Audi Q7 PCP new engine just outside warrenty 21k miles

Mercdriver

fred990 said:

Goudy said:

There are four timing chains on the V6 3.0 tdi and it sounds one of the bearings has failed on one of the shafts and wiped the engine out. It's not unheard of either but VAG won't accept any responsibility for it.

I've seen it before on a relatives car and we had the engine out and timing chain cover off the front of the engine, it was too much of a mess to rebuild as it took quite a lot of the block casing out with it.

When we asked around looking for a replacement used engine, it became pretty clear the specialist breakers were well aware of the issue with this engine.

That's not much help sorry, you can try you look with Audi UK (not the dealer) for a contribution but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Fortunately the resident know-it-alls will be able to decipher the codes instantly and know the answer......lol.
The rest of us will have to consult Ross-tech and the forums to maybe work it out. 

What like the other Fred?  Apparently you, sorry he is an expert on VAG readouts.

Goudy

There is another not quite so common fault with these and that's the swirlflaps in the intake.
If they fail and break up they can enter the engine and take the valves out, which could then take the chain with it, but I hear it's their linkage that tends to wear first causing a MIL, some owners disable them and tweek the software to compensate.
Unlike BMW I seem to think these flaps are plastic but they can still foul up the valves if induced.

This whole thing about stripping the engine down and finding out what's actually wrong is a double edged sword.
The timing chest is actually at the back of the engine in these (gearbox end) and it's an engine out to get at it, this is why the dealer wants nearly a grand to investigate further.

It sounds pretty likely the dealers service department know well what is actually wrong with it, even though the OP might not fully understand.
They are a dealer, so there's no way they will pay for it even if it's a manufacturing fault, they'll want Audi to agree to contribute, otherwise it's out of your own pocket. Even if they agree to contribute towards investigation, it's their engineers doing it and I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't find a manufacturing fault.  

Ring Audi customer services and open a case, get them talking to the dealers service department and report back what has actually failed.
In the mean time, get some advice on your customer rights, I'm not steeped in CR law but I seem to think you should expect a car's major components, like the engine to last a certain amount of time (7 years?) if you have followed the manufacturers servicing requirements.

fred990

Were there any tensioner recalls on the 3.0tdi? A ton of work but a known potential issue. The 2.0tsi had its fair share. 
To the OP, did you ever notice any clattering/grinding noise briefly on start up? Ever any discussion with the service centre? 

AdrianC

Penelopa.Pitstop said:

In Q7 oil level is probably shown in car menu, so checking it is very easy to every user. And if oil level is low, car will tell you this, showing error on the dashboard. So it's a bit difficult to miss, as it will come up at every engine start.

I idly wonder if the diesel going into the oil was keeping pace with the leaks, leading to the level staying still - just with increasingly dilute oil...

fred246

Mercdriver said:

fred990 said:

Goudy said:

There are four timing chains on the V6 3.0 tdi and it sounds one of the bearings has failed on one of the shafts and wiped the engine out. It's not unheard of either but VAG won't accept any responsibility for it.

I've seen it before on a relatives car and we had the engine out and timing chain cover off the front of the engine, it was too much of a mess to rebuild as it took quite a lot of the block casing out with it.

When we asked around looking for a replacement used engine, it became pretty clear the specialist breakers were well aware of the issue with this engine.

That's not much help sorry, you can try you look with Audi UK (not the dealer) for a contribution but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Fortunately the resident know-it-alls will be able to decipher the codes instantly and know the answer......lol.
The rest of us will have to consult Ross-tech and the forums to maybe work it out. 

What like the other Fred?  Apparently you, sorry he is an expert on VAG readouts.

Unfortunately because my car is so well looked after all I ever get is "No fault code found".

tomcoleman

seems this thread has gone way off topic.

back to the question.

What options do i have?

1. Ask the dealer (does this mean the orginal dealer) for a discount

2. Go legal

3. kick it up the chain to audi and see what happens?

4. use social to drum up some noise

The posts about school runs and how to use a engine arent helpful. Im not a car person it was purchased because its massive space and ability to move a family of 7 around no issues.

jbainbridge

I’d talk to Audi UK.

Has it had all its services at the same dealer? Where is it now? Keep talking to them ... guess they’ll have talk to hq too.

Not sure about consumer law .. but 3.5 years doesn’t sound reasonable for any car, never mind one for silly money - and surely the quality / reliability you would expect.

Probably hold back on the social media initially.

Stubod

..a quick google suggests there are similar problems being reported so it seems like a potential design / manufacturing fault. You would expect an honorable supplier to put their hands up  to this and offer to pay the bulk of any work needed particularly as the car is low mileage and full service history and less than 4 years old.

However as a lot of people find out VAG are not an honorable company and regularly deny there are any inherent issues with their cars when there is clear evidence to the contrary.

Either way my first point of call would be Audi/VAG explaining the details and see what response you get. If that doesn't work it may be worth finding out exactly what "rights" you have given the age/mileage/history of the car. (Do you subscribe to "Which", are you in the AA? (Not sure if they offer any legal support(?)...

..I wish you the very best  of luck but I fear Audi will just hide behind "it's out of warranty", (and we don't care you spent an awful lot of money on one of our more prestigious cars and did the right thing in keeping it properly maintained...)

fred990

Tom does the Q7 have main dealer service history? 
I would at least ask for a diagnostic scan, they will probably charge £80 or so but it might rule out some known issues, or not! 
You need more info I think. 

AdrianC

tomcoleman said:

seems this thread has gone way off topic.

back to the question.

What options do i have?

1. Ask the dealer (does this mean the orginal dealer) for a discount

2. Go legal

3. kick it up the chain to audi and see what happens?

4. use social to drum up some noise

You can do all of those.

None are really guaranteed to do anything. We simply do not have enough information to judge.

But 1 and 3 are by far the most likely to achieve some kind of goodwill, assuming there is an actual fault with the vehicle.

The posts about school runs and how to use a engine arent helpful.

They should be, because if you'd paid any attention pre-purchase, you may not be in this position now. And you can certainly be better informed for your next purchase.

Im not a car person

Are you in the habit of spending 2.5x the average household annual income on a massively rapidly depreciating product without doing the most basic research?

it was purchased because its massive space and ability to move a family of 7 around no issues.

There are plenty of other 7-seaters which would have done the job while spending a small fraction of the price of the huge premium SUV you've bought.

Even now, nearly four years later, Q7 list prices start over £10k cheaper than your car.
£10k cheaper than that would get you a VW Touareg, which is the exact same car bar the cosmetics.

There are plenty of other smaller 7-seat alternatives, of course. Even within the VW Group's products, I'm sure a £25k Skoda Kodiaq would have provided adequate space for a school run of, what, a handful of miles each way?