Audi recall (ABS Failure)

diesel_doglet

Hi All,

I hope someone can offer some advice - I am asking on behalf of an elderly friend.

In brief he purchased a used (8 year old) Audi A3 6 months ago. It appears that in September 2016 it was taken into Audi as part of a recall due to ABS control module failures. It appears there was a manufacturing flaw with the units and there could be faulty grounding which could result in the ABS and traction control systems failing. To diagnose this, during the recall process Audi install some new software on the ABS module to diagnose whether this fault exists. It appears with this car that after the updated software the unit did not show this fault at the time and was not replaced. It the fault showed up at the time the unit would have been replaced free of charge.

Fast forward 14 months and I have many warning lights flashing all over the dash and Audi after a diagnosis have found that the ABS unit has faulty grounding and needs to be replaced however they want my friend to foot the bill. I believe they should replace the unit free of charge because the unit has failed de to the initial manufacturing flaw. The garage and Audi have advised that because 6 months have passed since the recall they do not need to do anything. This seems ridiculous - the unit had a manufacturing flaw from day one and although the unit had not failed by the time it was taken into recall 14 months ago, it has now.

Worse still, they are now leaving the car in a dangerous state because the ABS and stability control systems are faulty.

Does anyone have any advice on they could give on this? Any advise as to what to do next will be most appreciated.

Thanks
DD

motorguy

I would say Audi know the law inside out and have done whats required legally which sounds a lot like its "do a recall, keep a window open for six months if fault not present" or similyar.

Might therefore be tricky to get it resolved given the car is 8 years old and he didnt own the car at the time of the recall and a significant amount of time has passed since.

DUTR

motorguy wrote: »

I would say Audi know the law inside out and have done whats required legally which sounds a lot like its "do a recall, keep a window open for six months if fault not present" or similyar.

Might therefore be tricky to get it resolved given the car is 8 years old and he didnt own the car at the time of the recall and a significant amount of time has passed since.

I agree with the 1st paragraph, a colleague had an old Audi and the rear heated seats had ruined the leather, Audi took the car back and loaned him a posh sporty model for about 9 months , however each case is dealt with on it's individual merit, they may offer some good will but in the case above I suspect the OP's friend may have to contribute towards the replacement repair.

Ganga

They could always contact Audi head office and ask them to help might pay something toward repair

AdrianC

So it was 5yo when recalled, and we're now 28 months (not 14...) further down the line? The recall closed around two years ago?

No, they've got no responsibility whatsoever.

motorguy

DUTR wrote: »

I agree with the 1st paragraph, a colleague had an old Audi and the rear heated seats had ruined the leather, Audi took the car back and loaned him a posh sporty model for about 9 months , however each case is dealt with on it's individual merit, they may offer some good will but in the case above I suspect the OP's friend may have to contribute towards the replacement repair.

If going down that route its worth keeping an eye on costs if they do make an offer.

Renault did a "contribution" offer towards electric window repairs which was according to them something like a £400 job but they would contribute 75%. You could get the part of ebay for under £30 and it was a 30 minute job to fit...

Cant remember the exact figures but it was bemusing how they were able to demonstrate they were contributing but in reality not.

System

Go to this website here: https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/

Enter the details and you can check to see if there are any outstanding vehicle recalls. This section lists any outstanding manufacturer safety recalls. Whilst Audi would have to do them for free under consumer rights that would only apply for a max of 6 years from new.

As for the car being in a dangerous state that is utter hogwash and you'll get nowhere trying to claim that. It is merely no different than any car not fitted with ABS and stability control and that doesn't make them dangerous, it just merely means that modern systems that can be used as a get out of jail free card when you exceed the handling ability of the car when cornering or the braking ability of the tyres are no longer there. The driver will have to do like we used to do before ABS and stability control came into being and not drive like a pillock.

facade

Tarambor wrote: »

It is merely no different than any car not fitted with ABS and stability control

Not true.


ABS has meant that vehicles no longer need the rear brake limiters that used to be fitted to stop the rear wheels locking when the weight transfers to the front.


The result is that the rear wheels will lock out under moderate braking, and even with the rally driver honed reflexes that we Driving Gods take for granted, (cadence braking, steering into the skid etc.) it will simply not be possible to pull up in the same distance as an ABS equipped car, as you cannot apply the same braking force to the front wheels.

AdrianC

facade wrote: »

ABS has meant that vehicles no longer need the rear brake limiters that used to be fitted to stop the rear wheels locking when the weight transfers to the front.

Very few cars ever had them. They were usually fitted to estate cars or vans, where there was likely to be a large difference between the weight on the rear wheels empty and fully loaded.

diesel_doglet

AdrianC wrote: »

So it was 5yo when recalled, and we're now 28 months (not 14...) further down the line? The recall closed around two years ago?

No, they've got no responsibility whatsoever.

apologies the recall was done in September 2017 (not 2016) - got my years wrong there, so 14 months ago.

Thank you everyone for your replies.

The point we are making is that the car was recalled due to a manufacturing flaw in the ABS units on that year of A3. The unit has now failed with the fault code they were looking for when the car was recalled so the unit has failed due to the known manufacturing flaw.... I would have thought if they were to act decently then they should replace free of charge as the fault is known to exist due to a manufacturing flaw. The fact the unit did had not failed when the car was recalled sounds like a get out to me.

Does anyone know of any government agency that we could contact to discuss and ask their opinion?

thanks again,
DD

facade

AdrianC wrote: »

Very few cars ever had them. They were usually fitted to estate cars or vans, where there was likely to be a large difference between the weight on the rear wheels empty and fully loaded.

You mean the type that has a sprung link to the axle, my Suzuki has one.



Pretty much the whole of the BL FWD range, definitely my old cavalier, my MK1 RAV4, my Corsa B and C and my classic rangerover definitely had the restrictor type that just limited the pressure to the back wheels. Golfs and 205s had them, just search brake compensator valve on eBay.


My point is a vehicle with a dead ABS system is not the same as a non-abs equipped vehicle.