I haven't mentioned any names at all. While I don't believe the dealer knew of the fault when they sold the car to me, their handling of the situation since has left a bad taste. I paid for the Audi inspection, but the finance company have also refunded it. I have hired a car once for a weekend but I haven't bothered to chase that since it was through work and I couldn't get a receipt in my name.

So it's been a few months since this all began but it's been resolved! To fill you in, the car was taken away by the finance company (at their cost) to the supplying dealer so that the dealer had an opportunity to inspect the car and make any repairs. Of course they found none, but the finance company asked the dealer to have the car inspected by an independent third party, who also gave the car a clean bill of health. When I looked on the map, the third party was about 15 metres away from the dealer and in the same yard. The car didn't even have to travel on a public road to get there. At this point the car was returned to me (again, paid for by the finance co). I was extremely unhappy with this result so I took the car to Audi to have a fourth inspection. Audi reported that the car did indeed have timing chain problems and gave me an estimate for nearly £10,000! I gave this to the finance company who two days later called me and offered me the best resolution I could have hoped for. Yesterday I received my deposit and all finance payments back into my bank account, and tomorrow the car is being collected and taken away to auction. To say I'm happy is an understatement, but it's been a frustrating few months with lots of delays. I'd just like to say a big thank you to all those that helped with advice on how to resolve this situation. I'm very pleased with the outcome!

Hi Conniff, I was given an estimate of around £2400, with the verbal addendum that it could go up to around £3500 once properly examined. The reason for the high cost is the complex timing system and the fact the engine has to be removed to access it. At this point, either outcome would be acceptable. My only concern is that the supplying dealer will do a rushed job replacing the minimum of parts, when really, considering the time involved in removing the engine, a full timing system overhaul should be performed.

So you reckon this is all above board and I should accept their offer?

I received this reply very promptly;

Excellent

For anyone who might find the information in this thread useful, I replied as follows;

Hi Coniff, This correspondence is between me and the finance company. When I originally contacted the garage, they ignored me. However, they do seem to have tried take a step back from the whole thing. I'll get a letter off to them today. Thanks for the reply

Does anyone else have an opinion on this? For example, is it still my right to reject the vehicle? Should I push some more?

I do agree that the options are limited. I'm pleased to see some progress though.

Thanks again. Are you saying they should have presented me with the options to definitely repair it or to refund me?

Hi Rebel, the £2500 was paid using my previous car as a trade-in.

Additionally, I just tested their email address, the one I previously used and I had a reply so I know it is a 'live' address.

Hi folks, sorry for the delay in replying this thread, but there wasn't much to reply about. I have just had a significant update from the finance company which I am a little unsure about; ----- ----- ----- ----- A couple of issues were immediately obvious; - I did contact the dealer, albeit by email to the address advertised on their website. I did not receive any error messages. - As I understand it, the dealers 3 month warranty is irrelevant. This complaint falls within the sale of goods act. So, option 1 is obviously the one to go with but should I be aware of anything here? I suspect they will probably do the work as quickly and cheaply as possible which is my only concern.

Thank Coniff. I haven't had a reply to the email I sent to the dealer last week so I'll contact the finance company.

Since this fault has occurred I have read up on it. The engine uses a timing chain (actually 4 of them) which are at the rear of the engine. The timing chain system was designed to last the life of the engine however Audi screwed up and the tolerances in the materials are too wide. Sometimes the metals are too soft and the plastics are too brittle. Based on this information it seems obvious that this issue existed at the time of sale. Some of these cars go on forever and some cars end up having problems with the timing system. It seems to be one of these problems that is blown out of all proportion on the internet and actually not that many cars have issues. It's definitely an S4. It's the 4.2 litre V8, 340bhp. Pretty much the Audi equivalent to the M3. An RS4 would be about 2 to 3 times as much to buy and maintain.

Thanks heliosuk. That's some useful information. I stopped using the car as soon as I got back from the mechanic. The only time it will move is if it's going back to the dealer or going to get repaired. Unfortunately I did not give the dealer any opportunity to fix the previous issues. In my opinion when you buy a used car, realistically you should expect some minor issues but this problem is definitely not minor. It's an Audi S4 Avant, 2003 with manual transmission. I've covered roughly 5000 miles since purchase and it has a full service history, but not all of it from Audi. I believe I paid market rate for it and the insurance company offered to cover it for £8000.

