I purchased a 2004 Audi A8L loaded with everything. Several years later I was informed that my Onstar, satellite phone, and regular phone nest would no longer operate and the model installed could not be modified or replaced. Audi was aware of the change being made and had the option of installing a unit that could be modified or operate on both systems systems.
I have sued Audi ( Volkswagen) and want to determine the value of those options at that time. Where can I determine the values attributed to those features in 2004?
Did you save the new car’s window sticker ? sometimes the options listed will show dollars too.
( still cannot edit )
I wonder if the computer geeks can update it ? Check with those computer repair places for home and business pcs.
Sorry, this seems like a huge waste of time and effort. Technology marches on, often with these kinds of consequences. I’d get a new system from Crutchfield and move on.
Good luck. The problem with technology is that it goes out of date fast. Your suit is really all about how long a manufacturer will provide service, parts, and software updates of the systems they install in the cars.
If you don’t have the original window “sticker” you might have some luck on webites such a NADA, Kelly Blue Book, and Edmunds.com. These sites give info on the values of options in used cars and you can get a good estimate of original values by doing some math. Many options are bundled and you don’t get a line by line (or item by item) value on bundled option packages.
Car makers have no obligation to personally insure that the technologies that transmit to the technologies in their cars continue to work. Audi didn’t’ make Onstar. They installed Onstar’s receiver in their car in response to consumer demand. The receiver still works fine, it’s just that there aren’t any signals for it to receive anymore.
The analogy would be suing Sony because your standard definition TV stopped receiving TV signals after the digital signal transition. There’s nothing wrong with the TV. If you’re going to sue anybody, it should be Onstar (and even then, Onstar is under no obligation to continue transmitting legacy signals in perpetuity).
In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if buried in one of the papers you signed when you bought the car was a line which said that you acknowledge Audi has no control over whether or not Onstar will continue to remain compatible with your car, and you take all responsibility for it if they stop sending the signal.
I agree with the others, you’re not going to get very far with this.
I think that Shadowfax explained it very well, and I see this lawsuit as a losing proposition for the OP.
In 2008 the industry stopped using analog. All digital since then.
The Cell Phone industry (this includes On-Star)…knew about this change for at least 5 years. So when you bought your car…Audi knew that the technology would become obsolete by 2008. I guess some companies thought the date would never come…or there would be some reprieve.
I have no idea if you have grounds for a lawsuit. Good luck. I surely would be p*ssed.
Yah, looks like the PO is also gonna sue IBM 'cause his 5150 is just a little bit obsolete now.
“I have sued Audi ( Volkswagen) and want to determine the value of those options at that time. Where can I determine the values attributed to those features in 2004?”
Your question is a legal research question. How much did you sue them for?
Persoanally, i’d be irked but would simply get a new unit and get on with life. Sueing is not the solution for all of life’s little problems.
You will get nowhere with this. I remember something like this being brought up several years back regarding a GM vehicle and Tester provided very good advice about the car makers having no control over a problem like this due to the Department of Defense taking over the bandwidth.
When the point was still argued Tester then provided a link from a newspaper about this very issue.
My 8-tracks don’t fit in the CD slot. Who can I sue?
My CDs don’t fit in the cassette slot that won’t take the Robin Trower 8track I want to listen to again !
And herein lies the biggest reason I NEVER load up my vehicles with technology.
Oh, by the way…
A true lawsuit about such would NOT be linked to the value of the options in 2004,
but would actually be tallied up on TODAY’S value of equivilant options, the labor to update and install, the downtime value of time off of work and/or a rental car for same.
–IF ----
( just sayin’ )
The cell phone industry changed from an analog system to a digital system…The old analog system was maintained for a while but then was shut down to make room for new digital services.
You must be a lawyer yourself because I can’t imagine any other lawyer wasting his time doing this. Your chances of collecting any “damages” are ZERO…
When my old analog cell phone quit working one day (after plenty of warnings) my only option was to upgrade to a new digital phone like everyone else…You will get laughed right out of the court room…OnStar is nothing more than a cell-phone with an auto-dialer…
If you find a lawyer to take your case, without advising you against it first, than that lawyer should probably be disbarred, or at least repremaned.
repremanded.
Good luck. Technology evolves and becomes obsolete very quickly these days. It’s a widely accepted fact of life. If you still want OnStar or something similar, I’m pretty sure standalone systems exist that can be easily installed in your car. I highly doubt that a lawsuit will be fruitful. OnStar is cellular service and cellular service is constantly evolving. Those people who paid $4k for a Motorola DynaTAC probably feel pretty silly now since their cell phones don’t work anymore, either.
Councilman,
Don’t you have anything better to do with your money, and your lawyer’s time?
BC.