Faulty drivers side airvent

A

alexm

Member
Hello all,

had to buy a replacement drivers side airvent from Leicester Audi the other week as the original one was faulty (£55.00 for the new one!). Replacement is a simple job, pull out old one put in new one. Job done, well not quite...

the toggle has become detached from the airvent (see attached pictures) and the bit it connects to has fallen down the back of the fins (just visible in the pictures). Big problem as its a sealed unit hence replacement in the first place.

Went back to Audi and they said it had to be booked in for them to verify the unit was faulty, fair enough I thought. However they've told me that as they did not fit the unit they will charge me for the time it takes to check out the issue. Fair enough if I've fitted the unit wrong. However they've said that even if the unit is found to be faulty I will still be charged!!

Further to this the standard removal of the vent basically damages it. So I'm worried that if I take it in for them to look at I'm gonna end up footing the bill for them to take the dash out or something so they can get the vent out without damaging it, just to tell me its faulty and needs to be replaced. (I can't even get an estimate on the cost of the job, its got to be booked in for them to do that).

Further to this even though the vent is a sealed unit and the fault is clearly not caused by something in the vent area, they've told me I can't remove the vent myself (no sure how I would mind you) for them to look, at it has to be in the car.

Finally when they sold me the unit they didn't tell me that if I fitted it myself it would affect the waranty.

Sorry that rambles on a bit, Can anyone offer any advice please?!!

any help greatly appreciated!!

cheers!!

ps the pictures of the one on the table are of the old one.
 
Hi alexm
Sorry to say this but I think your dealer is being reasonable.
As you fitted it yourself, the new vent would have parts warranty only. When things go wrong it then becomes your responsibility to return the part to your dealer who in turn sends it back to Audi for analysis and possible replacement.
If the dealer fits it, he of course is responsible for the whole process.
In your case, Audi will not refund the dealers labour charges for removal and inspection of the vent even if it is faulty.
It is unfortunate that the vent may be further damaged on removal otherwise you could just take it back to the parts dept and ask them to return it to Audi for inspection
I would personally have a play with the old unit - cut it open if necessary, and work out a way to repair the new vent. If this is not possible, just bite the bullet and buy another one.....and fit it verrrrrry carefully. This is still likely to be cheaper than letting the dealer spend 1/2 hour checking it out.

Cheers Spike
 
I have a broken passenger side vent the toggle has broken and I am unable to open and close the vent. It cant be repaired the only answer is a replacement and I cant bring myself to pay £55 for the unit and labour costs to have it fitted. Sounds like its not a DIY job may get my VW garage to do it and not Audi (labour costs may be less)
 
I agree with spike, but they could be a bit more accommodating. I wonder if you could try a national web search of scrap yards? Perhaps you could pick one up cheap.

Failing that perhaps some tweezers could get you access through the fins if that helps at all.
 
Hi alexm
Just checked the manuals. Not sure how you removed the vent but the 'official' way is - First to remove the trim round the door opening. This gives access to a hidden fixing screw which locates the under dash panel above the drivers knees. Remove the panel (and possibly the light switch) and ease the vent out from the back. Procedure for the passenger side vent is similar, only the golve box is removed in this case.

New Bit.. Forgot to say that there is a small section of trim next to the dashboard (on both sides) which should be removed first, before tackling the the main trim round the door opening. The light switch can be removed by pressing it in and turning it clockwise. Holding it in this position releases the locking tags, allowing it to be pulled from the dash

Cheers Spike
 
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Thanks very much for your advice guys. Spike thanks for the tip, will look to see if I can remove the vent that way!!

Thanks very much!!
 
Hi folks,

with the aid of a pair of tweezers and a crochet hook managed to clip the toggle back onto the bit behind the fins. So will see how it goes. It was a right faff but cheaper than taking it back to audi. :D

thank all for the advice :)
 
Tried to get mine replaced under warranty and they told me it wasnt covered think I might try asking again
 
crb1011 said:
Tried to get mine replaced under warranty and they told me it wasnt covered think I might try asking again
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If you can get it replaced under waranty that would be great. However if you can't they're actually quite easy to replace, my advice would be check the unit before you leave the parts counter, just to make sure its all working. Judging from these threads they're not the robust of parts.
 
Well the pics at the beginning of this thread look just like what mine now looks like after a stray knee caught the vent controller (which is a bit bloody fragile). The 100 quid I've been quoted to replace it is looking very expensive, given the part is 50 quid. Are they billing me for an hour's labour, too, do you think? 45 quid an hour - I am in the wrong line of work!!
 
45 quid an hour?? thats very cheap more like 100 quid an hour at most Audi dealers my local VW dealer charges 50 quid an hour when doing work on my A2 go there for most of the work which needs doing. May come unstuck if it needs dianostics as they dont have the software
 
Jaffa said:
Well the pics at the beginning of this thread look just like what mine now looks like after a stray knee caught the vent controller (which is a bit bloody fragile). The 100 quid I've been quoted to replace it is looking very expensive, given the part is 50 quid. Are they billing me for an hour's labour, too, do you think? 45 quid an hour - I am in the wrong line of work!!
Click to expand...

An hour! Its not even ten mins work. They're sealed units so if somethings snapped it can't be fixed. Given that they won't faff about taking it out they'll just pull it out as you can do this without doing any damage to the surrounding dash. Then they'll just slot the new one in. Infact it took me less than ten minutes to change mine so they could probably do it in five!!
 
alexm said:
An hour! Its not even ten mins work. They're sealed units so if somethings snapped it can't be fixed. Given that they won't faff about taking it out they'll just pull it out as you can do this without doing any damage to the surrounding dash. Then they'll just slot the new one in. Infact it took me less than ten minutes to change mine so they could probably do it in five!!
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Thanks Alex. So, did you dispense with the instructions (removing door trim and screws and all that palaver!) and simply prize the broken one in place out and simply press the new unit into place taking care not to press on the slats? Any tool you found to be helpful and any particular technique?

Could you let me know, because I might have to carry out this job myself...
 
Jaffa said:
Thanks Alex. So, did you dispense with the instructions (removing door trim and screws and all that palaver!) and simply prize the broken one in place out and simply press the new unit into place taking care not to press on the slats? Any tool you found to be helpful and any particular technique?

Could you let me know, because I might have to carry out this job myself...
Click to expand...

Yes you can gently pull them out, you will probably damage the vent in the process but if its broken already that shouldn't matter. I'd advise getting a long thin hook of some sort and latching it onto the rear fins and tugging gently. It should come out fine. Don't leaver between the vent and the dash as you'll damage the dash in the process.

All I'd say is make sure the replacement is working fine before you slide it in so check it thoroughly!
 
alexm said:
Yes you can gently pull them out, you will probably damage the vent in the process but if its broken already that shouldn't matter. I'd advise getting a long thin hook of some sort and latching it onto the rear fins and tugging gently. It should come out fine. Don't leaver between the vent and the dash as you'll damage the dash in the process.

All I'd say is make sure the replacement is working fine before you slide it in so check it thoroughly!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips and advice, alex. Much appreciated. Will post to let you know how I get on and may even take a few pictures.
 
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