Nightmare in Galaxy Grey (UPDATE)

[ArtofGrunt]

C6 RS6 Avant 2008

It was the dream car, huge estate with thunderous power and torque. I had the older C5 version but with its numerous DRC and gearbox issues i was always wary of pushing on too much. I was always listening to the box and rating every shift out of ten, scrutinising every squeak and thump from the suspension. So i had a look on here and spotted one for sale in Cumbria that fitted the spec i was looking for and that with a bit of finance the V10 powered crazy machine of my dreams could be in reach. I planned to chop the old car off to We Buy Any Car for £6700 and use some of my money and the rest of finance. All set to go with the appt booked with WBAC and train ticket bought for Cumbria, then i was took ill with a collapsed lung. Hospital admission for 12 days and back out to lie on the sofa for another week. I put the dream on the back burner for a while till i got my strength back

Started to get back on my feet and i put the details for an RS6 into Autotrader app on the phone. The first one that appears is 3 miles away from me sitting at a dealer and it was the same car that i was going to see in Cumbria. Got my st together and headed over to see what the deal was. Test drive was fine, no oil leaks and the pipe over the drivers front wheel was rust free. I agreed a trade in fee of £6500 for my old C5 RS6 and went away for a wee think. Came back the next day and done the deal, 28th Oct 2017. Car would be available for pick up in the next few days. Got the call on the 5th of November to say the car is ready. I head over with the trade in and sign the warranty paperwork, get the car paperwork, keys and head off on my merry way.

All good for the first four weeks apart from the constant reminder of RS spec cars getting stolen by means of Burglary. I wanted an extra level of security so i hunted about and asked a few in the know and most said the Autowatch Ghost was the system of choice. A local installer in the centre of Scotland could do the job on the 7th of Dec for £400.

Headed out on the morning of the 7th on my way to getting the immobiliser fitted, i got to the large roundabout at the shopping centre on the southside of Glasgow. I was next to go on the roundabout and the car died, nothing on the button marked Start. I tried resetting everything and using the key and the engine would turn but not fire. I called recovery and they would be with me in an hour. Since i was a dangerous place i went back to the car and tried once again, she fired and i got her off the round about and into the local housing estate where i called back the recovery company to inform then of my new location and waited. The car was recovered on the back of a flatbed to a place in Central Scotland that are regarded as the premier specialists in the Audi S/RS field. I instructed the specialist to diagnose the breakdown, repair the fault and fit the Autowatch Ghost. I left with a 1.2 Seat Ibiza and enjoyed the stress of buzzing a manual. Three days later i got a phone call from the specialists saying the car would need £12500 worth of repairs as the connector in the wiring loom for the engine and loom for the pumps, located under the scuttle panel, has signs of being tampered with. The full loom need replacing to do the job properly it would take anything between 100 and 200 hours labour. When i bought the car i took out an all singing and dancing warranty for 3yrs costing £3500 with a claim limit of £5000. The warranty company would not pay out as they do not cover wiring looms or corrosion. I called the Dealer where i bought the car from, just 5 weeks earlier and told him the diagnosis. He wanted me to work with the warranty company and replace healthy components and add a wee bit extra on to each component to cover the wiring loom work. I was not happy with this proposal and contacted a lawyer to know my rights. As the Specialist is just a small operation he did not have the capacity to take on the job at this moment in time so we relayed the car back to the supplying dealer at my expense. When the recovery driver arrived at the dealer the 3 employees of the dealer intimidated the driver of the recovery truck not to unload here and that the car was to go onwards to another garage, of the supplying dealers, choice just outside Glasgow. This was on the 12th of December and i sat back waiting for some news

I had a meeting with my lawyer on the 15th of December, where i asked that when the car is repaired by the dealers chosen repair centre i would like to have the car inspected to make sure the repair was up to standard. My lawyer sent this to the supplying dealer and i heard nothing until the 23rd of at 2pm. I received a letter from my lawyer stating that as i had fitted an immobiliser to the car the supplying dealer is taking nothing to do with the car and will not be paying for repairs to the vehicle. I phoned the garage where the car being repaired and also my lawyer, both had shut for the festive period.

