A huge thankyou to The Black Belt Barrister for his help in this case - check out his video about the legal aspects of today's piece here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Mz5ZIWfLXwA.html
@@sportzntouring also @ BBB and JayEmm. An interesting and disturbing case which I am glad to see is now resolved. The two Expert reports made all the difference here and gave an explanation that I understood. 🕷🕸 Charlotte rides again 👊👍
One thing not addressed in these cases is the mental headache throughout the whole ordeal, such a waste of everyone's time when companies try and dodge blame
Ooh yeah! We tried to keep the story to the process rather than my emotions. We didn't want it to be like sympathy seeking... Just empowering people with a bit of knowledge of what can be done. More on that in Black Belt Barrister's video out at 1pm.
I'd have taken them to the highest court for huge damages. If anything, to set an example to the rest of the industry. Damages all sent away as donations to some car mechanics related charity.
This is so very true. I had to claim off a BMW dealer for scratches caused by their washing method. Total damage was over £2000 and I knew I had a rock solid case. But it pretty much takes a year after the back and forth even if going direct via small claims. I did get a full settlement - I had a dozen items of evidence including dash cam video - but the mental anguish is genuinely disruptive to health. The number of times I was awake at 3am just working over in my mind what to do next just to speed things along. Some of the nonsense the dealer threw at me was mind-blowing in its silliness. Luckily for me the service manager outright lied in an email about it "never happening before". But I'd already found other customers who had the same issues who'd sent me their email exchanges. (I also found the national dealership had fired someone from another of their locations after they'd complained about poor washing practices - so that was fun to mention in my dossier.) Cut and dried case at that point. Also very sadly for me as an enthusiast, BMW UK pretty much told me they exist for the benefit of their dealers not the customers. My cars have 4 rings on the front these days. Once you have an experience like that you can't carry on buying the product knowing they won't stand behind you if something bad happens.
Thanks for the supportive words. I had a couple of motivations of doing that. 1: I'm using a new storage company who have been amazing so far and I'm known to their customers. I didn't want anyone mistaking this story as being about the new company. 2: There are people who are storing with the firm in this video, and have no idea that they run the risk of finding themselves in the same situation as me - with damage and facing a complete rejection of any liability for any damage however caused. That decision made everything I've done since about the principle for me.
I despise people that do exactly that and won't name names because they take the money over principles. The "As long as I'm OK..." mentality is precisely what allows crooks to flourish. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
@@TonyRule To be fair, it's usually more that people are afraid of being sued into oblivion than being paid off. Defending a libel case can be ruinously expensive, even if you win. Yeah, you may get your costs back in the end, but not everyone can afford to front tens of thousands of dollars/pounds/euros to get to that point.
It's the wiggling around that's done it for me. If you cause damage you take accountability. How can anyone else ever trust them again? I wouldn't trust them with my 12 year old Golf.
one of the main reason i hate mechanics is this, they are looking at your car and you thinking how can i take the most money possible from you, i had one that told me, it would be cheaper to get a mistress than having my car, I leave their garage thinking what a scam artist, and since i never had a single problem with the car.... the same car, they guy was saying it will be a nightmare to maintain, it happened to many times to me and to family and friends in multiple places, i even had mechanics saying that they were instructed by the manager to fix one problem and create another one as a normal pratice.... i cant stand dodgy criminal people. these companies have no biz doing any service to the public and should be imediatly shut down, they should fix or repair financily the clients, they should be shut down as the owners ethics will never change..... im sick of mechanics with a big hholeon the road, so they can fix your tyre... and this kind of shameless scam behaviour.... they have no right to be criminal, biz bureau can and should shut it down and be inspected as many of them even rob cars for parts and god knows what more.... they sell cars that are not safe, and i have some in front of me cold start reving my car just to trie to brake it.... they deserve just a nice punch in the face.... most of them are shady and have no biz talking to the public
It's always a joy to hear someone so intelligent and articulate tell a story. I'm glad the dreadful tale of that company's foolish and unprofessional behaviour ended reasonably well. A lawyer I consulted years ago explained that you can't contract out of applicable legislation and yet we see attempts to do just that all the time. These people have earned the bad publicity.
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed Antony's story - and you are so right. It annoys us all - me, Antony, Daniel - that people think their piece of paper supercedes the law
It didn't fail. They left it running in gear and burnt out the clutch. The R8 won't creep forward when left running but clutch drag will soon make it toasty.
