dourobert

We took delivery of our new allroad last December and have had no problems until recently. A few weeks ago we noticed an increase in road noise, and then found a piece was missing from one side of the front bumper.


The grill piece of cladding covers some of the sensors and looks like it just snaps into place. We haven't hit anything and there is no sign of damage. We figure it must have fallen off while we were on the highway as at low speed we probably would have driven right over it.

Audi replaced it yesterday but charged us for the part and labor. I wasn't happy about that as it feels like a manufacturing or design defect, but they require the old part to be returned for it to be covered by the warranty. That seems like a funny loophole. Anybody have any thoughts?

The new grill also reduced the road noise in the cabin.

audionlineparts

Thats just how warranty works. Every few warranty items, audi will ask for back. So they can inspect and see the failure. Without the item, the dealer can put it threw as warranty because if the part gets called back they have nothing. Which would then bounce the claim.

As far as falling off, its a super common problem around here. A small flex of the bumper and they will pop out. It you scraped pulling into a lot, or maybe on a parking lot block itll fall right out.

dourobert

Thanks for the info. The parking lot block seems plausible although usually I can't get within a foot of anything without the the sensors screaming at me.

However your comment about it being super common in NJ is rather worrying. Perhaps it is a coincidence but the only part they could find NA was in NJ!

wdimagineer

Or it could have been stolen... I've had pieces stolen off my vehicles before: emblems, trim, tow hook covers, etc.

dourobert

Possible, and is one thing the service tech suggested. But it seemed unlikely as I doubt many B9 allroads have been sold in the Vancouver area since last fall. Is the same part used on other, more popular vehicles like the A4 sedan?

Curious.

Mike48

Had a similar experience last year. Driving on the freeway something fell from a truck traveling in front of me, it bounced up and hit the left front fog light surround ... the force was enough to make it pop off. No way I could stop and retrieve it from the roadway, so I headed right to my dealer. Luckily they had that part in stock, so they were able to replace it within about 15 minutes ... the new part just popped right into place. But of course I had to pay for it too.

dourobert

Thanks. I didn't notice being hit by anything, but then I'm a retired prof, so maybe.

I wasn't too surprised to have to pay although the wife had insisted on getting every warranty/insurance option available.

I guess I'll just try to avoid curbs, thieves, and trucks in the future.