m325i 709 Report post Posted October 5, 2020 I had an S3 for a few years - constant ~$1000 services, but it was pretty solid. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted October 16, 2020 I must say, this Audi is cursed! Been at Panel Beaters all week and was supposed to be taking it up North this afternoon but now it won't be ready Monday as some extra part hasn't arrived... Also has a CEL for O2 sensor, leaking VCG and needs a door control module which the dealer is 'sorting' albeit in an extremely slow and frustrating fashion... At least the E46 is looking nice today ? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2078 Report post Posted October 18, 2020 On 10/16/2020 at 1:58 PM, Sammo said: I must say, this Audi is cursed! Been at Panel Beaters all week and was supposed to be taking it up North this afternoon but now it won't be ready Monday as some extra part hasn't arrived... Also has a CEL for O2 sensor, leaking VCG and needs a door control module which the dealer is 'sorting' albeit in an extremely slow and frustrating fashion... At least the E46 is looking nice today ? It takes a lot of patience to Audi. 1 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted October 23, 2020 Got the wireless Carplay module working finally, after some back and forth with Ali Express 'Technical Support' ? The issue I was having was entirely due to their technical support telling me to change a key setting and eventually sorted myself thanks to Youtube (unit didn't come with instructions aside form a one page wiring diagram for a different model). System is great though, really brings the car into the 21st century and Carplay has come a long way (I use Android Auto currently). Will be getting a wireless Carplay module for the E46 as well as I'll be dumping my Huawei for the iPhone 12 Pro Max next month ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted November 11, 2020 Update on the POS: Got back from dealer who has had it for 2 and a half leaks fixing: Chronic oil leak Oxygen sensors and corresponding CEL Passenger door not unlocking Passenger mirror not adjusting (gave up on this in the end as they couldn't fix and wife just wanted car back) Anyways, picked it up and now have noticed: Car was filthy and covered in some kind of fallout / overspray - wouldn't polish off, had to get off with a claybar Now the drivers keyless entry not working Now windows don't lower with a long press of unlock on remote Car appears to still be leaking oil Completely exasperated with this and the wife is understandably out for blood. Not sure what our next steps are TBH - dealer has had the car a total of 3.5 weeks and fixed nothing and created new issues. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted November 11, 2020 Is from an actual Audi dealer? If so, leave it with them and have them give you another comparable car. Don't give the other car back until they've fixed everything to your satisfaction. At the very least they need to minimise your inconvenience. I'm now guessing your next car won't be an Audi? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted November 11, 2020 @M3AN No, just a little pokey car yard in Penrose... Haha, trying to talk her into an E92 / E82 / F22 now - she loves the Audi though for some reason ? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted November 11, 2020 ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted November 11, 2020 8 hours ago, Sammo said: @M3AN No, just a little pokey car yard in Penrose... Haha, trying to talk her into an E92 / E82 / F22 now - she loves the Audi though for some reason ? There's a reason these cars end up at pokey little car yards. I reckon your wife will be over Audi very shortly. Words are useless; just get her a few test drives of what *she'd* like. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m325i 709 Report post Posted November 11, 2020 (edited) Man that sucks. What I was afraid of with mine, but turned out not too bad* (Except oil leaks - everywhere). The other problem is you can't really bail out easy. Once you take cars like this off a dealer, you often take a massive hit on resale. *maybe it was bad - I took a 70%+ hit and was just glad to get out. Edited November 11, 2020 by m325i 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted November 11, 2020 21 minutes ago, m325i said: Man that sucks. What I was afraid of with mine, but turned out not too bad* (Except oil leaks - everywhere). The other problem is you can't really bail out easy. Once you take cars like this off a dealer, you often take a massive hit on resale. *maybe it was bad - I took a 70%+ hit and was just glad to get out. Thing with the car is its minor niggles but this dealer experience to fix what should have bene less than a day in a knowledgeable shop is making us want to just cut ties, take the hit and move on.... Maybe that's their strategy haha! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lord_jagganath 421 Report post Posted November 11, 2020 that's harsh, Sam. hope the car yard would fix the issues. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted November 11, 2020 28 minutes ago, lord_jagganath said: that's harsh, Sam. hope the car yard would fix the issues. Cheers mate, yeah, have given them a few options / ultimatums ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted November 11, 2020 13 hours ago, M3AN said: Is from an actual Audi dealer? If so, leave it with them and have them give you another comparable car. Don't give the other car back until they've fixed everything to your satisfaction. At the very least they need to minimise your inconvenience. I'm now guessing your next car won't be an Audi? FYI - I've done just that and they so happen to have another A5 (Turbo DSG) so will not give it back until ours is perfect ? