[turbowhistle]

Originally Posted by prateekchanana

Thanks for the info, but again I probably have to visit an external detailer to get details of what is actually wrong with the 'A' grade leather in my car as I think the company already knows this when they kept the car for 2 days for this issue.

Will try escalating this to Audi Germany along with tagging Audi India once I get this info.

This is really strange for it's age. This is for sure manufacturing issue or some other reaction. By any chance, are you using any leather cleaner to clean the seats which might have resulted in discoloration? Given it has affected only the middle patch, you can not rule out a chemical reaction.

If Audi does not honor your claim ( which they should honestly), try finding someone who knows how to dye the leather. I have seen worse condition leather brought back to life so this will be a piece of cake who knows how to do it.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by GTO

Shame on Audi India for not knowing how to pamper its premium customer!

Good move, GTO.

Just thinking of the 'notional' reputational loss to Audi India from this sordid episode. Earlier, only a few of us were clued into Prateek's predicament as part of his ownership thread. Now, many more people will click on it (TBHPians & guests), casually refer to it to their friends and remember it next time they see / sit in / buy an Audi.

Didn't need to reach this stage for a genuine customer with a genuine problem.

[veedub89]

The discolouration is pretty solid! Damn!
Like most members are suggesting you should get this inspected by a third party detailer. If the leather isn't cracking or peeling maybe it is just discolouration which can be treated and removed.

Do you by any chance use (or have used in the past) a leather cleaner on your seats? Perhaps a chemical reaction has taken place on them?

I know us BHPians really pamper our cars but sometimes chemistry works in other ways than our intentions.
I hope you find a resolution soon.

[GTO]

Prateek, I will be highly surprised if Audi or the dealer haven't already reached out to you. Have they? Or do they want to continue ignoring the problem & ill-treat their customer?

Please do keep this thread updated. It will be an eyeopener on how Audi goes out of the way (or not) to ensure customer satisfaction.

[prateekchanana]

Originally Posted by turbowhistle

By any chance, are you using any leather cleaner to clean the seats which might have resulted in discoloration? Given it has affected only the middle patch, you can not rule out a chemical reaction.

Originally Posted by veedub89

The discolouration is pretty solid! Damn!
Like most members are suggesting you should get this inspected by a third party detailer. If the leather isn't cracking or peeling maybe it is just discolouration which can be treated and removed.

Do you by any chance use (or have used in the past) a leather cleaner on your seats? Perhaps a chemical reaction has taken place on them?

Haven't used or had the need to use any leather cleaner / polish yet. As the car is sparingly used and eating inside the car is a big no till date, there haven't been any stains or marks to take care of as well. The only place the car has been to except the authorised service centres annually was for the ceramic coating during 2nd year and I did not opt for any inside treatment / seats treatment that time.

As during the annual service I don't opt out of interior cleaning / external washing it takes car of the interiors without me having to do any additional thing to keep them clean. Except that have only used dry micro fibre clothes for regular cleaning of car inside and out without any chemicals or polish. I also strictly keep separate clothes for outside and inside cleaning of car and make sure that wet/dry clothes used for outside cleaning is never used not the inside. I haven't been so particular about any of my other car and still both the other ones are doing just fine with cheaper covers, lesser care, more age and reading on the ODO and even exposure to direct sunlights for most part of their lives.

There are no cracks or peeling yet which happen with the age and I think it is too early for that. As other members have suggested if Audi doesn't fix this, hopefully a good third party detailer can and the same time tell what exactly went wrong with the leather.

Originally Posted by GTO

Prateek, I will be highly surprised if Audi or the dealer haven't already reached out to you. Have they? Or do they want to continue ignoring the problem & ill-treat their customer?

Please do keep this thread updated. It will be an eyeopener on how Audi goes out of the way (or not) to ensure customer satisfaction.

Haven't heard anything yet. Will surely update whenever they do.

