Livia

@MarkW57 I moved my car to an independent workshop to have the water drained immediately. Otherwise, the dealer would likely have taken no action while the dispute is ongoing, and the damage could have worsened. The independent garage has provided a quote of around £1,000, including repairs to the electrics, and I will go for it. @NelsonP You advice is very sensible. I'll get my car repaired at a lower cost at an independent garage. As a consumer, my current priority is my mobility. I have no doubt that they are fully aware of this issue. Even the warranty team advised me to reference the relevant TSB when submitting my complaint to Audi UK. Furthermore, although they have not specified the root cause of the water ingress, they clearly know how to rectify the problem promptly, as outlined in the inspection report I received. All of this indicates that they are familiar with the issue. I do not accept that I should be held liable for any portion of repairs necessitated by a documented manufacturing defect. However, they have now confirmed that no further support will be offered towards my vehicle, and that this is their final position. I am planning to escalate the matter to the Motor Ombudsman. The outcome may still be disappointing, but I would like to give it a try. @Paddy755 Your posts were very helpful when I was preparing my complaint to Audi UK. May I ask whether you ultimately took your case to the Motor Ombudsman?

Hi Mark, You are not alone. I’m dealing with exactly the same water ingress issue on my Audi A6 Avant. I bought the extended All-in Warranty when the car was serviced back in October. Then in late January, my driver’s seat suddenly stopped moving. When I looked into it, I found the rear passenger footwell behind the driver’s seat completely soaked. Audi Birmingham inspected the car and came back with a quote of nearly £6,000. That includes drying the carpets, repairing the wiring loom, and fixing the OSF wheel arch liner. Oddly enough, the wheel arch liner “rectification” wasn’t even priced on the report. When I asked what caused it, I was told the water had been getting in through failed sealing bungs underneath the car and had built up over time. If that’s the case, I don’t understand how nothing was picked up during the October service. The answer I got was basically that a routine service isn’t a strip-down inspection, and they can’t predict issues if there’s nothing obvious at the time. I also brought up the well-known TSB as this seems to be a recognised issue. I was told that a TSB is just a repair guide for technicians and not an admission of a manufacturing defect. I tried appealing through the warranty, but after going through the policy wording with them, it turns out wiring looms and bodywork/parts are specifically excluded. So from their point of view, they’re relying on that exclusion to decline the claim. The service manager then offered a “goodwill” repair at £3,600, which I declined. I raised a formal complaint with Audi UK, and today I received their final response — no additional goodwill support. It’s incredibly frustrating to be facing a bill like this for something that feels like a known issue and completely outside of the owner’s control. I’m really disappointed with how this has been handled and am considering taking it further. But one thing’s certain - after this experience, no Audi again for me.