Advice Needed: Engine gone within 6 months of purchase

danipan

I purchased a 2017 1.4 TFSI A1, 6 June 2023 from an Audi Main Dealer, with 1 year extended warranty.

The mileage was around 23,500.

It had a cambelt done at 22,900 in Feb 2023

It had a service down at 23,300 min April 2023

All the work was done by themselves. 

I had no issues with the car until 1 December when the engine suddenly cut out, and it wouldn’t start again. Mileage was clocked at 24,900.

Called Audi Assist and the AA technician stated it was the cambelt and that it needed to be towed to a garage. 

The workshop at Audi I purchased it from are currently going through renovations and couldn’t accept the car, so after calling around I managed to book it in to another Audi  Dealership for 21 December, who are under the same franchise ownership as the one I purchased from.

They got back to me this week and stated that they couldn’t get the car to start, and couldn’t diagnose the fault without stripping the engine. 

The only thing he said was it didn’t appear to be the cambelt as it was still intact and that the problem seemed to be no compression going through the cylinders. 

He said 5 hours of labour was needed to strip the engine just to diagnose the fault alone and this was quoted at around £1200. 

The problem is, he couldn’t guarantee that whatever the problem is, would be covered under the extended warranty. So I could be liable for this.

I only had the car for 6 months and driven it less than 1500 miles when it broke down. 

It fell within the 6 months under the Consumer Rights Act, so I understand that the onus is on them to prove there were no issues when the car was sold?

Just wanted to see if anyone has had a similar experience or whether any advice can be given as to the best route to take at this point as I’m currently stuck in limbo.

I tried to speak to sales guy I purchased the car from, but he’s currently on leave until Jan 3.

danipan

I purchased a 2017 1.4 TFSI A1, 6 June 2023 from an Audi Main Dealer, with 1 year extended warranty.

The mileage was around 23,500.

It had a cambelt done at 22,900 in Feb 2023

It had a service down at 23,300 min April 2023

All the work was done by themselves. 

I had no issues with the car until 1 December when the engine suddenly cut out, and it wouldn’t start again. Mileage was clocked at 24,900.

Called Audi Assist and the AA technician stated it was the cambelt and that it needed to be towed to a garage. 

The workshop at Audi I purchased it from are currently going through renovations and couldn’t accept the car, so after calling around I managed to book it in to another Audi  Dealership for 21 December, who are under the same franchise ownership as the one I purchased from.

They got back to me this week and stated that they couldn’t get the car to start, and couldn’t diagnose the fault without stripping the engine. 

The only thing he said was it didn’t appear to be the cambelt as it was still intact and that the problem seemed to be no compression going through the cylinders. 

He said 5 hours of labour was needed to strip the engine just to diagnose the fault alone and this was quoted at around £1200. 

The problem is, he couldn’t guarantee that whatever the problem is, would be covered under the extended warranty. So I could be liable for this.

I only had the car for 6 months and driven it less than 1500 miles when it broke down. 

It fell within the 6 months under the Consumer Rights Act, so I understand that the onus is on them to prove there were no issues when the car was sold?

Just wanted to see if anyone has had a similar experience or whether any advice can be given as to the best route to take at this point as I’m currently stuck in limbo.

I tried to speak to sales guy I purchased the car from, but he’s currently on leave until Jan 3.

sevenhills

danipan said:

I purchased a 2017 1.4 TFSI A1, 6 June 2023 from an Audi Main Dealer, with 1 year extended warranty.

Extended Warranty

Your warranty cover doesn’t need to end when your existing warranty does. With an Audi Extended Warranty, you can extend your peace of mind from as little as £201 per year. It’s a simple, hassle-free way to continue benefitting from the expert care that only an Audi Centre can deliver.

You can select your excess and choose from two levels of cover - Named Component or All Component Cover. Select the options to suit your needs and you can benefit from a warranty that guarantees the use of Audi Genuine Parts and Audi Trained Technicians all year round.

https://www.audi.co.uk/uk/web/en/owners/warranty.html

Perhaps the motoring section would get better responses?

daveyjp

The 1.4 TSi isn't one of VAGs finest efforts at an engine (they changed it many times over a few years to try and sort the many issues) problems with burnt out valves aren't uncommon.  As ever a Googke search will reveal similar stories.

