Afternoon everyone!
I've had some issues with my Audi A7 which seems to be getting worse.
I'll prove a timeline of the things that have happened:
06/12/2023: my car got stuck in my work's carpark as I couldn't start it
06/12/2023: road-side assistance came and told me it was the starter motor, and my water pump
07/12/2023: my car gets toed to a nearby garage (as my local garage was too far to toe it to)
07/12/2023: I contact the garage explaining I've never had issues with the car starting, and on the day it got stuck in my work carpark, it had started immediately from home in -5c weather. So I asked for them to do a full diagnostic which they assured me they would. I also told them about the water pump because in the past my coolant would vanish and it was much more apparent in cold weather
07/12/2023: the garage contacted me explaining I needed a new starter motor and water pump. I asked if they could replace all my tyres too given they were almost at legal limit. They quoted £1,395 for all the work and I confirmed
14/12/2023: I get a call from the garage telling me the mechanic has taken it for a test drive and everything's ok so I can come collect
14/12/2023: I pick up the car and they ask if I've driven through floodwater as they found a lot of water in the engine. I told them I've driven through big puddles but nothing extreme. They explained the white smoke coming out the exhausts was water being flushed out the system
14/12/2023: once I paid and collected, I took it for a little test drive. Immediately I could feel something wasn't quite right. When my car stopped at traffic lights, the car was juddering - almost like it wanted to stall, and the revs were moving up and down. I took my car back to work.
14/12/2023: later, when I wanted to home my car wouldn't start and smoke came out of the engine, along with a burning smell. I contacted the garage immediately and they came with a battery charger. They explained my battery had probably gone flat (though I don't see why it would have) and the smoke was because I was trying to start it too long. I also explained the issues when I was driving. Once they heard this, the discussed amongst themselves telling me it's probably the head gasket, or a cracked block
14/12/2023: I drove my car home that day with enormous amounts of white smoke coming from both exhausts and close to home, my engine overheated so I turned it off immediately
Worth noting:
So, my questions are these:
Overall, I feel like the garage was overwhelmed by the work and didn't do a full, proper diagnostic. But again, I really don't know what's involved in terms of diagnosing a vehicle. The fact they gave me the car back with clear issues telling me it was all fine is really concerning.
My car's currently at home not being used. I'll be getting it towed to my trusted garage who've said they'll start afresh and take a look.
Any advice appreciated as I've spent a lot of money for something which seems worse than it was before.
Thanks!
Lyam
I've had some issues with my Audi A7 which seems to be getting worse.
I'll prove a timeline of the things that have happened:
06/12/2023: my car got stuck in my work's carpark as I couldn't start it
06/12/2023: road-side assistance came and told me it was the starter motor, and my water pump
07/12/2023: my car gets toed to a nearby garage (as my local garage was too far to toe it to)
07/12/2023: I contact the garage explaining I've never had issues with the car starting, and on the day it got stuck in my work carpark, it had started immediately from home in -5c weather. So I asked for them to do a full diagnostic which they assured me they would. I also told them about the water pump because in the past my coolant would vanish and it was much more apparent in cold weather
07/12/2023: the garage contacted me explaining I needed a new starter motor and water pump. I asked if they could replace all my tyres too given they were almost at legal limit. They quoted £1,395 for all the work and I confirmed
14/12/2023: I get a call from the garage telling me the mechanic has taken it for a test drive and everything's ok so I can come collect
14/12/2023: I pick up the car and they ask if I've driven through floodwater as they found a lot of water in the engine. I told them I've driven through big puddles but nothing extreme. They explained the white smoke coming out the exhausts was water being flushed out the system
14/12/2023: once I paid and collected, I took it for a little test drive. Immediately I could feel something wasn't quite right. When my car stopped at traffic lights, the car was juddering - almost like it wanted to stall, and the revs were moving up and down. I took my car back to work.
14/12/2023: later, when I wanted to home my car wouldn't start and smoke came out of the engine, along with a burning smell. I contacted the garage immediately and they came with a battery charger. They explained my battery had probably gone flat (though I don't see why it would have) and the smoke was because I was trying to start it too long. I also explained the issues when I was driving. Once they heard this, the discussed amongst themselves telling me it's probably the head gasket, or a cracked block
14/12/2023: I drove my car home that day with enormous amounts of white smoke coming from both exhausts and close to home, my engine overheated so I turned it off immediately
Worth noting:
- Though I've had coolant issues, I've never had loss of power, white smoke, or stall-sensation when driving. But I explained this to them before any work was carried out
- A child-safety lock error is now on the car, as well as cruise control not working
- Had I known it could potentially be the head gasket, I wouldn't have approved any work, let alone get 4 new tyres given the car's value
- Upon research (and I'm very ignorant in mechanically-related things) the symptoms are akin to a blown head gasket
So, my questions are these:
- With the information the garage received from me re: the coolant loss, would/should they have also focussed on an underlying issue rather than just the water pump?
- When their mechanic test drove my car, wouldn't he have noticed the white smoke/loss of power/stall-sensation?
- Have they potentially done something when changing the starter motor which could've caused damage to the head gasket?
Overall, I feel like the garage was overwhelmed by the work and didn't do a full, proper diagnostic. But again, I really don't know what's involved in terms of diagnosing a vehicle. The fact they gave me the car back with clear issues telling me it was all fine is really concerning.
My car's currently at home not being used. I'll be getting it towed to my trusted garage who've said they'll start afresh and take a look.
Any advice appreciated as I've spent a lot of money for something which seems worse than it was before.
Thanks!
Lyam
