a4 multitronic problem

[a4god2ulot]

bought my a4 multitronic early this year with warranty its a late 2003 model.anyway a few weeks ago it started to like jump into first when comeing to a hault,didnt take much notice at 1st just put it down to the road surfaces,so i let my missis drive didnt say anything whilst she was driving,she comes to a hault and it does it again which comfirmed my suspisions as she complained to.

so next day i go to our local dealer john fox of nottingham,ask them to check it,left it with them as they said as there checking it they have to do a oil sample,fine carry on but befor you do how much is this check going to cost,its ok sir its done under warranty

4hrs later i get a call to come and collect it,gets there sees the service manager and this is what he told me!!!

we have done the checks and oil sample it needs a new box,we found iron filings in the oil a rebuild will be no good as we couldnt get rid of all the bits,ok so when can this be done and is it being done through warranty,yes of course sir here is a print out of what is going to be done ,new box new filter plus audi approved transmission oil plus price!!!!!!! i nearly fell off the chair total cost of £4,650 well good job its got warranty well so i thought well it as sort of?as i was leaving he says to me can you look in your service book and see if its had its forty thousand mile oil change on the box?i didnt own the car at that mileage so yeah i will look,looked it had a service at 34k with additional work ticked on the 40k bit to say box oil change due when reached this mileage,then turned the page it had a 51k service but no mention of the box and the dealer was warrington audi thats done it all from new,so go back to john foxes tell them they say **** phone audi uk and talk to them,in the mean time new box as arrived,audi customer services say we will look into it,i call warrington audi to ask them they say never changed it the customer must of advised us not to do it tuff **** they say you got to pay!!!!basically,so i go back to my dealer john fox,i didnt buy it from any garage i bought it private,they say this is whats going to happen,they have requested all invoices and work logs for this car,they say warrington audi knew about the 40k oil change but still let it go in for its 51k service and not made it clear about this oil change and should of told the previous owner this is a must as if the box fails your warranty will be void?so looks like there going to have to foot the bill?i am still waiting to see what the outcome is because at the end of the day i was sold this car with full audi warranty and no one told me how essential this oil change is?.so moral of the story is if you buy a audi multitronic under warranty make sure its had the 40k box service if its up to that mileage i got mine at 54k but didnt know about the box will post up the outcome soon as i know

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Did you ever get any further with this. 'twould be good to know the outcome.

[a4god2ulot]

yeah audi uk just said its not there problem there not doing nothing about it,because warington audi used there get out clause by saying they notified the previous owner to remind them it needed doing?? but still after the 34,000k service it had1 at 51,000 at the same place but still no gearbox oil change,audi uk customer services were s**t,i went back to the place i bought my car from and they said they will send it to a gearbox speacialist and put a recon in with a years warranty but i said no because at the end of the day if this car would of had its oil changed audi wouldnt say here you go its a recon?under the full warranty .i think there is a problem with these gearboxes anyway i have heard they are replacing the multitronic with a 7plate clutch setup instead of the 6plate.put it this way i will not have another one.

[RickT]

its a tough one that...

However Audi Warrington need to prove they told the previous owner.. however its they word which will go in favour..

i would get writing to Audi UK explaining as they tend to get matters resolved in a postive outcome via letter than phone.

Cheers

RicKT

[RickT]

however... they can now turn around and say its out of warrenty with having 51k on it and over 3 years old...

if thats the case... did u buy it from a garage?? if so you could try getting them to foot the bill via Audi as they have sold a car stating Full Audi history when its not had the requires service..... however if the stamps are there they will just say it appeared to had from their knowledge.

Cheers

RicKT

[Teutonic_Tamer]

yeah audi uk just said its not there problem there not doing nothing about it,because warington audi used there get out clause by saying they notified the previous owner to remind them it needed doing??

Audi UK may initially try to get out of their responsibility, regarding the warranty, but with the appropriate type of pressure - such as the proper documentary evidence, they should alter their original stance. You may ultimately get Audi UK to authorise 100% of the cost of the repairs, or they may (more likely) offer a "goodwill contribution" of something like 75% of the cost, leaving you just 25% of the total bill. It may not be easy, and may involve a few letters back and forth with then, and even may require an independent examination (who will be refunded by Audi if you firstly agree [or simply tell Audi if they get difficult] in advance of the examination, and secondly, the examination finds in your favour).

I will agree with RickT, regarding proving that the previous owner declined the gearbox oil change. However, to add a little more flesh to the bone on this issue, Audi Warrington should have got a signed disclaimer from the vehicle owner, which clearly stated the owner formally declined that particular item of routine maintenance (the gearbox oil change). Signed disclaimers are very common practice, and the absence of the necessary signed disclaimer from the owner would lead the Audi garage easily open to negligence, and therefore, the warranty would still be enforcable in any arbitration scheme or ultimately a Court of Law.

