I'm having an interesting issue w/ a 2003 I purchased from an authorized dealer in Saco, Maine. The vehicle was purchased at the end of June 2011. We purchased an extended warranty w/ the vehicle (3rd party).

The car was acting a bit odd so we took it in to a dealer in Bangor, Maine (not the people we bought it from). It was making an odd knocking sound when turning, and the tires were wearing out really fast.

They put the vehicle on the lift and the engine literally started to shift out the bottom towards the technician. He put the car back on the ground and found that there were NO bolts in the front of the subframe. The engine was shifting up to 5" under acceleration. Further inspection yielded that the only engine mount that WASNT missing was the front-center mount. It is leaking.

Both transmission mounts were cracked. Other than that there was no visible damage to any hardline fuel or brake lines, etc. The tech's theory is that the subframe rocking on the 2 remaining rear subframe bolts was likely causing uneven tire wear, etc.

I called the original dealer and they wanted the car back to look at it. The Service Manager there said that the bolts likely weren't torqued correctly and they walked out. HE said that they checked the frame (laser) and its level. HE feels that if they replace the subframe bolts and mounts, the car will be safe. After talking to the tech in Bangor who found the issue, he agreed. I'm no certified mechanic but as a Subaru enthusiast (Audi is my wife's car) I know my way around a car a bit and I'm comfortable w/ that repair.

Later in the evening the Corporate Director called to say that he spoke w/ the service manager for 30 seconds and he (the corporate guy) wants to put us in a different car. He seems to think it will cost more to repair the car than its worth. When I mentioned that the replacement car needs to be an A6 3.0l Quattro, he started in with the "i can't just pull a specific car out of mid-air" and "we're going above and beyond to make this right and I need to work with him on the issue".

He hasn't said WHICH car he wants to put us in, but it doesn't sound like its going to be an Audi. Needless to say my wife and I are a bit pissed.

I priced the parts via rockauto and looked at the parts pricing quote from the Bangor service people. The cost for parts themselves would be well under $1000.

I fail to see how it would cost more than $9000 (what we paid for the A6) to repair the car. The total from the Bangor service was $2500 including labor. The Saco people have the car now, so they can easily eat the labor.

I can't figure out what the corporate guy is trying to pull here. His 'logic' makes no sense. He's going to call me in the morning to discuss it more.

Am I right in thinking that its completely illogical to replace a $9000 car because it will cost $1000 - $2500 to fix? I even offered that after they fix the car, if it passes inspection, we'll sign something saying the Saco dealer is free-and-clear of further obligation (the lawyers reading this are probably yelling at me right now). Still...he wants to put us in a different car.

We don't want a different car. We want the Audi. I've been more than courteous and reasonable w/ these people. I didn't mention that they inspected and stickered a car w/ loose/missing subframe bolts, and that had that engine dropped from the car while my wife was driving it...the ensuing catastrophic crash would have led to much bigger legal problems once it was revealed that the subframe bolts were missing.

Yes this is a tl;dr wall of text. Cliff notes below:

Dealership sold us an audi that had loose/missing subframe bolts. We've lost all but 1 motor mount, and both transmission mounts are cracked because of it. It will cost the dealership 1000 - 2500 to repair the $9000 car, but instead some corporate suit wants to put us in an entirely different non-audi vehicle. Is this guy on crystal meth? What explains his terrible logic and horrible business-sense?

 

I can understand why, as a used car dealer, he would offer to put you into a different car.
1. He has no way to be sure he won't end up eating another major problem in the future or facing a lawsuit when another major fault results in a catastrophic failure of some kind.
2. He's offering you a different car, probably out of his existing inventory.

He doesn't HAVE to offer you anything really. He COULD just let you take him to court and ask for a non-disclosure agreement with any settlement he offers.

I would let him try to make me whole.

I would suggest that you come up with a list of requirements for the car you want him to provide you then hold on to it and see what he offers. Otherwise, as a dealer, he most assuredly has an auction pass and can certainly tell whomever buys his auction cars to look for a specific vehicle but that would be tough to guarantee.