[TrackDay]

Originally Posted by prateekchanana

Haven't used or had the need to use any leather cleaner / polish yet. As the car is sparingly used and eating inside the car is a big no till date, there haven't been any stains or marks to take care of as well. The only place the car has been to except the authorised service centres annually was for the ceramic coating during 2nd year and I did not opt for any inside treatment / seats treatment that time.

As during the annual service I don't opt out of interior cleaning / external washing it takes car of the interiors without me having to do any additional thing to keep them clean.

Initially I felt it could be due to factors such as interior treatment, polishing etc, but now that is ruled out.

This is indeed a truly unique case. If other Audi cars had been affected something would have come out of it by now. As BHP-ian reppy has said, this issue is definitely with the 'A' (center grade) leather used. Hope Audi finds a solution to this as soon as possible.

[Alisiddiqui]

Wow. This is really pathetic. This is the problem with VAG I feel, they don’t have confidence on their own product and thus offer differential warranties to end users who unknowingly believe that they are buying peace of mind for long years. I’ve had a bad experience as a vento owner but then I discounted it thinking it’s potatoes for them. Audi doing this for a 3 lac amount and when the issue is apparent is what further reinforces my decision to stay away from VAG for as long as possible. I happily moved to Japs and believe those are better manufacturers for someone like me who’s not prepared for unwanted surprise expenses. But I believe that’s a given with VAG and thus best to stay with japs. Only exception will be when I can afford a 1 crore car and not entry luxury and won’t have to worry about spending maybe like 5-10% on annual maintenance and replace every 4 years. Until then, japs it is. Now driving a Crysta and happy splurging on two wheels for the fun part

[prateekchanana]

Originally Posted by GTO

Prateek, I will be highly surprised if Audi or the dealer haven't already reached out to you. Have they? Or do they want to continue ignoring the problem & ill-treat their customer?

Please do keep this thread updated. It will be an eyeopener on how Audi goes out of the way (or not) to ensure customer satisfaction.

Received a follow up email form Audi, mentioning the same 40% which they offered and I refused as per their technical guidelines. It also mentioned that this happens due to external factors and that's the best they can do. Attached below the exact reply I got from them.



However I think the external factors in my case are not same as wear and tear or something which happened with usage, so it should be covered in extended warranty as well if it was covered in standard warranty. But I think that's the end of conversation from Audi's side.

Originally Posted by Alisiddiqui

Wow. This is really pathetic. This is the problem with VAG I feel, they don’t have confidence on their own product and thus offer differential warranties to end users who unknowingly believe that they are buying peace of mind for long years. I’ve had a bad experience as a vento owner but then I discounted it thinking it’s potatoes for them. Audi doing this for a 3 lac amount and when the issue is apparent is what further reinforces my decision to stay away from VAG for as long as possible. I happily moved to Japs and believe those are better manufacturers for someone like me who’s not prepared for unwanted surprise expenses. But I believe that’s a given with VAG and thus best to stay with japs. Only exception will be when I can afford a 1 crore car and not entry luxury and won’t have to worry about spending maybe like 5-10% on annual maintenance and replace every 4 years. Until then, japs it is. Now driving a Crysta and happy splurging on two wheels for the fun part

I agree with you that we can't expect the reliability of Japs with germans and I did accept the fact that I will have to shell out some major amounts on upkeep eventually but didn't know that will happen even during the extended warranty period. However, I ve had an absolute trouble free ownership with my Polo and it has been much better than city, accent or swift I have owned in the past. Given a choice today I might still choose the A4 as it was car I always dreamt of since it was launched in India during my childhood and have lots of emotions attached to it and I have no regrets choosing it over all the options I had. In fact the ownership and driving experience with the car has been superb till date and I truly enjoy driving it. Thankfully the seats issue I am facing no way affects the driving and its an eyesore only during entering and exiting the car. No offence to any owner, and Crysta is a great car but I would choose a hatch or sedan over SUV any day, somehow I have never enjoyed driving big SUVs ever, not on highways, definitely not in city.

