I’ve got a leak on one of my car tyres. I know this. I just keep pumping it up, about once a week does nicely. I’ve had it looked at, the problem is the alloy wheel is horrendously damaged and it leaks air out at the rim. I haven’t looked into solving this yet but apparently repairs are possible. Recently I had to leave the car parked up for 2 weeks and when I returned the tyre was completely flat and I didn’t have a pump!
I was with a colleague who I had already offered a lift to, so it was slightly embarrassing that we appeared to be stuck. I sprung into action, grabbed the spare wheel and changing kit from the boot. It didn’t take that long to whack the spare on and as I was finishing up with the wheel, my colleague helped by putting away all the tools. We were on our way.
A few days later I got around to re-inflating the original wheel and began the process of swapping it back, except the alloy wheel locking nut key was no-where to be seen! I searched every part of the car, every compartment, under seats, under carpets and nothing. I was now a bit stuck.
Google reveals this is not an uncommon problem and that it may be possible to key a spare from the manufacturer, Audi. I looked through all the original car documentation to see what it said. It mentioned that with the correct code a spare could indeed be ordered. Where is the code? That’s right: stamped onto the key! So before I lose the key I am supposed to have read page 294 of the manual to know that I need to make a note of the code in case I lose the key. Awesome…
Plan B: I called my local Kwik-Fit who recommended I call Audi first. If I didn’t get anywhere with Audi then Kwik-fit did offer a package for £100 where they could remove all the security bolts and replace with aftermarket ones. I have already decided that security bolts are more trouble that they are worth so asked about replacing with normal bolts. Apparently it was a package for £100 and there was no budging on that.
I called Audi in Basingstoke and attempted to describe the problem. The lady on the phone was completely bewildered by what I was asking for, “master key?” she asked, while I was wondering if she even owned a car. She eventually established what I wanted and said that parts would need to help with that but they were all busy and could they call me back. Certainly, and I handed over my details.
No calls returned that day, or the next and by the day after that I decided they were beyond useless and called the Reading dealership instead. They were a little more helpful and I had managed to get straight through to parts. They said that as I didn’t have the key code they could remove the bolts with their master keys and then replace with normal bolts and new little plastic caps. It was going to cost £26. Well, that’s better than £100, but that was just the cost of the parts. I asked about the work and he wasn’t sure about that so put me through to booking. I had to explain everything again of course. I decided that I also needed an MOT so was booked in for the following Tuesday. There was still no clarification on the final cost but I was told I’d get a call back. A day or so later I still hadn’t heard anything so I wrote an email explaining everything I needed: bolts off, spare wheel swapped, new non-security bolts, MOT. Final cost please?… no response.
I called again a day later and was passed through to booking. They didn’t have a final cost and I asked if they’d seen my email. They hadn’t received my email but said that it had to go through the front desk first and assured me that it would make it’s way over to them eventually. I was not assured.
I waited until Monday and as I still hadn’t had a call back or a response to my email I decided that Audi were in fact fairly useless. I went to a local independent garage near my work over my lunch break and they said that for£49 they would remove the existing bolts and replace with normal ones for £1 each. Bargain! The method of removal was a little more destructive than a master key, they had to hammer a moldable bolt onto the security ones but it wouldn’t damage the car. I left it with them and drove it home with replacement bolts later that afternoon. I was finally free!
I’m fairly disappointed with Audi, they make great cars and I know when you go for a service or MOT they are very professional and give great service. Unfortunately it seems that’s all they can do right, if you need anything a little more unusual they don’t know how to cope and the customer is left to run around picking up the pieces. I’ve had previous similar experiences with them.
So the lessons learned: if you have security bolts make a note of any codes required to replace them, get a spare key in advance, think about replacing them with ordinary bolts. Finally: local independent garages are often the best option. They are small and nimble and have a much closer relationship with their customers.