@@jamiekelly9762 I'm just surprised it doesn't also fully disengage the clutch when the parking brake is on as it does with the service brake. Presumably it was on when the driver got out with the vehicle in gear.
@@TonyRule Some cars do that, more so now especially in cars with an electronic parking brake integrated into the drive systems... but the older the car, the less likely it is to have that system.
It was a pleasure to be of assistance on this. Unfortunately we see far to many cases where companies try and wriggle out of their responsibility. Things go wrong everyday in the motor industry (like all industries) but what separates the good companies from the bad ones is how it is dealt with.
Don’t you think objectively that Audi’s design really sucks not to prevent such a behaviour? Especially with so many sensors available. Like, literally the car will let the clutch being partially engaged while the door is opened and the driver’s seat empty (airbag sensor can tell), and even after the warning light will keep the clutch partially engaged and not even shift to Neutral or disengage the clutch. Really, what a poor design and in my opinion unacceptable.
TBH I think you got it all wrong in this case, it simply doesn't add up and I think you report was biased towards ensuring the owner of the car got the outcome he wanted, in this case an expensive new clutch. Consider this, a clutch is a wear item and I imagine a car like this is pretty hard on its clutch, especially if the current or previous owner had used it as intended. The milage and length of time the current owner has had the vehicle was not discussed or any known service history. Why was the flywheel only showing signs of heat in two places?, is the flywheel distorted? I have seen flywheels with hundreds of surface cracks from being overheated and they are always fairly evenly distributed, not isolated to two places. Was the clutch release bearing correctly adjusted?, the car was idling in gear and as it heated up and parts were getting hotter, they would expand and the car would start moving away if the park brake was not applied and also how is it that the software was not able to recognise that the park brake was on, the driver seat unoccupied and the door open? No, you guys did a hatchet job on behalf of the owner, then helped destroy a businesses reputation.
@@onecookieboy you sound like a stooge, commenting for the defendants in this case.., Don’t you think the defendants would have tried to poke holes like this in the plaintiffs case? With a car as expensive like this , I’m sure he would have an impeccable service history. You seem to be DEAF to the fact they couldn’t produce, the same, original contract that the customers signed, where it’s stated the Employee won’t be liable for the any damage incurred during the period the car is stored with them. Perhaps turn on CAPTIONS/ SUBTITLES and watch this video again, before you come on and make foolish comments here...
I have owned a couple of Audis both standard, S and RS models. My experience is that you can’t find a more unreliable money pit than Audi. My Italian exotics and Jaguars have cost me a fraction of money and headaches compared with my Audis. Now I know the meaning of the four circles in the Audi logos, it’s the four zeros added to the total on your next bill…
Agreed, Audi are trash - they could have easily engineered a solution to the clutch overheating issue explained here, but why would they when it means they can sell more parts, service and ultimately when the owner gets fucked off enough, maybe a new car - if they aren't like you and me and haven't realised what garbage VAG produce and take their business elsewhere.
What amazes me is that the system doesn't have a failsafe mode where it just puts itself in park and disengages the clutch when it's overheating like that. Or that it even does that sort of behavior in the first place. To put it into terms of a typical manual transmission, it's like stopping at a light and leaving your foot halfway on the clutch. It's a huge no-no that any driving instructor would yell at you for doing. Yet this is apparently normal because... Audi?
I had something slightly similar happen, I had a 68 plate r8 and in summer it caught fire while I was driving it. It was a total loss (melted to the road). It was fairly tough and took 4 months to get insurance to pay out, similarly I needed legal advice, to look into specialists to do engineering and fire reports on the car. Very glad to hear that your situation has been successfully resolved now as I'm certainly uncomfortably familiar with how stressful these situations can be!
Oh wow! That sounds awful! Yeah, seeing how it seems everyone just tries to find any excuse to avoid being accountable is very frustrating, especially as a principled person. I'm glad yours was resolved in the end. Same thing happened to a friend of mine. The FOS had to get involved in their case in the end.
Wow! What an eye opener! Thanks for sharing and thank goodness the Audi is back again in one piece. Though a different scenario, I can now see why Jay Leno never allows his cars to be valet parked.