[coolboy007]

Those seats look so bad and must be such an eyesore for a car kept so well by you. This 40% contribution is a joke when you compare it to the actual cost quoted to you for a replacement of the seats. Why can't they accept this as a batch issue or manufacturing defect and move on? Have seen so many AUDI's and Octavia's with those sad yellow tinge DRL's, that is bad quality or a manufacturing issue, same may be the case for these seats.

Some thing is wrong with the entire VAG group when it comes to ethics regarding warranty replacement. VW/Skoda and now even Audi are singing the same song. From Polo to Octavia to Superb to A4, they keep negotiating this 30-40% contribution like people negotiating for 1KG of tomatoes and try to run away from warranty claims.

We have owned so many cars from different brands like Maruti, Hyundai, Bmw, Fiat and VW and when it comes to warranty claims, it is a yes or no and it is usually a straight forward process but whenever VAG gets involved, there are 50 photos to be taken, days of wait for warranty claim approval and then they come in with this business proposition of offering 40-50% claim amount.

However good the cars may be, this is not acceptable. I don't feel bad for this group when their sales are tanking here, sending out such treatment for a A4 customer, they deserve the poor sales and cold shoulder given to them. People buying luxury Germans do not expect Toyota reliability but atleast offer them good service and warranty support.

[prateekchanana]

Received a call post the email from Audi Delhi and then a conference call with them and Audi India. They now say the can take it upto 50% instead of 40% which is pretty much same and hardly matters to me. If I could buy and pay the full cost of the car I can definitely afford to pay for the seat covers and would have happily done it, had it been damaged so soon because of my fault. Even though they agree it isn't, but the only explanation they could give when I asked what is it is that its hard to put a pin on it but it normally happens due to application of some chemical on seats.

Now I say I haven't applied anything but neither do I can prove I didn't nor do they can I did, so its pretty much a dead end here. Also, the issue being covered in standard warranty and not in extended is a miscommunication as confirmed by Audi India and as it was done verbally over the phone I don't have any way to prove it that they did say it. So, as per I was told now extended warranty covers everything covered in standard warranty. Regarding this case, the approval is given as per the guidelines of Audi India and that the best they can do in this case. The SA and dealership have been very communicative through out and its beyond their control do anything at their end for this so no hard feeling for them.

P.S. Even though I doubt its possible but have still started looking for good leather detailer in Delhi to see if anyone can help fix the discolouration, which the company couldn't.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by prateekchanana

Now I say I haven't applied anything but neither do I can prove I didn't nor do they can I did, so its pretty much a dead end here. Also, the issue being covered in standard warranty and not in extended is a miscommunication as confirmed by Audi India and as it was done verbally over the phone I don't have any way to prove it that they did say it. .

Very sorry to see your predicament here.

All in all, this is deeply disappointing. Instead of pouring over legalese in their warranty terms, they way they should see this is as follows:

1. A customer has bought their car as well as extended warranty.
2. The car is maintained / serviced with Audi.
3. There is no reason to believe something untoward has been done to the car to justify this.
4. Something is clearly wrong with the quality and however rare it may be, Audi needs to stand behind the consequence.

Its one thing for rare things to go wrong. I can throw some latitude to any company for such a lapse. But what matters is how promptly and easily they resolve this for a customer taking ownership of what is most likely a QC issue.

The math for Audi isn't difficult on this. Hope they don't lose the woods for the trees.

[Turbohead]

VAG is going to the dogs in India. Earlier they used to honour their warranties after repeated follow ups. Now they don't.

Last time I bought a VAG product with the assurance that a car maintained in the ASS and under warranty will have its issues sorted under warranty.

This has quickly changed in recent times and I'm no longer going to suggest a VAG product to anyone nor get myself one, unless it has a proven track record.

Mistreating your customers is the fastest way to lose all your market share. Oh wait, Audi is already in the bottom!

[nitkel]

Originally Posted by prateekchanana

.

P.S. Even though I doubt its possible but have still started looking for good leather detailer in Delhi to see if anyone can help fix the discolouration, which the company couldn't.

