Audi Service Issue..What would you do?

[Jason1st]

Long story short. I have a 2004 A8L that has been in the shop every 3 weeks for the last 2.7 years. My lease is up in a few months. Problems haven't been major but it has been non stop service problem since I drove it off the lot. The dealer knows this and AOA knows it too. Other than that I have enjoyed the car and am riding out the lease as they have been pretty good at fixing the problems and it is running well. So..I had my A8 in the dealer 4 weeks ago for more service. They gave me a loaner. When I dropped the loaner to pick up my A8 I left the keys to the loaner on the roof of the car as I have done 100 times before. Loaner manager calls me today and tells me he's charging me $180.00 for the key. I tell him I'm not paying it. Here's why. Had I been 10 miles away and lost the key, I'd pay for it. Had he called me and told me it was $20.00 I'd have paid for it. Does a key to a base model A6 cost $180.00? WTF??

[03A627 2 04A842]

taking it inside and hand it over? Yes $180 is a lot of money. See if they are willing to negotiate on the price.

[Inocent Bystndr]

but I think it is bs that the dealer is charging you anything, much less the full amount for a loaner key that you obviously just misplaced at the dealership. Certainly the dealer cost for the key is far less than $180. Given the repair record of your car (the flagship of the Audi fleet, at the time) I am surprised they even called you for this.

If they try charging your credit card, dispute it immediately with the card company. I'd also call the head of service or the GM of the stealership.

Get your next Audi at another dealer!

[Paldi]

[Paldi]

What kind of a question is that? Whay did the dealer let him do it ten times before is maybe a better question.

[greenie]

[jpvwaudi]

We have to pay for the key itself and a half hour to program it. I can understand your point, but let me put you in another senario:

You have loaned your neighbor your chainsaw 10 times and he brings it back perfect every time. On the 11th time, its missing a chain. Are you gonna ask him about it? The other 10 times, he may have left it on your porch, in front of the garage or even handed it to you. However, this time, it came back without the chain. Could have been another neighbor, maybe a theif, maybe a squirrel with an engineering degree. Any way you wanna put it, he's still responsible for borrowing something and bringing it back in the same condition. You are too; pay the buck eighty. Don't bitch about it, people like you have doubled the rental cost for bowling shoes in the last 5 years.....

[Jason1st]

[sfumato]

1: Wheels ruined, not their car, won't pay
2: Wants dealer to refill tank, it is their car
3: DWI car in for service demands regular car, no breathalyzer, violates court ruling
4: Car service finished, loaner kept and several thousand miles added to loaner
5: Off-roading in european sedan
6: Drove into standing water, hydrolocked, complains and wants another loaner.

Plenty more like this. Bring it back how you found it. Physically hand key to someone...chain of custody. Gas out=gas in, or close. Treat it like it is yours. It is.
Be glad your dealer gives you a loaner. Many don't for some of the nonsense noted above.
FWIW, YMMV, void in appropriate receptacles.

[Austin A6 3.2]

- When you pick up the car, do they have the keys for it on the roof?
- Why don't you return the key to the person that is going to hand you the keys to your car, the paperwork, etc.?
- Why would you leave keys on the roof when there are a ton of people around there that could just take them and ride away in the car? There is absolutely no good reason not to give them to someone that works for the dealership.
- The fact that you have left the keys on the roof many times before doesn't make it a correct procedure.

In my opinion, you are responsible for the keys until someone at the dealership takes possesion of them. If they got lost after you left them on the vehicle, it's your responsibility in my opinion.

And I understand why dealers are very touchy when it comes to their loaners. Here are some things I have learned, and I don't want to imply that you do any of this:

- Audi doesn't pay for the loaners, the dealership does
- People totally abuse the vehicles, I have personally witnessed a guy drive off the lot in a A4 FWD loaner that turned onto the road with screeching wheels (must have turned off the tracktion control). He didn't even try to be civil until out of sight.
- Loaners are returned with changed tires, from four wheels with 1,600 miles on them to 4 wheels with almost no tread on them
- Car taken to a track events and coming back with brakes and clutch needing replacement.
- Spare wheels missing after car is returned.
- Car has been used to transport animals, oil(!) or trash/dirt
- People smoke inside the loaner
- Car comes back with barely enough gas to make it to the nearest gas station
- Damaged interiors, from coke all over the front seats and gear box to torn leather and missing trim pieces

The fact that some people completely abuse the courtesy of the dealership and have no regard for other peoples property makes the dealership touchy about their loaner cars.