So they replaced at 4.0-4.4kWh? I’m at 4.75kWh - will ask them check it out before warranty expires at the end of the year.
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Advice to get dealer to replace EV battery under warranty
- Thread starter bruuster
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LegacEtron
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- Jul 19, 2020
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That’s what I was recording, yeah. I don’t know what their test criteria are- it could have been some combination of capacity and delivery (my car was cutting over to ICE before the battery was empty, too.)
Kiera211
New member
Anyone get their battery replaced under warranty by a dealership in SoCal? If so, which one? I know there’s a lot of CA people in here so thought I’d check.
I'm having a similar issue with my 2018 etron, 56k miles, won’t charge past 7/8 bars, gets about 9 miles on a full charge. Dealership has told me there’s a good chance it will be covered under warranty but that they have to run $270 diagnostic first which may or may not be covered depending on if the warranty is granted. I’m just wondering which dealerships people had success with since I have to kind of gamble $270.
I'm having a similar issue with my 2018 etron, 56k miles, won’t charge past 7/8 bars, gets about 9 miles on a full charge. Dealership has told me there’s a good chance it will be covered under warranty but that they have to run $270 diagnostic first which may or may not be covered depending on if the warranty is granted. I’m just wondering which dealerships people had success with since I have to kind of gamble $270.
Audi Van Nuys. It used to be Keyes.
Kiera211
New member
Thank you! Did they make you do the $270 diagnostic first?
No charge for diagnosis and free loaner car. I started this post last year so you can read all the details.
icee
Member
You lucky butt!
My closest Audi dealer charges a minimum $320 diagnostics fee which is waived IF the battery is repaired under warranty. You're on the hook for the fee if they determine that nothing is wrong with the battery though.
My closest Audi dealer charges a minimum $320 diagnostics fee which is waived IF the battery is repaired under warranty. You're on the hook for the fee if they determine that nothing is wrong with the battery though.
THICColasCage
Member
keep us updated. I'm curious about this myself..
My 2016 is similar. When new the display would show 27-28 miles (though it never got that -- 20-24 was what I would get new with conservative driving, no HVAC, etc) and now it is 15-16 miles though 8-11, with mayb 12-13 on a good day of flat roads only and very light throttle. The telling thing is that the 8 bar charge meter never shows more than 6 (3/4) when charged and within 1/2 -5/8 mile of normal driving usually has dropped to 5 bar (5/8). I also often have the switch to "battery saving mode / ICE mode" when any sort of strain is on the battery like going up a mild hill or stuff like that. I've had it happen at all sorts of battery levels but usually 3-5 (2 bars).
My 8 years is up in 10 days and I have an appointment in the morning with the battery degradation complaint. I was at a different dealer this past wednesday as it had an "electrical system failure: see service" message, which was there for a few months actually though the car didn't change its behavior when it started --- they said it was the 12v battery needing replacement. While I was there I complained about the battery degradation and they said Audi only does anything if the battery fails completely so its not worth doing any diagnostics on. I said that that is not what the warranty says (it says something about defect in manufacturing etc and more than normal degredation is a defect is what I maintain). Anyway my service check in the morning is with a different dealer. I live almost exactly half way between two dealers. The one tomorrow is an extra mile or two away but easier to get to so its a wash...
I've been taking pics of the post-charge status, the drop in bar after 1/2 mile, etc. I'm now scouring the forums to see what arguments have been used and also data that only 2-3% degradation per year is normal and so 35-50% degradation is basically double that. So it's not a normal level hence the battery itself is bad...
I'd get a full quote for replacement, all the diagnostics, etc. and then go file a claim in small claims court for that amount plus your court costs. You'd file against Audi USA (not your dealer).
The "industry standard" for degradation is 2-3% per year and so if they are outside of that the parts are faulty (even if they still work).
I doubt they'd show up and would rather just settle with you but if they do you can find evidence about what industry averages are for EV battery degradation and that sort of thing and make the case to the judge, using your logs for your car based on real life usage and charging etc, that this is outside of industry norms and hence that the battery, while it still functions, is not functioning per industry norms, hence defective.
As long as your state (province etc) allows small claims at the level of whatever your quote is for the work (don't have the work done, just get an official quote from the dealer) it's a relatively painless way to pressure big companies to do the right thing. You don't need a lawyer, just your data and any supporting evidence, and a small fee to file and get the parties served. I've been twice against Compaq (before the HP merger) and once against Amazon. In every case we settled though in one of the 2 Compaq cases we had one court hearing first before they settled -- the two cases were related and there happened to be a major Compaq facility (former DEC) not far from where I lived so they sent a lawyer up but the judge wanted the lawyer who had written the settlement I had previously signed on the first case and that lawyer was in Texas so they just settled with me since Texas was far away from where I was. They may try to force you into arbitration. That would be another route if you can't do the small claims. The thing is to make it costly enough for them to fight that it's easier to just settle and do it.
We wish you the best, but don’t anticipate that Audi USA will do anything with battery degradation, unless battery modules actually completely fail. California’s 10 year 150K mile battery pack warranty for PHEVs is no help for us, because it was written poorly, allowing manufacturers to determine whether a battery pack has failed, but it failed to specifically mention range degradation. The new version due in 2027 WILL include degradation below 70% of new range state of charge, but that won’t help us, since our 10 years end in February 2027.
Chadbag, our 2016 was almost identical in behavior. But when we went to the dealer after the "system fault do not drive" - their investigation escalated to a more-advanced diagnostics that showed a battery (current) leak that was potentially fatal to anyone who might accidentally have found it. The car was in "isolation" for a long time to let it discharge. They replaced the high voltage battery, free. See my previous posts.