I hired a stty Fiat 500 for a couple of days to get me about over the festive period, i went to the place where the car being worked on to find her sitting in a yard with no one about for miles. The yard had a 4ft high black solid double gates, with a meaty padlock, and a wall of the same height either side. The wall on the left was demolished so i stepped through the fallen down wall and went to my car to retrieve belongings. If the wall and gate had been solid then i would not have bothered trying to climb over it. I took my stuff from the car but the Blue Badge was missing and i left. I came back the next day to take some pictures and see if she would start, engine would turn and turn but not fire. I left and did not return till the 29th when i brought the fully qualified auto electrician that fitted the Autowatch Ghost system to the car and he removed the system in about 10 mins.

I contacted the finance company to complain about the way things were going, sent them an email with all the facts and receipts for the recovery (7th of Dec), diagnostic and install of immobiliser (11th of Dec) and that the dealer were trying to blame the car breaking down on an immobiliser that was not fitted when it first broke down. I heard nothing until the 9th of Jan when i got a call from the owner of the garage that worked on the car at the request of the dealer. Angry as hell that i had broke into his "secure" yard and that he was getting the Police involved and i would be lucky if i ever saw my car. I apologised telling him i wanted my stuff and i wanted to remove the immobiliser so the car was back to when it first broke down at the roundabout on my to getting the immobiliser fitted. I called the Police and they arrived with in the hour but stated there was little they could do as it was civil matter but advised that i should ask in writing via the Facebook page for the garage what the bill was. The garage responded about 20 mins later asking me to call them on a land line number. Lovely wee lady answered and i was polite as punch, She ummmed and ahhed and 7 hours labour and 26 days storage and she had been instructed to accept nothing other than cash, no cards of any description. Total bill was £1002 inc VAT

I got every bit of spare cash together and headed up with a neighbour. When i arrived the car running and someone was taking it out on a test drive and we went and paid the bill in cash. We waited on the car returning and was told she was good to go. The drive back was good, gave her welly and all was well. It did set my mind off as to what they had done for the 7hrs and that she was running, i did wonder what they had done to her to get up and running, i did not care but i was curious. I got home and called Audi Glasgow to book her in for a health check the next day

Woke the next day and went out to start her to head for the Audi appt and nothing, engine turns but not fire. Same as the original problem back at the roundabout. Back in the house to call Audi and cancel the appt but make a new one for a full report on the car, 3 hours labour plus £60. I arranged for recovery and sent her off to Audi where she is as we type, should hear back tomorrow from Audi as to why she is how she is

The garage that the dealer authorised the repair to my car wants me charged with Housebreaking as i entered his not very secure yard where my car had been left to collect my belonging which included my Blue Badge, which was and still is missing. So i am currently sitting here waiting for the Police to appear to charge me with Housebreaking or Breaking and Entering

I have to be careful not to mention any specific businesses and people as it will be going to court as i do not like being held to ransom, intimidated, treated like an eejit all for buying the car from a dealer and paying top dollar at that

I have been i touch with the finance company and they say the will apply a handler to the case in the next 5 working days and that i should put everything in writing and supply receipts for the initial breakdown recovery and diagnostic work, which i have done, receipt for the release and work done on the car by the dealers choice of repairer

The dealer are desperately trying to avoid paying for a proper job and desperately hoping that the Autowatch system is to blame, which it is not as the car broke down before the system was fitted. The Autowatch was fitted by a qualified person and the damage to the loom is under the scuttle panel where the engine meets the box

Recovery £240
Lawyer £225
Work done by ***** ****** and (secure) storage £1002 Diagnostic work done by deal and blamed on immobiliser
6 day car hire over the festive period £400
Diagnostic work by ** ********** £90 Original diagnostic work done by my choice of specialist
Taxi £90
Towing eye from Glasgow Audi as the car was not supplied with one £23
3 hours diagnostic work for Audi Glasgow at £115 hr est £350

Total £2420

The expenses are mounting up and i probably have about another grand or 2 to throw at this until my funds are exhausted and i have a very expensive paperweight to stare at with my morning coffee

Thanks

G

[rs6666]

That’s make for scary reading , hope you get to the bottom of this. I’m glad your perusing this as they need to be held to account , can’t be ripping people off.

