MASTER TIMELINE – FAULTS, REPAIRS AND BREAKDOWNS
Audi A8L DK19 ZYW

May 2018 – November 2022

2018 – ORDERING STAGE
26 May 2018
Original A8L ordered.

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12 November 2018

Order cancelled due to Cheshire Oaks Audi missing factory options.
New vehicle re-ordered with additional options.

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2019 – DELIVERY AND EARLY FAILURES

1 March 2019
Vehicle delivered. Retail price £105,920.

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21 March 2019
First complaint call.
Door mechanism making strange noises while locking and while driving.
Customer cannot afford to take vehicle off road; advised faults could be dealt with at 1st service.

 

October 2019 – Major list of early faults
During first service visit, customer reports:
• Air conditioning not working
• Rear door fault
• Comfort armrest faulty
• Front cupholder broken
• Nearside rear monitor making musical noise
• Windscreen wipers hitting A pillar
• Rear monitor rattling
• Dashboard rattles unless glovebox left open
• Paddle shifters not working
• Washer fault
• Strange tyre wear
• Heavy delay when pulling out at junctions
• Request for warranty confirmation.

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14 November 2019 –

Air-Con Re-gassed.

Warranty repair
Replaced front cupholder.

Cost: £141.60.

 

9 December 2019 – Email to Service Manager (Phil)

Good:
• Monitor rattle improved
• Armrest fixed
• Wipers fixed
• Air-Con appears to work but no cause found

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Bad:
• Dashboard still rattling
• Random rear monitor tune noise
• Cupholder broke again in under a week
• Warranty letter still not provided
• Service agreement not confirmed

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2020 – ESCALATING DEFECTS AND AIR-CON FAILURE

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4 February 2020

Replaced nearside rear seat monitor and bracket

Replaced centre cup holder again.

Cost: £4,150.70
Dashboard rattle persists.

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16 June 2020

Air Con reported to Philip Groom as failed again.

Philip emailed ,he could book it in in over 1 month.

LIDAR leaking a strange fluid.

Rear monitor requires calibrating.

Glovebox requires replacement.

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3 July 2020

The air conditioning failed again. 

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13 July 2020
Customer waits two hours in waiting room before leaving.

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14 July 2020

Took vehicle to workshop for assesment.

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16 July 2020 – Major admission
Dealer confirms:
• Entire interior removed
• Multiple items broken during removal
• Air-conditioning evaporator confirmed faulty.

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23 July 2020
Windscreen due to be fitted but damage caused to armrest; new armrest ordered.

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28 July 2020
Vehicle returned temporarily until replacement parts arrive.

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29 July 2020

• Replaced air-conditioning evaporator

• Replaced glove box

• Replaced cupholder

• Replaced dashboard trim

• Rectified faulty central armrest

• Rectified faulty trim

Cost: £4,248.78

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4 August 2020
Rear seat massager loses WiFi connection mid-journey causing customer discomfort.

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15 August 2020
Car locks itself with keys inside.
Windscreen poorly fitted.

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16 August 2020
Nearside rear door repeatedly locking and unlocking.
Excessive oil use.

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24 September 2020
Technician damages circuit board.
Ball joint recall applied.
Door control module acknowledged as a known issue.

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23 November 2020
Warnings: steering fault, suspension fault, start-stop fault.

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2 December 2020 – Serious incident
Car in workshop nearly a week with little or no action.
Customer told no faults stored, despite VCDS scan proving multiple active faults.
When attempting to drive home, the car becomes dangerous:
• Steering vibrating
• Suspension collapses
• Nearly undrivable
Vehicle left at dealership.

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4 December 2020
Customer told steering module on back order but then told it will not be ordered.
Vehicle returned still faulty and dangerous.
Next day faults return.

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Dec 2020 – Jan 2021
Windscreen scuttle still unfixed.
Satnav losing home address.
Electronic handbrake switching off randomly.
Lower ball joint issue suspected.
Steering worsening.
Multiple broken promises about courtesy vehicles.
Customer repeatedly ignored.

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2021 – REJECTIONS, MASSIVE REPAIRS AND MORE FAILURES

15 January 2021
Complaint reference issued: RET-250596.

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26 January 2021
Audi Finance claims faults cannot be acted upon because first fault “recorded in Nov 2019”.
Customer clarifies AC and locking faults existed from day one.

