How To Do £8,000 Of Damage To An Audi R8, Without Crashing! The Valet Parking NIGHTMARE!

[@JayEmmOnCars]

A huge thankyou to The Black Belt Barrister for his help in this case - check out his video about the legal aspects of today's piece here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6uYi3yNm7GLraM

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you both for your support and sharing this story so others can know what they can do if they find themselves in a similar situation!

[@BlackBeltBarrister]

Thank you both for the very interesting collaboration!

[@grahamnutt8958]

@@sportzntouring also @ BBB and JayEmm. An interesting and disturbing case which I am glad to see is now resolved. The two Expert reports made all the difference here and gave an explanation that I understood. 🕷🕸 Charlotte rides again 👊👍

[@wpjohn91]

No dash cam on a expensive car is strange. Wouldnt that of sorted everything?

[@shahrukhbakar3248]

@@wpjohn91 What if they just left the car in 'D' with the parking brake on without any hard launches?

[@R03333]

One thing not addressed in these cases is the mental headache throughout the whole ordeal, such a waste of everyone's time when companies try and dodge blame

[@sportzntouring]

Ooh yeah! We tried to keep the story to the process rather than my emotions. We didn't want it to be like sympathy seeking... Just empowering people with a bit of knowledge of what can be done. More on that in Black Belt Barrister's video out at 1pm.

[@Cloxxki]

I'd have taken them to the highest court for huge damages. If anything, to set an example to the rest of the industry. Damages all sent away as donations to some car mechanics related charity.

[@pb5x5]

@@Cloxxki Ant was probably feed up with it and just wanted things to come to a close in the end.

[@CarsofGlasgow]

reminds me of the balenciaga stuff going on

[@markukblackmore]

This is so very true. I had to claim off a BMW dealer for scratches caused by their washing method. Total damage was over £2000 and I knew I had a rock solid case. But it pretty much takes a year after the back and forth even if going direct via small claims. I did get a full settlement - I had a dozen items of evidence including dash cam video - but the mental anguish is genuinely disruptive to health. The number of times I was awake at 3am just working over in my mind what to do next just to speed things along. Some of the nonsense the dealer threw at me was mind-blowing in its silliness. Luckily for me the service manager outright lied in an email about it "never happening before". But I'd already found other customers who had the same issues who'd sent me their email exchanges. (I also found the national dealership had fired someone from another of their locations after they'd complained about poor washing practices - so that was fun to mention in my dossier.) Cut and dried case at that point. Also very sadly for me as an enthusiast, BMW UK pretty much told me they exist for the benefit of their dealers not the customers. My cars have 4 rings on the front these days. Once you have an experience like that you can't carry on buying the product knowing they won't stand behind you if something bad happens.

[@simonmenzies3142]

Thank you for naming the company that caused the damage. Far too often people shy away from doing that or are wrongly talked out of doing so.

[@sportzntouring]

Thanks for the supportive words. I had a couple of motivations of doing that. 1: I'm using a new storage company who have been amazing so far and I'm known to their customers. I didn't want anyone mistaking this story as being about the new company. 2: There are people who are storing with the firm in this video, and have no idea that they run the risk of finding themselves in the same situation as me - with damage and facing a complete rejection of any liability for any damage however caused. That decision made everything I've done since about the principle for me.

[@TonyRule]

I despise people that do exactly that and won't name names because they take the money over principles. The "As long as I'm OK..." mentality is precisely what allows crooks to flourish. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

[@marklotinga]

@SPORTZNTOURING Good work although you could clearly have done without it. As per others thanks for naming names too!

[@silmarian]

@@TonyRule To be fair, it's usually more that people are afraid of being sued into oblivion than being paid off. Defending a libel case can be ruinously expensive, even if you win. Yeah, you may get your costs back in the end, but not everyone can afford to front tens of thousands of dollars/pounds/euros to get to that point.

[@eliteinspections3528]

It was a pleasure to be of assistance on this. Unfortunately we see far to many cases where companies try and wriggle out of their responsibility. Things go wrong everyday in the motor industry (like all industries) but what separates the good companies from the bad ones is how it is dealt with.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Very much so! Thanks for your help with Antony's case

[@sportzntouring]

Yes, thank you team! You were invaluable!

[@margauxj-broussel9186]

Don’t you think objectively that Audi’s design really sucks not to prevent such a behaviour? Especially with so many sensors available. Like, literally the car will let the clutch being partially engaged while the door is opened and the driver’s seat empty (airbag sensor can tell), and even after the warning light will keep the clutch partially engaged and not even shift to Neutral or disengage the clutch. Really, what a poor design and in my opinion unacceptable.

[@onecookieboy]

TBH I think you got it all wrong in this case, it simply doesn't add up and I think you report was biased towards ensuring the owner of the car got the outcome he wanted, in this case an expensive new clutch. Consider this, a clutch is a wear item and I imagine a car like this is pretty hard on its clutch, especially if the current or previous owner had used it as intended. The milage and length of time the current owner has had the vehicle was not discussed or any known service history. Why was the flywheel only showing signs of heat in two places?, is the flywheel distorted? I have seen flywheels with hundreds of surface cracks from being overheated and they are always fairly evenly distributed, not isolated to two places. Was the clutch release bearing correctly adjusted?, the car was idling in gear and as it heated up and parts were getting hotter, they would expand and the car would start moving away if the park brake was not applied and also how is it that the software was not able to recognise that the park brake was on, the driver seat unoccupied and the door open? No, you guys did a hatchet job on behalf of the owner, then helped destroy a businesses reputation.

[@paulsz6194]

@@onecookieboy you sound like a stooge, commenting for the defendants in this case.., Don’t you think the defendants would have tried to poke holes like this in the plaintiffs case? With a car as expensive like this , I’m sure he would have an impeccable service history. You seem to be DEAF to the fact they couldn’t produce, the same, original contract that the customers signed, where it’s stated the Employee won’t be liable for the any damage incurred during the period the car is stored with them. Perhaps turn on CAPTIONS/ SUBTITLES and watch this video again, before you come on and make foolish comments here...

[@DavidFerriday]

It's the wiggling around that's done it for me. If you cause damage you take accountability. How can anyone else ever trust them again? I wouldn't trust them with my 12 year old Golf.

[@sportzntouring]

This was the main concern for me. And, I hope this video empowers more people to hold traders to account.

[@f-u-nkyf-u-ntime]

A company's default position is to deny liability, and if that means lying, then so be it.

[@sportzntouring]

@@f-u-nkyf-u-ntime Sad, but true. Short term thinking. It's a race to the bottom unfortunately.

