Rust on Q7 rear doors

[damilne6]

Anyone noticed rust on the inside of the rear doors?
Dirt and grime collects on the rear edges and I have rust spots forming on both sides of my 2007 model.

[pld118]

Hi, I have a 4 year old Q7 S-line. The paintwork is failing on the inside arches of both rear doors. There is also unsightly corrosion along the driver's door sill. Not acceptable for a premium brand car. I took it to my local Audi dealer who have supplied and serviced the car since new. They were not interested, suggested it had been repainted before (it hasn't) and they wouldn't even put a paint guage on the paintwork. They would not entertain a paintwork warranty claim. Perplexed, I politely contacted the Audi dealer in the next district. They looked at the failing paint, instantly said it had never been repainted and concluded that all areas were paintwork warranty items. The claim is being processed with Audi UK at the time of writing. I will post the final outcome once matter is resolved.

[u5man]

Got the same problem on my rear door and my local audi garage passed it to it head office and the rejected the warranty claim reason giving that the paint has been chipped off due to the moisture in the sill and due it being out its 3 year paint warranty it is not covered and its not covered under the corrosion warranty as the corrosion is not within the panel.

[pld118]

As a point to perhaps note: If your car is affected by this failing paint on the inside of the 'rear door arches'. When the rear doors are closed, if you run your fingers along the under side edge of the 'rear door arches', you might find that the affected areas are exposed to the elements with no obvious protection.

My overall paintwork claim is ongoing at present. The most recent update that I got yesterday was that this will all be 'resolved' this month at no cost to me. Until the work has actually been completed at no cost, I will reserve judgement as to the quality of Audi customer care on this issue (however, the dealership staff appear to be very committed to resolving the matter and restoring my faith in the brand. I hope that they are sincere, given the money I have spent at Audi on service and maintenance work whilst owning this car). I will post fuller details later this month, regardless as to the outcome.

To date, my overall Audi 'Human Experience' that Audi now factor in to their policies has not been as I would have hoped (both with this and with some other service/ maintenance issues). That said, I do like the Q7 which is a very nice car.

More to follow...

[pld118]

In conclusion:

Audi UK rejected the warranty claim that was made and supported by an Audi main dealer. They did not dispute that there was an apparently bona fide shortcoming with the paint. However, they did rigidly apply the fact that the 3 year paint warranty period - that they suggested would have covered the defects - had expired. Audi UK refuted the suggestion that the 12 year corrosion warranty should cover it instead. Audi UK were of the view that the solution lay with the local Audi dealership, via 'good will'.

In fairness to the dealerships, my own view is that I am not entirely convinced that the Audi dealership should have to pay for paintwork shortcomings (after all, the dealerships does not manufacture the car, Audi does).

However, in my case, after Audi's decision, the 'next district' dealership commendably continued to support my grievance by thereafter contacting my local dealership (my local dealership having received all business in relation to my car). They escalated the matter to a manager at my local dealership. That manager had not previously been made aware of any aspect of the issue. Said manager immediately worked to resolve the issue.

This week, my local dealership repaired the 3 affected paintwork areas in their bodyshop and at no cost to me. They also supplied me with a brand new Q7 courtesy car. I have collected my own repaired car this morning.

My understanding is that dealerships have some form of 'good will' reserve for issues that fall between warranty 'gaps' such as the situation I experienced. I think it fair to say however that the dealership will probably only show such good will if there is a clear audit trail of your custom with them, which seems to me to be right and proper (also known as 'Brand Loyalty').

The whole episode has taken months and has been frustrating to resolve.

I am very grateful to the 'next district' dealership for their outstanding professionalism, assistance and support during this process. The same applies to the manager at my local dealership who finally resolved the matter. I will write to the dealer principal at both garages to express my appreciation regarding the relevant staff.

Would I buy another Audi? Yes.

[andynpz]

Great news that it worked out for you!

Two things are clearly important if you are going to resolve an issue with a car as I have found.

1. Be tenacious - never give up until you are satisfied.

2. Write a letter to the most senior person at the dealership - I was getting nowhere fast until the "Head of Business" at my dealership sent a letter expressing the hope that my expectations had been exceeded. When I replied that they had not, the problems were addressed at once with good grace by the Aftersales Manager. Now the workshop manager comes to me to fit the outstanding parts which saves my time and a 70 mile round trip.

I think junior employees try to fob customers off - maybe it's policy - but senior staff will help, as yours did finally.