Overhaulin'

What rights do you have when buying a brand new car?

I bought a new Audi TT two years ago that is already showing signs of rust. Audi have told me that are aware of the fault, and did infact recall some cars for this reason. However they will not replace my car, only repair it. Should i have to settle for a reapir when i have clearly been sold a faulty car? They have offered to repair it for free...i dont want a repaired car though.....not when i paid £25k for it! To the idiot that thinks i should be grateful to be able to have my car repaired........you clearly either work for Audi or are just plain stupid. And for your infomation, I have a Vauxhall Vectra that is 5 years old, without any sign of rust...and that car was half the cost of this one. It is stupid people like you that make it so easy for large companies to rip people off. It really does astound me that so many people seem to think that i should be GRATEFUL that the manufacturer are offering to repair a fault that they sold the car, knowing it would develop, and it is still within the three year warranty. People these days really must have low expectations when then spend thousands of pounds on something!

Public Comments

1. Depends. It should be covered under your warranty, but you'll need to see a copy of the warranty to find out. More than likely though it will say that they are only obliged to repair or replace faulty parts, not replace the whole car.
2. yeah if they recalled it they will repair it for free
3. get a lawyer
4. They are only obligated to repair the faulty paint or whatever. The only time you can get a new car is if they find it to be unsafe to drive.
5. 2 years down the road... be grateful they offered. regardless of what you think the consumer law is quite fair. after youve signed, you have a few months to notify the manufacturer of any faults, and they will fix them, for free. your car isnt faulty. it still drives doesnt it? crap paintwork is just cosmetic bling. if i were the manufacturer i wouldnt want your second hand car... if your so aggrieved get it fixed and flog it... then go buy a merc like you should have done in the first place. if dodgy paintwork and rusting bodies were covered then ford would have gone out of bussiness years ago... as would vauxhall, fiat, jaguar, etc...
6. I'm sorry to hear about your car showing signs of rust after only two years and, it's disgraceful that we the consumer, should have to just sit and take the refusal of after sale care that we deserve and, where 90% of the time this is promised to us. However, you really shouldn't of bought an Audi and not expected something to go wrong with it, I'm just amazed it got you through two years.
7. As someone said previously, the car has some body and paint issues, but the engine and all other components work fine, right? If that's the case, I'd be happy with what they offered. They are under no obligation to replace a car that runs fine, and in fact probably could have made some claims about road conditions or some other crap that makes them not responsible for anything. I'd let them fix it, and if you still hate the car, sell it and buy something else. What they are offering seems perfectly normal to me, and in fact gives me a little more respect for Audi. A lot of other manufacturers would not have stepped up like that to fix a cosmetic problem.
8. I THINK THEY HAVE TO BE GIVEN THE CHANCE OF REPAIR FIRST B4 YOU REJECT IT,MANY YEARS AGO MY I YEAR OLD OPEL MANTA WAS HIT FROM BEHIND,THE VAUXHALL GARAGE WHO "REPAIRED" IT LEFT A LARGE HOLE IN THE BOOT, IT WENT BACK 5 TIMES IN 5 YEARS FOR RUST PROBLEMS,GOOD LUCK.
9. they don't have to replace ur car unfortunately all cars have a 6yr anti corrosion warranty and this says they only have to repair it I'd have it done then flog it!!!
10. Take a big deep breath. I can understand you annoyed that a car you paid 25K two years ago needs a corrosion fault sorted. At least Audi have acknowledged the problem and are going to put it right at no cost to you. You have no right to a new car as it's now two years old and will have covered a good few miles. Don't get annoyed at the people at the dealership, they can only do what Audi let them when it comes to warranty repairs. The biggest problem you'll have is the amount of depreciation you'll have in the two years you've owned it. It's not worth anywhere near 25K now.
11. I completely sympathise with you regarding this issue, but what you need to do is get the full details of any repair. If the repair means replacement parts and/or panels then I don't think you have a great deal to take the hump about. You will end up with a great looking car in great nick. However, if the repair actually means treating the affected areas, make sure you give it a good inspection after the work and ensure you get a warranty for the work done. The difficult part, if it's the latter, is getting the niggling thought out of your head that you're driving around in a sub-standard car. The truth is you aren't, far from it, and this should not affect the value of the car at all.
12. new cars normally come with a long paint warranty so obviously 2 years is way, way below this but replace the whole car?This is about as unlikely as it being 30c on xmas day! I would take their generous offer of the repair work being done for free and be happy or you may find you are having to pay for it yourself, i'm sure they would do a good job so you wouldn't even notice there was previously rust.... to expect a brand new car after two years just because there is rust is absolutely ridiculous, after you've driven lots of miles and the car has depreciated loads, how could Audi 'know' the paint is only going to prevent rust for 2 years! you haven't mentioned anything mechanically wrong with it so it's serving its purpose of getting you from a-b. note: I don't work for audi, I'm not related to the motor trade, I have no interest in helping motor manufacturers save money, I'm just realistic for your sake!