Audi Etron GT 2022

AMOX20

Good morning, all! We purchased an Audi Etron GT in November 2022 via a PCP from an Audi Dealership we have a long-standing good relationship with. However, from the first week post delivery, the car has been dogged with problems, too numerous to mention, including recalls and, most importantly 3 complete electrical failures resulting in the replacement of the battery (s). In January of this year, (out of warranty), the car failed again, it went in for repair, and one week later failed again. Then, a week later, the vehicle was recovered at our own expense and has now been transferred to another Audi centre to have another battery and a myriad of other faults dealt with. This was on February 10th. Despite numerous emails and phone calls both to the original dealership and the one that now has the car, we are still no further along. Our dealership did secure gratis funding for these repairs via Audi UK. However, it has now been over two months, and we are still waiting. We have no car, and we are not entitled to a courtesy car. Our PCP ends in November this year. In the three + years we have owned this car, it has spent over five months of its life span in for repairs, recalls, etc. We have now read online that the model has been dogged with similar issues for other owners, and in fact, there are NO batteries available for replacement. We are still paying our PCP, and have no car to drive. Ideally, we would like Audi Finance to take this car back from us immediately. Its low mileage reflects that it has been out of use for a great deal of its ownership. Where do we start? I have asked both dealerships that have dealt with our car for a complete service and fault history. I have receipts for car hire, taxis and other out-of-pocket expenses. Do we have any consumer rights? We have been paying for a vehicle (even before the warranty expired) that was never fit for purpose. We are tearing our hair out with frustration. Please HELP!

born_again

Talk to finance co but I have a Feeling that the cost of the car is out of the consumer limits.

S75 is up to £30K

S75A is up to £60,260. That is if PCP applies to S75A

Keep_pedalling

The warranty for the HV batteries is 8 years / 100,000 miles so I would say you are entitled to a loan car while they wait for parts.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81994230#Comment_81994230

All depends on terms of warranty. Many manufactures have this covered & it is not their responsibility.

They rely on dealer to provide one.

This from Kia

 Kia are not liable for any costs that may incur getting to a dealer, supplying a replacement car or as a result of being without the car during warranty repairs.

AMOX20

Thanks for the comments regarding battery life. As this is a replacement battery (3rd since new), I Im assuming that their "so-called" generous offer to replace it free of charge is merely them meeting their obligation under the 8-year, 100k rule. All the other faults and recalls, however, are a different matter. We are gathering as much evidence together as possible before we write to Audi Finance and both dealerships involved in this process.

flashg67

Have you contacted Audi Uk customer service also?

Mildly_Miffed

4yr PCP, 3.5yrs in… and "ideally" you'd like to just give the car back and walk away right now.

Isn't this a case where a VT would be ideal? You'd have to get them to accept it despite the car being in dock, but that should be straightforward.

Alanp

I’m assuming this is the 12v battery and not the traction batteries, lots of manufacturers are having issues with their 12v batteries which can throw up all sorts of faults, the traction batteries usually have long warranties…

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81994162#Comment_81994162

PCP is a marketing name for HP with a balloon, since 2008 there has been no loan size limit for the CCA on HP so unless the OP took the loan out in the name of a their company (given the low BIK)

There is a key difference between S75 and S75A in that with the later you must first try and resolve the matter with the merchant and only if that fails can you move to the finance firm unlike S75 where you can go straight to the finance company without ever involving the merchant.

Goudy

As it's on it's third battery and it's failed again I'm guessing it's a problem the notorious pre charge relay.

These are riddled with faults, like moisture on the charging circuit boards and other water ingress issues with the battery but the most serious is one of the charging relays sticking. The car detects a constant high voltage when it shouldn't and goes into shutdown so you can't drive it but the high voltage it still coursing through the car.

There have been reports of battery shorts and overheating because of this and to be truthful, from what I've read, it's a major fire risk.

To add insult to injury, Audi (and LG who make the battery) have never gotten on top of the problem.

Your best bet is to talk to the finance company (and follow it up with a letter). Best case would be get them to agree to voluntary termination (VT) and walk away. From what I hear, it'll never be right.

Audi/VAG aren't known to support customers very well particularly with their defective products, so you might have to build a good case to get them to agree. You've given them plenty of opportunities to fix it and they have failed each time, so that's a good start.