Mike H

Hi James, I went through this last year - same car model. Tyre dealers have a specific complaint form they have to complete in cases such as these, My tyres were replaced at Audi by BMTR in Birmingham with Continentals), the form was completed and went off with the tyres to Dunlop. (Photos and copies of everything were kept including the video taken by Audi as the car was in for service when the fault was detected - that story is posted earlier). I was told it would take about six weeks for an investigation and reply after about eight weeks I was told by Dunlop that the faults were acknowledged and the tyres had xmm of tread remaining (they detailed each one) and that a credit had been applied to BMTR who duly refunded Audi, who refunded me. I got just over £600 back (The Contis cost me much more than that). If it helps I was told by a service advisor at Audi that this problem only occurs on A7's the same tyres are fitted to A6's and are fine. They summised there might be an aero and suspension problem with th A7 design that causes it as it happens so often! Audi themselves (HQ) didn't want to know!

Hi Simon, There is no way tyres in that state are safe to drive, believe me I am in a position to know! I think I need to explain something given your situation. I was informed by text that all four of my tyres were split (with accompanying photographs) so I used the courtesy car Audi had supplied to cover me for the vehicle service and went to my local tyre discounter to see what he could offer. He could do Pirelli P-Zeroes for £250 each (mine is also a black edition with 21" wheels) BUT in common with a lot of tyre suppliers he works through a discounting agent and could not therefore raise the complaint regarding my Dunlops as this can only be done through a Dunlop/Goodyear agent. Obviously with four deeply split tyres the car was undriveable so I had little choice but to use Audi Birmingham to replace the tyres, however, whilst Audi are not Dunlop/Goodyear agents BMTR (their supplier) is and I could therefore access the complaint process. As I said in a previous post I replaced the tyres with Continentals and managed to get Audi to supply them at £268 each (they couldn't get anywhere near the Pirelli price I had been quoted but the Continentals and access to the complaint system seemed like a good plan!). Audi are absolutely correct in that they are not responsible for the tyre issues but as "a loyal customer" (you went there for the MOT after all) you are seeking their support to raise a complaint to Dunlop through BMTR. This implies Audi/BMTR will have to supply the replacement tyres but, if they are willing to assist, and they should be, then it might even be worth haggling over the tyres' price as well. Sorry for the length of this diatribe - just trying to help! Good luck. Regards, Mike

Hi Simon, There is an established process (which was pointed out by an Audi employee) to deal with this. The guy that dealt with my complaint has actually left Audi now. It is almost certain that the tyres were supplied by BMTR (they supply nearly all of the tyres for Bham Audi) my complaint was raised through them via Audi. I had photographs of the tyres in situ on the car as part of the service my car was going through which was helpful (might be worth asking if there are any). You should at least have documented proof of the failure. Anyway, based on my recent experience (and partial success) I would advise the following: Get in touch with Birmingham Audi (suggest Service Manager)and tell them him you would like the tyres photographed (They are not normally disposed of straightaway) and you want to raise a complaint to Dunlop/Goodyear (they know exactly who to ask what the procedure is). There is actually a proper form for it! It could take up to 12 weeks but in my case Goodyear sought to compensate for the unworn portion of the tyre life as a percentage (in writing to me as the form completed by Audi/BMTR identified me as the contact point) of remaining tread, which was 50%, which they applied to the value of the replacement tyres (Continentals - not Goodyear/Dunlop). That was presented to BMTR in the form of a credit from Goodyear/Dunlop which has since been applied to Audi Birmingham and (believe it or not) I am now waiting for the money to clear Lister's accounts. Can you imgaine what would happen if the boot were on the other foot? Once I have my money back I am thinking further action - there was no acknowledgement of the failure of the tyres nor the danger it put me and my family in, just the inconvenience!! It is a known problem with A7's despite same floor pan A6's it seems are unaffected. I hope this helps. Mike

Hi Gareth, It is a strange chain of supply that Audi Birmingham go through with their tyres. A company called BMTR supply and fit the tyres on site at Audi, liaising with the Service Customer Liaison Manager. When the complaint was lodged it was done through BMTR rather than Audi (with full assistance from Audi Birmingham) as per the process defined by Goodyear-Dunlop. The letter I have received from Goodyear-Dunlop Product Support states that they have advised a 'dealer allowance' but the letter is headed "Ship-to: Birmingham Motor Tyres Ltd CREDIT........ and gives the document number and ID of the claim. This appears to be a Courtesy copy (such as it is!) and starts 'Dear Customer' and ends, "Yours faithfully, Goodyear Dunlop Product Support & Service", which suggests an automatic process with another copy going off to BMTR. I am now getting in touch with Audi Birmingham to inform them of the outcome (I was told (by Audi) they would not be informed as I was the complainant, not them). My issue is I paid Audi not BMTR and received an Audi Birmningham receipt. My view is that Audi Birmingham should pay me the amount due and BMTR should apply a credit to Audi's account. I'm sounding a bit like a pedant - sorry! Its just that I want to document the whole saga in the hope it will help others in the same boat. Once I have got this sorted out I will happily post a copy of the letter and any subsequent correspondence I decide upon. I'm not sure it would be wise to publish now! Mike

My understanding is that the 'Dealer Allowance' will be given to BMTR who supply tyres to Audi Birmingham. They (BMTR) replaced all four tyres with Continentals (I flatly refused Dunlops) at a cost of £1048 - this was all stated in the complaint form. I have to allow 28 days for the necessary paperwork to be processed and hope that the 'Allowance' will come to me in the form of a cheque as I have already paid them to replace the tyres as the car was undriveable. I think maybe a letter, but I'll bank the cheque first!! There was nothing 'without prejudice' in their letter - not even signed! Mike

I promised an update. Goodyear Dunlop: I have received a letter from them saying "We are sorry to hear of the problem with your tyre (sic) and can appreciate the inconvenience this must have caused." They have advised what they call a 'Dealer Allowance' towards the cost of replacing the tyre!! The details are 60% for one, 50% for another and 45% for the other two, which works out as half the cost of replacement. Its more than I expected but 'inconvenience' does not seem to take into account the danger presented to my family and other A7 owners. Of course the issue that remains are Dunlop tyres are still fitted to A7s and Audi supply them - Any thoughts?

Quick update: The four tyres have been returned to the supplier and from there to Dunlop along with the necessary 'Complaint' form. Audi Birmingham have been very supportive and done all the leg-work so far. Have been told up to twelve weeks for a response!

Just had exactly the same experience with these Dunlop tyres on my Black Edition Quattro. All four had to be replaced yesterday (23 April 2018) when the car went in for its first service. All four tyres were condemned with splits on the inner wall, one where the tread had almost completely separated from the body of the tyre. It leaves me feeling cold when I think we were travelling at speed for 200 miles on the motorway only days ago with three generations of my family on board. The company must be aware of the problem. The Audi dealership (Listers Birmingham Audi) are being very supportive and are going to take up with Dunlop on my behalf. It seems that the Jaguar XF has the same problem with its Dunlop tyres as well.