The dealer feels there is a low fuel pressure problem causing the MIL light to stay on. They were on the Audi hot line but were unable to determine a remedy. They will have the car through at least next Tuesday. As I will be out of town Tuesday and Wednesday, the dealer will proudly own my A8L until then.

Needless to say, I'm very annoyed as this is now the second incident requiring a multi-day stay in the shop.

:-(

The fuel pressure is control by the fuel pump output (which should be just fine) and the pressure regulator, which should be mechanical. Hard to believe it would fail.

I hope they fix it, but I've got a feeling the fuel pressure thing ain't gonna do it for you.

pw

would have a very hard time buying that line. And, if paying for it out of my pocket, there would be hell to pay before the dealer was paid. Do hope I am wrong.

So I'm driving home from work in my charming 2001 Jetta loaner POS with 51K miles on it. I pull out from a light and BANG the front end starts wobbling violently under acceleration. I stop the car and call my Audi dealer. It's 5:30pm, they close at 6pm and I'm 45 minutes away.

I get voicemail at the dealer so I press "0" and get a sales guy. I explain my situation and ask what can be done. He explains that the dealership closes at 6pm and that there is nothing they can do and, oh, by the way, we're closes until next Tuesday! At that point I lose it and say "What kind of customer service is that." He asks "what do you want me to do?" I said, "how about see if there's another loaner and I'll drop this one off assuming I can get there." He says "well I don't know if we even have any loaners left" and transfers me to the cashier (after a colorful exchange I will not reiterate here) who is absolutely no help whatsoever.

I then call my wife to tell her that I will be limping home with this car and explain my dealings with this sales turd. She volunteers to go to ther dealer and is willing to refuse to leave until either they do something or I arrive. I say, "go for it!"

I arrive at the dealer a half hour later to find her sitting by another Jetta POS loaner. Apparently, she raised hell until she found someone who could help. She also asked that all three people left there write their names on a piece of paper, which they did, shockingly.

I am extremely disappointed my treatment and am drafting a pointed letter to the GM which I seriously doubt they'll listen to.

I'm sorry I ever bought this car and continued to support this lousy dealership.

... and would definitely be the last car I'd buy from them. It may do no good, but I'd CC that email to your Audi Advocate so there is contact made beyond the actual dealership. I've had several conversations with my Advocate over the last week that have been helpful and professional. It may not help, but it can't hurt to get them in the loop.

Actually, it needed front brakes. (And, after 200,000 miles, it deserves a set!) Bummer to have it happen on the holiday weekend. Found a local mechanic who was willing to fix it for me ASAP. They stayed open 1.5 hours past closing to help me get back on the road. His father come over to help finish the job - brake pads, change the oil & filter, rotate the tires and a road test! $184.00 :-)

lay your keys on the sales managers desk and proclaim "its over'! Youve had it with the lousy car and Audi. You want your money back(if its a lease, you are terminating with no fees to Audi) and thats it. Stand your ground. If we try hard enough, maybe we can ger you compensated for pain and suffering. My car seems to be back on track but you post sent my blood pressure through the roof. many on this forum seem to delight in BMWs misfortunes while singing the praises of Audi. I dont get it. They both stink especially in the PR department. I find it amusing that a car company that is forced to buy back new vehicles at the rate Audi has had to couldnt come up with a sounder way of communicating with its customers. It almost sounds as though the dealer network and Audi are competing to see who can piss off the customer first! If you need ANY help, post it here or send me an e-mail. I will do everything that I can to assist you.

reading your comments, I was thinking back about all the other cars I have bought over the years in terms of dealer support after the sale. Years ago I had a serious of GM products (from Olds, Corvette, Trans Am, etc.) with very little mechanical problems whatsoever. Then i entered the German arena (MB, BMW, Audi in that order). It was only the BMW that I became dissatisfied with dealer support. I have had excellent support with the 3 Audis, and 1 MB. I certainly agree one must be an AH to get what is owed to you in almost all transactions today. I guess my question is, how does your Audi service compare to other cars owned in the past? Is AOA really that much worse?