That was one hell of an interesting video, I could've listened to Antony telling his story all day, absolutely loved it, shame the company that caused the damage didn't just hold their hands up straight away, especially after the first report from Audi, so pleased that Antony got the right result in the end 👍
No company will hold their hands up straight away. They want you to get bored, frustrated, and give up. The goal of any company is to make money, not to simply reimburse customers for something they have a good chance of ignoring.
What a great and interesting story and that’s one place to avoid. I’m glad it all got sorted out and it’s upsetting that a company would lie like that.
Thanks for making this video James. There really are so many people out there who think that they can act in a way which makes sense to them without any understanding of the law. It's good to see that this case ended well. I've had my Aston damage by an MOT centre and they were completely disinterested....
That's terrible! Yeah, this was a matter of principle for me. Mainly due to the position taken on the terms and conditions. Some of us need to fight these cases to send a message - that firms are accountable for the damage they cause.
A really well presented and interesting story. Well done, Anthony, for your steadfast and professional approach in this situation. Glad you got the right end result.
100%👍🏼 . Clearly explained, so should anyone find themselves in such an unfortunate situation, they know who to turn to and how to handle the situation.
Great videos James! I really like them, but please don't start putting silly faces in the thumbnails like all the others. It's really not needed and doesn't bring any value. I'm sure the people who watch your videos are smart enough and don't need a shocked face in the thumbnail to understand what's going on. Personally it puts me off more than anything, it's the reason i don't watch many other videos on various other channels. I just turned 32, so maybe it's just an age thing
@@R03333 sadly, you're right. More people click on stuff like this than not, despite what many say. I understand that so don't judge when a creator does this and accept it as I want them to be successful and it's not like a puppie died. Just trying to make a living at what we love.
Great content once again James. My father once took his car to be tracked/wheel alignment and when he picked it up could tell immediately that something wasn't right. He duly went back in to the office area and explained this and that he would need to be refunded for the shoddy work The owner of the 'garage' was not forthcoming and essentially told my Dad that he didn't know what he was talking about and there was no chance of a refund! It was at this point my Dad explained that he was a member of the IRTE (Institute of Road Transport Engineers) And that he would be taking this further. Lo and behold an apology and a refund was made that very moment! Sadly most other patrons simply get ripped off. Pleased the R8 owner stood his ground in this case also.
Yeah I've had the same experience on my own car unfortunately, I had done some suspension work on it plus some tyres and wanted the tracking to be checked. The company checked and 'corrected' the tracking for me, didn't say anything until after I drove the car which was now pulling hard left while driving in a straight line! They admitted at that point they noticed it, annoyed I stated they needed to correct it - by this point they stated their machine showed all green and true and therefore my car must be bent!! In the end I rented the use of a car ramp to check for myself to find they only adjusted the cam-bolts on one side to it's max setting. This meant the wheel base on one side of the car was shorter than the other by about 6-8inches. Once I reset the cam-bolts to zero, the car tracked perfectly.
@@rod.h8064 well I did say this to them, however the way they adjusted it said to me they haven't a clue about suspension geometry or how it works - only adjust to make the green lights on the machine happy. I had heard later on many others who had used them face similar problems, like one where someone scrubbed out a new tyre completely bald in less than 200 miles due to their tracking failures!
German car ownership. Get a Warranty. Since Storage is mandatory in salted road environments, it's best if it's data logged. The joy of modern OBD, it does it all itself. It's a great thing.
Jay, I like this sort of content. Adds some nice diversity to your already very good chanel. PS: I recently saw one of your older videos and I just realised how much weight you lost!! Well done sir.
Great, although-be-it bad / typical, so glad you were to get this abuse corrected and receive nearly the proper compensation. Insurance companies are NOT there to insure you, they are there to make a profit, and (like you now) I have the true stories to back it up. Thanks to you and James for sharing, always nice to see the good guys win one once in a while.
This was a very entertaining story. Glad it worked out for him, doesn't always happen to be the case. Supercar ownership can definitely be a headache. I had a vehicle transport company damage the PPF on one of my previous brand new cars, but they were very professional and made it right and settled the whole thing within 2 weeks. Very rare to get a company to own up to their mistakes, it's an uphill battle in many cases.
That is what you want... The real test of great customer service isn't making zero mistakes (they're inevitable). It's about what they do when they make that mistake. Had the storage company taken that approach, I'd be singing their praises!
