AdamNJ

It's not a "recall" (yet). Think of a TSB as a guide for a technician about known issue with diagnosis tips and a possible fix. If you are having the issue and your dealer doesn't have a clue, pointing them to the TSB may help.

horkyroj

So my 2019 with 44,000k just had the alternator go bad. Dropped the Car at Audi of Dayton (White Allen) and they can not provide an ETA. I called some other dealers in the area looking for the part and some have told me they have cars sitting on the lot for 4+ months waiting on this very part. Audi of Dayton (White Allen) says they have no loaner cars to provide me. Does anyone know how to move up the flag pole in Audi of America to get this resolved? I guess purchasing a luxury SUV does not come with standard service. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

AdamNJ

I'm in the exact same boat with my 2019 A6 (no eta on parts, no loaner). After my car was towed (but before diagnosis confirmed the issue) I called Audi USA customer service and got nowhere regarding a rental / loaner. I sent an email over the weekend, so things are in writing, and I'm hoping for a better response. At this point I want them to cover a rental car until the dealer can give me a loaner since I expect it will be weeks if not months for the repair.

I would also highly suggest that you take a few minutes to report this safety issue (as the vehicle could completely stop on the roadway) to the government: https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem
If enough reports are made they could force and investigation / recall.

horkyroj

Done AdamNJ!

horkyroj

Just off with my dealer -- 9 total cars on their lot alone waiting on this part. No ETA. No loaners to give as the 8 ahead of me have been sitting on the lot from as early as Aug of 2022 and they have the loaners all used.. Does anyone know if Audi is offering to buy these back or if there is any legal recourse? I am floored at the "ya, expect it to be 3-6 months" response.

Steve Du

Sadly many of us are in the exact same situation (No ETA, no loaner.) While we don't know what or why AoA / Audi is holding on issuing a recall or some kind of proactive action against this growing problem, I do foreseen a high probability of class action lawsuits when something's gotta give.

Fingers crossed at this point, not much we can do. Inquiries to AoA got no response for over 2 weeks now.

rickbrl

Hi everyone,

I had the same problem. My 2019 Q8 showed the same electrical problem on Dec 16th, then had a full stop and towed to Audi dealership. During the weekend I was researching the problem and found some posts like yours. So I showed this forum to the service manager at an Audi in the Boston area. They know about the problem and they gave me the same BS answers: No ETA on parts. No loaners available.

The diagnosis and the solution: replace the alternator, update the software and in my case they also suggested replacing the battery. Estimated cost around 3k.

Initially they told me they couldn't cover the costs but they offered me an Enterprise voucher to get a rental car. I said I didn't agree and because it was a problem with several cars of the same model, the cost should be covered by Audi. So they agreed to cover the cost for the repair but declined to help me rent a car.

My last contact was last Friday (30th) and now they told me that my parts should arrive in about 10 days.

I will keep you guys updated...

AdamNJ

@rickbrl Please report this safety issue to the government: https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem

frits

Having the same problem here in South America, a friend of mine has had his Q8 parked at the dealership for nearly 3 months, and looks like they still don't have a estimated date for them to arrive.
Our car still works nicely but seeing how everyone is affected we have became very skeptical of using it, trying to avoid all the future headaches, leaving us with a very expensive paper weight.

ThomasWShea

It isn't a millage based problem it's a software issue, so no use would mean you have no risk, however since the condition that causes the software to explode the generator/alternator isn't known to users, it could still happen even if you drive very little - if you trip that particular condition. I'd push the dealer to update the software, even if you have to pay them to do it.