when the product fails. Comparing previously non-Germanic automobiles that Ive owned with the Audi is a difficult task. My experience with Acura has been supurb although it included a 1996 TL 3.2 whose brakes completely failed at 7700 miles(yes, I do break 7000 miles once in awhile LOL). The dealer asked me what I wanted to do and I said "collateral exchange" and I had a new car in three days. On this point, I believe that Audi would do the same but the issues are not the same. The brake failure or as a matter of fact any failure with that Acura was/is unheard of. The failures of the 04 A8L are common! Audi quite simply did not do their homework and this is shared by BMW and Mercedes Benz. I guess we can all point to individual experiences where the manufacturer/dealer propped us up or let us down. My point here is that there has been and continues to be a trend with the German cars that is unsettling to say the least. Whwn MBDefector and I jumped from MB at the same time last year, I felt comfortable with the move because I KNEW about the problems with the MB. My only concern with the Audi was the unknown. For me, at least, now its known! Caveat Emptor my friends, Caveat Emptor.

The service was vastly superior to anything Audi has had.

would at least get you more personal and professional service, but it sounds like you're not receiving either. I'd bring Audi USA into it at this point. For what you guys paid for these cars, they should be bending over backwards. Problem, I suspect, is that they've already gotten that money out of you and no longer care what you do. The prospect of you never buying another $80k car from them probably hasn't dawned on them yet.

You want service? But no one is in the shop to help you except the cashier and perhaps a low seniority salesman who have family members yelling at them to come home so they can head for the beach house. So there's a solution to this? What do you want?

You deserve and desire 24 hour service from the dealership's President and an untitled A8L for a loaner. Too late! Cellphones are off!

You are actually lucky! If you were stranded a half hour later, no one would have been there to get you the replacement Jetta loaner - that you are probably going to leave at the airport for 5 days while you're away on business.

What really bothers me is that your wife took their names! The cashier and the salesman who was nice enough to stay with your her and wait for you. That's psyco man. Gonna hunt them all down and feed them the cheese?

Happy Memorial day. Hope your car is returned to you in better condition then when you left it. I would worry about messing with the monkeymen. They can read and often post right here! :-)

Not to mention other joys of flying these days. Talk about customer service!

I would give better service to the nicer people. And why not give same quality service to an A4 owner as and A8 owner? A4 owner may have purchased two or more cars there - which is same or more than the investment an owner might have in the A8. They may buy an A8 for their next car! Should a dealer "bounce" an A4 owner to cater to the flagship owner? I would bounce the A$$hat every time! But I'm not employed at a car dealer.

Honest dealers should always try to give the best service they can. The service you get is partly what the dealership can afford to give and partly the quality of the people they hire. IMHO.

It seems we are "teaching" American car owners that they need to go to the dealership with a cop and a gun to get attention and quality service. I bet the folks at the service counters are getting tired of it... :-(

have anything other then their bottom line as their number 1 objective? Ever heard of dealer that misrepresented what was wrong with a car or, what they did to repair it, or, that a repair was excluded by their warrenty (when it wasn't), or they replaced parts that did not repair the car but you were expected to pay for the parts and labor anyway? Perhaps you should wear instead of a name tag on your uniform the following; "If you can't trust your dealer, who can you trust?" I

Capitalism is a wonderful thing. The bottom line vrs. the customer. Perhaps we need a car owner's union? Knowing what's wrong with a broken car is different from staying open for service 24/7 on a holiday weekend. greenie was talking about opening his own dealership. I'd go there!!! Think about it, a dealer owned by a lawyer representing both the dealership and the customer! Even-handed service. I like that a lot. (No soup for You!) LOL

when you purchase 4 tires (once a year promo and the beef comes from his own ranch), Mr. G. could guarantee a successful dealership by giving away CHEEZE with every new transmission he installed free of charge. . . yep, Audi's would be coming into his dealership by rail car, boat, trailer, and airfreight. . . . in fact it wouldn't surprise me if all forms of shipping to his store were paid by him. . . .he would have to have a Kia dealership in the back however to make any money.

