Avant Load cover warranty claim potential?

[smarts]

Evening all. I recently updated to a B8 after 5 happy years with a B6. Chalk and cheese really, but more of that another time. I thought I might do a post comparing the two...

So anyway, the B8's load cover is broken. The two prongs that are supposed to secure it at the removable end are stuck 'in'. As the car still has 9 months of Audi warranty on it, is this worth trying to claim for?

They're over 400 quid for a replacement although eBay and DIY repair are options.

Ta in advance

[Phil K]

It can't hurt to try mate... In my experience dealers are quite happy to do anything under warranty as they still get paid for the work but from Audi UK rather than the customer. It would be silly for them to turn down the business!

I had a field day with my mk1 Leon Cupra R in the last week of warranty getting all the badges replaced inc. the wheels as there was vague signs of corrosion. Also had various bits of trim sorted and a new gear knob. The dealer didn't bat an eyelid but they had got to know me fairly well with its 10k service intervals!

Good luck getting it sorted and let us know how you get on!

[smarts]

Quick update then. Thanks for the encouragement Phil. I popped into the local dealer today to start the warranty claim process. Not exactly a positive reaction from the dealer I'm afraid - more like teeth-sucking.

So the dealer technicians need to satisfy themselves that there is a potential claim, then the dealer's own warranty assessor also needs to be satisfied by their written report. If and when the dealership is confident there is a bullet-proof valid case, they will approach Audi UK to make the claim on my behalf.

Because it's a trim issue, the techs are taking a closer look at the car tomorrow. This is to try to establish if the roller casing has been knackered by misuse or has failed as a result of a manufacturing defect.

Fair enough i suppose, but I expect there is a bonus or incentive scheme at work here: The fewer claims the dealer allows to filter through to Audi... the better for Audi and the better for the dealer.

I'll let you know how it goes, but given their reluctance so far, I think I already know how this is going to pan out.

[Phil K]

Best of luck mate, if they don't want to take full responsibility for this then you might be able to argue a good will gesture if you have full Audi service history with them?

Fingers crossed for you!

[smarts]

Some closure on this topic - been a bit busy, so sorry for the late response.

The dealer techs fiddled about with the load cover fittings and trim last Friday. Here's the conclusion: The trim panels in which the load cover cassette sits have been loosened and are not sitting securely as they should be. The cause appears to be that the luggage load net has been left attached the back of the seats full-time - rather than removed from the seats and attached to the mounting brackets. Raising the seats with the net attached, repeatedly we think, has nudged the mounting brackets out of position which in turn has moved the trim panels.... hence the load cover cassette is loose.

This is a bit of a bugger, but I do agree that it's a case of misuse by the previous owner and consequent damage, rather than a manufacturing issue. Fairy nuff.

Mind you, having had the techs wiggling it about a bit, the load cover has actually attached itself properly for once...! Don't know how long it will last.

Of course this could all have been avoided if Audi had employed a sensible solution, as per the B6 model. The load cover and luggage net combined was simplicity itself. The separation of the cover and net for the B8 seems like a huge backward step to me.

Night all.