The worst thing for me about owning a really nice car is that people just try to take it from you. I had an attempt just the other night. more people coming back to steal it in the middle of the night the following night. If you make it hard for them they just try and brake into your house armed and force you to hand over the keys. This is massively on the rise too. Its almost not worth the hassle anymore to own anything nice. Ive got just an m2 and an Evo V so not even super cars either! I couldnt imagine the stress of owning a lambo or something of that nature.
The behaviour of companies that delay hoping you go away is disgusting. You always end up out of pocket but it's so stressful you ultimately accept the small loss. Happens so often.
The normal practice here in the U.S. is to 100% of the time never admit anything even in court due to how the liability laws work and how their insurance rates will go up significantly as a result. You will get payouts, but they never admit guilt and often settle out of court on the condition you sign a NDA to protect their corporate image. Yes, it is disgusting.
Name and shame/ praise as appropriate. This is what true journalism is about and puts even more or my faith in your channel... even though I'm on the other side of the world and none of this applies to me directly at least as far as companies goes (and maybe some of the law).
I wasn't really aiming to name and shame. it was important to me, however, to allow people to learn from the story both in terms of what they could do if faced with a similar situation and the risk they might be taking should they store with the company. Particularly around the terms and conditions piece.
I used to work next to a company where people would leave their cars to be detailed or washed, whenever a sports car or a car with a big engine came in the lads used to all have a go doing quick sprints up the road or burn them out spinning their wheels . Several times we had customers come in to ask if we'd seen their car being drove while it was meant to be being cleaned . Long story short , the company got taken to court and went bust .
OK - Interesting Video !!! - I had a very similar experience Max Rostron Leeds Motorauctions ( Dissolved )... essentially the same scenario, gross negligence dressed up in a tidy caveat that DOES NOT WORK, caveats don't work in courts Back 15-20 years ago Same caveat, we're not liable any damage arise our staff Drove car down wall their own auction, wrote off a side on a 200 mile new car Sued them, easy win, was only £3,000 ish claim, small claims Obviously won, staff were liable, irrespective BS caveats
It's such an ordeal! Right?! I think the whole process is biased against the average consumer. I'm in a fortunate position that I could afford all this, but what of the low or average income person.
Wow great story and handled well by Anthony a perfect lesson in how to deal with big companies with legal departments, makes you wonder just how many people would have bit the bullet and foot the cost themselves.
@sportzntouring - I have read your reply to many comments below about a real manual lurching forward if the clutch is let out, in gear with the engine running and that it would have caused a collision with the other vehicle. I have 2 responses. First I should say that I have been driving manuals preferentially for 42 years (I'm 64). I have, on occasion done that very thing. The difference is that it happens while the driver is in the seat, behind the wheel in the control position. It is instinctive (or should be) to apply the foot brake very firmly (with or without the clutch simultaneously). Secondly body damage to two cars, if an impact occurred, would have been far more difficult for the storage company to deny as their error. I do agree on the point about correct operation, and understanding of, the vehicle - although that is increasingly rare among modern drivers who seem to care more about the 'infotainment system' details than what actually makes the vehicle work.
Thanks for these comments. I suppose, maybe, if someone's reaction times are fast enough they could catch it before it damaged two cars. But, it was very tight so I'm not so sure that is realistic in this case. You're right that would be harder to deny. I think my point on this was in response to the position taken by some people that a car that lets you make mistakes that cause damage isn't fit for purpose. My argument is that a manual can cause damage (that being one example), so should that mean manual cars aren't fit for purpose? Obviously that's unreasonable. I hear you on people not understanding a vehicle. A perfect example I see is people buying a brand new car and thrashing it straight away... I look up the owner's guide online, and usually find they need a run in period, often an oil change afterwards. I've bought a few new cars over the years and even the dealers said there's no run in period... In each case, I'd say - let's look at the owner's guide together... and low and behold... There's a run in period with very specific driving pattern required.
Years ago I had a car where the brake pedal was sinking. I thought great because I had an SMMT extended cover warranty with all the bells and whistles. I booked it in with THEIR approved garage who diagnosed a faulty servo. SMMT said they would not cover it as their small print said "complete failure of a component". So I was expected to drive the car and have complete brake failure before they would honour it. Not worth the paper it was written on. In contrast to this, a VW extended warranty were true to there word when I needed it (the £450 2 year policy saved me £3,500).
I have to say, for the warranty work (outside of the main topic of the story) Audi's warranty has been very good, save for a few limitations that they say are there but aren't very clear.