[@TheCommentator353]

My golf's 20 years old and I'd still steer well clear

[@thepro08]

one of the main reason i hate mechanics is this, they are looking at your car and you thinking how can i take the most money possible from you, i had one that told me, it would be cheaper to get a mistress than having my car, I leave their garage thinking what a scam artist, and since i never had a single problem with the car.... the same car, they guy was saying it will be a nightmare to maintain, it happened to many times to me and to family and friends in multiple places, i even had mechanics saying that they were instructed by the manager to fix one problem and create another one as a normal pratice.... i cant stand dodgy criminal people. these companies have no biz doing any service to the public and should be imediatly shut down, they should fix or repair financily the clients, they should be shut down as the owners ethics will never change..... im sick of mechanics with a big hholeon the road, so they can fix your tyre... and this kind of shameless scam behaviour.... they have no right to be criminal, biz bureau can and should shut it down and be inspected as many of them even rob cars for parts and god knows what more.... they sell cars that are not safe, and i have some in front of me cold start reving my car just to trie to brake it.... they deserve just a nice punch in the face.... most of them are shady and have no biz talking to the public

[@jozsefizsak]

It's always a joy to hear someone so intelligent and articulate tell a story. I'm glad the dreadful tale of that company's foolish and unprofessional behaviour ended reasonably well. A lawyer I consulted years ago explained that you can't contract out of applicable legislation and yet we see attempts to do just that all the time. These people have earned the bad publicity.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed Antony's story - and you are so right. It annoys us all - me, Antony, Daniel - that people think their piece of paper supercedes the law

[@jamiekelly9762]

It didn't fail. They left it running in gear and burnt out the clutch. The R8 won't creep forward when left running but clutch drag will soon make it toasty.

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you! I really liked the BlackBeltBarrister's explanation over on his channel. Very clear. Really appreciate you watching.

[@TonyRule]

@@jamiekelly9762 I'm just surprised it doesn't also fully disengage the clutch when the parking brake is on as it does with the service brake. Presumably it was on when the driver got out with the vehicle in gear.

[@sportzntouring]

@@TonyRule Some cars do that, more so now especially in cars with an electronic parking brake integrated into the drive systems... but the older the car, the less likely it is to have that system.

[@Checkyoursix77]

I have owned a couple of Audis both standard, S and RS models. My experience is that you can’t find a more unreliable money pit than Audi. My Italian exotics and Jaguars have cost me a fraction of money and headaches compared with my Audis. Now I know the meaning of the four circles in the Audi logos, it’s the four zeros added to the total on your next bill…

[@kass9722]

as this story shows, it's not really the cars, all high end cars are " money pits".

[@Beer_Dad1975]

Agreed, Audi are trash - they could have easily engineered a solution to the clutch overheating issue explained here, but why would they when it means they can sell more parts, service and ultimately when the owner gets fucked off enough, maybe a new car - if they aren't like you and me and haven't realised what garbage VAG produce and take their business elsewhere.

[@constructionbootgazer]

Lol, I’ve been using an allroad as a contractor work truck for the last 5 years and it’s been super reliable for me. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@louisebillows879]

🫢

[@plektosgaming]

What amazes me is that the system doesn't have a failsafe mode where it just puts itself in park and disengages the clutch when it's overheating like that. Or that it even does that sort of behavior in the first place. To put it into terms of a typical manual transmission, it's like stopping at a light and leaving your foot halfway on the clutch. It's a huge no-no that any driving instructor would yell at you for doing. Yet this is apparently normal because... Audi?

[@rcnmoto1548]

This variation on content I find extremely refreshing. Not at all that I`m getting bored of your car reviews but I guess all petrol-heads just like hearing all these kind of stories. Excellent story with the right ending.

[@rob.fisher]

Came here to say this

[@jakublulek3261]

Frankly Jay, content like this makes you really stand out from the car reviewer community. I love you talking about cars but this real-life, practical stories are equally as important and interesting. Cheers!

[@henryhol8538]

Wow! What an eye opener! Thanks for sharing and thank goodness the Audi is back again in one piece. Though a different scenario, I can now see why Jay Leno never allows his cars to be valet parked.

[@andrewgurney6019]

Anyone who lets a valet park their car is an idiot.

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

This reminds me of a story an elderly relative told me many years ago. She had a number of clutches within a year or so. She was always told that it must be her driving. However, she knew otherwise, as she had never had clutch problems over many years of driving. Se quickly worked out what the problem was, it was the valet parking at her work. There was one guy in the team who would hold the cars on the ramp without using the brake...even though she was a solicitor herself, she did not manage to get any costs out of the parking garage.

[@sportzntouring]

Wow!!

[@plektosgaming]

Rule #1 of anything with a clutch... never ever EVER let the hooligans at valet parking touch it. I've even had my car go into the dealer for an service and register 20+ miles. Of course they denied it, then when I showed them photos (DO take a picture of your odometer if you ever hand the car over for any reason) of when I brought it in and when they delivered it, claimed it was normal testing. Absolute scum.

[@Fred_the_1996]

@@plektosgaming everyone should get a security camera in the car wired to the key barrel, so that whenever anyone turns the car on it turns on.

[@oscarleedefur]

@@plektosgaming I've seen a valet do damage to an automatic transmission as well.

[@_realdbs]

I had something slightly similar happen, I had a 68 plate r8 and in summer it caught fire while I was driving it. It was a total loss (melted to the road). It was fairly tough and took 4 months to get insurance to pay out, similarly I needed legal advice, to look into specialists to do engineering and fire reports on the car. Very glad to hear that your situation has been successfully resolved now as I'm certainly uncomfortably familiar with how stressful these situations can be!

[@sportzntouring]

Oh wow! That sounds awful! Yeah, seeing how it seems everyone just tries to find any excuse to avoid being accountable is very frustrating, especially as a principled person. I'm glad yours was resolved in the end. Same thing happened to a friend of mine. The FOS had to get involved in their case in the end.

[@CarsofGlasgow]

have you seen Ben Rayne? His R8 caught fire too and hes got a YT channel too covering it.

[@_realdbs]

@@CarsofGlasgow no I hadn't seen that, will take a look! Thank you

[@CarsofGlasgow]

@@_realdbs no worries

[@stevemarshall3481]

That was one hell of an interesting video, I could've listened to Antony telling his story all day, absolutely loved it, shame the company that caused the damage didn't just hold their hands up straight away, especially after the first report from Audi, so pleased that Antony got the right result in the end 👍

[@Hypersonik]

No company will hold their hands up straight away. They want you to get bored, frustrated, and give up. The goal of any company is to make money, not to simply reimburse customers for something they have a good chance of ignoring.

[@parkecorepersonaltrainingp2601]

What a great and interesting story and that’s one place to avoid. I’m glad it all got sorted out and it’s upsetting that a company would lie like that.

[@delg551]

Great video. Antony handled it all very well, and seems a really decent guy. I am pleased it was all resolved eventually. He stuck to the facts, no sky digs just facts, always the sign of a good person. Glad he and his son can make those memories. Jay your channel goes from strength to strength, well done and thank you for the great content. Also let's raise a toast to the Black Belt Barrister.

