Hi-- came back from a 10 day vacation to find my '23 etron GT dead. Couldn’t even open up the door with the fob. Audi Roadside was hilariously inept (another story) but finally picked up my car after 24h.
It’s very well documented that the 12v needs a trickle charge otherwise the main battery dies. I had a camera system installed directly in to the fuse box. The technicians did a diagnostic now stating that the camera system is what killed the 12v and that I have to pay for a new one, which costs 2,400 USD (they said they can get it down to 2k just for me lol).
My question is 2 fold: 1.) Is the 12v battery not covered in the warranty? 2.) If it’s well documented that the 12v, if not trickle charged, depletes the main car battery, how would they try to blame it on the cameras?
Mine routinely sits for two weeks at a time with no trickle charger, and it starts right up every time, with the main battery charged to the point where I left it.
But there are really two questions here,
Is the 12V battery covered by the warranty?
What would void the warranty?
My bet is you already have both answers, unfortunately, but check the language of the warranty.
Would installing the camera on the correct fuse negate the note (specifically the technical modifications clause that you had pasted)? I ask because it’s clear that Audi offers OEM dashcams and they fuse to the same place as a 3rd party one.
Can you get the battery part number? This is the battery used in 2023 Taycans and 2022 E-Tron GTs. It says not compatible with 2023 but I’m suspicious it is but has been superseded by a newer PN. Asking because this less than half what you’ve been quoted:
This is an old anecdote, but once I blew the subwoofer in an MB E Class and didn’t want to spend ~$1,200 on an OEM replacement, so I took it to Best Buy – but they declined to install anything on the car for liability reasons.
“Best Buy Corporate forbids us from working on this car. One wrong move and we’re out $10k.”
I have hardwired a radar on all my cars and never had an issue. You just have to hardwire it to a fuse that turns off with the ignition.
The general rule is that if it is an OEM part, you are covered assuming it was installed correctly by an authorized dealer. If it is not an OEM part, regardless of how it was installed or who did it, you are not covered by the manufactor’s warranty.
IMO, you can go one of two ways. First you can go after the installer and say that it was imporperly installed, resulting in damage to another part. You can also ask Audi USA for “goodwill”. It takes work on behalf of your dealer, but Audi will cover all or a signficant portion of the repair. Probably with the compromise that your aftermarket camera is removed.