What a brilliant video 👏 god it’s nightmares like this that can really spoil an ownership experience, at least you turned it into a positive by making this video that will help others 👏
I had a very similar experience, albeit with a hotel. I was booked in, but when I checked in, the hotel claimed that they could only service locals. It was a good thing that I screenshot their T&C online when I booked cos as I called their CS to complain about it, they had the guts to just change the T&C on the fly. It was only when I threaten to call the cops on them and told them I already had a screenshot of the old T&C did they relent. Question to lawyers out there, would changing the T&C without prior agreement of both parties be illegal? Cos I can just sign a contract and then scribble terms all over it as I wish!
Great story, sad to see a good relationship turn sour , this could have been handled so differently with out putting the R8 owner threw the ring No compensation can cover the pain suffering worrying anxiety Great work from legal specialist tec and dealership Time to enjoy R8
Yeah, I have to think the excess on their liability insurance claim would have been less than the combined total of their own legal fees and their time spend fighting with Antony and his solicitor.
@@slowhoon surprised legal fees where only 400 pounds , I wouldn’t like to see the independent technician and dealer inspection fee , Would have thought insurance claim would have covered this , How ever on a being positive , it was the right out come in the end On another note owning and dealing with top end material, is not for the faint hearted There are anomalies that you have to right off and put down to labour of love I would say to the owner Fire up the Quattro and enjoy
Good to see people with these experiences putting the bad companies on blast to help the rest of the car community not go thru the same thing! Great job sharing the terrible story..
There is an implied duty of care in this case despite what the company has written in any of its documents. It seems likely one of the employees went out for a blast.
@@garethmcrae668 If I was running a business like this, I'd make the customer sign off on the mileage every time its brought in. Seems like the best solution for everyone.
I very recently and rapidly declined a decision to store my Focu RS into storage for the winter, simply because I'd have had to trust them to manouver it around for access to other vehicles etc, as and when they chose to. I was not happy at even the thought of this, so now it's locked up in a storage container by only me, and removed at my leisure when the secure compound is open. I work within the motor trade as a contractor, and hear and witness too many horror stories of mis-treating customers cars, far too often. Example, it seems to be an esential trait for the majority of valetrs to be able to spin wheels, even on brand new cars. Most odd, not to mention disturbing..
I can see where you are coming from. Luckily, I have found a place that has a dedicated slot for my car that can always be accessed, it has no need to be moved other than to bring it out to me or carry out work according to my instructions.
Awesome, really pleased for you. very hard to summon up the energy/determination let alone find good solicitor/engineers. Worth making a mental note of your experience & outcome. Top result. Awesome!!
Antony has had a great deal of trouble, put a lot of his time and energy into arguing with the storage company and instructing solicitors. He is also £400 out of pocket for solicitor's fees. That in my book is a bad result.
It could be worse, I could have been £8k out of pocket and the company concerned might have believed they could therefore get away with this with other customers. I did this as much on principle as for the money. There's no 'good' result here... but this was the best result possible under the circumstances.
In my opinion Audi is also to blame for the clutch failure. If the car has the intelligence to know one's foot is on the brake hence disengaging the clutch the computer should also have the intelligence to recognise "in gear", "handbrake up" disengage the clutch. Audi twin clutch and single clutch boxes have a reputation for being unreliable and the scenario in the video should not have destroyed a clutch from leaving the car in gear and handbrake up. I would argue GQ was negligent in leaving the car in gear whilst not actually sitting in it for the simple reason that a handbrake could fail allowing the car to "creep" away.
There's no evidence that the hand-brake was on or off but it's reasonable to assume one might apply the handbrake. Either way, it's just not a good idea to ever leave a car running, in gear, and get out of it. The correct operation of the car is detailed in the manual, which was easily available from me or online. Remember, it's a 10 year old car, among the last to use that tech that now is a good 20 years old. It's like blaming the design of pre-ABS era cars for locking the brakes when pressed hard.
@@sportzntouring I agree that GQ was negligent however Audi should have built in additional protection measures. Back in 2013 my dad had a Grand Cherokee with the e-shift gear leaver and after someone in the States got out of their car with it still in gear, inadvertently crushing themselves. Jeep performed a software update that put the car in park if it was left in gear handbrake up and the driver's door subsequently opened. I believe the r-tronic is a similar e-shift / shift by wire setup.