[rtd]

Sorry to read about this If you need a secondary opinion on the car give Ricky Elder a call he is based in swindon and knows these cars inside out.


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[bam_bam]

Two things:
- £12500 worth of repairs!
- I called the Police and they arrived within the hour but stated there was little they could do as it was civil matter but advised that I should ask in writing via the Facebook page for the garage what the bill was.

This is going to get sticky mate, you just need to react correctly and know when to ride the sh1t storm.

Should've stayed with the C5...

[ArtofGrunt]

Hind sight is a beautiful thing, the old C5 is still sitting there rubbing my nose in it

Spoke to the Vehicle Quality Team from the finance company, earlier today and they agree the dealer is desperate to blame the Ghost system. They want to wait until the report comes back from Audi as to what is wrong with the car and then ask an independent engineer to do a report on the car. Then they have enough evidence, along with original specialist report to say the car was a dog long before i got any way near it.

If it all goes tits up and i am stuck with it, i will probably get the car sent down to Unit20 and let them make a cost effective repair that should have been done in the first place

G

[don0301]

Sorry to hear your woes.

It will probably take a while but at least you seem to have the finance company on side, that should help a lot. Keep faith.

Hope all works out for you, as it should!

[Mɐʇʇ]

Was following your pistonheads post too. I think it's important you "design" the outcome you want.
If it goes to Audi, their view will be fit new parts at list price - because they're the manufacturer and "can" - this'll be by far the most expensive. But will probably engineer the opportunity for you to return the car, too.
If you go to a "normal" garage, they won't really have a clue - even good ones are good, but this level of diagnosis and repair will be beyond 99% of them.
Personally, and if fixing it is what you want, I'd be exclusively talking to MRC about it & no-one else. They did a good job of rewiring Davepercs car and have the right specialist knowledge for this level of diagnosis and repair. Just MVHO, of course.

[rtd]

Ricky Elder was the first person in the country to do a 900BHP car and is known widely in R8 circles for his knowledge of the V10. He probably knows more about the V10 than any other indie in the UK.

There is also Unit20.




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[Mɐʇʇ]

I suggest MRC since they have knowledge of the car already. Their records & prior knowledge of it mean they'll have the best possible chance of fixing it efficiently - plus, to restore the car to being a good car that has value, a clean bill of health from them is probably a "must have". Unit 20 could do the same, but I believe from the above it's not a car they worked on in it's modified form.

[ArtofGrunt]

Originally i wanted it repaired in a way that was cost efficient but the repair had to be up to standard. I wanted someone to inspect the job after it had been to the dealers choice of repair Shop but no, after the intimidation, ransom demands and blocking tactics from the dealer by desperately trying to blame the Ghost system. I want rid of it, unless that car is repaired by someone like MRC, RePerformance, Unit 20 or Audi then i am not interested in seeing the car again

The Police have no interest in charging me as the Procurator Fiscal will look at the charge and ask what damage was done to enter the yard, none. What did he steal from the yard, nothing but his own property. What did he use to enter the vehicle, his spare key and was there damage, no. I have heard the repair Shop is pushing for a private prosecution, the supplying dealer is claiming that as this is now a criminal issue they have been instructed to not comply with my lawyers instructions for info on the car. This is nonsense as the issue is between me and the repair Shop. The issue of the dealer selling a faulty car is a separate issue, the dealer is desperately trying every possible trick in the book to try and block me or make me give up. the dealer and repair Shop are in cahoots over this and they think i will get pissed off and give up but unfortunately not going to happen

The Ghost system was fitted after the car broke down, it stopped the signal going to the starter until a set sequence was inputted and ran over the CAN network. The damage to the loom is under the scuttle panel and it is corrosion that is the root cause of that issue. There is not even a snowballs chance in hell that the Ghost did anything

Currently waiting on the report from Audi as to why that car is not wanting to start and run and how much it will cost for Audi to fix the car, both my lawyer and the finance company are awaiting the outcome of this report

Tiny bit of irony is the supplying dealer have a revolving ad on their site for Tracker install

G

[rtd]

Good luck mate hope the report from Audi, sticks it to the dealer who sold you the car.