I'd suggest you to put this behind you by taking up their 50% offer and asking them to put on darker/tan colored seat covers. Or get high quality leather covers (ex: Stanley) of your choice from outside which might cost somewhere around 50k to 1 lakh depending on brand/quality.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by prateekchanana

Received a call post the email from Audi Delhi and then a conference call with them and Audi India. They now say the can take it upto 50% instead of 40%

Yesterday senior sales guys from this dealership came to my office for showing RSQ8. I bought this thread to their notice and told them to escalate as prospective customers don't feel comfortable seeing such treatment. I was not aware if you have shown to this dealership or otherwise so I gave general feedback.

the only explanation they could give when I asked what is it is that its hard to put a pin on it but it normally happens due to application of some chemical on seats.

From whatever I can make out from the pictures, the fading appears where there can be a joint of two different materials. Though not impossible but hard to believe that something has reacted differently to different material. Most likely, the dye has faded on a particular type of material due to some reasons.

the issue being covered in standard warranty and not in extended

I think these are recent changes, past 3/4 Years with most brands including BMW. I remember getting seat leather changed on my X6 in 6th Year under extended warranty but they refused door trims on my 7 in 3rd Year. I could get the small impressions cleaned while detailing so didn't bother escalating.

[started looking for good leather detailer in Delhi to see if anyone can help fix the discolouration

Talk to this guy and fellow member. Highly recommended. I have forwarded this link and he says, they can try.


https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/delhi...ml#post4968324 (Professional Car Detailing - Dazzle Detailers (Delhi))

Phone - 98184 65071 - Jaspreet

[prateekchanana]

Originally Posted by nitkel

I'd suggest you to put this behind you by taking up their 50% offer and asking them to put on darker/tan colored seat covers. Or get high quality leather covers (ex: Stanley) of your choice from outside which might cost somewhere around 50k to 1 lakh depending on brand/quality.

Changing the color and then making it fir the car will have to get the door panels and a lot of other beige parts swapped as well. More than that I preferred the beige over tan as its give a more roomier feel. Third party is a good option and will still be cheaper than the 50% going by my experience more reliable as well but will only go third party route for any replacement only after the warranty gets over, just to be safe. Have long pending plans to add CarPlay which was a big miss but don't want to mess with anything during the warranty period.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Yesterday senior sales guys from this dealership came to my office for showing RSQ8. I bought this thread to their notice and told them to escalate as prospective customers don't feel comfortable seeing such treatment. I was not aware if you have shown to this dealership or otherwise so I gave general feedback.

From whatever I can make out from the pictures, the fading appears where there can be a joint of two different materials. Though not impossible but hard to believe that something has reacted differently to different material. Most likely, the dye has faded on a particular type of material due to some reasons.

I think these are recent changes, past 3/4 Years with most brands including BMW. I remember getting seat leather changed on my X6 in 6th Year under extended warranty but they refused door trims on my 7 in 3rd Year. I could get the small impressions cleaned while detailing so didn't bother escalating.

Talk to this guy and fellow member. Highly recommended. I have forwarded this link and he says, they can try.

Phone - 98184 65071 - Jaspreet

Thanks a lot Turbonator. I don't know what triggered it but when I was contacted both the dealership and Audi India call specifically mentioned the social media / Teambhp post. However, even after all this discussion and this thread, within 2 minutes of call getting offered from 40% to 50% was like a joke, just like a fellow member mentioned its like buying tomatoes. It was such a huge put off that I immediately asked them to send what they have to say over mail and end the call as I felt there is no point discussing it and Audi India happily obliged.

You may be right in this case and with your experience with BMW if that's the policy, then its not their fault as well. They have to follow the guidelines issued to them by the company and that's what they did.

Thanks for the contact details of Mr. Jaspreet, in fact I did a quick search for leather detailers in Delhi today and came across his name and detailing devils. Was planning to contact them soon, in fact Mr. Jaspreet is very close to where I live and will definitely give it a shot with him first soon.