Verified: 22 March 2026 07:28 pm CET
Industry: Premium Automotive Manufacturing & Financial Services
Jurisdiction: Germany
Primary Regulator: Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) for vehicle safety/recalls; BaFin for Audi Bank (VW Bank) financing.
Important Safety Warning: Beware of fake customer service numbers on search engines. Only use official channels. Scammers frequently buy ads to promote fraudulent phone numbers. Beware of phishing emails claiming your “Audi Financial Services leasing payment failed,” or that your “myAudi Connect subscription has expired” alongside a malicious link. Audi staff will never ask for your myAudi password, or demand you pay a “financing penalty” via a generic payment link sent via SMS.
Level 1: Customer Support (Kundenservice)
- How to complain:
- For Statutory Warranty (Gewährleistung/Defects on purchase): Stop! You must complain directly to the dealership (Autohaus or Zentrum) where you bought the car. Audi AG is not your legal contractual partner for the purchase.
- For Manufacturer Guarantee (Garantie) or General Complaints: Call Audi Customer Care at 0800 / 2834 266 6328 or email kundenbetreuung@audi.de (for digital/app support: digitalsupport@audi.de).
- For Audi Leasing/Financing: Contact Audi Bank at 0531 / 212 02 or email info@audibank.de.
- Source Verification: Kontakt - Audi
- Availability: The central customer care hotline operates Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 20:00 (CET).
- Timeline: Audi typically requires a local authorized repair shop to formally diagnose an issue before customer service can authorize a “goodwill” (Kulanz) repair or guarantee claim.
Level 2: Formal Written Complaint & Mahnung
- Who to contact: Formally escalate your dispute by sending a registered letter with return receipt (Einschreiben mit Rückschein) to the legally responsible party:
- For Purchase/Defect Disputes: Send the Mahnung directly to the Management Board of your local Dealership (Autohaus).
- For Manufacturer Disputes: Address it to the Management Board, AUDI AG, Auto-Union-Straße 1, 85057 Ingolstadt, Germany.
- For Financial/Leasing Disputes: Address it to the Management Board, Audi Bank (Zweigniederlassung der Volkswagen Bank GmbH), Gifhorner Straße 57, 38112 Braunschweig, Germany.
- Source Verification: Impressum - Audi AG
- Timeline: A legally binding deadline of 14 days (set via your Mahnung) provides the company a strict timeframe to resolve the issue before they legally default (in Verzug geraten).
Level 3: Regulatory Authority / ADR
- Authority: The correct ombudsman depends entirely on who your dispute is with:
- Dealership Disputes (Repairs/Used Cars): Submit your case to the local Kfz-Schiedsstelle (Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board). It is free and legally binding for the dealer.
- Audi Bank (Financing): Submit your dispute to the Ombudsmann der privaten Banken or BaFin.
- Audi AG (Manufacturer): Audi AG explicitly refuses to participate in voluntary consumer arbitration boards like the Universalschlichtungsstelle.
- Safety Recalls: Report severe safety or emissions defects to the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA).
- Source Verification: Kfz-Schiedsstellen - ZDK
Level 4: Legal Action
- Pre-Litigation: Before initiating formal court proceedings, seek case-specific legal assistance from your local Consumer Advice Centre (Verbraucherzentrale), the ADAC (if you are a member), or a specialized traffic/contract lawyer (Verkehrsrechtsanwalt).
- Source Verification: ADAC Rechtsberatung
- Court/Arbitration: Critical Legal Trap: The simplified judicial dunning process (Amtsgericht) is only valid for claims up to €5,000. Because automotive disputes almost always exceed €5,000, you must file a civil lawsuit at the Regional Court (Landgericht). Under German law (§ 78 ZPO), you are legally required to be represented by a lawyer (Anwaltszwang) at the Landgericht. You cannot represent yourself!
Community Action: Is your dealership refusing to honor their Sachmängelhaftung for a faulty e-tron battery module, or is Audi Financial Services ignoring your end-of-lease damage dispute? Reply below (do not share your passwords, full VIN numbers, or PINs), and our community will point you to the right legal templates!