

If so, and it's not immediately obvious to the buyer, and wasn't in the car description, I would have thought the "sold as seen" rule wouldn't apply.

Keep pushing the dealership and keep on about the modification and having not been notified.
Do all the research on the remap so that you are on the ball about what effect/defects it can cause so the dealership can't disagree.

I have my cars remapped and the insurance doesn't go up that much, I always buy from the dealership (Audi) but make sure I am really keyed up on all aspects of the car I'm buying, defects, what is a common problem etc, this give you the facts that they can't argue with, knowledge/facts are your weapon!

Good luck.

TSS- Unless you had extensive knowledge on every audi ever made, i dont think you'd know one has been remapped (Unless you drove it before and after remapping) as unless you're travelling at extremely high speeds you've no way to really "test" for it as an average joe. for example if the audi op is driving was originally made with the ability to do 140mph but was remapped and then was able to do 160-170mph, OP wouldn't know unless she was going to drive at 170mph. a mechanic can tell when a car has been remapped by checking said car out and if bought from an audi dealership it should've been checked out fully by a mechanic and OP should've been made aware of remapping. It is usually advertised as a good thing so i dont know why OP wasn't told.
Also, props for getting an A4. i love mine

the dealership would have known about the 'map if they'd checked the car over properly when they got it in. They can take it off by just plugging in their computer and reinstalling the original software. They should do this free of charge given the way they've treated you!

I would take the car round a few indie garages and get quotes for the clutch, then take those prices to Audi to negotiate with. 2.5k is a piss take.

I work in a garage -£2500 is a ridiculous amount to 'repair' (I assume they mean replace if it's completely worn?) a clutch. Typical main dealer prices though. I would advise seeking out independent advice from a trusted mechanic/garage before you proceed with anything. Ask around for recommendations and look at online reviews. I get loads of customers come from main dealers with astronomical quotes for repairs and many added extras which they do not need. Not all dealerships will overcharge of course, but do your research, ask for a clear and concise quote and shop around. Good luck.

So it would seem that OP could argue that Audi should have done proper checks or advertised/told of the re-map.

I'd argue that the dealer should a) remove the re-map b) replace the clutch which will actually cost them not much at all.

Also keep on about the Audi Approved Used Programe that all vehicle are supposed to have had, this is part of their selling ploy.

Remapping isn't just about speed, my DH has his remapped because the fuel economy goes right up.

We are having a similar battle with Audi at the moment. We have an A6 which has had more problems in the last year than any other car we have ever had put together.

Our complaint is being dealt with at the moment by Audi Finance so don't want to say too much more about it than that but suffice to say we are not happy. Our is related to a safety issue and they couldn't care less.

Incidentally DH got our last car remapped and it was the best thing he ever did (despite my reservations!) as it increased the fuel economy by loads.

I would go for an independent report before you go further.

Surely a clutch wouldn't give up after 5000 miles?

£2500 to fix clutch!?!? WHAT!? Thats a 250 quid repair at most not 2.5k!

Rubbish! Most likely will need a new flywheel as well. Aftermarket parts will be £500ish plus £300-£500 labour at an independent garage. So no, not really a £250 fix.

unless you're travelling at extremely high speeds you've no way to really "test" for it as an average joe. for example if the audi op is driving was originally made with the ability to do 140mph but was remapped and then was able to do 160-170mph, OP wouldn't know unless she was going to drive at 170mph

More rubbish, a remap should be detectable during acceleration at low speeds especially if you have driven an identical car to compare it to. Even if you have not driven another just the fact that it goes better than you'd expect it to should give the game away.

As for the OP, I'm surprised the dealer didn't pick up the remap before sale. I suspect it might be difficult to prove that it wasn't you that had it remapped. A tricky situation. If you get no joy from the dealer then get the car fixed by an independent not the main dealer.

Richthegreat- I worked in a garage where we did clutch replacements starting from £200, most likely around £250. It was very rare that we had to charge more and if we did it was always for a damn good reason. I assumed this was the case everywhere, but thinking about it i was working in a smallish garage in the SW valleys so likely to be cheaper anyway. so I do apologize for that as I could be wrong, I see it is an assumption.
what i said isnt rubbish. Your average joe (in my opinion and experience) will rarely know a car has been remapped if they've never driven a similar car at a legal speed. Back to the OP. any update?