I'm not quite sure how to get all this started. I've written this email while I await a final cost and time estimate from my local indy Audi garage. Is this the right way to get things going? Should I copy the finance company in at this point or wait until the dealer inevitably refuses to help me out?

That's amazing, thank you rebel11.

Hi BankFodder, thanks for your reply. Regarding keeping everything in writing, is email an acceptable form of correspondence in the legal sense? Obviously if I do not get a reply I will have to resort to recorded delivery mail.

On March the 8th I bought a used 2003 Audi with 90k miles on the clock for £7500 with £5000 on finance. I've had a couple of issues in the past 4.5 months but being a reasonable chap they were nothing I wouldn't expect in an 11 year old car with 90k miles. However on Thursday it developed a rattle which my mechanic has diagnosed as timing tensioner failure. If this is not fixed it will lead to catastrophic engine failure. The timing system is supposed to last the life of the engine but clearly it has failed long before it's time. My mechanic has advised that to remedy the fault will be around £3500 and the engine needs to come out. I think I have a claim here but is it with the dealer or the finance company? Thanks!

Hi, here seems the best place to post my problem. It’s another ‘bought a faulty car from a dealer’ thread I’m afraid. 10 weeks ago I bought an Audi from a used car dealer in with a 3 month warranty. I live in ScotIand and I have always bought privately in the past and this was my first purchase from a dealer. Anyway I have had a series of unlucky incidents with the car. The first of which was 11 days after I bought it when someone reversed into the rear, which will be repaired on the insurance but hasn’t been yet. The second was a faulty radiator temperature sender, which they replaced under warranty. I also told them about a slight knocking in the steering and a rattle coming from the front passenger side. The mechanic told me that the knocking was a characteristic of the car due to the complex multi-link front suspension. He also said He couldn’t hear the rattle, so I asked Him to get in. I took Him 50yds down the lane and lo and behold, we both heard the rattle. It was late in the day and I had to rebook it to get the rattle fixed. After I collected it again from having the rattle fixed, I drove it 50yds and it was apparent the rattle hadn’t been fixed. I said it was also knocking in the steering a bit and the mechanic (a different mechanic to the previous one) told me again that the knocking was a characteristic of the car. He went over it again and told me they would have to order some new brake pad retaining springs due to the pads rattling in the calliper. He said they would call me when they arrived. I have no idea if they ever arrived, despite phoning them. 28 days after I bought the car, a bolt holding the timing belt tensioner broke, resulting in timing belt failure. I had the car recovered to the garage. They replaced the head with a reconditioned unit as well as replacing most engine service items and a few other parts that were damaged. The total bill was over £2100 and they had the car for nearly 3 weeks. The warranty paid for £1000 and the garage offered to pay for half of the remaining amount. I wasn’t happy with this, so we discussed it and I managed to get the amount I paid down to £400. I was vaguely aware of my rights, but not enough to confidently argue my point. I also thought £400 was not much to pay considering the engine was in better condition than when I bought it. The garage also agreed to give me my next service for free. I drove the car 50yds down the road and they still had not fixed the rattling front brake, but I had to be somewhere and didn’t have time to turn around and argue with them over a £2 spring. However, the principle remains intact. They had 3 weeks to do that little 10 minute job! Fast forward to today, 10 weeks after I bought the car. I decided to take the car to another independant garage specialising in Audi. I asked them to repair the knocking in the steering and the rattling brake under the warranty. I have just had a call from them saying that the knocking is a worn suspension arm which needs replacing (£120 + £40 labour) and that the rattling is because the brake pads are not Audi items and don’t fit properly (£60 + £20 labour). However, he had called the warranty company and they won’t cover brake or suspension components. He asked if I would like to take it back to the garage I bought it from. So where do I stand with the garage I bought it from? They have repeatedly failed to repair the rattling brake and on 2 separate occasions 2 different mechanics have told me that knocking in the steering is a characteristic of the multi-link suspension setup. I’m starting to feel let down and I am fast losing confidence in the garage I have been taking my mechanical problems to for a good few years now. I have owned neglected and considerably older and cheaper cars in the past but noe of them ever had this many problems. Thanks all, rant over.