Dr. Phil:
I just found out that the RS3 I am renting/leasing will need to get ALL it´s brake pads AND discs replaced.
It started with squeeky brakes when I first got the car 4 months ago, then the oil lamp blinked a couple of days a go: Oil level under lowest level.
You don't check the oil level on a regular basis?
The car has 6.500 km (appr 4.000 miles) on the clock, and I don´t wear the brakes excessively or drive like a muppet.
I got it when it had 2.000 km on the clock.
I´ve never experienced a car (let alone a high performance car) that needed discs and pads replaced that early, so I´m thinking someone must have driven it very hard before I got it. At least that´s the most logical explanation I can think of.
Demo car = Excessive driving. Maybe 24h Experience car, maybe abused by customers test driving it, everything is possible.
I ask because I feel pretty pissed off IF I have rented a car, that´s not just a demo, but might have been used for track days or similar in it´s "infancy". Something that AFAIK is not exactly the best way to break a car in.
Put in another way; If I had been offered a "track day car with 2.000 km on the clock" from the beginning, I´d said "no thanks".
My R8, I got it as a demo car as well, has been driven on the track (normal Audi driver ed event, no competition) after it reached 1000 km. Driver was the general manager of all VW/Audi/Porsche dealerships in Bavaria, I know him personally (also from his Porsche days ). He gave me a complete documentation of the car, incl. the driver log (so I was able to see who drove the car at what mileage and a print-out of the ECU to check on over-revs and stuff like that). Officially, I took the car over at 5000 km in August but unofficially, I got the car at 2000 km and in May. Car is an April 2016 build, which is important because Audi had a few changes/improvements and an important tech fix (a pump, which was also available as a recall) after March 2016 production.
The dealership was fair: I got a completely new brake system (calipers, discs, pads, etc.) when I took over the car officially in August. Also got a free oil and oil filter exchange. The general manager insisted on that (he knows me well ), which was still quite impressive. Tried to get a new set of summer tires as well but they gave me a free set of winter wheels, so I couldn't really ask for new tires anymore after that.
Now I have to get new summer tires, they lasted only around 11500 km (the last 2000 km, I was driving on winter tires).
I´m simply trying to establish if there can be any other plausible explanation besides it being used for Audi Driving Experiences or similar. You normally can´t demo an RS3 without a salesperson in the passenger seat, so I´m thinking that´s not where it got punished.
Any ideas?
And FYI; Audi volunteered to pay for the replacement right off the bat without any questions, so they must recognize this as an issue that arose before I rented it.
The problem with demo cars is that many people car drive them and they are often abused. I do not know who drove your RS3 before. At my Audi dealer, R8 test drives are limited to specific persons, potential customers. They do not give the car to anyone who wants a test-drive. Still, this doesn't protect the customers from doing stupid things. My dealer had another R8 demo in white which was totaled by a customer who test-drove it. Since that time, test-drives in the R8 need to be approved by the general manager without exceptions. The guy who totaled the R8 was a previous R8 customer but he bought a used first generation car and he was pretty young (35 I think).
RS3 test-drives are also only permitted to certain potential customers. They do not let any 18 year old drive the car, there are certain limitations for this kind of car. I assume it isn't much different in Denmark.
The good thing is: You can abuse the brake but not much else since the car has a DCT. Unless of course the test-driver wants to damage the car, then there is nothing you can do.
If you are happy with your car, keep it and don't think about it. My R8 has the 5 year warranty, so I don't worry at all.
Just try to squeeze something out of the dealer from this...like a free first service, whatever.
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (2015), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)