If Warrington Audi either refuse, or are unable to supply you with the necessary documentary evidence, write to the previous owner, as shown on the V5 logbook. There are a number possible outcomes, the previous owner may write back, stating he was never told about the oil change requirement, which would throw the neglignece issue clearly onto Warrington Audi. Alternatively, he may write back to confirming he did refuse the oil change - if this happend, you need to look carefully at the advert he placed when selling the car - if he satated something like "full Audi service history", or "Audi warranty still remaining for XX months / 'till Dec 06", then the seller clearly lied to you, and you can clearly sue the seller for misrepresentation.

but still after the 34,000k service it had1 at 51,000 at the same place but still no gearbox oil change,audi uk customer services were s**t

Audi UK can be a pain!

i went back to the place i bought my car from

Did you buy it from a Trader, or was it merely a private sale, from the actual previous owner?

and they said they will send it to a gearbox speacialist and put a recon in with a years warranty but i said no because at the end of the day if this car would of had its oil changed audi wouldnt say here you go its a recon?under the full warranty.

You were quite right to refuse their initial offer.

i think there is a problem with these gearboxes anyway i have heard they are replacing the multitronic with a 7plate clutch setup instead of the 6plate.

These multitronic gearboxes are actually quite good. There are known issues, but with the high torque from the 2.5 V6 TDIs. Your particular problem seems to stem from a neglect of a specific maintenance procedure. You don't actually state what engine you have.

Have a chat with these guys http://www.inde-tech.co.uk/multitronic.html, there is another positive response elsewhere on these forum about Inde-Tech.

put it this way i will not have another one.

I would not give up on the VW Audi stable. I find them very well engineered cars. Like any make of vehicle, if crucial maintenance is skipped, then you are bound to encounter problems!

Rgds

[Teutonic_Tamer]

however... they can now turn around and say its out of warrenty with having 51k on it and over 3 years old...

Not necessarily, as long as the problem was initially reported to the Audi garage before the warranty expired, then that problem is still covered, even if the warranty has since run out.

if thats the case... did u buy it from a garage?? if so you could try getting them to foot the bill via Audi as they have sold a car stating Full Audi history when its not had the requires service..... however if the stamps are there they will just say it appeared to had from their knowledge.

If he did buy it from a garage, even a back-street non-franchised independent trader, his rights are much stronger. Depending upon the detailed circumstances of the sale, Trading Standards may be able to help.

Rgds

[a4god2ulot]

thanks guys for your replies,i will put that to them regarding the desclaimer,i have tried the previous owner the company no longer exists,mine is a 1.9tdi 130 sport avant s line,i was sold it with 7months remaining warranty its run out but the claim is still valid as it was reported whilst under warranty.i bought it from available in derby i paid cash and had a year on finance,no one is intrested the finance company say its ok with them to have a recon box and tradeing standards say there within the law as the car is second hand,theres no way this car is going to a gearbox speacialist bin there done that with these back street guys who say they can repair them this car is more complex theres the software that runs the box ect ect.i just do not know what to do next,i think the idea of sueing the garage for starters,if i stop paying the finance i lose by getting a bad name for not paying and thats not fair so what do i do?

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Right, to start off, it seems there are a number of issues unravelling and arising here, and they all probably need adressing individually, using different methods for each "problem".

thanks guys for your replies,i will put that to them regarding the desclaimer,i have tried the previous owner the company no longer exists,mine is a 1.9tdi 130 sport avant s line,i was sold it with 7months remaining warranty its run out but the claim is still valid as it was reported whilst under warranty.

It's too bad about the previous owner/company going down the tubes, stuff like this happens. You may be able to do some searches, looking for the Company Secretary from the failed company, and then seeing if the same name crops up in any new registered company, and contact them from there. The person shouldn't have any problems replying to your request, unless their previous company was folded due to some kind of unlawful activity.

i bought it from available in derby

Right, that helps you an awful lot, as it was an official motor Trader. Firstly, you are protected by the balance Manufacturers warranty (you did not knowingly purchase the car, with the knowledge that vital items of routine maintenance had been omitted), secondly you are protected by AvailableCars warranty (don't believe the tosh on their web site, registered traders are "expected" by EU law to provide 6 months warranty, free of charge on high value second-hand goods). Thirdly, you are protected by general consumer laws, such as the Sale of Goods Act, and the Supply of Goods and Services Act. These state a number of legally binding conditions, such as "fit for its' purpose", to be "as described" in any advert, literature, conversation, and "be free from minor" defects. The "minor defects" would be on a sliding scale, in proportion to the newness of the product. A brand new car would be expected to be perfect, with no defects at all, whereas, say a six year old car with 90,000 miles on the clock would naturally be expected to have a degree of wear and tear arising from the acceptable useage from those previous 6yrs/90k miles - nevertheless, all components (unless previously described otherwise) should work in a satisfactory method, ie, the engine should run, the gearbox change gears, the brakes stop the car, the windscreen wipers wipe, the heater heat, the flashers fla.... (ok - I'll stop there ), etc, etc.

i paid cash and had a year on finance,no one is intrested the finance company say its ok with them to have a recon box and tradeing standards say there within the law as the car is second hand,

The cash bit - you have little protection in isolation, however the finance bit offers you very robust protection. Technically (depending on exactly what type of finance, if it is HP), the legal owner of your car is the finance company (even though you may be the registered keeper on the V5), and they have the legal responsibility to sort it out. If the finance company do agree to a recon box, then it must still be of satisfactory quality.

