Oliver H

Extremely disappointing

I've purchased and had serviced by Audi, many approved used cars over the years, from A3, A5, TT, A7, to S3, so was excited to be collecting my dream Audi RS7 on Dec 23rd 2025 for ~£60k with 43k miles. With it being an approved Audi, I had peace of mind and didn't think twice about the standard. However, on handover I was genuinely shocked at the condition of the bodywork. Rear wheel arches were peppered in stone chips, and there were other chips and scratches, which I argued should have been covered during bodywork prep. I was told it was to be expected and there was 'insufficient margin in the car' to prepare it to any higher standard. As I'd traveled a long distance to collect, I accepted a £200 reduction in price to get the bodywork polished myself as goodwill and to 'stop me giving them a bad review'. Also instead of a set of rubber mats, I'd agreed as part of the deal, I was surprised to find only a front set of ill fitting A6 mats...presumably there wasn't enough margin. On arriving home and taking it to a body shop, I learned the cost to respray the wheel arches alone was ~£1000. The drivers door also had a bad rattle, as if the window was loose. There was also over spray on the tyre valves/caps from the alloy re-furb and the drivers door had a dent that I hadn't spotted. The ventilated seats, now it's warmer I've realised don't work properly. All in all, a very sour taste. The icing on the cake however, and what has prompted this review, was that the brake wear indicator started coming on intermittently having done only ~1500 miles/3.5 months after collecting. On the advise of Lincoln, I took it to my local dealer, Watford Audi, who showed me the pads were all at ~ 5mm friction material remaining, which raised eye brows. But the trigger for the warning was a frayed sensor wire on a OS front pad. They quoted over £1000 to have the front pads replaced and suggested I contact Lincoln for some good-will, as although a perishable item, pads should have lasted more than 1500 miles and the frayed wire was possibly a warranty issue and could have been visible on inspection. On the bright side, Watford fixed the window rattle after finding a bolt was missing inside the drivers door window assembly. Despite me sending the report from Watford, Lincoln Audi told me it 'met their standards' and couldn't help with the brakes. Apparently I 'might have taken it to a race track'!! In isolation, I perhaps would have accepted the brakes, but this was the straw that broke the camels back - really rubbish experience with Lincoln Audi. I couldn't help but remember those words from the sales manager 'not enough margin'. They asked me to escalate to Audi UK, which I did on 19th May. Sadly, Audi UK have been next to useless (I'm assuming they are inundated with other complaints) and I'm still waiting as of 30th June. Over 1.5 months since the original complaint.... I know VAG are struggling with margins, you can see that in the quality of latest interiors, but this is so short sighted and I certainly won't accept the 'Approved Audi' peace of mind again. What is it exactly that I paid a premium for? I advise you to thoroughly check the condition of any approved used purchase from Lincoln and ask for evidence that it has had a thorough preparation, as it seems once you've collected, there will be no level of good will or customer service. Perhaps it's because I'm not local. Either way, a rubbish experience.