Hi Mark
I have been having discussions with my dealer and the new line up of cars will have a new 1.5 petrol engine designated the 35. Because of this I can’t see Audi devoting too much time to the current problem, but I could be wrong. I was originally going for the 2ltr diesel but because of the government’s current attitude to diesel I went petrol but was never really happy that I did because of the mileage benefit. I told the dealer that under the Sale of Goods Act, if my goods are not fit for purpose that I was entitled to either a replacement or my money back. However, I told them that I would be prepared to accept a diesel (almost identical performance to the petrol) and pay the difference. Initially they were wanting to treat the transaction as a new purchase and offered me about £16500 for my 2.5 month old car. I said I was only prepared to pay the difference between the petrol and diesel version which is about £1500. They managed to get a goodwill contribution from Audi and I have just got an order in for a new 2 ltr diesel although I will be paying £2100, not £1500. Unfortunately the wheel and tyre insurance, dent insurance, Gap insurance and Gardex treatment that I put on my car are not transferable, so I guess I’ve lost another £1500 there but I got the feeling there was nothing else on the table from Audi or the dealer so I bit the bullet on that one.
I think that maybe the best course of action is to get your dealer to negotiate a hefty discount with Audi on a new model car. Hopefully the new 35 engine will be problem free! I’m fairly happy now as I will have a 68 or maybe 19 registration as opposed to my 18 and have not taken the high depreciation hit that normally comes with a car leaving the showroom.
This is not the ideal solution and Audi should really have come up with a fix for this problem by now, but they want to keep us as customers and hopefully will give a generous discount on a new car if that’s the route you decide to take.