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you. This was all about principles for me. Integrity is one of the values I hold highest. I hope people can learn from my experience and from BlackBeltBarrister's guidance on how to avoid some of the mistakes I made in the earlier parts of this process.

[@alexwillard6108]

Thanks for making this video James. There really are so many people out there who think that they can act in a way which makes sense to them without any understanding of the law. It's good to see that this case ended well. I've had my Aston damage by an MOT centre and they were completely disinterested....

[@sportzntouring]

That's terrible! Yeah, this was a matter of principle for me. Mainly due to the position taken on the terms and conditions. Some of us need to fight these cases to send a message - that firms are accountable for the damage they cause.

[@lomjams]

Great videos James! I really like them, but please don't start putting silly faces in the thumbnails like all the others. It's really not needed and doesn't bring any value. I'm sure the people who watch your videos are smart enough and don't need a shocked face in the thumbnail to understand what's going on. Personally it puts me off more than anything, it's the reason i don't watch many other videos on various other channels. I just turned 32, so maybe it's just an age thing

[@DavidFerriday]

u wot m8

[@R03333]

Algorithm likes what the algorithm likes

[@sportzntouring]

@@R03333 sadly, you're right. More people click on stuff like this than not, despite what many say. I understand that so don't judge when a creator does this and accept it as I want them to be successful and it's not like a puppie died. Just trying to make a living at what we love.

[@Carrera-gp9od]

Agree with original posts. All the over dramatic stuff is not necessary.

[@dwarfshortage244]

Shit aint that serious.

[@JoeAchilles1]

Amazing video and insight guys, glad it's sorted in the end and hasn't cost you a small fortune 👏

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you. Indeed! I just hope that by sharing my story others will feel empowered to tackle these behaviours head on and get the right legal advice.

[@jamesonslow]

A really well presented and interesting story. Well done, Anthony, for your steadfast and professional approach in this situation. Glad you got the right end result.

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you!

[@paulsz6194]

100%👍🏼 . Clearly explained, so should anyone find themselves in such an unfortunate situation, they know who to turn to and how to handle the situation.

[@chriscomparescars4416]

Awesome to see this different insight. Struggling with my old BMW bills, makes me more realistic with my intentions of supercar ownership after hearing 10k costs (if there was no warranty) on the R8!

[@ApothecaryTerry]

Definitely got to watch out for those ownership costs, you can buy a Bentley GT for about £20k in decent condition and it'll be relatively reliable. It'll also cost thousands to keep on the road! I'm currently in a 981CS which is no supercar but it shares a lot of 911 parts (including the engine) so it's definitely in that cost ballpark. For an idea of what you'd be facing, mine is a very solid example and has cost me almost exactly £1k a year in unplanned maintenance (i.e. it broke 😆). On top of that, a major service this year was £1030 and a set of tyres is also over £1000. In 2.5 years, it's cost me well over £4k for non-fluids. It came with a brand new set of brakes too, no idea how much they'd cost! On the other hand though, if I'd have bought a brand new diesel Golf (roughly the same price) then I'd have lost more in depreciation than every penny I've spent on the porker. If you've got the right badge and the engine is behind you, depreciation is unlikely to be an issue, so worth factoring that into your expected costs. Just don't ever let your savings drop below a few thousand, there's a good chance you'll need them!

[@chriscomparescars4416]

@@ApothecaryTerry funny you mention the Continental GT. That would be my next purchase if everything aligns correctly! Well sumerised in your comments. Another thing people forget is that everything costs money to maintain so it's only the difference of costs....and can you really put a price on that enjoyment?!?!? Also if it's a second car you can have a bit more patience with periods of it being 'maintaned' unlike a daily which is what my BMW is 🙄 Enjoy the Porsche mate!

[@ApothecaryTerry]

@@chriscomparescars4416 Contis are hugely expensive to run but few things match them as a GT car at any price! I briefly considered one for my previous car but bought an L10 GS450h instead which is still one of my all time favourite cars, but the one thing it can't do like the Conti is make you want to stare out the window at it, which is obviously a big part of having a fancy car! I'd have that Lexus over absolutely any German luxury car except the new Panamera though. At the end of the day I think there's only one thing that really matters with cars. If you park next to every other car you could have had, are you thinking "I wish I had one of X" or "haha you muppets all bought the wrong car" 😂

[@alphatrion100]

If 10k is a problem, dont buy a supercar!

[@ravster79]

Well done you for not giving up and for telling this story so eloquently and calmly. I've used Elite Inspections and found them brilliant although never had to use them in anger. Good to also hear Audi stepping up to help. Glad you still enjoy the car with your son but what a headache it must have been for you.

[@sportzntouring]

It really was. Yeah, Elite Inspections were amazing!

[@aes_ytb]

Jay, I like this sort of content. Adds some nice diversity to your already very good chanel. PS: I recently saw one of your older videos and I just realised how much weight you lost!! Well done sir.

[@marcnobel3938]

Well played in this situation. Super professional handled. - Happy that he got his money back even when they still stole his time.

[@sportzntouring]

It became a matter of principle for me.

[@Nialletto]

Hats off to Anthony for being so composed as he recollected those events. I definitely wouldn't have been...! Subscribing to the new channel now.

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you. I had all the emails, exchanges, solicitor's letters in front of me on my phone... James just edited out all the pauses 🙂

[@davebarron5939]

Great, although-be-it bad / typical, so glad you were to get this abuse corrected and receive nearly the proper compensation. Insurance companies are NOT there to insure you, they are there to make a profit, and (like you now) I have the true stories to back it up. Thanks to you and James for sharing, always nice to see the good guys win one once in a while.

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you! It really was a matter of principle for me, once they played the terms and conditions card.

[@ericbrown8242]

Wow what a fascinating story, really glad it all worked out in the end, persistence ,intelligence and a refusal to be fobbed off, well done

[@MrSunnyBhoy]

Wow what a story, very well articulated.and glad you got it sorted. Just shows u got to be very careful

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you!

[@CatalystlawUk]

A great video and story. Thank you for your kind feedback and we are pleased that we were able to assist.

[@sportzntouring]

Thanks for all your help on this Catalyst Law! I cannot thank you enough.

[@ArcofZen]

Great content once again James. My father once took his car to be tracked/wheel alignment and when he picked it up could tell immediately that something wasn't right. He duly went back in to the office area and explained this and that he would need to be refunded for the shoddy work The owner of the 'garage' was not forthcoming and essentially told my Dad that he didn't know what he was talking about and there was no chance of a refund! It was at this point my Dad explained that he was a member of the IRTE (Institute of Road Transport Engineers) And that he would be taking this further. Lo and behold an apology and a refund was made that very moment! Sadly most other patrons simply get ripped off. Pleased the R8 owner stood his ground in this case also.

