I have been a pretty avid reader of this forum for quite a long time. I purchased an A4 1.8 t in January 1997 and finally received it in May of that year.<p>My A 4 has had 18 days worth of repairs for defects (clutch hydralic linkage, starter motor) that have left me stranded twice. The car has less then 12,000 very gentle miles on it!<p>The dealer (Mahan Audi in Houston Texas) scratched the car not once but on two separate occasions when these repairs were being made.<p>When running, the car is fun. Unfortunately, its unreliability and the attrocious dealer service have made this categorically the worst ownership experience I have ever had. I literally dread driving the car for fear something else will go wrong and I will have to end up at Mahan's Scratch and Dent Garage waiting to see what new damage they have perpetrated.<p>Audi of America refuses to intervene---they say that's the dealer's problem. <p>I have owned many new cars including Hondas (CRX, Civic, Accord), Mazda (323 GTX AWD), BMW 3 series, a Toyota Pickup and two Sciroccos and a Rabbit. I was never stranded by any of those cars. A dealer never scratched any of those cars. None of those cars sat in the shop for 18 days.<p>I have come to the realization that A) I have what is approximating a legally defined lemon, B) I have had the misfortune of dealing with an incredibly incompetent service department at an ill-run dealership and C) Audi of America really doesn't care. <p>I am moving on.

how reliable was your BMW 3 series? I'm thinking about getting one.

The electric locks started acting up when it was about a year old. A simple fix. I moved and my new dealer informed me my old dealer should have recommended a tire rotation earlier---that probably cut 10k miles of the tires because they scalloped. There was some recall repair (I forget what) done on a scheduled visit. Other than that, no problems.

sorry to hear about your experiences...<br>i bought my avant in april from mahan, 4.5% over invoice.<br>the 3 trips to the service dept were without problem.<br>the first at 1200 miles for an ECU replacement, took 40 minutes.<br>second & third were for 7.5k/15k checks.. arrived 30 minutes before they opened<br>and was out in 3 hours...I tipped the mech. $10 the last visit for the<br>quick attention, and he rotated the tires even though the service is<br>only provided at 7500 miles., they have answered my questions or at <br>least acknowledged ignorance when they didn't know, but always followed up<br>andcalled me in 2-3 days with the answer. When i took a steep driveway once <br>& lost the left chin grill, they replaced it in 10 minutes and called it "defective" <br>and billed Audi under the warrenty!<br>I am pleased with them, I have 17.2k miles and the car has been great,<br>I drive 100 mi/day, mostly freeway/toll road, so i cruise at 90...<br>now if only the S4 Avant would come over...truly sorry to hear about<br>your problems..

Have you looked into your state's lemon laws or checked with your state's Attorney General? They usually have an automobile section or advocate. I would really jump on that quickly. I would be furious with both the dealer AND AoA if that happened to me. You might start firing off letters to Mahan, AoA, and VWoA just to see what results you can get when you put it in print. A lot of times, people will take a complaint more seriously if it is received in writing, you might even cc: everyone including a law firm or cc: a name that "sounds like" a law firm. Have a friend who is a lawyer you could cc: for emphasis? I hate to say it, but sometimes the wrong things will motivate people to do the right thing, capiche?<p>Kirk

Unless you're getting rid of the car give McGill a try. They are much better than the monkies at Mahan.

That's only the worst of it. There's more. I ordered green touch up paint---they got blue. I ordered a switchblade remote key fob---they got one for an A 6---not the same and it didn't work. The one for the A 4 finally arrived---it was defective. The only repair I needed at 7500 miles was the windshield washer wasn't functioning. I picked up the car and - - - they hadn't touched the windshield washer. At Mahan, for me, EVERYTHING takes AT LEAST THREE TRIPS. This is not to mention the 9 days in their shop to replace a defective starter motor or the other days fixing the defective clutch linkage or the trip to paintless dent repair to fix the dent they made in my rear quareter panel or the time I will spend this week to get estimates for repairing the scratch they put in the right passenger door. <p>I wish my experiences there were like yours but, as I am finding out, I am not the only one in the Houston area with misgivings about Mahan. The fact that they are now on their third service manager in less than two years might suggest something. You might also take a look at Mahan Volkswagon v. Hall (Texas, 1982) for more on Mahan's service reliability.<p><p>