Ugh on an older car with a single mass flywheel then yes a clutch kit for about £100 and 3 hrs labour would be about right. Not on a modern Audi though. Best practice is to replace the DMF at the same time as the clutch on many modern cars with parts alone starting around the £500 mark for aftermarket. Should be fairly obvious to most people that a car goes better than expected if they boot it in 2nd/3rd within the 40-60mph range.

No update as yet - probably know more tomorrow.

The remapping was picked up by local Audi dealership ( not one it was purchased from) on an IT check - date of remapping and mileage detailed ( a yr prior to my purchase). It is a system they check prior to every service and the car was serviced just prior to my sale so I don't know how they didn't know. A technician who test drove it on the clutch investigation said it is VERY obviously been remapped ( not to me it wasn't but I had a 1.6l diesel before and so just thought the 2.0 diesel was faster!)

The guy who has apologised has said they would never knowingly sell a remapped car - they'd normally go to auction if they acquired via part exchange.

Hopefully get something sorted tomorrow - asked that they repair clutch and reset to factory settings as minimum. Have informed my insurance too in meanwhile

And that's why I can't understand how the selling dealer missed the remap. Usually they can pick them up with a diagnostic check and I'd expect that to have been done as part of the prep for sale.

Dealership maintain they would never have knowingly sold a remapped car and have apologised. They claim it isn't a current check before selling a car ( but WILL be from now on!)

They have offered to pay for clutch repair and reset back to factory settings plus reimburse the inspection fee I had to pay. My only concern is that if the clutch went so prematurely then other parts may wear early too and I'll end up paying a lot in repairs on what is a relatively new car. The dealership are checking whether the warranty will still be valid after this.

That's great news. It may have reduced the life of some other components but I guess it depends on how long you plan to keep the car? I would think the drivetrain warranty may well be void but possibly the dealership can do some negotiating as it was their cockup.

Is this in the western part of East anglia and a dealership beginning with a V?

If so stay away. Took an Audi in a year or two ago, i told them the turbo needed replacing as had similar in another car (not audis fault, the way I drive )

They told me I was wrong, said the dashboard console has a daily and was going into safe mode in error and the turbo was fine. Almost £1k for new console and keys for the new unit.

Drove away and the turbo failed. Went back in, said I told you so, requested refund for the console (put the old one back in by all means) they refused and quoted another 1500 for the turbo!!!

Bought an after market one and had it fitted for under 500 by a non dealership. Despite audi telling me the after market turbo would be inferior and likely fail, it has now done twice as many miles as either of the original Audi turbos I've wrecked.

Nice cars, dealerships are abysmal

Sorry posted on OP and didn't read the rest.

Glad there's been some progress, my opinion stands that they are not trustworthy

Dealership offered a 1 year "warranty" ( their own as Audi one no longer valid) I'd wanted to keep the car another 3-4 years and now wouldn't as I'd be expecting problems.

Have therefore rejected car and now awaiting it to be picked up and refunded. Been advised it won't be a full refund as I have owned for 7 months and clocked up 5 k miles. They'll let me know how much later - will want to replace with a similar car and spec and don't want to be out of pocket so hoping their offer is fair.

At first I thought I must know you. Audi are currently doing this to a friend of ours.
www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Furious-driver-returns-faulty-Audi-showroom-gets/story-26236269-detail/story.html

^^^ it's diags from TOWIE!

Audi cars are great and the dealerships are shit. DH has the Q5 with all the bells and whistles. The hard drive kept crashing and they wanted to charge him a fortune to fix it. We are in the US and they were clearly taking advantage of a European and DH was too stupid to get american on them. I walked in and told them they could have the keys back and a law suit if they didn't fix the car as a car 13 months old shouldn't have these problems. It got fixed right away for no charge.

An apology for a car that was remapped?!? Replacing a clutch so soon? I would be asking the dealership who fixed it to send the bill to the dealership you bought it from. For your bill I would be going to small claims court if they charge you for anything.

No tow bar to blame.
Dealership in South East

Outcome is a partial refund on car (nominal amount taken for the miles I used). I am now car less and a bit annoyed re time and energy required to resolve but think they have been fair under circumstances.