[@mrzee1951]

Yeah I've had the same experience on my own car unfortunately, I had done some suspension work on it plus some tyres and wanted the tracking to be checked. The company checked and 'corrected' the tracking for me, didn't say anything until after I drove the car which was now pulling hard left while driving in a straight line! They admitted at that point they noticed it, annoyed I stated they needed to correct it - by this point they stated their machine showed all green and true and therefore my car must be bent!! In the end I rented the use of a car ramp to check for myself to find they only adjusted the cam-bolts on one side to it's max setting. This meant the wheel base on one side of the car was shorter than the other by about 6-8inches. Once I reset the cam-bolts to zero, the car tracked perfectly.

[@ArcofZen]

@@mrzee1951 Most people just don't have the knowledge or confidence to stand up for this kind of thing. Finding a quality garage is gold dust!

[@rod.h8064]

@@mrzee1951 oof! Then their machine is off calibration, wonder how many others they've done the same thing to.

[@mrzee1951]

@@rod.h8064 well I did say this to them, however the way they adjusted it said to me they haven't a clue about suspension geometry or how it works - only adjust to make the green lights on the machine happy. I had heard later on many others who had used them face similar problems, like one where someone scrubbed out a new tyre completely bald in less than 200 miles due to their tracking failures!

[@jamesmc1272]

@@mrzee1951 Ive worked on cars for 30 years I've never seen a car that has 6 inches of adjustment in any fixed suspension part.

[@bernardpowell3582]

Brilliant insight to an unfortunate situation, I didn't think it was going to keep me to the end Lessons for us all Nice one one and all

[@sportzntouring]

Thanks for watching. Hopefully this video, and the BlackBeltBarrister's video will help others navigate similar situations.

[@thedoble]

Loving these storytime videos Jay, more please! :D

[@CarsofGlasgow]

me too

[@garypoon1512]

Great job @JayEmm & @Ant, calling these people on their bullsh1t! Taking full responsibility is one of the highest forms of human maturity, a pity that the same cannot be said for the owner of GQ Car Storage...

[@sportzntouring]

That was overall the most disappointing thing. Over the previous year I had really grown to like these guys. We'd have coffee and chats when I'd pick up the car, have car-talk... At first, I assumed it must have been some fault with the car... It was when Hatfield Audi's first report came back saying the car was otherwise fine, but it was how it was operated that caused the damage AND the whole T&Cs thing... it kinda destroyed a relationship I really valued.

[@garypoon1512]

​@@sportzntouring, Ant people often show their true colors when faced with life's inevitable problems. Destroying relationships creates a deep sense of loss which in this case could have been totally avoided by mature conversation, understanding and working towards a solution. Again the owner of GQ Car Storage would be well counselled to remember that: the quality of your life is not your P&L sheet, the quality of your Life is the quality of your Relationships, period! Enjoy the day my friend and that wonderful GT 🙏

[@sagecouncil]

What a battle.. Glad you got your money back... It really "grinds my gears" when we hear about these companies that are happy to take your money but, don't care about your property. Like you said in the video, it's the time that pursuing this that is the worst thing, during which you are not able to use your car. Well done to all parties that helped.

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you!

[@tamatomlinson]

“Yeah, I wrote that one” It was BRILLIANT. Keep it up!

[@cafe405]

The behaviour of companies that delay hoping you go away is disgusting. You always end up out of pocket but it's so stressful you ultimately accept the small loss. Happens so often.

[@sportzntouring]

Yeah... It felt even like the insurance company was playing dumb in order to frustrate me into submission. That only fuelled my determination!

[@plektosgaming]

The normal practice here in the U.S. is to 100% of the time never admit anything even in court due to how the liability laws work and how their insurance rates will go up significantly as a result. You will get payouts, but they never admit guilt and often settle out of court on the condition you sign a NDA to protect their corporate image. Yes, it is disgusting.

[@XennialGuy]

This was a very entertaining story. Glad it worked out for him, doesn't always happen to be the case. Supercar ownership can definitely be a headache. I had a vehicle transport company damage the PPF on one of my previous brand new cars, but they were very professional and made it right and settled the whole thing within 2 weeks. Very rare to get a company to own up to their mistakes, it's an uphill battle in many cases.

[@sportzntouring]

That is what you want... The real test of great customer service isn't making zero mistakes (they're inevitable). It's about what they do when they make that mistake. Had the storage company taken that approach, I'd be singing their praises!

[@volkswizard]

Great video, the more people that are informed of their rights, the better the industry will need to become (which is a very good thing)

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you! That was my motivation behind sharing this story.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks for dropping by Mr Wizard!

[@alphaomega5721]

You've upped your game with this type of content. Thank you.

[@rajpatel3513]

Great video! Sorry to hear about the experience, glad the car is back!

[@deanstevenson6527]

German car ownership. Get a Warranty. Since Storage is mandatory in salted road environments, it's best if it's data logged. The joy of modern OBD, it does it all itself. It's a great thing.

[@REPerformanceUK]

So glad we could help!! Thankfully all sorted now and back on the road!

[@sportzntouring]

Oh yeah - and loving the geo setup you gave it 😆

[@martin72345]

Name and shame/ praise as appropriate. This is what true journalism is about and puts even more or my faith in your channel... even though I'm on the other side of the world and none of this applies to me directly at least as far as companies goes (and maybe some of the law).

[@sportzntouring]

I wasn't really aiming to name and shame. it was important to me, however, to allow people to learn from the story both in terms of what they could do if faced with a similar situation and the risk they might be taking should they store with the company. Particularly around the terms and conditions piece.

[@FlynnBellamyCars]

Very interesting story, thanks for bringing this to us. Can’t wait for the next video! 😃

[@savouryfriend]

Great collab, amazing video! :)

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you. Not the collab I wanted to have to make, but I felt it was necessary so others knew that if anything like this every happened to them, they have a fighting chance.

[@thedrivechannel83]

Dealer: "we will not be held responsible for anything we do, ever." Customer: "come again!?!"

[@sportzntouring]

Yup!!!

[@anthonyjackson280]

@sportzntouring - I have read your reply to many comments below about a real manual lurching forward if the clutch is let out, in gear with the engine running and that it would have caused a collision with the other vehicle. I have 2 responses. First I should say that I have been driving manuals preferentially for 42 years (I'm 64). I have, on occasion done that very thing. The difference is that it happens while the driver is in the seat, behind the wheel in the control position. It is instinctive (or should be) to apply the foot brake very firmly (with or without the clutch simultaneously). Secondly body damage to two cars, if an impact occurred, would have been far more difficult for the storage company to deny as their error. I do agree on the point about correct operation, and understanding of, the vehicle - although that is increasingly rare among modern drivers who seem to care more about the 'infotainment system' details than what actually makes the vehicle work.