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12 February 2021 – Huge repair visit
Replaced:
• 4 door control units
• Nearside door lock
• Suspension ball joint
• Steering lock switch
Cost: £2,054.67.

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12 February 2021 – Windscreen trim replaced
Cost: £45.59.

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15 February 2021

Time investigating rear steering axle fault

Cost: £0

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19 February 2021
Replaced damaged trim caused by dealership.
Cost: £214.59.

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26 February – Mid-March 2021
Vehicle in workshop for 2 weeks for steering bulletin.
Dealer damages bonnet.
Windscreen scuttle still not changed.
Memory seat buttons refitted incorrectly.

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10 April 2021
Customer awaiting confirmation car was faulty from new.
Door locking faults still constant.
Multiple rattles persist.

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12 April 2021 – Call with Stephen Fisher
37 minute call.
Dealer admits issues and suggests a joint resolution package with Audi Finance and Audi UK.

 

20–29 April 2021 – Booking and fault reports
• Daily locking failures
• Rattles worsening
• Windscreen scuttle still incorrect
• Bonnet dent from dealer
• Boot sensor causing alarm to activate

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4–7 May 2021
Car in workshop again for rattles, locks and bonnet dent.
Vehicle returned still faulty.
Keyless entry fails again.
Rattles remain severe despite 170 miles driven by dealer.

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11 May 2021
Test drive confirms rattles and faulty headrest (factory order).

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29 June 2021

Bonnet dent removal (damage caused during previous visit)

Cost: £25.00

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23 August 2021
Customer told headrest order was cancelled.

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7 September 2021
Soft close mechanism on nearside rear door fails completely.

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9 September 2021
Catastrophic front steering failure at home.
Vehicle immobile.
Video evidence.

Severe impact on income

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24 September 2021

Foot massager requires recalibration.

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27 September 2021

Replaced steering rack

Repair to rear of vehicle

Cost: £2,115.85

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Late 2021 – WATER LEAKS, DOOR LOCK FAILURE, NON-STARTING

October 2021
Water gathering under rear offside carpet.

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2 November 2021
Difficulty accessing vehicle outside Glasgow Grosvenor Hotel.
Dashboard fault photographed.

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4 November 2021
Car fails to start.
Starter clicking only.

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7 December 2021
Email to Matt Whittaker regarding door lock mechanism not ordered.

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2022 – COPILOT FAILURES, BREAKDOWNS AND FINAL ABANDONMENT

8–11 January 2022 – Major repairs
• LIDAR, Laser/Radar scanner replaced
• Rear soft-close replaced
• Lock still faulty
• Foot massager still not working

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19 January 2022 – Catastrophic breakdown
At Gayton roundabout:
• Power steering fails
• Suspension drops
• Gearbox shifts to neutral
• Vehicle loses all drive
• Doors, windows and sunroof become inoperable
• Driver trapped inside
VW mechanic managed to start the vehicle and followed me to Cheshire Oaks
Vehicle not worked on for a week.

Enterprise car recalled because Audi said car was “out of warranty”
Another week of no earnings.

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March 2022
Boot closes on owner twice.
Boot opens itself when entering vehicle.
Front cupholder broken again.

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17 May 2022
Son comments car “sounds like the wheels are about to fall off”.

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19 May 2022 – Multiple independent technicians confirm faults
Unit 20 (Martin) confirms nearside door fault.
VW Audi Discount Master Tech confirms offside door fault.
Meeting with Tom (COA Business Manager) who states
“this car will never be fixed”
(Recording exists)

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22 May 2022
Bride locked out of car on wedding job.
Car locked itself with keys inside.

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26 July 2022 – Emergency breakdown with elderly couple
Car dies at dangerous junction, locking 80-year-old passengers inside.
Police attend.
12-hour delay.
Claimant waives £450 fare

Vehicle taken to workshop.
Dealership quoted £2,500 (discounted) to replace the hybrid alternator.

I made it clear that this component had already failed previously while the vehicle was still under warranty, and that the recurrence indicates an underlying defect rather than fair wear and tear.

I decided that spending £2,500 on a vehicle that was never going to be fixed was not sensible, so I took it off the road.

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30 November 2022 (127 days without a vehicle severely affecting income)
Replacement vehicle finally sourced.