Audi dealer experience
Discussion
We've got a 2001 A4 Tdi as the family wagon. It's battered and bruised (has more dents than a golfball) but it's safe, comfortable and has been utterly reliable for the 4 years and 60k miles (now on 112k miles) that we've owned it.
Anyway, we received a recall notification from Audi (plenum chamber or something) a few weeks ago and had arranged to drop it off today. It's never seen the inside of an Audi workshop in our ownership as we use a local indi but I dropped it off on the way into work. The service 'hottie' promised to ring me when the work was completed and (shock horror) I received a phonecall at 11:00am to say the car was ready to go.
So, off I trot at lunchtime to be met by 'service hottie'. After taking a seat my new best friend (who had a to die for geordie accent) returned with the keys and was pleased to announce that they had taken the opportunity to wash and vacuum the car for me (it was as filthy as a middlesbrough hooker).
Then the killer blow.
SH: "we've also taken the opportunity to carry out a full inspection".
Me: "ok.... go on then gimme the bad news"
SH: "Erm, well we can't quite believe this considering the age and mileage but there's nothing to report. Everything is fine...."
Me: "speechless"
SH: "here's your keys and lovely to meet you"
All in all a rather pleasant experience and no I didn't get any photos
Anyway, we received a recall notification from Audi (plenum chamber or something) a few weeks ago and had arranged to drop it off today. It's never seen the inside of an Audi workshop in our ownership as we use a local indi but I dropped it off on the way into work. The service 'hottie' promised to ring me when the work was completed and (shock horror) I received a phonecall at 11:00am to say the car was ready to go.
So, off I trot at lunchtime to be met by 'service hottie'. After taking a seat my new best friend (who had a to die for geordie accent) returned with the keys and was pleased to announce that they had taken the opportunity to wash and vacuum the car for me (it was as filthy as a middlesbrough hooker).
Then the killer blow.
SH: "we've also taken the opportunity to carry out a full inspection".
Me: "ok.... go on then gimme the bad news"
SH: "Erm, well we can't quite believe this considering the age and mileage but there's nothing to report. Everything is fine...."
Me: "speechless"
SH: "here's your keys and lovely to meet you"
All in all a rather pleasant experience and no I didn't get any photos
My only experience with Audi was superb as well. The previous month (Nov '09) I'd been into BMW with £25k in my pocket to buy a fun car that had a roof rack (I'd been looking on the web at a 335i or 135i, so knew all the info on those and researched the roof racks etc). As it happends, they had a mint Z4C, which drove better than the 335i and I was told it took a roof rack, so I bought it there and then. When I rung up to order the roof rack the following month I was told that no such thing existed, and I wasn't getting my money back, end of story. Thanks BMW! 
Anyway, that's been discussed on here beforeand I don't want to dwell on it (although I'm sure they'd love to know that as I write this another customer of theirs, my Dad, is in another dealership test driving a competitor's car with a view to ordering a new one, and I'm also buying my next car soon, but doing so privately... 
Screw me for £5k and lose out on £40k of business every three years for the next twenty years...).
Naturally, I started looking at alternative cars and I called into Audi in Reading with a view to trading in my Z4C for an RS4. The salesman that I dealt with (his name was Guy, but I can't remember his surname) was extremely polite, knew a lot about the car in question (which makes a change for a car salesman) and when I asked about the roof rack, he dashed off for about 20 seconds and came straight back with a printout showing a photograph of the roof rack, all the specs, the cost, and a confirmation that it fitted the car I was looking at. Fantastic. As it happened I found the car rather dull, but the sales experience was in a different league to BMW, so well done Guy and well done Reading Audi
Anyway, that's been discussed on here beforeand I don't want to dwell on it (although I'm sure they'd love to know that as I write this another customer of theirs, my Dad, is in another dealership test driving a competitor's car with a view to ordering a new one, and I'm also buying my next car soon, but doing so privately... Screw me for £5k and lose out on £40k of business every three years for the next twenty years...).Naturally, I started looking at alternative cars and I called into Audi in Reading with a view to trading in my Z4C for an RS4. The salesman that I dealt with (his name was Guy, but I can't remember his surname) was extremely polite, knew a lot about the car in question (which makes a change for a car salesman) and when I asked about the roof rack, he dashed off for about 20 seconds and came straight back with a printout showing a photograph of the roof rack, all the specs, the cost, and a confirmation that it fitted the car I was looking at. Fantastic. As it happened I found the car rather dull, but the sales experience was in a different league to BMW, so well done Guy and well done Reading Audi
Two or three years ago we wanted to buy a family ragtop and the Audi A4 was favourite. Went to our local Audi dealers and arranged a test drive of a second hand one they had in (cant remember the exact spec but I think it was a V6). On paper a nice looking car...