Get back in touch with Trading Standards, and demand of them that they assist you in your legitimate and lawful protection of your Consumer Rights. If they become obstructive or useless, get over to either (or both) Martin Lewis' web-site www.moneysavingexpert.com, and/or the highly regarded Telegraph motoring journo http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/ (click on the "the back room" for the forum).

theres no way this car is going to a gearbox speacialist bin there done that with these back street guys who say they can repair them this car is more complex theres the software that runs the box ect ect.

There are gearbox specialists (who will work on all kinds of 'boxes, manual and auto), and then there are the real, dedicated gearbox specialists, like Inde-Tech, who really do specialise in just one type of box. Please do get in touch with Inde-Tech - "Scottnd" over on the A6 board had a very positive outcome - check it out https://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/s...ad.php?p=11991.

i just do not know what to do next,

At may be a bit of a long slog, but be determined, stand by your guns, work through all suggestions logically, and don't fall at the first hurdle. There may be a few tears of anger/frustration to shed, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. You are not alone, because there are pleanty of other documented examples of the Multitronic gearbox going south due to lack of maintenace.

i think the idea of sueing the garage for starters,

A very realistic possibility of success, but you will need independent expert reports, don't even contemplate this kind of legal action without them, I know, been there done that & got a bloody nose . I must warn you though, I am not a Lawyer, so you'd be very wise to seek professional legal advice - even if it were just for an opinion on the merits and de-merits of your case. You should still be able to persue the legal action through the Courts by yourself, without any legal representation.

Another option would be one of the "alternative dispute services", or a formal mediation service. Unfortunately, AvailableCar don't show any membership of any of the car sales "regulator" type organisations, such as the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF), or the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) - http://www.motor.org.uk/.

if i stop paying the finance i lose by getting a bad name for not paying and thats not fair so what do i do?

Whatever you do, do NOT stop paying the finance. You are quite right regarding the bad credit history etc. It can seem unfair, but finance companies do have a balancing act between their rights and responsibilities. You need to write to the finance co (recorded delivery), formally rejecting the car, and threaten (but don't actually do it) to suspend payments. The finance company must, by law, comply with the regulations enforced by the Financial Services Authority http://www.fsa.gov.uk/consumer/

Again, it's worth getting some more specific independent advice from the MoneySavingExpert - http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/.

Another very good source of financial help is the National Debtline, call freefone 0808 808 4000 http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/, you may be on hold a little while, but they are very, very helpful.

Chin-up, rgds

[a4god2ulot]

thank you very much for your information its good to know there are good people around when needed,well after reading the posts i decided to see if i could trace the previous owner that was on the logue book.

i tried various ways going through business directories ect,they all turned up blank i then went on to companies house website and typed in the company name and bingo there it was but registered at a different address but no telephone number so i put the name and address i had through the business pages it turned up a number great i will give it a try,
got through to a lady who told me the business used to be there but have moved not ceased tradeing and gave me another number tried it got through to yet another number explained to the lady my problem she replies oh yes i remember the vehicle it was my directors personal car, "bingo",sorry though he is not in till later i will get him to call you...

lowe and behold i recieve my call from the previous owner mark,i explained the situation to him i also told him that warrington audi say they informed you by letter that the gearbox oil wanted changeing and that you had declined there instructions???he replies sorry mate i never knew anything about it requiring a oil change at 40k this is the first i know he says warrington are lieing because as far as he was concerned it went for its required services when it was due and not at anytime did they mention this was a stipulation of the terms of the warranty if a fault had arisen also i did not get told to sign any disclaimers regarding this he says as a company owner who owned a expensive car i would not skimp on its requirements to knowingly putting myself in a position if anything did go wrong for them to turn round and say its your fault you refused our advice,he said he will write me a letter to back this up and also he traded in the car at lancashire audi for a softop and even they never asked him if it had,had a gearbox oil change and they have sold it on and still not notified anyone to this box.great news i have the amo i need now and have spoken to audi uk whos tune as now changed to that of panic i am just awaiting a call now to see what they are going to do,the previous owner as given me his mobile number to call him direct so its heres hopeing at the moment

cheers paul