[@sportzntouring]

Thanks for these comments. I suppose, maybe, if someone's reaction times are fast enough they could catch it before it damaged two cars. But, it was very tight so I'm not so sure that is realistic in this case. You're right that would be harder to deny. I think my point on this was in response to the position taken by some people that a car that lets you make mistakes that cause damage isn't fit for purpose. My argument is that a manual can cause damage (that being one example), so should that mean manual cars aren't fit for purpose? Obviously that's unreasonable. I hear you on people not understanding a vehicle. A perfect example I see is people buying a brand new car and thrashing it straight away... I look up the owner's guide online, and usually find they need a run in period, often an oil change afterwards. I've bought a few new cars over the years and even the dealers said there's no run in period... In each case, I'd say - let's look at the owner's guide together... and low and behold... There's a run in period with very specific driving pattern required.

[@strongerandwiser2023]

The worst thing for me about owning a really nice car is that people just try to take it from you. I had an attempt just the other night. more people coming back to steal it in the middle of the night the following night. If you make it hard for them they just try and brake into your house armed and force you to hand over the keys. This is massively on the rise too. Its almost not worth the hassle anymore to own anything nice. Ive got just an m2 and an Evo V so not even super cars either! I couldnt imagine the stress of owning a lambo or something of that nature.

[@northseawolf]

Some real pearls of wisdom learned from this video, a shame that the cost was damage to this beautiful car and the stress it caused the owner, but I'm glad that the outcome was just. It is sad that a service provider with a good relationship with a customer threw it all away because of a simple mistake that should have been resolved amicably. Integrity, trust and reputation take a long time to earn, but are very easily lost. I for one wouldn't trust them with any of my property and I'm sure anyone who watches this video will feel the same way. This will cost that service provider magnitudes more than the cost of resolving the problem in this case. Don't lie kids!

[@sportzntouring]

I'm glad that you took some insights from my experience. That was the motivation for sharing this story. The BlackBeltBarrister's analysis has even more tips on what people can do differently to increase the probability of success in these cases (see James's pinned comment). The lack of integrity in deflecting with questionable terms and conditions was really the turning point for me on this... That was the point at which I knew I had to follow this through on principle alone. I really wanted as many people as possible to know what risk they would be taking if this firm ever got anything wrong on their cars. I gave so many chances for them to do the right thing... and they didn't take it. Very disappointing.

[@northseawolf]

@@sportzntouring Firstly, glad you got your motor sorted mate and all associated costs for analysis and repair back, but like you say, must have left such a bad taste, especially with an otherwise hassle free service up to that point. I'm glad you had the motivation to see the case through and got justice, a lot of people would probably have crumbled. Let's be honest, customer service is dubious at so many institutions and this case can be applied to many other service industries. Thanks again Antony and happy motoring mate.

[@sportzntouring]

@@northseawolf Thank you. It did indeed leave a bad taste. There was a sense of having been betrayed. But, to my credit or detriment, I'm a principled person and was going to see this one through to the end. Thanks for your kind words of support.

[@FK2VtecTurbo]

Wow great story and handled well by Anthony a perfect lesson in how to deal with big companies with legal departments, makes you wonder just how many people would have bit the bullet and foot the cost themselves.

[@joeychaseable]

Good to see people with these experiences putting the bad companies on blast to help the rest of the car community not go thru the same thing! Great job sharing the terrible story..

[@sportzntouring]

That was my primary motivation for sharing the story. Thanks for the supportive words.

[@sidwallace6053]

Can I just say Ant said what happened to his car,the ins and outs of the law,the company which stored the car etc superbly in this video

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks Sid! I'll pass the message on

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you. I will have to give credit to James's excellent editing on this one though. He made me seem far more articulate than the reality.

[@charlies418]

Years ago I had a car where the brake pedal was sinking. I thought great because I had an SMMT extended cover warranty with all the bells and whistles. I booked it in with THEIR approved garage who diagnosed a faulty servo. SMMT said they would not cover it as their small print said "complete failure of a component". So I was expected to drive the car and have complete brake failure before they would honour it. Not worth the paper it was written on. In contrast to this, a VW extended warranty were true to there word when I needed it (the £450 2 year policy saved me £3,500).

[@sportzntouring]

I have to say, for the warranty work (outside of the main topic of the story) Audi's warranty has been very good, save for a few limitations that they say are there but aren't very clear.

[@resnonverba137]

Very interesting. I have enough faith in the integrity of the presenters and the evidence they produced to say that I'm very glad that the culpable have been named and shamed and that those who have helped have been publicly acclaimed. Shame on GQ.

[@rfox864]

Awesome, really pleased for you. very hard to summon up the energy/determination let alone find good solicitor/engineers. Worth making a mental note of your experience & outcome. Top result. Awesome!!

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you!

[@ro63rto]

Sounds like the two guys that took the Ferrari for a 'spin' in Ferris Buellers Day Off.

[@jimsteinway695]

I would NEVER allow anyone to park my GT3. AND if you can’t afford to keep your cars at home don’t buy it. Who’s going to trust a 18-22 year old to put your high performance car away without getting his jollies?

[@sportzntouring]

Well, that's not what happened. I can afford to keep my car at home, in my garage. It's actually more expensive to store it with companies like this... I wanted it somewhere where it could be properly looked after, detailed after every drive, covered, on charge, put away, etc. I just don't have the time in between drives. They advertised themselves as a supercar storage specialist, I had the full 'care-package'... Mine wasn't the most expensive car there and the guys were mature and came across really well. The real issue isn't what went wrong, it's how it was handled. Hope that clears things up a bit.

[@oneeleven9832]

Great video 👍…it’s amazing that people watch the same videos…i also watch Black Belt Barrister

[@sportzntouring]

Yeah, he's great! Watch out for his video out at 1pm today!

[@rob.fisher]

@@sportzntouring Snap. FYI I think owners support / guidance etc with useful connections would be a valuable part of a Patreon or other community.

[@garyminion9610]

Glad you got that resolved, lesson learnt. If i had no choice but to leave an expensive car at a storage facility i probably wouldn't buy one.

[@sportzntouring]

I have the choice. I can put it in my garage at home. But, there's a lot of services provided by these kinds of storage companies that save me a lot of time. Well, should save me a lot of time but in this case cost me a lot of time... I'm very happy with the new firm I'm using. Much better.

[@Mrleejunman]

I used to work next to a company where people would leave their cars to be detailed or washed, whenever a sports car or a car with a big engine came in the lads used to all have a go doing quick sprints up the road or burn them out spinning their wheels . Several times we had customers come in to ask if we'd seen their car being drove while it was meant to be being cleaned . Long story short , the company got taken to court and went bust .

[@sportzntouring]

Wow!!!

[@zzhughesd]

OK - Interesting Video !!! - I had a very similar experience Max Rostron Leeds Motorauctions ( Dissolved )... essentially the same scenario, gross negligence dressed up in a tidy caveat that DOES NOT WORK, caveats don't work in courts Back 15-20 years ago Same caveat, we're not liable any damage arise our staff Drove car down wall their own auction, wrote off a side on a 200 mile new car Sued them, easy win, was only £3,000 ish claim, small claims Obviously won, staff were liable, irrespective BS caveats

[@sportzntouring]

It's such an ordeal! Right?! I think the whole process is biased against the average consumer. I'm in a fortunate position that I could afford all this, but what of the low or average income person.