@@sportzntouring I've never driven an R8 so you'll have to correct me if I'm wrong but if it's like pretty much any other automatic car it'll creep when it's in gear, so it would've had to have the handbrake on to stop it from moving. Now, obviously this is incompetence from the guy moving the car, but it's also an oversight from Audi. If it disengages the clutch when you have your foot on the brake, it should do the same when the handbrake is on, it's just poor engineering from Audi plain and simple.
Thanks. That was my main motivation for sharing the story. And, thanks to BlackBeltBarrister, he goes into considerably more detail via the link in James's pinned comment.
Excellent video and very educational. I had watched the lawyers video prior. Great result. The storage company need to learn from this and realise that if they make a mistake then for the sake of their brand just deal with it straight up and change their internal processes so it doesn’t happen again. That way everyone is happy and their brand is actually enhanced. Trying to rebuild a brand is hard and takes time and $$
Honestly, even if after the expert report was submitted... even if after the insurance company settled, had this firm contacted me and apologised, explained that they really didn't understand but now have learned from it... I may have shared this story, but probably would never have mentioned their name.
@@sportzntouring they will learn the hard way unfortunately. They could have used this experience to build their brand and business. It was fantastic the way you handled the situation. Honesty and attention to detail always wins.
I wonder if a tracker would have also helped in this case? I would show the car was atleast turned on (thus putting the person at the time the error binged up on the car accountable) while it wouldn't show how it was left idling it would have been another shied in Anthony's armour.
Thought this would be a video about supercar unreliability. It was more to do with negligent usage by an entrusted company. In a nutshell- maybe rent an appropriate, secure garage or underground parking space, and do all of the moving/charging yourself.
What a clear thinking gentleman who protected his rights and that his contract & theirs differs is scary (cannt write fraud can I?) Thank you for airing this material, I am sure you have helped untold people. Worrying how fragile (although this looks like vehicle abuse) these cars seem to be.
Well, this is a dual-plate clutch but a single-clutch mechanism... And, curious, if you left a TC auto in drive and got out of the car (as explained in the engineering report), what would happen? One way or another, damage would have been caused (if only to the car parked a few cms in front of my one).
@@sportzntouring That's the point. You can't leave it in drive, as it starts to creep forward the second you lift your foot off the brake pedal. It would be extremely difficult to not notice that.
@@vibingwithvinyl It's basically an automated manual/single clutch with a ton of computers involved. What should happen if you leave it in gear and put the parking brake on is it should simply stall like every other manual as the revs drop to low. My guess is this is kind of like hill-assist mode except it's always active in order to get the absolute best 0-60 launches in case you *happen* to be at a racetrack? One would think that it keeping the clutch partially engaged like this would only happen when it was set to track mode? Certainly it should back off after a second or so as a safety measure?
Boils my pi## hearing this sort of thing. As a responsible garage owner any mess up on our part is our duty to rectify. Due to many vehicles passing through a workshop occasionally things go wrong, we own that problem until it is rectified. It is obvious what happened to this clutch, and their denial in having any part of it just brings further distrust in the industry. I fit various clutches in multiple brands annually, and these auto select manual boxes will take part of the clutch assy or release bearing out if left in gear. Interesting video. Thanks Jayemm.
I think this just goes to show that no matter if the company are car enthusiasts - in the end no one will care for your own things as you would. My guess is they were trying to inch the car into a space while leaving the transmission engaged and that’s what led to the issue. Worse yet they would provide a false copy of terms and conditions that the customer never agreed to. Glad things worked out in the end - though he dealt with loss of time/energy in the process.
I don't think it's fair to say that no one will care for your things as you would... But, in the specific case of this firm, I think that could be fair. I think the biggest issue for me is the attempt to use any terms and conditions that would seek to limit my lawful consumer rights. At the end of the day, there will always be a time in a business's existence that mistakes will be made. The good businesses that create the greatest loyalty are those that then go above and beyond to put those mistakes right.
@@sportzntouring To be fair - I think the valet parker made a mistake through un familiarity with AUDI R8. The company made a mistake sending out current terms and conditions - they probably lost the copy you signed. At which point insurers or brokers were already telling them what to say. Mistakes amateurs/enthusiasts might make but professional/business folk would not. They would just play harder charge more. Thanks again for bringing this out in the open. Makes me think on how it can go a bit Pete Tong.