Off we went for a test drive with the dealer chappie. Not even 2 miles out of town I commented that it wasnt pulling very well even with 3 of us in there (wifey in the back testing out the room). No sooner said than the engine management light came on! I suggested to the dealer bloke that perhaps we had better turn around and go back.
Anyway we got back and the chap disappeared without a word presumably to go and tell the boss/colleagues/service dept that there was a problem, without a word to us. We were left standing there for 5-10 mins without any comeback so we called it a day and went home. Suffice to say, unimpressed!
No word from the dealer for 4 weeks and then a phone call out of the blue asking if we were still looking and wanted to arrange another test drive!! He seemed surprised when we told him that we had bought a car from a competitor!
Off we went for a test drive with the dealer chappie. Not even 2 miles out of town I commented that it wasnt pulling very well even with 3 of us in there (wifey in the back testing out the room). No sooner said than the engine management light came on! I suggested to the dealer bloke that perhaps we had better turn around and go back.
Anyway we got back and the chap disappeared without a word presumably to go and tell the boss/colleagues/service dept that there was a problem, without a word to us. We were left standing there for 5-10 mins without any comeback so we called it a day and went home. Suffice to say, unimpressed!
No word from the dealer for 4 weeks and then a phone call out of the blue asking if we were still looking and wanted to arrange another test drive!! He seemed surprised when we told him that we had bought a car from a competitor!
Edited by oblio on Wednesday 25th August 16:04
I have to say that our local Audi dealership (Wimbledon Audi) have always been charming, obliging, honest and easy to deal with. Never cheap and the first to admit that tey dont fix stuff, they just replace it but one always knows where one is with them.
Sadly, their honesty even extended to admitting that the Audi product is absolute tosh......
Sadly, their honesty even extended to admitting that the Audi product is absolute tosh......
MoonMonkey said:
We've got a 2001 A4 Tdi as the family wagon. It's battered and bruised (has more dents than a golfball) but it's safe, comfortable and has been utterly reliable for the 4 years and 60k miles (now on 112k miles) that we've owned it.
Anyway, we received a recall notification from Audi (plenum chamber or something) a few weeks ago and had arranged to drop it off today. It's never seen the inside of an Audi workshop in our ownership as we use a local indi but I dropped it off on the way into work. The service 'hottie' promised to ring me when the work was completed and (shock horror) I received a phonecall at 11:00am to say the car was ready to go.
So, off I trot at lunchtime to be met by 'service hottie'. After taking a seat my new best friend (who had a to die for geordie accent) returned with the keys and was pleased to announce that they had taken the opportunity to wash and vacuum the car for me (it was as filthy as a middlesbrough hooker).
Then the killer blow.
SH: "we've also taken the opportunity to carry out a full inspection".
Me: "ok.... go on then gimme the bad news"
SH: "Erm, well we can't quite believe this considering the age and mileage but there's nothing to report. Everything is fine...."