[@boufent]

Great video again JayEmm

[@masonstorm1834]

Glad it got sorted and well done great advice for people

[@sportzntouring]

Thanks. That was my main motivation for sharing the story. And, thanks to BlackBeltBarrister, he goes into considerably more detail via the link in James's pinned comment.

[@dadcars]

What a brilliant video 👏 god it’s nightmares like this that can really spoil an ownership experience, at least you turned it into a positive by making this video that will help others 👏

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you! I appreciate that! Indeed, that was the motivation, so others can know they don't have to take things like this lying down.

[@jjbrown396]

In my opinion Audi is also to blame for the clutch failure. If the car has the intelligence to know one's foot is on the brake hence disengaging the clutch the computer should also have the intelligence to recognise "in gear", "handbrake up" disengage the clutch. Audi twin clutch and single clutch boxes have a reputation for being unreliable and the scenario in the video should not have destroyed a clutch from leaving the car in gear and handbrake up. I would argue GQ was negligent in leaving the car in gear whilst not actually sitting in it for the simple reason that a handbrake could fail allowing the car to "creep" away.

[@sportzntouring]

There's no evidence that the hand-brake was on or off but it's reasonable to assume one might apply the handbrake. Either way, it's just not a good idea to ever leave a car running, in gear, and get out of it. The correct operation of the car is detailed in the manual, which was easily available from me or online. Remember, it's a 10 year old car, among the last to use that tech that now is a good 20 years old. It's like blaming the design of pre-ABS era cars for locking the brakes when pressed hard.

[@jjbrown396]

@@sportzntouring I agree that GQ was negligent however Audi should have built in additional protection measures. Back in 2013 my dad had a Grand Cherokee with the e-shift gear leaver and after someone in the States got out of their car with it still in gear, inadvertently crushing themselves. Jeep performed a software update that put the car in park if it was left in gear handbrake up and the driver's door subsequently opened. I believe the r-tronic is a similar e-shift / shift by wire setup.

[@MrManBuzz]

@@sportzntouring I've never driven an R8 so you'll have to correct me if I'm wrong but if it's like pretty much any other automatic car it'll creep when it's in gear, so it would've had to have the handbrake on to stop it from moving. Now, obviously this is incompetence from the guy moving the car, but it's also an oversight from Audi. If it disengages the clutch when you have your foot on the brake, it should do the same when the handbrake is on, it's just poor engineering from Audi plain and simple.

[@cossied01]

"let right be done " fantastic.

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you! It really was a matter of principle for me, once those questionable terms were brought into it.

[@bayleaf2366]

Great story, sad to see a good relationship turn sour , this could have been handled so differently with out putting the R8 owner threw the ring No compensation can cover the pain suffering worrying anxiety Great work from legal specialist tec and dealership Time to enjoy R8

[@slowhoon]

Yeah, I have to think the excess on their liability insurance claim would have been less than the combined total of their own legal fees and their time spend fighting with Antony and his solicitor.

[@bayleaf2366]

@@slowhoon surprised legal fees where only 400 pounds , I wouldn’t like to see the independent technician and dealer inspection fee , Would have thought insurance claim would have covered this , How ever on a being positive , it was the right out come in the end On another note owning and dealing with top end material, is not for the faint hearted There are anomalies that you have to right off and put down to labour of love I would say to the owner Fire up the Quattro and enjoy

[@dougg1075]

Worked for a Land Rover dealer and we used to tag each other every time we saw one on the side of the road. Still an awesome ride. Had one customer with a RR full size with a Ck engine light on that we couldn’t figure out. Customer said “ can you program it to take the light off ? Or pull the bulb. No was the answer:)

[@ollieo6681]

wow … that was scary but unfortunately not surprising

[@sportzntouring]

It seems trying to convince customers that they don't have any consumer rights and that a trader can't be held accountable is typical. Sadly.

[@GM-fh5jp]

Very interesting and an eye opener for many I'm sure. Thanks for posting, James.

[@andrewdawson5281]

Antony has had a great deal of trouble, put a lot of his time and energy into arguing with the storage company and instructing solicitors. He is also £400 out of pocket for solicitor's fees. That in my book is a bad result.

[@sportzntouring]

It could be worse, I could have been £8k out of pocket and the company concerned might have believed they could therefore get away with this with other customers. I did this as much on principle as for the money. There's no 'good' result here... but this was the best result possible under the circumstances.

[@fishtigua]

Thanks Antony and James, very interesting. I used to do many yacht deliveries around the Caribbean and upon arrival, go through a list of what I had found out about the vessel with the owner/manager. Most knew of the problems but some shockers came to light too. "The yard has charged me to fix that" or "That wasn't damaged when I left it with the yard". Mostly resolved out of court but one or two did get a bit tasty. Yep, you get what you pay for.

[@Guderian0617]

I had a very similar experience, albeit with a hotel. I was booked in, but when I checked in, the hotel claimed that they could only service locals. It was a good thing that I screenshot their T&C online when I booked cos as I called their CS to complain about it, they had the guts to just change the T&C on the fly. It was only when I threaten to call the cops on them and told them I already had a screenshot of the old T&C did they relent. Question to lawyers out there, would changing the T&C without prior agreement of both parties be illegal? Cos I can just sign a contract and then scribble terms all over it as I wish!

[@sportzntouring]

There's a full explanation of that on the BlackBeltBarrister's channel, via the link in James's pinned comment under this video.

[@nickmaclachlan5178]

It's quite disturbing to see that even at the highest end of the motor service industry, it's still populated by shady chancers. If I ever have enough disposable income to own a car like this (unfortunately very unlikely) I would never trust a single person to look after it like I would.

[@sportzntouring]

I hear you. It's hard to find the right companies to work with. I've found a couple now... But it's very hard.

[@seanhershey3390]

I was hoping for an explanation after you mentioned it..:)

[@sportzntouring]

Did you get the explanation you were looking for?

[@malcolmgay2206]

What a clear thinking gentleman who protected his rights and that his contract & theirs differs is scary (cannt write fraud can I?) Thank you for airing this material, I am sure you have helped untold people. Worrying how fragile (although this looks like vehicle abuse) these cars seem to be.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Truth be told no more or less fragile than a manual where someone rides the clutch for a few minutes - it won't enjoy it

[@grayfool]

So slad you got all this sorted out. Who, in their right mind, gets out of any car with it still in gear? Do they even have a driving licence? WOW!

[@sportzntouring]

😂😂😂😂 Exactly!! I just hope this story empowers more people to hold traders to account when the try to slither out of they legal responsibilities.

[@brianhoefer7148]

Thank you for the description of how those clutches work and why the failure occured.

[@manchegocheese997]

@charliebojangle9542 I also see no reason why the clutch should be partially engaged when the parking brake is applied and there is no accelerator input. Furthermore, if the car detects that this is the case and the clutch is overheating, it should automatically select neutral if the driver fails to respond to the warning.