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZ BMW 368 Report post Posted November 12, 2020 (edited) The problem is these guys run on such tight margins and are so small they can’t absorb a lemon car into their business. I remember buying my X5 from a somewhat larger and multi-site used importer and their attempts to fix anything we pretty damn infantile: “oh easy mate, just needs the computer reset to get rid of a CEL”. That and they all have their own pet shady mechanics who do cheap fixes. I had a dealer fix rocker cover gaskets once (this was after telling me the oil burning was “from the car sitting”) and three years later they needed redoing. Should last longer than that. The amount of time you burn up given that you kinda have to let them have a go at their “fix” is a killer. I think they rely on making the customer experience so poor that most people suck it up and pay their mechanic to do it. I’ve been though this too many times to tolerate it anymore. Edited November 12, 2020 by NZ BMW 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted November 12, 2020 29 minutes ago, NZ BMW said: The problem is these guys run on such tight margins and are so small they can’t absorb a lemon car into their business. I remember buying my X5 from a somewhat larger and multi-site used importer and their attempts to fix anything we pretty damn infantile: “oh easy mate, just needs the computer reset to get rid of a CEL”. That and they all have their own pet shady mechanics who do cheap fixes. I had a dealer fix rocker cover gaskets once (this was after telling me the oil burning was “from the car sitting”) and three years later they needed redoing. Should last longer than that. The amount of time you burn up given that you kinda have to let them have a go at their “fix” is a killer. I think they rely on making the customer experience so poor that most people suck it up and pay their mechanic to do it. I’ve been though this too many times to tolerate it anymore. This is exactly my experience. Hoping with them giving us a nice loan car now they will be motivated to sort properly and quickly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted November 12, 2020 Didn't do a pre-purchase inspection? I wouldn't trust a random car dealer as far as I could throw them and wouldn't want to have to let them fix anything. I'd much rather get a proper PPI to make sure it's sorted in the first place, and maybe an aftermarket warranty. If the car has oil leaks and stupid issues like that they should have sorted it before they sold it. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted November 12, 2020 Aftermarket warranty isn't used for sorting pre-existing issues - many car dealers try this BS. They don't sort oil leaks etc, and when an importer says "fresh service" it usually means "we gave it a quick oil change, and we might even have done the oil filter too". You'd be lucky if they've done anything scheduled like air filter, cabin filter, drive belts, plugs... they're out for the bare outlay as their money is tied up in stock, they need the fastest turnover to make money on that expecsive lot space. Any expectation they're going to try and do it right, is a hope only. One of the few dealers I've seen that operates as we'd hope, is Wholesale Cars Direct in Wellington. Always very high quality stock. No brake rotor skims - new quality rotors and pads... quality new tyres rather than the hitch-potch of JDMs that usually come from Japan. Their prices are at the higher end, though it appears there's value there. I've never met anyone who's bought from WCD and regretted their purchase. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted November 12, 2020 9 hours ago, Matth5 said: Didn't do a pre-purchase inspection? I wouldn't trust a random car dealer as far as I could throw them and wouldn't want to have to let them fix anything. I'd much rather get a proper PPI to make sure it's sorted in the first place, and maybe an aftermarket warranty. If the car has oil leaks and stupid issues like that they should have sorted it before they sold it. Correct (it was inspected by AA on arrival to NZ but that was months earlier) , made the error of assuming dealer would have to sort immediate issues and the mechanical warranty would handle anything down the line, which is true, but didn't factor on the massive pain in the arse it would be. Lesson learnt! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GorGasm 563 Report post Posted November 12, 2020 Good dealers are the exception. I remember when I got my M5 It would CEL after a hard run due to a faulty ionic control module (knock sensor). I diagnosed the fault myself, proved it by swapping it to the other bank and in the end the dealer said to go to AC BMW. AC BMW couldn't fault it but took my word for it and replaced the ICM. The dealer had to give me his CC number over the phone to pay for it, man I could hear him cringe when they said the price. I also wanted the wheels balanced and aligned as it was driving pretty lumpy. They said they fixed it but it was still lumpy. I eventually got it balanced and they took a whole pile of weights off as no one had re balanced it in ages. It was a complete ball ache to deal with. I have had very few good experiences. The only one I can think of was a place in Mt Welly near the old Moyes. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted November 13, 2020 (edited) On 11/13/2020 at 7:44 AM, Sammo said: Correct (it was inspected by AA on arrival to NZ but that was months earlier) , made the error of assuming dealer would have to sort immediate issues and the mechanical warranty would handle anything down the line, which is true, but didn't factor on the massive pain in the arse it would be. Lesson learnt! indeed, my e46 was VTNZ Inspected on arrival, for compliance. and given a WoF. When I bought it (from an Auckland-based dealer, on an advert from TradeMe), it went for a new WoF before they handed it over... and failed on the brake hoses as the rubber was cracked. WTF?! So they got the brake hoses sorted, number plates attached, WoF re-test, and handed it over to me . Not to mention the $1000 of remedial servicing I was hit with on getting it to Wellington. wow. Lessons learned. EDIT: the brake hoses were not picked up in the PPI that I paid for! Edited November 13, 2020 by Olaf PPI Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2425 Report post Posted November 13, 2020 Some dealers also have friendly deals with their local compliance center. I believe NZTA has tightened up on that a bit, but there will still be shady deals getting through. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GorGasm 563 Report post Posted November 13, 2020 I have come to the conclusion the best cars to buy are the ones I am selling. 2 1 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted November 13, 2020 whats currently for sale @GorGasm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GorGasm 563 Report post Posted November 13, 2020 Maserati can go for the right price. I need to do the clutch first though and I doubt I will see change from 10 grand for that. :s. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