We don't know the full details. The car doesn't roll forward in gear unless you press the throttle... It's an automated manual rather than a standard automatic. However, it would be reasonable to guess that a driver who gets out of the car may engage the e-brake.
Cheers. It happens too often, so the BlackBeltBarrister tells me. But, an acceptable conclusion was reached. Just a shame that the company concerned couldn't take on board the findings of either the Audi Master Tech or an independent expert... I wouldn't trust any company that was unwilling to learn from its mistakes.
If you’re detailing high end cars you should be able to move any high end sports car without damaging it outside a manual Carrera GT, without calling someone. As long as you’re not launching the vehicle or racing it, which you wouldn’t do, as a high end detailer, then you’ll never have an issue. I assume your very trusted.
@@jimsteinway695 That sounds like exactly the kind of attitude the car storage in the video would have. Just because you’e driven high performance cars previously, doesn’t mean you know everything. When handling other people’s expensive vehicles, it’s okay to ask someone that knows the car how to drive it and what not to do. Better to ask a stupid question than to do £9000 worth of damage.
@@jimsteinway695 according to this video would suggest otherwise for us it’s always best to check from a professional who drives a variety of cars on a daily basis. To not check and just assume would be neglectful and not something we would do with a clients car. Simply assuming an r8 has a tourqe converter auto and leaving it in gear can cause premature clutch damage as seen above. Had the owners of gq made a similar call they and Anthony wouldn’t be in this situation now and their insurance company wouldn’t have a 9k bill 😉. As much as I agree with what your saying about knowing anyway it’s frankly impossible to know every car ever mades quirks. Such as how to operate the choke properly on a Jaguar E-Type it’s not quite as simple as you’d think neither is driving a gearbox with lack of synchromeshes but again without research you wouldn’t possibly know these facts hence were very lucky to have jay on hand to call whenever we get something in we haven’t had before. I must say it’s the first time we’ve ever been knocked for taking extra due diligence with a clients car 😆
@@sterlingsilver320 it takes years to build a good reputation and seconds to destroy it. I’m in agreement always worth to double check even if your certain your correct. Measure twice cut once comes to mind.
Out for penny,but not for the dough. These companies who don’t like to be wiggled for in responsibility for their actions, usually get caught up until a smart one comes and exposes them.
I bet they left it in gear for ages for it to get that hot. But this is a major design flaw with Audi, in this day and age there is no excuse. There could be temperature sensors that full engage the clutch if it’s over heating. Or simply only allow it to sit in launch mode for more than a few seconds.
It is a 10 year old car though... It's like, there's no excuse for stopping money-shifting in a manual because that tech exists now... but it wasn't wide spread 10 years ago and even now most manuals don't have it.
I left my car at a cheap airport car park with gravel around. When I came back to pick up the car is was dark and once I saw the car the next morning there were stone chips up the side of it and one sill was dented in. Company denied all knowledge of course saying I must have caused it after leaving. I'll never leave my car in the care anyone any more than I must (garages).
Only half the way into this but my guess is they left it in gear with their foot on the brake.. People do this all the time in automatics and don't realise the damage they're causing!
Nearly... Actually, if you have enough pressure on the foot brake the clutch is disengaged. I'm sure you saw the conclusion so know it's actually worse than that.
Cheers! It was a matter of principle once those questionable Ts&Cs came into play. I didn't want them to think they could damaging any customer's vehicle and not be held accountable. Thanks for watching.
I had a dealership damage my car just before COVID, watching this makes me think I will pursue legal action the ombudman found them liable but they still havent compensated me. Their reply to the ombudman was also crazy offensive, rude and personal.
If you are in the UK, please check out Catalyst Law. They have a cost effective service and will help you determine if your case is viable or not before you go all in. Please also watch the BlackBeltBarrister's video on my case - linked in the pinned comment under this video.
On the face of it you have been awarded the correct decision, and have brilliantly articulated your story, however having watched the video a few times there is one point I would like you to clarify : when it was suggested that the problem could have been caused by you doing a whole load of launches you said "which I really didn't think was the case" that was ambiguous, for clarity could you elaborate. IE. were you doing launches but did not believe it was the cause of the problem or it was not the cause of the problem because you did not do a whole lot of launches. great video.
