Maintenance: When is Enough ENOUGH?
A woman who has been leasing a 2005 Audi A6 contacted me to ask a simple question: when is enough ENOUGH?
Basically, this woman has been to the dealership 11 times over the past two and a half years for a variety of electrical problems. The nav screen went out while she was in an unfamiliar area and it was replaced twice. She has been through two batteries and replaced the tires at about 20,000 miles. The car's central computer system went out and was replaced and a host of other electrical problems kept the car in the shop.
She looked into the Lemon Law but that only covers repairs for the SAME item. Most of the problems with her A6 have been with different things. Still, she's spent a lot of time schlepping back and forth to the dealership. Most of the work has been covered under warranty but getting to the dealership and back is a hassle.
Obviously, Audi has lost a customer for life. But beyond that, does the carmaker owe her anything?
I began wondering if there was a way to quantify the unreliability of a car? I checked with our Maintenance Costs section and found that the 2005 Audi A6 had 41 Technical Service Bulletins (for purposes of comparison a 2005 Lexus LS430 had seven TSBs and there were 23 for the Mercedes E Class).
In our Forums I found a lot of frustration from Audi owners both with nagging service visits and conflicting messages from service advisors who couldn't seem to find and solve the problem. In a Forum called Audi A6 Maintenance and Repair there were 949 messages.
I would like to hear from anyone on this subject. When is enough ENOUGH? And what, if anything, is owed to this woman?
- Posted by
- January 7, 2008, 10:16 AM
- Permalink
- Categories:
- Maintenance
If I remember correctly (it's been more than a year-and-a-half), a vehicle in the shop for more than 30 days in the state of California may qualify as a "lemon." I don't remember all the details.
I will say that the BMW dealership I used to work at was #1 in the country in "buy backs" and "trade assists." The amount of them was so high that BMW of North America sent their people to investigate whether BMWNA's practices were being followed properly. As far as I know, everything was on the up-and-up.
If anyone out there has questions, they can try to reach me via CarSpace.
It's an Audi -- what do you expect? As for the company making amends, it's not going to happen -- they're always another gullible person waiting to take the bait.
Hopefully, this woman's lease is for only 3 years, which means only 6 months until she can escape Audi hell.
i'm with suby, some states. have a clause that covers ethier or.
ethier 3 same repairs without getting fixed. or x number of days in the shop..
here is info for ca
http://ag.ca.gov/consumers/general/lemon.php
including a quote (note theres more info, but this is a condition that could trigger the law)
"(3) The vehicle is out of service because of the repair of any number of problems by the manufacturer or its agents for a cumulative total of more than 30 days since delivery of the vehicle."
Regarding quantifying a car's unreliability, what exactly do those TSBs really mean? I just looked up my 02 Camry. It has 88 TSBs. 88!! Seems like a lot, but my car has been very reliable in 5 1/2 years of ownership. Two warranty repairs. Both front interior door handles broke (as in snapped), one from my wife and one from the tech who brought me my car after repairing the first one!
I think I'd go crazy my experience were more like this poor woman.
tsb's are generally possible problems. things that wont effect all cars.
I know for my sunfire there was one for the knuckle in the steering column making noise.
If you came into the dealer and complained of noise while turning the car, including a possible poping sound. If the maintance guys were up on reading their tsb's, he would have information about this problem and a possible solution from the manufacture.
most wouldn't be effected, and the problem would not cause a safety concern.
Most recalls are issued because they etheir a) cause a safety concern ie. bad brakes, bad lights etc. or b) cause a major drivability/funication issue i.e. engine wont start, or brake down pre-matural.
OpFreak: Thanks for the insights and links to the Lemon Law. I will check with her to see how many days her car spent in the shop.
She will soon be returning the car on a lease and fears excess wear and tear charges. If she hints that she is looking at the Lemon Law I'm sure those charges will disappear. At least she will have that compensation.