A7 Down With Electrical Malfunction - 3-6 Month Wait!!

[BAFS21]

My 2019 A7 presented with an "electrical malfunction error" and was towed to the local Audi dealership. My service advisor is coordinating a loaner car, but also told me the wait for the new part could be between 3-6 months!

I purchased the car from a Mercedes Benz dealer as a used car with about 29,400 miles on it, and probably put 400 more miles on it before this error popped up. I absolutely love the car, but if it actually takes 3-6 months for a repair part, what are my options with regards to lemon laws in NJ?


Appreciate any advice on what to do, I've never had an issue like this before.

[FBAnder]

Happening to many many C8 owners...can find quite a few threads here. 48v generator failed. Audi extended the warranty recently on this part. Supposedly a revised part is has become available very recently which could explain the spiking wait times again as Audi wants to use it vs old/defective inventory.

[aquarian]

It's the alternator. Tons of 2019 model years have this problem such as a6, a7, q8, etc.

[Smookes]

So, are 2020 and newer safe from this problem?

[FBAnder]

So, are 2020 and newer safe from this problem?

Nope. All C8 MY impacted.

[RMode]

it won't be 3-6 months. That's a CYA answer

ask a lemon law attorney about laws in your state.

https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/Ne...-lemon-law.pdf

No idea if this is applicable here, since the car will be sidelined due to inavailability of the part, to any dealer presently.

[00_Bora]

At least your car didnt die and turn off on the highway like mine did! Parts and labor had it fixed within a week so dont stress too much

[cocopup96]

Same here. Mine died on a curvy mountain road and all systems failed except the brakes. I was VERY fortunate to find a place to pull off that had access for a tow truck and was not on a blind corner. I had it towed to the dealership where they also said 1.5 - 4 months, but had the part in and replaced within 14 days.

Was a pain, but my dealership did everything they could and were very professional.

[maxvq35]

I had this issue this week at 51k on the odometer of my '19 A6. I bought the car with 34k miles last May, nigh exactly 1 year. Driving to my typical 7 mi commute to my office....

Brought into Audi , Failed Starter Generator/Alternator was the diagnosis. At service manager told me they were 2-6 weeks out from part deliveries and they were at least 2 weeks out on loaners but that he would move me up in case of a cancelation 😞. Go figure, my third car is in RI with my kid coming home in 2 weeks from college. Luckily the next morning I got a call, sister dealership had a customer lose his shit from months long wait on this very issue and forced a lemon buyback. So out of the two alternators they just received for claims , they gave up the one meant for that car and shipped it over for me. So I had my car back in 48 hrs 😀 My service guy at Audi Bridgewater is a stud for making those extra phone calls, very grateful it worked out the way it did.

I'm out of warranty and have an APR Stage 1 tune (which they said nothing about...) . If it were not for the tune that disables at Start/Stop at startup its very likely I would not have made it to the dealership . I made sure i had no accessories running.

My buddy a few months ago had this same issue with his wife's 2020 Q7 with 22k mi., his wife was not comprehending the scenario and was still running the bum warmers and climate control and the car died 2 blocks from the dealership. Everything died .

I really hope the part has been revised for better longevity , i really like this car but if i had a repeat i may walk away . Low mileage 840i's are looking mighty tasty and B58's are pretty stout these days. I've driven several cars to 200k including a 528i, and never had to replace an alternator in any car i've owned since the mid 90's, even when i used to mess around with aftermarket sound systems.. It seems like luck of the draw when this part can fail based on the many stories ive read on....or just the drawback to THIS mild hybrid design?
My start/stop battery died on my Volvo S90 and my car was still 100% functional and usable with out it. End of rant....ugghh

Best of luck.

[OneFastBMW]

I am not sure if mechanically it is a different part, but I believe there is a new part number in the last week or two. The new part number ends in “T” and people are hoping that it is an improved version.

[Street heat]

This makes me hesitant to pull the trigger on a C8. Am I to assume the RS5 is safe from this issue ?

[Tropicgreena4]

This makes me hesitant to pull the trigger on a C8. Am I to assume the RS5 is safe from this issue ?

yes.

[BobRunnin]

I'm from Europe and I had the same problem with the 48v alternator. The alternator is very hard to find in stock, I waited at the car service for repair but they couldn't find anything quickly. If it helps someone, I recommend getting the alternator from autoteilemhev.de/en/17-alternators. It is a general problem with audi mid-hybrid with these alternators. I recommend to disable from button the start/stop.