What a love/hate (mainly with Audi UK & it's dealerships) relationship this has been. I bought the R8 in April last year, a 1 owner car with 3,000 miles on the clock. I hadn't intended to buy an R8, I simply wanted to try a Plus and a couple of days after I popped in to see a car that unbeknown to me had been sold the day before they had one due in. So I went back to drive it when it arrived on SOR 2 days later. The first I saw of the car were these 3 pictures, taken by a dealer selling the car and sent to me. I got the impression the car was not selling and had moved around a couple of traders hands but I wanted a car with an Audi dealership stamp set and Warranty.
The car looked to my eyes fantastic, spectacular even and red for me suits the car very well. I arrived, took a brief look around and then took it for a spin with you Sales Manager joining me. I told him I wanted at least an hour in the car, which was no issue, but frankly within the tunnel on the A50 towards Uttoxeter I was buying the car. Further pushing on confirmed it was the right call so when we got back I lad out the terms I would buy the car on and we did the deal there and then. I collected it 3 or 4 days later.
On collection I had a couple of issues so when I got back to my office I wrote to them and made them aware I wanted these addressed, my marker in the sand. They were a front offside lower grill which wasn't fitting properly and a strange clonking noise from the rear end...something that would cause me to come close to rejecting the car, more on that in a bit. Anyway I did what we all do, parked it, walked around and smiled then took all the books into the house and started to read....for about 10 minutes then though sod that, I need to drive it so went for 200 mile spin. My first impressions were that it was and is a spectacular car with an incredible engine. It pulls from low down to silly speeds in no time, corners on rails, moves around and have lots more feel than I remember. The small changes to the Plus add up to more than the sum of the parts. The S-Tronic is the first DCT box Audi put in the R8 and it's a gem. Rapid, smooth and clever and in manual provides a fair level of involvement. The R-Tronic was poor, the S-Tronic is very very good. Interior was immaculate (not anymore, again more to follow) and the car felt tight....if with a bloody annoying clunk out of the back of the car.....
So I had a car I was happy with, but with a couple of niggles, but here it is sitting on my drive as Optimus Prime:
The front grill was never fixed properly and another issue which I had stupidly missed when buying the car was the owner had wrapped the grills front and back with carbon wrap. He also had the rear bumper painted which I actually liked, but had to do my due diligence as I did notice this was non standard and was placated when shown the owners pictures of the car being painted from new, so not after having a prang! The wrap was going to have to go as with miles and pace heat was causing bubbles and frankly it looked cheap and tatty and that had to go, more on that in a bit....
The Clonk!
So this was apparent on the car from day one. It showed itself at slow speeds, usually when the car was pivoting from left to right and over bumps. So if I want over a speed bump at an angle it would show itself and when I left the house, clonk clonk clonk. VERY annoying. So I took it back to Stoke Audi who had the car for close to 2 weeks at the end of which they had 'had a go' at sorting the grill and not been able to fix the clonk....but they did feel it was getting better, so perhaps I should take the car and see how I get on as "it's not anything major". So I took the car back and within a week was back on the phone and this time I tried to book it into to Stafford Audi. My view was simply a 2nd pair of eyes might have a different view but amazingly, I got a call from Stafford Audi telling me as the car was new it must got back to Stoke for them to keep doing the work. Both dealers belong to the same group, unimpressed but more on that too in a bit....
So I took it back for second go August last year. Holiday time, so a we week in after "having another look" it was obvious they were not doing much and had no idea or worse, knew what it was but couldn't be arsed. The R8 tech then had 3 weeks off so I collected the car and re-booked it in for his return. After 2 days with them again rage arrived and I decided enough was enough so escalated to a board member of the group. To be fair he was fantastic, called me within a few minutes and got on the case. I asked him to take oversight and made it clear that it is diagnosed with a clear view and time line to fix by Friday of that week (it was a Tuesday when we connected) or the car would be coming back for a full refund, ignoring the 4000 miles I had added!
Amazing, within 2 days my car was fixed, after they spent 2 days rebuilding the back end. It was simply a case of lubrication and a couple of washers on the rear end suspension, as I had suggested all along, but was a big job. I think they knew that and hoped I would just give up. I hope I am wrong but this is all I could conclude. They tried there best to placate, did various things FOC, champaign, flowers the whole 9 yards and once escalated they were good, but it really annoyed me I had to do this. Also their man was incredibly disappointed how Stafford had dealt with me so i am sure had a few words. I am not a person who holds a grudge, so I just asked that next time we do this better....
