Upon taking delivery of my brand new flagship Audi A8L, I had no idea it had been supplied with several faults that would only become apparent over time. After just a couple of weeks, I began to notice strange noises coming from the rear doors, particularly the nearside one.

I reported this issue to Cheshire Oaks Audi, and they advised me to bring the car in to have it inspected. However, I explained that the vehicle was integral to my business, and I couldn’t afford to take it off the road. I suggested that I would bring it in to be looked at during the first service, as the issue wasn’t causing a major problem at that time.

In the middle of Summer the air-conditioning failed but I decided to wait until the first service to have it looked at.

The car went in for service October 2019 with numerous faults.

The car was serviced but the the air-conditioning fault could not be found so Cheshire Oaks Audi just topped up the gas, and the doorlocks simply had the fault codes cleared.

In February 2020 the car was fitted with a new rear TV monitor which was making rattling noises. At the collection I realised there was a load of other rattling noises coming from the car which would never be rectified completely.

In July 2020 a technician discovered where the air-conditioning leak was coming from. The leak was coming from the evaporator which is hidden deep underneath the dashboard. I was then told that this would require the inside of the car to be removed.

The car was in the workshop for about three weeks to fix the leak.

The refrigerant gases leaked out approximately six months after delivery of the vehicle. After being re-gassed, the air-conditioning system failed again in a similar timeframe. It was abundantly clear that the fault had been present since the vehicle was supplied new.

In August 2020, the car locked itself with the keys inside, causing significant inconvenience. Throughout my ownership of the vehicle, multiple faults appeared on the dashboard on an almost daily basis, highlighting ongoing issues. In December 2020, a clunking noise became evident, seemingly originating from the front suspension. After considerable debate, the issue was eventually addressed by replacing the bushes, which resolved the problem.

One day, while loading suitcases into the car at Manchester Airport, the boot unexpectedly closed on my back twice. It was both painful and embarrassing—anyone who witnessed it must have thought the car was trying to eat me.

One morning, after dropping my son off at school, I encountered a terrifying incident while navigating a busy roundabout. The steering fault warning suddenly appeared on the dashboard, and the power steering failed. Moments later, the suspension collapsed, and the car shifted itself into neutral. I had to physically manhandle the car around the roundabout and into a disused bus stop.

 

As I tried to assess what had happened, the engine cut out entirely. To make matters worse, I found I was unable to exit the vehicle, as the electronic door handles and windows were non-functional. I attempted to use the sunroof as an escape option, but this too failed to work. With no other options, I was forced to call the emergency services for assistance. This experience was not only deeply distressing but also raised serious concerns about the safety and reliability of the vehicle.

A VW technician arrived and managed to restart the car, assuring me he would follow me to the dealership. He also offered to arrange a hire car for me, but I explained that it wasn’t necessary as I already kept my own courtesy car at the dealership due to the vehicle’s persistent unreliability. The technician was visibly shocked by this revelation. By this point, I was thoroughly fed up with being repeatedly stranded or having to call my wife to come and rescue me.

One day, the car spent an entire week in the workshop to address issues with the door locks. When the car was returned and dropped off at my home, I was on a phone call and unable to greet the delivery driver. Once the call ended, I decided to go out and check the door locks, and as a precaution, I thought it would be wise to record the event on video. To my shock, I was unable to open the car, and neither could my wife.

This is just a small glimpse of the countless issues I endured during my time owning the car.