Brand New Q5 with Issues
 

I purchased a brand new 2014 Q5 2.0 a little more than a week ago. On day 3, I was given a "transmission malfunction" error and unable to put my car in reverse. It had to be towed from my garage to the nearest dealer. After 2 days in the shop, I was told it was a failed mechatronic unit, for which a part had to be ordered from Germany and that would take 7-10 days to get in. It has now been one week since my car was placed in service.

As a new Audi owner, obviously downright frustrated and outraged at this issue of not having a functional vehicle on day 3 of my purchase. I've had little success getting attention from Audi on the matter. The dealer who sold me the car initially said that they would replace the vehicle, then a few days later came back and said Audi told them they could not do that; they would only repair the vehicle and pay my first month's car payment. I was not happy with this response as clearly the car sold to me was faulty and in my mind should be replaced right away given the complete malfunction in less than 72 hours of ownership, and since my car will be in the shop for more than 2 weeks of course they should be paying my car payment because I'm paying for a car for which I do not have possession. I've not received a reply since I expressed my dissatisfaction with these terms to the dealer.

I've got several questions:
1) Is it true that if the mechatronic unit is replaced I shouldn't have concerns with long term issues with this vehicle? Clearly, with the car breaking down in 3 days I don't feel it is exactly reliable. I've driven Toyotas for 12 years and never had to have a car towed.
2) Have others had issues with BRAND NEW Audi's and if so, what measures were taken by Audi to correct the issue? So far, I've been completely disturbed with the level of service I received. Rather than proactively trying to resolve the issue it has been on me to follow up and attempt to find a resolution. I do not think simply paying 1 month of a car payment is fair compensation for the hassle or inconvenience of the issue, particularly since it was 3 DAYS OLD and will now be in service 4X longer than I've actually been able to use the vehicle. The dealer says "it's not our fault" but yet I haven't been able to talk to anyone directly with any authority to remedy the situation.

Any advice is appreciated. Given the level of quality and service I've experienced thus far, I'm honestly wishing I could just send it back and go buy something else. I never would have expected to have more car trouble than I've ever experienced in my life on a brand new car. Clearly, the Audi brand is not all its cracked up to be.

Which Country?

US

It's frustrating but stuff happens. A failed individual part is not a harbinger of the long term reliability of the car. I think it is very generous of Audi give you a free month of ownership.

If you really think Audi or the dealer is going to replace the car because of one incident your're very mistaken. BTW, the least favourite/most troublesome car I ever owned was a Toyota, which was purchased new. Clearly that brand is not all it's cracked up to be.

Unfortunate, but should be ok if the technician who replaces it does a good job.

One thing I don't understand is why parts need to be shipped from Germany so frequently even for big sellers like the Q5. In the 20 years that I owned cars made in Japan, parts never had to be shipped from Japan when I needed them. They were always stocked in the US, and the dealers were always able to get them within a day or two.

Very unfortunate. Sounds like Audi is at least trying to keep you whole. I presume you're in some kind of loaner now.

One thing you may want to explore preemptively is what the lemon law says in your state. I believe these laws usually stipulate that if a car is out of service for so many days in the first so many months of service then the dealer/manufacturer must replace the car.

Hang tough, though, it will probably all be resolved to your satisfaction.

Steve

The law may have changed, but my memory of lemon laws here in California is that it's sort of a "Three Strikes" deal. In other words, the OP would have to experience the same problem two more times (with the accompanying waits for parts and subsequent repairs) until the law would force the dealer to take back the car.

This is what new car warranties are for. Nothing is ever totally defect free in every unit produced. Relax. Enjoy your new car.

Here's my 2 cents. As previously mentioned, this equipment failure is not (hopefully) a harbinger of future problems. Again, when you get your Q5 fixed, I think you will enjoy a sporty, safe, comfortable SUV. I did my research before buying and chose this over the usual suspects - BMW, RDX, VOLVO.
I have my Q5 for about 4 months and despite 2 minor issues - heater and ignition key malfunction, enjoy would still recommend it highly. Now, if I were to continue having issues over the course of ownership, that would be a different story. Right now, I'm good.
When the Nissan Murano first came out in 2003, I bought it. Five months later, Christmas Morning 1 AM, coming back from Brooklyn into NJ, my car died on the Brooklyn Bridge. Luckily, my brother in law was behind me with his van and "pushed" the Murano back on the street. I waited over 3 hours for Nissan to get a flatbed. Problem was with the alternator. Not a pleasant experience, but I had no other issues with the car.
When the Q5 was introduced in 09, I jumped and leased it. Some months later, I had an issue with the sun roof leaking - apparently the drains malfunctioned. Parts took over 2 weeks to get in from Germany. BUT, this was mitigated by the my dealer's response, which I thought was fair. My loaner was a nice Q7. When my Q5 was ready, they had it detailed to showroom status.
Perhaps, like you, I'd be more upset/concerned if it happened after 3 days of ownership. Give you a new car? No way. But I sure think your dealer or Audi could be a little more generous with their offer. Problems with cars occur; many times out of the blue, but it's how the problem is handled that can make the difference between a happy owner and an unhappy, resentful owner. Between a customer whose lease is up/car is paid off and leases or buys a different brand or the customer who becomes a repeat customer. Audi is a luxury brand; with that should come better than average support when things go wrong.

Bob

You forget that in the U.S. there are factories of Japanese cars.
Audi does not have a factory in America
In Europe, on certain parts for Japanese cars waiting 15-20 days, and sometimes longer :eek:

For parts of American cars on the European market ..... better not to know :)