Abnormal Audi Grill Damage

[ruben32]

I just noticed the grill on my vehicle started having some wavy lines in it. It was only noticeable in just the right light. After a week or so it started getting worse. I wiped down the area and tried to figure out if something got onto it or something. This evening it became even worse its like the chrome layer is delaminating from the grill. At first it was small and i thought worse comes to worse i could get it painted black or plastic dip it, but now its in seriously bad condition. Has anyone ever ran into this issue? I'm in Minneapolis and it has been in the negatives to is the heat from the engine then sitting outside in the cold while am at work doing this? Our A6 has never had this problem and i just got this car this month.

Can this be fixed or am i just going to have to bite the bullet and find a new grill?

[Mrads]

I have seen this before. Essentially, it is a manufacturing flaw. The plastic chrome is delaminating from the plastic grille frame. This shouldn't happen regardless of heat/cold or weather conditions. It isn't worth attempting a repair and if it isn't replaced under warranty, I would suggest an RS style replacement grille. They are relatively inexpensive and look better imo.

Sent from my SM-T713 using Tapatalk

[mpo77]

That picture matches exactly the grill on my 2013 S5 (75k miles). Probably started to see this around 65k miles.

Mentioned this to the service agent when the car was at the dealer for service. He said it happens on occasion, likely due to heat (I'm in Phoenix, but not sure I buy that explanation), but that it wouldn't be covered under warranty. Didn't want to pay for a replacement grill as not sure how much longer I will have the car.

[03TLSinCO]

This is called "dewetting". Dewetting is a phenomenon where a thin film of liquid ruptures on a substrate, which leads to droplet formation. It is the opposite of the process of spreading, which is a liquid spreading on substrates. In this case, chrome is the liquid plating spread across part of the plastic grill. Dewetting usually occurs when some sort of contaminant is left underneath the top plating coat, causing this delaminating, or more accurately, dewetting. It is a manufacturing defect and I would imagine it would be covered under warranty, if you still happen to have one (not likely on a 2013).

[HazeMyth]

My mom's first Q5 had this problem, too. They actually had an appointment to get it fixed, but the day before the appointment is when they got hit head on by a dead guy and the car was totaled, so nothing ever came from it. The same problem hasn't come up on their new Q5, which is the same model year as their one that had the issue.

If it's under warranty, have it replaced. If they claim it's not under warranty, have them prove that to you with their little booklet. If it's out of warranty or proven to not be covered, it's a great excuse for an RS style grille.

[mpo77]

This is called "dewetting". Dewetting is a phenomenon where a thin film of liquid ruptures on a substrate, which leads to droplet formation. It is the opposite of the process of spreading, which is a liquid spreading on substrates. In this case, chrome is the liquid plating spread across part of the plastic grill. Dewetting usually occurs when some sort of contaminant is left underneath the top plating coat, causing this delaminating, or more accurately, dewetting. It is a manufacturing defect and I would imagine it would be covered under warranty, if you still happen to have one (not likely on a 2013).

Mine was under CPO warranty at the time (and still is for one more month), but they said it wasn't covered so I didn't push it. Guess I could try again before the warranty is up.

[HazeMyth]

Mine was under CPO warranty at the time (and still is for one more month), but they said it wasn't covered so I didn't push it. Guess I could try again before the warranty is up.

I'd ask for a second opinion. That seems like something that should be covered, but I've been surprised by things that aren't covered before. The upper trunk latch assembly, for whatever reason, is not covered under CPO. The lower assembly is, but the upper isn't. My service adviser showed me the CPO book and the codes that coincide with specific failures, so I knew they weren't lying about it not being covered.

[mpo77]

Wanted to give an update on my situation.

My grill damage was getting progressively worse. Eventually the wrinkling led to cracking and then part of the chrome trim that was cracked ripped off when I was on the highway. It exposed the plastic underneath and obviously needed to be replaced. From the pic you can see the missing portion and also another section of chrome plating has already delaminated from the plastic.

I sent that pic to my service advisor and he said that he will get it covered under my CPO warranty (only 2 weeks remaining). They had my car for 3 days and I didn't hear anything. Yesterday he called and said they are getting rejected by Audi for covering this under CPO. He said his manager is involved and they are trying to get it covered, but no luck as yet.

If anyone has any experience getting this covered under the CPO, any advice would be appreciated. Will reply here when I have resolution either way.

[Neil F]

If the Audi replacement does not work out, It is easy enough to get a stock replacement (very easy to put on yourself). There always are stock grills in the classified. People do try to sell them but there are not many who buy. I would not pay much.

[wangshuo1989]

if it's not covered you can paint it black

[Neil F]

if it's not covered you can paint it black

But that won't keep it from peeling

[mpo77]

If the Audi replacement does not work out, It is easy enough to get a stock replacement (very easy to put on yourself). There always are stock grills in the classified. People do try to sell them but there are not many who buy. I would not pay much.

My service advisor contacted me and said that him and his manager got a "final NO" from Audi that they would not cover it. As an aside, he said they checked how much warranty work they did on my S5 - it was over $13k over the 5 years I've owned it (not counting regular service intervals). So a little bummed that the CPO didn't cover it, but it has been good to me.

My advisor said it would be around $1400 for the grille replacement and labor. Part is $1200 and the labor around $200. He suggested I just find a grille on ebay and they would install it (I'm not a DIYer, so not even a consideration for me). I took the advice above and picked up a barely used one from the Classifieds here for around $200. Will just have them install it when it gets here. Thanks for the heads up.

[HazeMyth]

But that won't keep it from peeling

It will if you remove the chrome junk and properly prep and paint it.

[snocat17]

My advisor said it would be around $1400 for the grille replacement and labor. Part is $1200 and the labor around $200. He suggested I just find a grille on ebay and they would install it (I'm not a DIYer, so not even a consideration for me). I took the advice above and picked up a barely used one from the Classifieds here for around $200. Will just have them install it when it gets here. Thanks for the heads up.

I'm not a DIYer either. I asked a very reputable collision shop how much they would charge to change out the grill and they said maybe $150 if they were having a busy week. That might be a good option too, and you could ask them to paint the gray bars black. It would still be under $500 all-in.