You are correct that within 6 months the dealer should investigate and repair free of charge, so dispute the investigation charge.

born_again

Duplicate thread here..

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6494904/advice-needed-car-engine-gone-within-6-months-of-purchase#latest

pinkshoes

You need to make sure you're claiming under the Consumer Rights Act, and NOT the warranty.

As above, given it failed at less than 6 months from purchase, the onus is for them to prove it failed due to something that wasn't inherent at the point of purchase. 

I would re-iterate this, and remind them it's their choice whether they repair, replace or refund. The refund will reflect the almost 6 months use you had from it.

You have to give them one opportunity to fix it. 

Goudy

There have been plenty for reports that the camshaft adjuster pulley can fail.

Your symptoms sound similar, total engine stop, non start, no compression but cam belt appears fine.

The pulley allows the cam shaft to phase, ie shift the valve opening timings earlier and earlier as the rpms rise.

Without stripping it all down it's hard to tell why the valves are open at the wrong time, but there have been rumours that the bolt holding it on had loosened and backed out. Probably due to oil getting into the bolt threads.

The manufacturer has been pretty coy about the problem which has left some owners in the lurch, facing massive repair bills.
This has usually been because they've wriggled out of the responsibility due to the car being outside of the warranty.

I would say if your warranty is sound due to the car being serviced by the main dealer, including the cam belt change, you shouldn't have much to worry about.

But they will want to be able to charge for the diagnostic work (and repair) if they wriggle out of their responsibility, that's why they are telling you.

danipan

pinkshoes said:

You need to make sure you're claiming under the Consumer Rights Act, and NOT the warranty.

As above, given it failed at less than 6 months from purchase, the onus is for them to prove it failed due to something that wasn't inherent at the point of purchase. 

I would re-iterate this, and remind them it's their choice whether they repair, replace or refund. The refund will reflect the almost 6 months use you had from it.

You have to give them one opportunity to fix it. 

Yes, this is the dilemma I have.

I understand that the dealer may have to warn me about it potentially not being covered under the warranty, as for all they know, the car could have been abused. 

But I know this is not the case, and given that it was a sudden catastrophic failure, all fingers point towards it being a warranty job. 

So part of me is thinking to just go ahead with the booking for the engine strip, but again just don’t want to be left with a big bill and a car in bits if they try and wriggle out of it post stripping. I’m not that mechanically minded when it comes to cars so wouldn’t be in a position to contest.

Alternatively, I understand that claiming under the CRA will give me better protection, but the process may drag and take longer.

danipan

Goudy said:

There have been plenty for reports that the camshaft adjuster pulley can fail.

Your symptoms sound similar, total engine stop, non start, no compression but cam belt appears fine.

The pulley allows the cam shaft to phase, ie shift the valve opening timings earlier and earlier as the rpms rise.

Without stripping it all down it's hard to tell why the valves are open at the wrong time, but there have been rumours that the bolt holding it on had loosened and backed out. Probably due to oil getting into the bolt threads.

The manufacturer has been pretty coy about the problem which has left some owners in the lurch, facing massive repair bills.
This has usually been because they've wriggled out of the responsibility due to the car being outside of the warranty.

I would say if your warranty is sound due to the car being serviced by the main dealer, including the cam belt change, you shouldn't have much to worry about.

But they will want to be able to charge for the diagnostic work (and repair) if they wriggle out of their responsibility, that's why they are telling you.

Thanks for the explanation.
I'm not very mechanically minded when it comes to cars, so that's very helpful and maybe I bring this up with the dealer. 

Would an improperly fitted cambelt cause a camshaft adjuster pulley failure? 
Since the car had it changed in February.
Also, the RAC technician that came down said instantly, from the “unmistakable noise” when attempting to fire it up, that the cambelt had gone.

Krakkkers

Its very unusual for the cambelt to have been changed that early (23,000) unless the engine was already undergoing other work that accessed that area, normally the cambelt service would be 60k to 75k?

WellKnownSid

Krakkkers said:

Its very unusual for the cambelt to have been changed that early (23,000) unless the engine was already undergoing other work that accessed that area, normally the cambelt service would be 60k to 75k?

Not if it's a 2017 car and it's due a change every 5 years...