Ah, that wasn't really conveyed very well... "You" in this case means the colloquial generalised 'you' rather than the specific 'you' - like 'when you do this' meaning when anyone does this. This would have been clearer if I said... "if a series of repeated launches were carried out in a short space of time at around the time the error was logged". For what it's worth, I've never launched it as I've been particular about looking after the clutch... Hence, the findings that while the clutch was damaged, it had minimal wear.
A tale very well told. Wouldn’t be surprised if the insurer might’ve defended more robustly if Antony hadn’t kept the busted clutch. Once evidence is gone, it’s gone and you’re left with “they said, you said”. Pleased it all worked out.
That was likely the angle they'd take... However, there's some insights via the BlackBeltBarrister's video - see link in James's pinned comment below the video.
@@sportzntouring I had my old clutch rebuilt by Exotic Clutch Technologies. I sent in my old clutch and they rebuilt it but use Kevlar friction material instead. I got the complete rebuild kit along with it which was much cheaper in the long run. I wanted a strong clamping force to meet the needs of my Heffner Twin Turbo V8. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1RLOg4om4pA.html
It's good that justice was done in the end. That said, anyone who wants to own and run a supercar has more money than sense. Going to track events in a car used just for that recreational purpose is one thing - not my cup of tea, but each to their own. But to drive a supercar on ordinary roads is just for posing. You know the saying - the pose factor of the car is in inverse proportion to the size of the genitalia of the driver.
I guess there's always an exception to the rule 😆 It really isn't about posing... it's about a whole driving experience. I've driven numerous supercars on the road, quiet country roads with nobody around to see... no one to pose to... And this is when I get to enjoy the car the most. I think you'd have to experience it to know what I mean.
Had the same issue with Samsung! The repair company had terms saying in so many words. If we repair it, and damage your house, floods etc it ain’t our problem. ( washing machine) I refused to sign it as an unfair term.
i am struggling to find sympathy here . To me , its the sort of scenario i would expect when buying an expensive to fix car . I don't trust people using anything of mine for its usually abused in some way , Especially a super complicated piece of kit like this .
No sympathy sought. The point of this video is so people know that if a trader damages your vehicle, you don't have to take it lying down. They can and should be held accountable. Hope that clarifies things.
How to do $8000 worth of damage to an Audi without crashing it? Well it's a VW so just driving it until the engine fails should do it. It shouldn't take long.
Playing devils advocate. The report and email says the garage left it in gear and got out to check how the parking was. They then got back in. The damage was said to occur in that short time period? Surprised the garage didn’t argue the car is faulty. Why? Because surely you could be stopped longer at traffic lights on a hill (hill hold assist was on right which caused the damage?) and so it could have happened anytime, even with the owner driving?
No, because a) if I stop, I'd have my foot on the brake. That disengages the clutch. I generally pop it into neutral unless it's very brief. b), there was no exact time stated for how long the car had no driver could have been a minute, a few minutes. Who knows. Also, if I'm in the car in traffic, if it ever showed that warning, I would pop it into neutral immediately. The clutch would cool and no damage would be done. The key thing is, if you operate the vehicle according to the owner's manual, there's no reason why it should have this problem. I put 6000 miles on it and not once ever saw that warning (and the computer logs showed that).
@@sportzntouring so your Audi doesn’t have hill hold assist? Where you stop, and instead of holding your foot on the brake like you wrote, you can let your foot off, and the car keeps the pressure on the brake. Your Audi doesn’t have that feature?
@@sportzntouring they will definitely have insurance 100% they wouldn’t be able to run the company looking at what they do without Professional indemnity insurance.
@@martingetliffe they did, and it was their insurer that paid out eventually... But took months, an independent engineering report and the threat of court action visa a solicitor for them to even refer it to them. All in the videos.
I have a similar problem with a car dealership, they delay and delay to try and wear you down. My f type has a faulty engine after only 9months of ownership and they will use any excuse and try any avenue to make you feel like you have caused the fault even if its not the case. Feel bad you had to go through this, i am still trying to resolve mine
Hey guys, great story. Mine Stays in a garage at home lol Its a few checks a week. Nothing Too taxing. You think they would Know about the double clutch System Audi use. Bizarre. Nice1 Guys. 👍
You'd think (although this is a dual-plate single-clutch). I hear you. I wanted mine detailed straight after each drive, stored in a temp/humidity controlled environment etc. I've now found a much better place for this.
