Cannot get car into reverse gear

Csymonds1989

Hi

I have an Audi A3 1.6 TDi, it is a 61 plate and has done 77k miles. The gears have been okay (1st gear has always been temperamental when trying to put it in gear whilst moving) but today I could not get the gear into reverse. I have taken the car to an independant garage and an Audi dealership for diagnostics and both have said that it is the gearbox which needs to be replaced. Audi saying it could cost around £5k for it to be done.

I purchased the car 9 months ago from a car dealership for £10.5k. They offered me a 3 month warranty, and I have spoke to them and they have said there is nothing they can do as it is beyond the 6 months duty of care, however I believe that there was always a fault in the gearbox when I purchased it, it's just taken a few months to final give up.

Is anyone aware of anything I can do or the best option. There is the possibility of a gear box refurb but this will still cost over £2k which I definitely do not have laying about the place.

As the car is 4 years old I wouldn't expect a gearbox to go. Is it worth going down the route of taking them to court although I am unsure of the likelihood of winning the case.

Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks

Craig

neilmcl

Has the car been regularly serviced via the Audi dealer network?

If it has then it may be worth seeing if Audi would be prepared to make a contribution towards the costs. Either speak to Audi CS yourself or get your local Audi dealership to.

SailorSam

This is from the AA website.......

Your legal rights
When you buy a car your rights depend on who you buy from and how you buy


When you buy a car your rights depend on who you buy from and how you buy
Wherever and however you're buying, the best advice is not to sign anything or hand over any money until you're absolutely happy. With around 6 million used cars changing hands every year there's almost certain to be other similar cars available so there's no need to take the risk if you feel uneasy about anything related to the current deal.
If you have any doubts about the car or its history then it’s safer not to proceed. Even if the law is in your favour, recovering your money through the courts can be expensive and time consuming.
Your rights will depend on where you buy. You will have less protection from the law if you buy privately or from an auction compared to buying from a dealer.
Car dealers
Dealers are generally the safest route to a new car - maximum legal protection with the least risk.

Dealers are obliged to prepare the car before offering it for sale, including verifying the accuracy of the recorded mileage.

Buy a used car from a name you can trustBuy a used car
The Consumer Rights Act
The Consumer Rights Act came into force on 1 October 2015 and covers the purchase of goods, digital content and services including new and used cars from official dealers (it doesn't apply to private sales) as well as servicing, repairs and maintenance work.

Like the Sale of Goods Act that preceded it, the Consumer Rights Act states that products must be:

of satisfactory quality
fit for purpose, and
as described
(For cars purchased before 1 October 2015 the Sale of Goods Act still applies)

The dealer must have the right to sell the vehicle and is liable for faults with the vehicle - that mean it was not of satisfactory quality - that were present at the time it was sold even though they may only become apparent later on.

Satisfactory quality
Satisfactory quality means that the vehicle should be of a standard a reasonable person would expect, taking into account factors such as:

age
value
history
mileage
make
durability
safety, and
description
An old car with high mileage would not be expected to be as good as a younger car with low mileage but each should still be roadworthy, reliable, and in a condition consistent with its age/price.

Wear and tear
The dealer is not liable for fair wear and tear, where the vehicle broke down or the fault emerged through normal use, nor are they liable if they drew your attention to the full extent of any fault or defect before you bought the car.

Fit for purpose
Fit for purpose means that you must be able to use the vehicle for the purposes that you would normally expect from a vehicle including any particular purpose that you tell the dealer about before you buy, or which the dealer has advertised or gleaned from your conversation. This would include towing or short journey use.

Faults, repairs and refunds
Under the new act, if a fault renders the product not of satisfactory quality, not fit for purpose or not as described, then the buyer is entitled to reject it within the first 30 days.

Between 30 days and 6 months
If a fault comes to light after 30 days but before 6 months have passed then you are entitled to a repair, replacement or refund. It is assumed in law that the fault was present at the time of purchase unless the seller can prove otherwise. During this period, unless you have agreed otherwise, the seller (dealer) has only one opportunity to repair (or replace) the faulty vehicle after which, if they fail to repair it, you are entitled to a refund.

In the event of a refund following a failed attempt at repair during the first six months the seller is permitted to make a 'reasonable' adjustment to the amount refunded to take account of the use that you have had of the vehicle since you bought it.

After 6 months
For faults that arise after six months the burden is on you to prove that the product was faulty at the time of delivery if you want to pursue a claim for repair or replacement.

marleyboy

Personally, if I paid that much for a car only to find something wrong with the gearbox (however slight) I would have took it back as soon as I noticed, particularly if it was the gearbox.

gilbert_and_sullivan

The clutch on this Audi/M3/Yaris/Lexus is probably faulty.

SailorSam

When you were having trouble getting into 1st did you take it back to the garage ? If you can prove you've been having trouble perhaps you'll still have a chance of claiming even though it's past the 6mths

arcon5

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

The clutch on this Audi/M3/Yaris/Lexus is probably faulty.

What from ops post makes you think the two mechanics are wrong and that it is in fact the clutch and not the box?

Even without the professional diagnostic, it wouldn't sound like clutch at all from the description

bigjl

arcon5 wrote: »

What from ops post makes you think the two mechanics are wrong and that it is in fact the clutch and not the box?

Even without the professional diagnostic, it wouldn't sound like clutch at all from the description

I have to admit I have never experienced or been told about a car that suddenly has no reverse gear.

Cars can have clutch problems that makes it difficult to get reverse without a crunch, before selecting reverse sticking the car in a forward gear when stationary can help with that.

Though if it is the six speed gearbox there are problems with the selector forks breaking off due to the rivit failing.

There was an episode of Wheeler Dealers where they had a TT with that particular common fault.

But after reading the OP this does seem a little far fetched

Not unusual for MSE forum.

New poster, wild story.

Deja Vu

Marktheshark

Will it go in gear with the engine turned off and the clutch pressed.
If it does keep the clutch down, start the engine and see if it has reverse, if it has.
Find a garage and pay them to change the clutch fluid.

arcon5

bigjl wrote: »

I have to admit I have never experienced or been told about a car that suddenly has no reverse gear.

Cars can have clutch problems that makes it difficult to get reverse without a crunch, before selecting reverse sticking the car in a forward gear when stationary can help with that.

Though if it is the six speed gearbox there are problems with the selector forks breaking off due to the rivit failing.

There was an episode of Wheeler Dealers where they had a TT with that particular common fault.

But after reading the OP this does seem a little far fetched

Not unusual for MSE forum.

New poster, wild story.

Deja Vu

I agree with much of what you said. But on this point, if it was the clutch it is typically the fact it isn't fully disengaging, as such not limited to just reverse.

(You may or may not find this to be an interesting fact). Struggling to get it in to reverse though and having to go forward a tad is often down to the gear design in the box.. reverse are spur gears, rather than the typical helical for drive gears. Makes meshing a little harder and drive noisier, hence why its louder when you reverse as speed.

BykerSands

bigjl wrote: »

I have to admit I have never experienced or been told about a car that suddenly has no reverse gear.

Cars can have clutch problems that makes it difficult to get reverse without a crunch, before selecting reverse sticking the car in a forward gear when stationary can help with that.

Though if it is the six speed gearbox there are problems with the selector forks breaking off due to the rivit failing.

There was an episode of Wheeler Dealers where they had a TT with that particular common fault.

But after reading the OP this does seem a little far fetched

Not unusual for MSE forum.

New poster, wild story.

Deja Vu

That fault took out first and second.