2005 2.0TDi Manual Needs New Gearbox - Can This Be Right???

[chrisfranks]

Hi
My April 2006 2.0TDi (owned from new and serviced regularly now with 75,000 miles) has developed a real juddering, so taken to dealership.
They say it needs a new gearbox and want to charge me £2804 !!!
I think this is outrageous and would welcome any comment, thoughts, or experiences from anyone regarding this.
The car is averaging about 16000 miles pa, has been serviced in accordance with "longlife" service intervals, and has not been "thrashed" in any way as i've owned it from new.
It is a manual, not an automatic, which do appear to have some issues, from other postings.
Also, has anyone had any experiences with "dealer contributions" towards repairs as i've mentioned that I think "Audi" should foot the bill and the dealership are looking into whther Audi will cover part of the cost.

Your early replies would be appreciated, as the car is currently sat a the dealership now!

[kite]

Look for posts about the dualmass flywheel.

[chrisfranks]

Thanks for the info. I've had a look at items you stated - which are helpful.

I'm waiting to here from the Dealership, as to what they'll pay! In the meantime am looking to get as much information (or "ammunition") to be able to challenge them if they want me to pay.

Any thoughts on whether it's worth getting "Trading Standards" involved??? (4+1/2 year old car, regularly serviced, not high miles - so argument that car not fit for purpose perhaps?) Long-shot maybe?

I should also add, that in March 2008, the Clutch (plate - I think) was replaced under warranty. It happened within days of the car being 3 years old. When changing gear there was a large bang, the car's ignition cut out immediately and I managed to "coast" to the side of the road. RAC came and took car to Stockport Audi, who replaced clutch plate (I think clutch plate but I dont have paperwork to hand!).

Any more info / advise / comment greatly appreciated.

Regards - Chris

[kite]

Any parts replaced have a 2yr warranty, so the clutch plate that was change in 2008 is covered.

[chrisfranks]

Any parts replaced have a 2yr warranty, so the clutch plate that was change in 2008 is covered.

Thanks (and apologise for the late reply - it's been a long day!)
Have mentioned the DualMass flywheel to Audi dealer, but they now state they've drained the gearbox oil and its "full of iron filings" therefore they dont think the gearbox can be stripped and repaired, as they are concerned that some iron filings would remain and cause further problems. They want me to have a new gearbox.
I've expressed my concerns regarding this happening to a 4+1/2 yr old car with 75k miles. They say they discussed this with audi who will offer a 25% contribution. So now i'm (STILL) looking at £2103.00 !!! Hence I'm still very unhappy.
Do you think I should get the local dealer to strip the grearbox to identify the problem?
Will this help me to get audi to contribute more than 25%?
Any further help would be greatly appreciated.
Regards - Chris

[MFGF]

Hi Chris,

To be honest, you're doing very well for Audi to offer a contribution towards the repair on a car that's out of warranty by both a year and a half and 15000 miles. It's quite unusual for manual gearboxes to fail like this, so I imagine this will have had some bearing in them deciding to help with the repair bill.

If you had bought a two year extended warranty from Audi, they would have charged you around £1350 (or more) for it, so in real terms the new gearbox is costing you only £750 over what you would have paid to be covered.

Given that they have already offered to pay towards the repair, it's possible you may be able to persuade them to increase the contribution a little if you ask *very* nicely, but I certainly wouldn't bank on this.

Good luck!

MF.

[the surfer]

I had gearbox issues on my previous car - 55-reg manual 6-speed Golf - last year and VW contributed 85% to getting it rebuilt. This meant labour was free and I just paid for the parts. To begin with they only offered 50%. I think it depends on who you speak to. There are some real idiots in MK, believe me! Just cross your fingers that you get a good one on your case.

I was told the goodwill contributions are based on their matrix. They take the age, mileage and service history into account to find the amount they are willing to contribute. In my case, my Golf, at the time, was just over 3 years old, had a full VWSH and, if I remember correctly, had under 30k miles.

Good luck anyway!

[chrisfranks]

Thanks to both of you.
After extensive calls today to local dealers, the results are....
(1) The dealer where i've taken the car (nearest) advise that the 25% contribution is from Audi -from their matrix and they (the dealership) wont add zip. Not very pleasing
(2) The dealership where i bought the car from (30 miles away), who havent seen me since (understandably) are not willing to offer anything above Audi 25%
(3) Another dealership (in the nearest major city) will allow a reduced hourly rate from £94/hour to the "lease company rate" of £75/hour. So a little bit saved there - but not much really.
(4) The dealership who have serviced the car (and at the last service changed rear pads+discs) have shown the value of my past custom, as the will add a further 20% to the Audi 25% giving a 45% contribution - although they'll need to assess the car and provide their own quote - which should mirror the current quote!

So a good result, considering what's happened and taking into consideration MFGF's comment.

Thus, it pays to try to be loyal to one dealership, give them your custom and if the brown stuff hits the fan, when you throw yourself at their mercy - they "should" look favourably on your troubles.

I would add, at all times, behave respectfully, courteously and say how much you love the car - in my case it's my second A6 (previous was 1.9TDi), that you are a loyal customer, want your next car to be another Audi etc. and you may be as fortunate as I have been, in unfortunate circumstances.

Thanks again to those who added comment and I hope my response proves helpful to others.

[MFGF]

Hi Chris,

That's great news! Excellent response by Audi UK and your servicing dealer (and obviously great negotiation skills on your part too!)

MF.

[chrisfranks]

Another update..... The Bad news keeps getting better!

I arranged to collect my A6 from the unco-operative local dealer and take it to the Audi dealer offering the 45% contribution. However, they wouldnt have a courtesy car for about 4 days - leaving me without wheels and stuck 40 miles from home potentially.
On the journey there, I was (understandably) a little concerned at the noise it was making so...
(Motto : Think,think,think....before you act)
...having previously checked my Bank Account benefits (as i have an account with "add-on's" albeit at £12.50/month) which includes full AA cover including onward transfer to destination and if my car can't be repaired a "free" hire car for 72 hours!
No doubt you are ahead of me on this one now....
I called the AA, they agreed there was a "transmission" problem and towed me to Audi dealer, and arranged for a hire car whilst on the way there, and took me to the Enterprise office to pick up my car. RESULT!

The Audi dealer looked at the car that morning, phoned to confirm it does need a new gearbox BUT their quote is £2548.94 ie £255.06 less than local dealer. Another RESULT.
They also have found a gearbox in the UK, will have it next day, fit it following day and road test it, meaning I should have my car back, within the 72 hours i've got the free hire car for. Another RESULT.
Also, I advised them that the front brake pads are wearing thin (warning light came on a couple of weeks ago) and it'll be due a Cambelt change soon and a Service in a few thousand miles, and asked what they could do about these prices if I had the work done at the same time (cheeky, but you have to ask).
They have agreed to do these jobs ALL AT A REDUCED PRICE too.....so.....
I get the new gearbox, new pads, new cambelt and a "longlife" service with air filter ALL for £150 less than just the cost of the gearbox at the local dealer.

The bad news is still I'm going to have to fork out about £1900 2 weeks before the big man with the white beard arrives (with a smaller sack this year)
BUT
It seems that loyalty does count and also doing your homework, phoning around and not taking the first offer on the table. In these hard times even Audi dealers are able to negotiate...if they want your business.

Thanks to all for their interest/comments regarding my "plight" and hope my experience is useful to others.

Regards - Chris