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[Fatneck73]

Nightmare. Best of luck.

[P300]

It sucks stuff like this happens.
Before I bought mine I had been keeping an eye out on Autotrader and just getting a feel for what the market was doing and the correct price to be paying etc. I'm pretty sure I saw your car pop up a few times on there in various states of modification (think the interior was changed etc from when it was first advertised). As it passed around a few different dealers my suspicion is that the dealers who ultimately sold the car knew at least some of its history and it's not unsurprising that at some point the loom may have been disturbed in some way that's led on to these issues. But these dealers will do anything they can to pass the buck of responsibility on to you. Just stay on them and make sure you are fully aware of your rights. It'll be interesting to hear what Audi come back with.

[ArtofGrunt]

Got the car back after 26 days at Glasgow Audi. Their system was adamant that the Fuel Pump Controller was the reason the car was not starting. I told them about the previous nonsense i had experienced and asked them to double check the loom around the scuttle panel area. Got the call back that they were happy with the wiring loom and that the Fuel Pump Controller was the issue. I asked them to contact the warranty company to see if it was covered, good news it was covered but the bad news was the max labour rate the warranty company was willing to £55 an hour. . I told Glasgow Audi to go ahead and fit the new unit and i would pay any difference, got the call about a week later that they fitted the Fuel Pump Controller but the car would still not start and it was now show 100 plus codes on the ECU that would not clear. They had there top tech on the car for days and even had Germany on the link to try and figure out what was going on.

I called after 2 weeks of nothing expecting the worst news possible. At one point Audi Germany were wanting a full new loom at £24k plus but then someone spotted the chassis number for my car was showing up in the system as a 2016 RS6 4.0 V8 TT. The 2016 has the wire going to the Fuel Pump Controller as a part of the main loom. The V10 loom, this part is separate. The wire with the fuse contained had melted as it not a genuine part, when the fuse melted it overloaded the wires surrounding the, now melted, fuse and threw a load of codes the ECU refused to clear. For the sake of £2 someone had fitted a cheap copy part and that failed taking the Fuel Pump Controller with it. Audi Glasgow fitted a new genuine fuse and wire to the car and it fired and ran. All codes cleared and the head RS tech took the car for an extended test drive and he could not fault the car. I have to visit the branch with the V5 and ID to send it down to Audi UK Sales and they will update the records to correct the error that the car is a 08 RS6 V10 and not a 4.0 16 plate RS. As a gesture of goodwill Audi Glasgow agreed to drop their normal labour rate from £135 plus VAT to £75 and all i had to pay was about £80, as the warranty company were paying for the part and the bulk of the labour

Got the car back on the 6th of Feb and now done just over 750 miles, she has not missed a beat. I have giving her ever possible test, without going overboard and needlessly abusing it, and there has been no hesitation, cough or flash of the ECU light. One thing i did notice was the spare wheel well had a decent depth of water sloshing about, me thinks in the 2 months my car was off the road someone had left the boot open either on purpose or by accident

Going to original specialist on Monday for him to check her over and if he is happy i am booking her into MRC and going stage 2 as soon as possible.

Still taking the original dealer to the small claims court as they tried, and failed, to wriggle out of the legal duties they signed up to when they sold the car. Tried to blame a passive immobiliser, tried everything they could think of to absolve themselves of any legal obligation. I am probably nigh on 2k out of pocket so no i wont just go away and have my tummy tickled, i want my money back and legally i am entitled to the money

G

[dhali]

Great news that it's been sorted and running the way it should of when you brought it .