By the way a$$hole. I bring the service desk bagels, doughnuts, whatever else just about every time I visit and treat them with nothing but respect. And yes, people who purchase $75,000 cars DO expect better treatment if not better service.

And by the way, the three people left were a senior sales person, the head of finance, and a service technician.

So STFU and get back to servicing cars because you clearly don't have a clue about the customer service business.

If you're going to murder someone, I would suggest the head of Finance. LOL

<center><img src="http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/image/8282003113829.jpg"></center><p>
Sells only Lifetime warranty cars with lifetime fluids and lifetime cheese! I'm so there! LOL

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/13702/dscn1385-vi.jpg"></center><p>

HeySue, are you a Service Writer or a stewardess?LOL

and this is what I come back to? Im looking at the threads below and wondering how you happened to step on SWAS`s toes! I guess Ill have to present that question to him along with why he seems so pissed off(as if it matters).

and his A8L, you would understand his frustrations. I wont bore you with my sordid tale concerning the Silver Bullet but believe me, its not the only one. Personally, I go the extra distance to keep calm and happy-faced even after the car has made 7 trips to the dealership resulting in more than 30 days of downtime within an 8 month period of time. Ive gotten "conflicting testimony" from my dealer concerning a myriad of subjects but wait, Im boring you! The facts are these: This car was "let out of the pen" too soon. A certain percentage of these cars have failed. A certain number of owners are duly frustrated to the point of even taking names. When you have had a relationship with a dealer such as wowdi has had, wouldnt you think that he would deserve a little more consideration? The owners of these dealerships are to blame for not emphasising critical thinking with their employees. I dont mean just being nice, I mean "lets see how we can help Mr/Ms out of a tough situation". You would think that they would want to go the extra mile but instead so many of them fall flat right out of the gate!

but in the end, remembering detailing those black cars, red won out.

a number of Audi enthusiasts opening a few Audi stores across the country. Ill bet they would be unmatched for service and PR. BTW, I would stay 24/7 over a holiday weekend if it meant going the distance foe a customer. If you love what you do, you`ll do it anytime! Next to your mother, an attorney might end up being your next best bet!

The difference is that I forgot where I parked the Lexus!!

On the bright side, I'm developing a kit to fit out the new A8L's with wireless robotic articulators and position sensors. I figure that when AoA buys them ALL back, they'll need to find a way to maintain a presence for their flagship cars. I aim to be ready! LOL

He and his wife act like jerks, even if he does have justification to be upset about his defective loaner car. Imagine hijacking a dealership for a couple of hours on a Friday night because his free loaner car vibrates at red lights? And then attacking "pretty little me" for trying to show him how badly he is acting! STFU he tells me! Guess I learned my lesson. Just let angry people vent.

Commercial aviation has way more scrutiny than the auto industry and put out a good product. The manufacturers can't stick there head in the sand denying some problem that a plane may have (or at least for very long). The worry is in how the plane is maintained.

was not due ONLY to the loaner issue. It is/was the inconsistant treatment afforded him by this dealer as he sweats through a nonperforming A8L! Pretty little you? Oh how the world is soooo subjective! LOL

Did I just hex myself?

His "Mechanic" forgot to connect the vacuum line to the....

having problems with a Corvette. . . never had even one problem with them.

to take delivery on Thursday(first clear day!). Im having second thoughts about the color combo though. The body is Magnetic Red and the top is black. That works for me! The interior is Light Oak so the seats, carpet and some door trim are light while the dash and center console and some remaining trim on the doors are black! My rule of thumb on roadsters has always been that the roof should match the interior. Ive always chosen a black gut so theres no mishmosh(is that a word?)of colors competing with one another. Ive been trying to rationalize the colors, believing that Ill get used to it. Oh boy! Im going back to the dealer tomorrow to make my decision. Fully half of the guys posting on the Corvette forum do not like what Chevy has done with the C6 and prefer the C5. The stock levels at my dealer bears that out, 76 cars in March and only 21 now!