Advice please!!

D

Darren C

Admin Team
Hi folks,

Just a quick post, as I am keen to hear your thoughts…..

My A2 was registered in March last year and was bought in mint condition in October. [Previous life as an ex Demonstrator and was well looked after]. I have lovingly cleaned the car roughly every two weeks since ownership, [much to the dismay of my better half], and have recently noticed that two of the alloy wheel centre caps are pitting, one in particular is beginning to look particularly worse for wear. It would appear that rain water has some how penetrated the lacquered surface and caused the paint to discolour; an effect which seems to be spreading.

I have owned many Vauxhalls in the past and have never experienced anything like this before with wheels that were much older. For a premium brand like ‘Audi’, to say that I am disappointed, is an understatement.:mad:

Enough ranting; the question is do you think that I will have a case if I take the car to my local stealer at the weekend?

The wheels themselves are fine; it is just two of the four centre caps that are exhibiting these symptoms. Surely any alloy wheel that is less than twelve months old and has been cleaned regularly, should stand up to the elements better than this?

Do you think Audi will repair / replace, or will I get ‘fobbed off’, with the usual “We’ve never seen anything like that before sir, it must be the cleaner that you are using, sorry we won’t, erh, can’t help!!”

Advice, experiences appreciated!!:confused:

Regards,

Darren

PS,
I only have the 15 inch wheels and dream of some nice 16 or 17 inch rims; if all else fails I might try my look at negotiating a discounted upgrade!!
 
Hi Darren
The 15" polished alloys are prone to corrosion which creeps under the laquer, starting where the surface coating has been damaged by stonechips etc. As your wheels are in good condition,this indicates they have been well looked after so the centre caps must have been faulty to corrode first. I assume you know they are easily removable and relatively inexpensive so the Dealer should be happy to replace them under warranty.

Cheers Spike
 
I can't see a problem with the dealer replacing them FOC as they will have details of the cars condition when it was out on loan/demo and as such you will be able to prove it isn't neglect/maltreatment that has caused it
 
Thanks for the reply Guys, much appreciated!!

Spike,

I wasn't aware that the centre caps are a relatively cheap part to replace, so I guess this is good news, providing they can source some replacements that is! Cheers for the info!!

I plan to remove one of the corroded caps and take it into the local dealer at the weekend. Fingers and toes crossed!!:eek:

Regards,

Darren
 
Hi Darren
The best way to remove them is to take the wheel off then tap them out from the back using a piece of wood (hammer shaft or broom handle)
Don't try to lever them out from the front.

Cheers Spike
 
spike said:
Hi Darren
The best way to remove them is to take the wheel off then tap them out from the back using a piece of wood (hammer shaft or broom handle)
Don't try to lever them out from the front.

Cheers Spike
Click to expand...

Cheers for the advice Spike!!

I assume that my wheels must differ significantly from yours though. Part of the ‘standard’ equipment in the boot in mine is a ‘centre cap removal tool’. It is shaped like an ‘eye’ with a hook on one end which fits into the tiny hole on the cap itself. Once hooked in place, one simple pull and out pops the centre cap.

To compound my frustration, I now have a second problem, however.....

My Drivers side front speaker is intermittently cutting out. Not sure if this is an earth fault or whether the speaker itself is knackered. Having heard of the damage caused by dealership incompetence, I’m not sure whether to mention this on Saturday when I show the dealer my centre caps or try to fix it myself.

Does anyone know if the speaker covers are easy to remove? They look well fitted to me and I guess too much of the wrong type of pressure may cause them to crack?

I know that some of you have upgraded your audio equipment, so I guess it can’t be impossible then.

Any advice appreciated!!:confused:

Regards,

Darren
 
Hi Darren
Apologies for the confusion about your wheels. I thought the only 15" rims available in the UK were the polished 7 spoke style with exposed wheel bolts and a tiny centre caps. My SE has 6 spoke 16" rims with large centre caps which require the removal tool you describe.
Regarding your speaker problem - The bottom grills are a separate part but I think they are screwed on from the back of the door panel. Hopefully someone will confirm this but it looks like the whole door panel needs to be removed for access.

Cheers Spike
 
Last edited:
Thank you both for your help and advice!!

I visited my local dealership yesterday and they have agreed to replace all four centre caps without any issues at all. [Well chuffed!!]. They should be with me by next Saturday and fitted accordingly.:)

Cheers,

Darren
 
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