Me: "speechless"
SH: "here's your keys and lovely to meet you"
All in all a rather pleasant experience and no I didn't get any photos
nice to here, which dealer is that?Anyway, we received a recall notification from Audi (plenum chamber or something) a few weeks ago and had arranged to drop it off today. It's never seen the inside of an Audi workshop in our ownership as we use a local indi but I dropped it off on the way into work. The service 'hottie' promised to ring me when the work was completed and (shock horror) I received a phonecall at 11:00am to say the car was ready to go.
So, off I trot at lunchtime to be met by 'service hottie'. After taking a seat my new best friend (who had a to die for geordie accent) returned with the keys and was pleased to announce that they had taken the opportunity to wash and vacuum the car for me (it was as filthy as a middlesbrough hooker).
Then the killer blow.
SH: "we've also taken the opportunity to carry out a full inspection".
Me: "ok.... go on then gimme the bad news"
SH: "Erm, well we can't quite believe this considering the age and mileage but there's nothing to report. Everything is fine...."
Me: "speechless"
SH: "here's your keys and lovely to meet you"
All in all a rather pleasant experience and no I didn't get any photos
I have used the one in Newbury and Truro and they are both very very good! The Truro one I was waiting to pck up father in laws car! the Coffee machine was broken (Italian a new German one on order) was asked If I would like a Coffee from town as one of the sales guys was down there and would I like a chocolate twist to go with it! Newbury always used to leave a bunch of flowers on the seat.
ds.ClaphamGT3 said:
I have to say that our local Audi dealership (Wimbledon Audi) have always been charming, obliging, honest and easy to deal with. Never cheap and the first to admit that tey dont fix stuff, they just replace it but one always knows where one is with them.
Sadly, their honesty even extended to admitting that the Audi product is absolute tosh......
IIRC it was wimbledon audi who made me sit for an hr and a half when i went in for a headlight bulb change and then charged me 110 quid for the privilege. Only worked out on the way home they had charged me an hrs labour and ten quid for the bulb.Sadly, their honesty even extended to admitting that the Audi product is absolute tosh......
Never again.I change my bulbs myself now and it only takes me between 3 and 5 mins.
Otherwise i have had nothing but excellent service from audi.
Edited by Tallbut Buxomly on Wednesday 25th August 22:21
Tallbut Buxomly said:
ClaphamGT3 said:
I have to say that our local Audi dealership (Wimbledon Audi) have always been charming, obliging, honest and easy to deal with. Never cheap and the first to admit that tey dont fix stuff, they just replace it but one always knows where one is with them.
Sadly, their honesty even extended to admitting that the Audi product is absolute tosh......
IIRC it was wimbledon audi who made me sit for an hr and a half when i went in for a headlight bulb change and then charged me 110 quid for the privilege. Only worked out on the way home they had charged me an hrs labour and ten quid for the bulb.Sadly, their honesty even extended to admitting that the Audi product is absolute tosh......
Never again.I change my bulbs myself now and it only takes me between 3 and 5 mins.
Otherwise i have had nothing but excellent service from audi.
Edited by Tallbut Buxomly on Wednesday 25th August 22:21
Adz The Rat said:
Tallbut Buxomly said:
ClaphamGT3 said:
I have to say that our local Audi dealership (Wimbledon Audi) have always been charming, obliging, honest and easy to deal with. Never cheap and the first to admit that tey dont fix stuff, they just replace it but one always knows where one is with them.
Sadly, their honesty even extended to admitting that the Audi product is absolute tosh......
IIRC it was wimbledon audi who made me sit for an hr and a half when i went in for a headlight bulb change and then charged me 110 quid for the privilege. Only worked out on the way home they had charged me an hrs labour and ten quid for the bulb.Sadly, their honesty even extended to admitting that the Audi product is absolute tosh......
Never again.I change my bulbs myself now and it only takes me between 3 and 5 mins.
Otherwise i have had nothing but excellent service from audi.
Edited by Tallbut Buxomly on Wednesday 25th August 22:21
Should have put in a complaint to audi HQ but after my experience with volvo HQ i decided i would be wasting my time.
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