That's only the worst of it. There's more. I ordered green touch up paint---they got blue. I ordered a switchblade remote key fob---they got one for an A 6---not the same and it didn't work. The one for the A 4 finally arrived---it was defective. The only repair I needed at 7500 miles was the windshield washer wasn't functioning. I picked up the car and - - - they hadn't touched the windshield washer. At Mahan, for me, EVERYTHING takes AT LEAST THREE TRIPS. This is not to mention the 9 days in their shop to replace a defective starter motor or the other days fixing the defective clutch linkage or the trip to paintless dent repair to fix the dent they made in my rear quareter panel or the time I will spend this week to get estimates for repairing the scratch they put in the right passenger door. <p>I wish my experiences there were like yours but, as I am finding out, I am not the only one in the Houston area with misgivings about Mahan. The fact that they are now on their third service manager in less than two years might suggest something. You might also take a look at Mahan Volkswagon v. Hall (Texas, 1982) for more on Mahan's service reliability.<p><p>

Sounds like you guys should add some comments to the dealer section of this board.<br>I would never go there.<br>Luckily, I live in NY.<br>

I would love to. How do I find it?

I've recently had an unsatisfying experience at Mahan: I brought in my 98 2.8QTipS for the 7500 service and for the installation of Raybestos brake pads (to get rid of dust/squeal). First of all, it took 5 weeks to get an appointment. Next, they tell me over the phone that I'll be provided a loaner car, but when I get there they tell me that brake pad installation is NOT covered under the warrenty (Even though there are AllData technical service bulletins on the A4 pad problems), therefore I'll have to rent a car. Lastly, after originally being told the maintainence will take a half-day, they keep the car for two full days and charge me $140 for the pad installation. I also had to pay $100 to the car rental company for the extra day. To cap it off, they didn't add any anti-squeal to my pads, and now they sound like a pig in heat.<p>Danilo<p>PS: Does Don McGil accept Mahan buyers on servicing?

I think McGill or any Audi dealer has to provide warranty service. It used to be thought that the dealer here you purchased the car would provide the best service because they would want to get a repeat purchase from you. Obviously, this boat sailed at Mahan---I would never buy another car there BECAUSE of their service.<p><br> Audi of America told me to take my car to McGill. Unfortunately, it isn't easy for me to get to McGill and given my reliability problems this added commute is not a minor problem.

Look, you don't have a lemon. For that your car would have to be out for more than 30 days, or you would have to had the same problem fixed more than three times. Even better if you get both!<p>BTW, I did have my car replaced by Audi with a new one. They did car. But I did have a legitimate lemon. And I did make an effort - I actually gave dealer 8 times to have it fixed.<p>What is AoA supposed to do when your dealer scratches your car? Sure, they will screw them on CS Index, or something like this - but that is all that they can do. So, sue your dealer.<p>Finally, you have 36K miles and 3 years to find all that there is wrong with your car, so drive it HARD. After that you will be paying for it not Audi.<p>

Let's see, I am supposed to sue my dealer, run my car into the ground and/or suffer through 12 more days in the shop to qualify for bona fide lemon status not to mention the additional times I may be stranded . Gee, is this part of the Audi ownership experience? Sorry, that isn't how I treat cars and I don't have the time suffer through any more nonsense with this dealer or this car.<p> "Whining" lets them know they are not providing adequate service or product support. Since you had a lemon, it's pretty clear this isn't an isolated incident. Leaving for another brand can also send a message. As I said in my first posting, I am moving on. <p>

If so, mind you manners......... :-)<p>Rick<p>PS I remember I kept putting on my subject line "Brace" yourself..............<br>