I had also spoken with Audi UK and realised they were useless. Simply an outsourced contact centre full of young girls who annoy their dealers and add nothing to my case other than more hassle. They were told to do one as they had added nothing and next issue I went another route...more on that too to come!
More to follow...need coffee
The car looked to my eyes fantastic, spectacular even and red for me suits the car very well. I arrived, took a brief look around and then took it for a spin with you Sales Manager joining me. I told him I wanted at least an hour in the car, which was no issue, but frankly within the tunnel on the A50 towards Uttoxeter I was buying the car. Further pushing on confirmed it was the right call so when we got back I lad out the terms I would buy the car on and we did the deal there and then. I collected it 3 or 4 days later.
On collection I had a couple of issues so when I got back to my office I wrote to them and made them aware I wanted these addressed, my marker in the sand. They were a front offside lower grill which wasn't fitting properly and a strange clonking noise from the rear end...something that would cause me to come close to rejecting the car, more on that in a bit. Anyway I did what we all do, parked it, walked around and smiled then took all the books into the house and started to read....for about 10 minutes then though sod that, I need to drive it so went for 200 mile spin. My first impressions were that it was and is a spectacular car with an incredible engine. It pulls from low down to silly speeds in no time, corners on rails, moves around and have lots more feel than I remember. The small changes to the Plus add up to more than the sum of the parts. The S-Tronic is the first DCT box Audi put in the R8 and it's a gem. Rapid, smooth and clever and in manual provides a fair level of involvement. The R-Tronic was poor, the S-Tronic is very very good. Interior was immaculate (not anymore, again more to follow) and the car felt tight....if with a bloody annoying clunk out of the back of the car.....
So I had a car I was happy with, but with a couple of niggles, but here it is sitting on my drive as Optimus Prime:
The front grill was never fixed properly and another issue which I had stupidly missed when buying the car was the owner had wrapped the grills front and back with carbon wrap. He also had the rear bumper painted which I actually liked, but had to do my due diligence as I did notice this was non standard and was placated when shown the owners pictures of the car being painted from new, so not after having a prang! The wrap was going to have to go as with miles and pace heat was causing bubbles and frankly it looked cheap and tatty and that had to go, more on that in a bit....
The Clonk!
So this was apparent on the car from day one. It showed itself at slow speeds, usually when the car was pivoting from left to right and over bumps. So if I want over a speed bump at an angle it would show itself and when I left the house, clonk clonk clonk. VERY annoying. So I took it back to Stoke Audi who had the car for close to 2 weeks at the end of which they had 'had a go' at sorting the grill and not been able to fix the clonk....but they did feel it was getting better, so perhaps I should take the car and see how I get on as "it's not anything major". So I took the car back and within a week was back on the phone and this time I tried to book it into to Stafford Audi. My view was simply a 2nd pair of eyes might have a different view but amazingly, I got a call from Stafford Audi telling me as the car was new it must got back to Stoke for them to keep doing the work. Both dealers belong to the same group, unimpressed but more on that too in a bit....
So I took it back for second go August last year. Holiday time, so a we week in after "having another look" it was obvious they were not doing much and had no idea or worse, knew what it was but couldn't be arsed. The R8 tech then had 3 weeks off so I collected the car and re-booked it in for his return. After 2 days with them again rage arrived and I decided enough was enough so escalated to a board member of the group. To be fair he was fantastic, called me within a few minutes and got on the case. I asked him to take oversight and made it clear that it is diagnosed with a clear view and time line to fix by Friday of that week (it was a Tuesday when we connected) or the car would be coming back for a full refund, ignoring the 4000 miles I had added!
Amazing, within 2 days my car was fixed, after they spent 2 days rebuilding the back end. It was simply a case of lubrication and a couple of washers on the rear end suspension, as I had suggested all along, but was a big job. I think they knew that and hoped I would just give up. I hope I am wrong but this is all I could conclude. They tried there best to placate, did various things FOC, champaign, flowers the whole 9 yards and once escalated they were good, but it really annoyed me I had to do this. Also their man was incredibly disappointed how Stafford had dealt with me so i am sure had a few words. I am not a person who holds a grudge, so I just asked that next time we do this better....
I had also spoken with Audi UK and realised they were useless. Simply an outsourced contact centre full of young girls who annoy their dealers and add nothing to my case other than more hassle. They were told to do one as they had added nothing and next issue I went another route...more on that too to come!
More to follow...need coffee