[@simonf8902]

There is an implied duty of care in this case despite what the company has written in any of its documents. It seems likely one of the employees went out for a blast.

[@sportzntouring]

No, the expert diagnosis was very different. It's explained near the end of the video.

[@simonf8902]

@@sportzntouring yes. True. Still my point about duty of care is valid.

[@garethmcrae668]

I too assumed that they'd 'razzed it' but just a mundane left in gear scenario. Worth recording the exact mileage before leaving the facility.

[@MrManBuzz]

@@garethmcrae668 If I was running a business like this, I'd make the customer sign off on the mileage every time its brought in. Seems like the best solution for everyone.

[@flyme195]

Well done! Don’t ever be scared to take people or companies to account when they are clearly in the wrong!

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you! That is the message I wanted people to take away. Perfect!

[@lledrmorganp3591]

Shame you cant take on Councils in the same way for negligence and unfactual comments on planning application

[@seanhershey3390]

How did they leave the car wen it was running & in gear?...( E brake?)...

[@sportzntouring]

We don't know the full details. The car doesn't roll forward in gear unless you press the throttle... It's an automated manual rather than a standard automatic. However, it would be reasonable to guess that a driver who gets out of the car may engage the e-brake.

[@colinjones2505]

I very recently and rapidly declined a decision to store my Focu RS into storage for the winter, simply because I'd have had to trust them to manouver it around for access to other vehicles etc, as and when they chose to. I was not happy at even the thought of this, so now it's locked up in a storage container by only me, and removed at my leisure when the secure compound is open. I work within the motor trade as a contractor, and hear and witness too many horror stories of mis-treating customers cars, far too often. Example, it seems to be an esential trait for the majority of valetrs to be able to spin wheels, even on brand new cars. Most odd, not to mention disturbing..

[@sportzntouring]

I can see where you are coming from. Luckily, I have found a place that has a dedicated slot for my car that can always be accessed, it has no need to be moved other than to bring it out to me or carry out work according to my instructions.

[@brianiswrong]

I wonder if a tracker would have also helped in this case? I would show the car was atleast turned on (thus putting the person at the time the error binged up on the car accountable) while it wouldn't show how it was left idling it would have been another shied in Anthony's armour.

[@sportzntouring]

Luckily the on board computer logs all that info and timestamps it.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Tracker wouldn't have been useful in this case, the information wouldn't have been complete enough - the onboard log is more useful and accurate

[@phil4977]

Excellent video and very educational. I had watched the lawyers video prior. Great result. The storage company need to learn from this and realise that if they make a mistake then for the sake of their brand just deal with it straight up and change their internal processes so it doesn’t happen again. That way everyone is happy and their brand is actually enhanced. Trying to rebuild a brand is hard and takes time and $$

[@sportzntouring]

Honestly, even if after the expert report was submitted... even if after the insurance company settled, had this firm contacted me and apologised, explained that they really didn't understand but now have learned from it... I may have shared this story, but probably would never have mentioned their name.

[@phil4977]

@@sportzntouring they will learn the hard way unfortunately. They could have used this experience to build their brand and business. It was fantastic the way you handled the situation. Honesty and attention to detail always wins.

[@thedetailingdoctor5746]

And this is why I’m so lucky to have jay on hand to call and ask how to manoeuvre any vehicle I haven’t driven before.

[@jimsteinway695]

If you’re detailing high end cars you should be able to move any high end sports car without damaging it outside a manual Carrera GT, without calling someone. As long as you’re not launching the vehicle or racing it, which you wouldn’t do, as a high end detailer, then you’ll never have an issue. I assume your very trusted.

[@sterlingsilver320]

@@jimsteinway695 That sounds like exactly the kind of attitude the car storage in the video would have. Just because you’e driven high performance cars previously, doesn’t mean you know everything. When handling other people’s expensive vehicles, it’s okay to ask someone that knows the car how to drive it and what not to do. Better to ask a stupid question than to do £9000 worth of damage.

[@thedetailingdoctor5746]

@@jimsteinway695 according to this video would suggest otherwise for us it’s always best to check from a professional who drives a variety of cars on a daily basis. To not check and just assume would be neglectful and not something we would do with a clients car. Simply assuming an r8 has a tourqe converter auto and leaving it in gear can cause premature clutch damage as seen above. Had the owners of gq made a similar call they and Anthony wouldn’t be in this situation now and their insurance company wouldn’t have a 9k bill 😉. As much as I agree with what your saying about knowing anyway it’s frankly impossible to know every car ever mades quirks. Such as how to operate the choke properly on a Jaguar E-Type it’s not quite as simple as you’d think neither is driving a gearbox with lack of synchromeshes but again without research you wouldn’t possibly know these facts hence were very lucky to have jay on hand to call whenever we get something in we haven’t had before. I must say it’s the first time we’ve ever been knocked for taking extra due diligence with a clients car 😆

[@thedetailingdoctor5746]

@@sterlingsilver320 it takes years to build a good reputation and seconds to destroy it. I’m in agreement always worth to double check even if your certain your correct. Measure twice cut once comes to mind.

[@Odysseuss.]

Well played that man. Of course it was TOTALLY unnecessary to go through this trauma. I hope everyone else had a smile at the end.

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you!

[@andrewgurney6019]

8 Grand, that would be a result for you James, you seem to be paying that every month for your Ferrari's ;)

[@jamesh2515]

As my Grandmother said - “to tell the truth is always best..” Thanks for sharing .

[@MatsGarage]

I'm just absolutely astonished why you would leave any car (let alone someone elses pride and joy) IN GEAR without the intention to go anywhere and then to top that get out of the car to check the space you are parking in. Stupidity + laziness. Glad to see it resolved even if it was alot of anguish and waiting for the owner that shouldnt have needed to be the case.

[@sportzntouring]

Indeed. Thanks. I just hope this story helps anyone else finding themselves dealing with a trader like this.

[@plektosgaming]

Normally if you leave a manual transmission in gear with no gas, it stalls, and with an automatic, it creeps forwards? Audi's system seems to be needlessly complex and stupid. Especially since it should have a fail-safe to keep it from happening built in? This would be like allowing a car to be kept in launch control mode at full revs for several minutes. Surely even then most daft engineer at Audi could figure out that if the system is overheating the person is clearly not driving it correctly and intervene to stop the damage?

[@fonziebulldog5786]

When rich people getting trouble with their fancy super cars the world with hear about it on a media channel. When it happens to the ordinary human it goes silently into the dark without any more words. Fascinating in many ways.

[@sportzntouring]

To be fair, James would have told this story for any of his friends, whether it's a supercar or a 30 year old rover.

[@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13]

I never do things Jay Leno says he'd never do with his special cars and one of those is handing the keys to a valet.

[@sportzntouring]

They weren't valets... They were a specialist supercar storage firm.

