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Audi A6 Avant - Car sold with misfire but garage reluctant to help - sparkyjf

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice - about 3 months ago I bought an Audi A6 Avant from a dealer in Hertfordshire. The car is 11 years old and has an LPG conversion and a reasonable looking service history. Indeed the car is in good nick in most respects with nothing really wrong that you wouldn't expect to find on a 11 year old car. Recently I had the cambelt changed at an Audi main dealer and their inspection turned up nothing untoward except normal wear and tear on the suspension and brakes.

There is one problem that I have yet to get rectified though - the engine misfires when running on LPG. It seems absolutely fine on petrol so I don't think there's anything wrong with the main engine components. I want the garage I bought it from to sort out and pay for the repair but I'm struggling here and I need some leverage. Here's the story so far:

I agreed up front all the work I wanted doing on the car - this included a service of the LPG system and a safety (LPGA) certificate reissuing. This was all done and the car was sent to an LPG specialist in the local area. When I test drove the car before buying it seemed to run fine (tested on both LPG and petrol).

When I took delivery of it it was virtually out of petrol and LPG - there was no LPG filling station on my route home so I filled it up with petrol and drove home running on that. The next day I got to a garage to fill up with LPG and that's when I discovered that it was misfiring on LPG.

I immediately called the garage who agreed to have it back in - they had their mechanic look at it and he couldn't find anything wrong with it. He didn't have any LPG expertise and only read out the fault codes from the main computer which show nothing wrong.

After that the garage seemed to drag their feet telling me it would probably sort itself out and could be damp or something. It hasn't. So I called the garage that did the LPG service and they took it in and were very good - didn't charge me for the investigative work. They told me that two of the LPG injectors were faulty and need replacing. Seemed to stack up - so I wrote to the garage and told them the situation - sent the letter by special delivery. They never replied although they did call the LPG service center to find out how much the repair would be which was encouraging.

But since then there has been silence. The LPG service center have failed to source the parts - every time I call I get some weak excuse about there being some delay - but what worries me is that they can't even tell me what the parts cost - seems suspicious - I would never order parts without knowing the cost. I've waited long enough now and having been advised by the LPG service center to not use the LPG mode until the fault is rectified the petrol costs are adding up.

Could someone please advise me on how to proceed? I'd like to approach a different LPG service center as there is one closer to home and a second opinion would be good - especially someone who has no vested interest in the situation. But I don't feel I should pay the bill. The other garages have had long enough to sort this out and haven't. If I have to take them to small claims court I will - I just want to make sure I do everything by the book as I've never had to do this before.

The car itself is basically sound and I want to keep it - just fed up with a key part of the car as it was sold to me not working.

Many thanks,

sparky

Audi A6 Avant - Car sold with misfire but garage reluctant to help - LucyBC
By all means approach the other LPG service centre but if you instruct them to do anything - such as investigate and they warn you of a charge and you instruct them you will be liable for the bill.

The selling garage seems to have behaved reasonably so far.

Two points come to mind though. It is an 11 year old car so how much did you pay for it? And does anyone on here have any idea as to the cost of the parts and how much the repair is likely to cost.
Audi A6 Avant - Car sold with misfire but garage reluctant to help - Dutchie

If there is a reputable LPG service centre near you,why not go and see them.I dont know how much a diagnostic check cost by this garage ,you good give the garage a ring and find out.If they know what they are doing they soon find out if the problem is the same as found by the other LPG garage.You might get some answers regarding the price.

Audi A6 Avant - Car sold with misfire but garage reluctant to help - Dutchie

To follow this up the car is eleven years old and I am afraid components will wear out.I can't see the garage carrying the cost for any repairs to the LPG system.The car was sold according to you with a full LPG check which was ok .And a reasonable service history.Unless the garage gave you a written guarantee on any faulty parts to be replaced on their cost.I think Lucy B is right.The cost of replacing injectors vary ,depends on what LPG system you have in your car.

Audi A6 Avant - Car sold with misfire but garage reluctant to help - bonzo dog

Hi all, sorry Lucy but I think the OP has a case. My take on it is this:

  1. OP agrees to buy car subject to LPG service & safety certificate. This is agreed & apparantly done
  2. A few days (it looks like) later the LPG bits are playing up & the LPG service garage says the bits are faulty (that was quick!!!!)
  3. Clearly the LPG element of the vehicle being in good working order was a prerequisite of buying this particular car & therefore irrespective of the age of the car Trades Description would surely apply (the car was sold as a duel fuel car, not duel fuel but only one works :))
  4. Either way, SOGA would apply to a car which did not function as it is supposed to (ie the LPG working) a few days after purchase, again irrespective of the age of the car
  5. OP should inform the supplying dealer in writing he will be requiring them to fix the car within 14 days or he will get it fixed himself & sue for the costs involved
  6. Copy Trading Standards & ask their advice

Good Luck

Audi A6 Avant - Car sold with misfire but garage reluctant to help - bonzo dog

PS ....... never ever ever buy an LPG converted vehicle .....you'd be better off buying a Freelander 1.8 petrol or an Alfa!!!!

Audi A6 Avant - Car sold with misfire but garage reluctant to help - Dutchie

Bonzo,there are plenty of cars driving,using LPG with no problems.The system like any other in a car have to be checked on a regular basis.

Audi A6 Avant - Car sold with misfire but garage reluctant to help - bonzo dog

Hi Dutchie, I'm not saying don't buy LPG but I am saying make sure it's a manufactured duel fuel car NOT a conversion. Don't forget that any guarantee from the converting garage only appiles to the person who paid for the conversion & NOT any subsequent owner.

Having a conversion done yourself may be OK for the converted bits with the relevent guarantees from the convertor; but the conversion will invariably negate any warranty that the car currently enjoys.

Audi A6 Avant - Car sold with misfire but garage reluctant to help - Dutchie

Hello Bonzo,you have got a point there its a bit of a minefield with these LPG conversions.I am getting the inpression that a lot of people who do these conversions arn't hundred percent sure what they are doing.And the aftercare isn't what it should be .I do agree if you are not sure about LPG and its pitfalls and different systems leave well alone.