Audi refuses to cover mechanical problems with the motor plan

I bought a 2016 Audi A5 at 28 000 km in November 2017 from Audi Centre in Nelspruit. The car was driven from Audi Centre Nelspruit to Johannesburg for me to take delivery of the vehicle. When the salesman handed the keys to me he informed me that he hit potholes in Kriel where he slept over while driving here with his wife and this damaged two tyres and the mags. He promised to book the car into the nearest Audi Centre for them to fix the tyres and mags, this was done the following week. Therefore, that problem was solved.

I was then in involved in an accident while driving home from work on the N1 North Highway in Johannesburg on the 15 December 2017. A tyre came flying from the opposite side of the road and hit the right side of the bumper damaging the fender, bumper and slightly bending the bonnet. I got the car fixed at a reputable panel beater and drove it from January 2018 to November 2018 without any mechanical issues. I had two services done on the car during that period and there were no mechanical issues reported nor abnormalities identified on the car.

On Sunday, 4th November 2018 I landed from Durban and picked up my car from the Centurion Gautrain station parking around 21:00 pm. Within 10 minutes of driving the car it started losing power and displayed a warning light with "Gearbox malfunction. You can still drive". It was late at night and I did not want to stop in the dark because I was alone in the car. I continued driving home even though the car kept on losing power and stopping intermittently and I would restart it and continue driving.

The following morning I took the car to the nearest Audi Centre which was Audi Centre Centurion. The service adviser later informed me that there is a problem with my gearbox but they would need to give me a quote of R159k to fix it. The adviser told me that the fault is accident related and thus the warranty will not cover it. My confusion was how could an issue like this be accident related when my accident did not even occur on the side where the gearbox is. The adviser also informed me that the workaround would be +-R15k if there is no damage to the gearbox.

I could not afford any of the above quotes so I decided to get the vehicle towed to a reputable mechanic who used to work for Audi but now runs his own workshop to diagnose it for me and fix it. He established that there was nothing wrong with the gearbox but advised that there was something wrong with the pipes that carry oil to the gearbox. He advised that his workaround would be to get the pipes welded again because I could not afford to get new ones. He welded the pipes on and the problem disappeared.

2 weeks after fixing the gearbox issue, the car starting having issues with changing gears. The car is an automatic but it was making funny noises when it needs to clutch balance or change to higher gears. I took it to Audi Centre Sandton and their diagnosis is that it may be a clutch problem but they have advised that the warranty may not cover this problem.

I am sick and tired of being told that the warranty will not cover these mechanical problems because they are supposedly accident related. When I bought a car that is still within a motor plan I wanted the peace of mind of knowing that Audi will carry the costs of any problems that I experience with my car. As it stands, Audi has been nothing but a stressful factor in my life. I never got an opportunity to even enjoy my car. The sad part is that before I bought this A5, I drove an Audi A4 2012 B8 model for 4 years and when I sold it, I had never had any issues with it. My suspicion is that the 2016 Audi A5 is a problem child and should have been recalled because the problems I have had with it are not normal at all.

I also would like to know how the mechanics are able to establish that the problems that I am having are accident related when my accident did not even affect the engine, let alone the gearbox. I am highly disappointed in the service I have received from Audi so far. I have always held the Audi brand to high esteem but this has left a very bitter tasted in my mouth.