[@ryanedge1996]

There's 1 part of this story that's really been nagging at me since I watched the video. Mine, and I believe all Gen 1 R-Tronic/S-Tronic R8's, shift into neutral after 10 seconds if they don't receive a brake or throttle input signal. I had an embarrassing mishap where I got out of mine while it was in gear, there was enough friction on the clutch for it to pull forward with the handbrake on but it stopped it's self as it went back to neutral.

[@sportzntouring]

I believe that's the case with the S-Tronic... Are you sure that applies to R-Tronic? This isn't what it said in the technical documentation it would seem based on the info from the Master Tech and the independent expert. Does it have to have the handbrake on for that to happen? We don't know if the handbrake was on or off. Also, R-Tronics don't creep if your foot is off the throttle and its in gear... What car was your experience with in your example? The issue here was that the engineer found they had to have left it in gear AND were not in the car to see or act on its warnings... The latter part contributes substantially to the finding of negligence.

[@ryanedge1996]

@@sportzntouring Certainly applies to my 2009 R-Tronic. The creep thing, I know they shouldn't, but it did. The only thing i can attribute it to is being in high-idle as i'd just moved it out of the garage. I still have the cctv of the event and it is approx. 10 seconds from when i've applied the handbrake and begin to exit up to the car moving and then shifting back into neutral and stopping. I don't disagree about the negligence part, just that the story doesn't seem to add up.

[@sportzntouring]

@@ryanedge1996 To be fair, we had to condense 6 months, maybe 50+ pages of correspondence, verbal and WhatsApp advice from Ricky Elder of RE Performance (if you know R8s then you'll know he knows them better than most), then an Audi Master Tech's findings in his video report, then a 32 page technical report of an independent expert regulated by the Civil Procedure Rules... all into a sub-20min video. So, there's undoubtedly going to be gaps in the story told here otherwise it would have been a 4 hour video. However, given the calibre of expertise that we leaned upon here - I think it's safe to say that if the story adds up for them it adds up. I also looked up the owner's guide for the standard R8 R-Tronics and it is exactly the same as the GT's operation. Perhaps there was a fault with the learned position for your clutch and it was biting more than it should. The only difference reported by Audi regarding the GT's R-Tronic is that shifts a little faster. So, I hope you can put your trust in the expertise of the people who were involved.

[@P_M21]

These cars have huge clutch problems. They probably drove the car to park it and took their time and when the warning came up, they thought it wouldn’t be too bad. That’s why their shop smelled like burned clutch.

[@sportzntouring]

At the end of the video, the expert's findings fully explain.

[@robi4387]

Oh my! What a tale of woe! Richard Baxter and Tim Fathers two names cropping up together in car related matter. Hmm. They might be more familiar with another German brand. BMW SMG boxes are meant to be left in D. It just shows you how easy it is to make a mistake out of your comfort zone. When they realised, I do wonder how long it took them, and called their insurer, they were probably told what to write from the outset. I blame UK insurance companies. Makes me worry about renting super cars.

[@sportzntouring]

Really? Can I just check what you mean... Are you saying SMGs are meant to be left in gear when the engine is running and the car is stationary? Or, is it only when the car is turned off that you leave it in D? In this case, the engine was apparently left in gear, with the engine running with nobody in the car for an uncertain period of time. I doubt their insurer was involved until they received my solicitor's letter and expert's report. There's too much that was said that had an adverse effect on the outcome from their point of view. Such a shame as they seemed nice at first, until those questionable terms & conditions came into play - which I'm told would not be looked on kindly by a judge (another reason I think no insurer was involved as they'd know this).

[@dcs0113]

thank you for sharing.... glad the outcome is in your favor and she's back on the road.... cheers!

[@sportzntouring]

Thank you for watching!

[@bigjay1970]

Here's what I got out of this. People buy cars that are way and I mean way too complex. I understand the situation but cars today shouldn't be so complex for consumers. Just because these type of cars can be produced and sold to Consumers nowadays doesn't necessarily mean they should when Parts go wrong for no reason other than mentioned and it cost you a fortune to fix. I know I sound like a Debbie Downer but most people shouldn't have cars like these if they're worried about an $8,000 bill there fault or not when the next thing that goes wrong could cost them $20,000 easily.🤔🤫🤯

[@sportzntouring]

I wasn't worried about an £8k bill. It was a matter of principle, that if they did the damage they should hold themselves accountable. Since they marketed themselves as a supercar storage company, they should ensure that they understand the nuances of these cars. And, frankly, what driver would think that exiting any car, leaving it idling in gear is reasonable? Is knowing that's a bag idea too complex? I don't think so personally. Just my take.

[@juhakivekas2175]

I have to say your comment is weird - at least. First, consumers are allowed to choose what they want to buy. It is bot for you to decide what they should buy. Second, if someone runs a garage for valuable cars - or any cars, he should know. It is his business to know. If he is not up to the job he should not do it. Third, Im sure that these entrepreneurs let their customers understand, that they are knowledgeable with "70 years collective experience etc." so the customer has a reason to expect that they know what they are doing. And yes, I agree that modern cars are way too complex and deviated from "the car" to more or less computers but it still does not invalidate nor mitigate any of the three points I made.

[@sportzntouring]

@Dan Wilkes Thank you! And, I believe this was the key factor in the expert determining negligence.

[@sportzntouring]

@@juhakivekas2175 Here here!

[@leslieburridge2087]

Brilliant video and more importantly, a great result ❤

[@GeorgeAusters]

Only half the way into this but my guess is they left it in gear with their foot on the brake.. People do this all the time in automatics and don't realise the damage they're causing!

[@sportzntouring]

Nearly... Actually, if you have enough pressure on the foot brake the clutch is disengaged. I'm sure you saw the conclusion so know it's actually worse than that.

[@hexgraphica]

You could make a series out of these stories. Title suggestion: Low & Order

[@omblae]

Imagine if he did a shit burnout before bringing the car in and this was all an elaborate insurance fraud job.

[@sportzntouring]

In this case, not possible. I parked the car at 5pm. The incident happened at 6pm, as logged by the computer. No other errors, issues or data showing any abuse at any time that day. The Audi tech and expert witness examined all the logs in detail. It was conclusive.

[@omblae]

@@sportzntouring If you rearrange the letters of your comment it spells "massive burnout" - checkmate

[@sportzntouring]

@@omblae not quite, as it so happens that both an Audi Matter Technician and an Automotive Engineering supercar expert witness who both examined all the data and evidence, including the car itself disagree with you.

[@TG-pd3ft]

Good to see naming and shaming. So rare these days!

[@sportzntouring]

Thanks for watching. To be honest, it wasn't about naming and shaming. It was about a) giving others a chance to learn from my experience generally; b) ensuring that others know what this firm's approach was when they were found to have got something wrong - had I known they would try to deflect accountability with their terms and conditions I'd never have stored with them; c) make sure that nobody confused this story as being about the new company I now use... It was on principle.