New Audi needs help, Los Angeles

[a.k.a. Patrick]

Well, Im kind of a ways away from you, but if you get in a pinch and need someone, maybe we can work something out.....

[Tarik]

That`s a very good idea. I`ll track down a body shop that`s willing to help me run that test. I`ll let you know what I find. The dealer said they did it and it checked out A-OK. Right, aspecially when I requested documentation of this test and he did not provide any.

It`s all very suspicious. Maybe I`m just a fanatic that notices EVERY little tinny thing, but it`s suspicious to me.



That said, I picked up the car. I will paste what I wrote on the Vortex site. Here you go:



I went up there armed with destruction in mind, but when I arrived, I saw an absolutely perfect/flawless A3.

So, what happened?

They detailed the crap out of it and made it "perfect". The gsm stuck to his $300 guns and having looked over the car in the light, in the shade, unde a fluorescet light, we didn`t have much ground to stand on besides accept the $ and drive the car home.

Audi of America said the only way they would ever step in and assess a possible "return" would be to have an Audi rep come out and see the car. What hurts now is knowing that they can make a vehicle this flawless when they need to-I have no idea what product/wax they used (it was threatened and scheduled that an Audi rep would meet us there today, but he never showed). So, HAD HE SEEN the car in it`s former state, sure he would have had a problem with Rusnak, but in the condition it was in today, there would be no way on earth that they`d even look at me seriously.

I`m through fighting for now. If a detailer can make my car as beautiful, and permanently beautiful, as some claim, that`s all I ever wanted in the first place...

[MorBid]

If you think the cars had an accident that`s been covered up you need someone to go over it with a paint depth gauge (and a magnet for filler),any decent bodyshop will have one,if its had non factory paint it will be thicker that the factory paintwork and also they can look over the car at the same time,obviosly a Audi affiliated bodyshop won`t want to get involved but it might be best to get an independent inspection that you have to pay for, like the from the Autombile Club.



Sorry you`ve had such a nightmare,I would be threatening with court.

I`m getting confused here. I thought this car was new as in current model year new, as in fresh from the factory in Germany new and what was being discussed was a "Dealer`s Prep" gone horribly wrong.



If that is the case then how could the car have been in an accident already?

[Tarik]

I`m getting confused here. I thought this car was new as in current model year new, as in fresh from the factory in Germany new and what was being discussed was a "Dealer`s Prep" gone horribly wrong.



If that is the case then how could the car have been in an accident already?

The car had 105 miles upon delivery (because it was a dealer trade). So yes, it was a brand new car, but no, there`s no way of knowing it`s full history/what happened during those weeks/months/miles before delivery to me. Obviously, the dealers could very well be hiding something. If it is ever discovered there was an accient, not only is it against the law, but could lead a to very serious lawsuit.

[MorBid]

My 2005 A4 1.8T UltraSport was a dealer trade w/a couple hundred miles on it as well. But I had "shopped" their lot on Sundays for a month before buying it. Each time I would look at a car I might like and write down the VIN on cars which weren`t still wrapped in the plastic but nevertheless were new. Also at that time do a inspection of the fit and finish



Go home and run a Carfax report on the cars to see if they were registered before. Now that`s not really saying alot cause a dealer could slap "dealer tags" on any car he has and drive the vehicle around. Obviously cause that`s how our cars got from lot to lot.



I would think the ramafications for any Authorized New Car Dealership that damaged a vehicle on their lot and failed to disclose that fact during a sale would be severe.



However in your case, if we are now moving into that area, there is an old saying in the Car Dealership business "You signed for it, you brought it, it`s yours". Anything you did not point out prior to taking pocession of the vehicle and is not a defect covered under warranty is going to be an uphill battle.

[Thomas Dekany]

I may be wrong, but my understanding is that it isn`t uncommon for stealerships to repaint damages during deliveries. It would be very unusual for a dealer to tell the customer:



the left rear panel has been repainted sir! :grinno: :grinno: :grinno:

[Tarik]

That`s excatly what my wife said. She said even if they had replaced the front right quarter and the hood and etc... do you think they would actually tell you "hey, before you sign on that line, you should know your car was involved in an accident".

Like I mentioned, as long as the vehicle is in-tact and it has never been in an accident, I have no problem taking responsibility for my signature on that dotted line. If, however, they never disclosed a prior accident/incident (so much as a replaced grill), I would sue them with all my might. It`s actually quite common that dealers repair cars and sell them as new. A case I read about in Michigan involved a $30k Cherokee. After discovering it had been in an accident and repaired nearly 6 months in to the ownership (someone at the service department finally spilled the beans), the owner won a $85000 lawsuit.

This is all worst case scenario, and I`m looking forward to having my car detailed properly. Other than that, it drives beautifully and I seriously doubt my car saw an accident. I will probably not waste my time/money running a Carfax. Someone I know totaled his M3, bought it back from insurance, had it rebuilt by a shop in San Francisco, and sold it to an unsuspecting customer who ran a clean Carfax report prior to purchase. Carfax is no guarantee to finding the history on the car, unfortunately...