I have an E-Gear Gallardo, 4000 miles, and no problems....Well people keep trying to get in my....passenger seat. With the Porsche Turbo, people weren't so enthusastic about my passenger seat!

Ron,
What is the serial # or date of build of your car ??
Jake

TINYBULL, what are your impressions of the main differences between the Turbo and the Gallardo?

It is 00962, November 2003

They made some updates in the spring, so your car was built before that time; I see no reason why this will not be taken care of under your warranty unless they can show that there was customer abuse. Although that subject is, I find, quite laughable when discussing high performance automobiles. Does any manufacturer of those types of cars think they are going to driven like a Sentra (et al.) ???

Jake

I'm dissapointed with what I'm reading.Lambo should take care of this problem ASAP.I have not been able to follow this clutch isssue since I have been out of town a lot.How many other people have the same problem?Lambo is going to loose their repuation and have upset customers on their hand.

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FRANK GOODSON

Frank,

Regretfully, I think that a lot of the problem is due to the ingrained poor customer service attitude that has been endemic through too many of the "old school" Lamborghini dealers around the world. Very much a "take it or leave it" mentality. The only reason they have stayed in existence is because they know that Lamborghini has had a unique mystique and that the enthusiasts/followers will embrace it regardless of the kind of service and support they offer - because they have no other choice, if they want to be part of the Lamborghini mystique.

But like many others probably, I shied away from the brand because of all the bad reports regarding reliability, service, dealers etc. That was until Audi appeared on the scene with the Gallardo. I became hooked, and like many others expected that the German's would wield a big stick and lift Lamborghini's game. To a large extent I think that this has happened, within the actual company itself, but once again I feel that the old school Lamborghini dealers around the world are letting many people down.

Without going into too much detail, I have certainly had first hand experience of the "old school dealers", but perhaps I am lucky in that my own local dealer (a newly appointed distributor in my part of the country) has been really good, especially in regards to some problems I had with the "water in the coil pack" problem, but also some very minor other problems (mainly trim related) that they picked up and replaced parts that I had difficulty even seeing any problem with! Of course, all under warranty.


I even raised the scenario "what if I do lots of burnout launch starts and fry the clutch?" Their response was "all under warranty". Not sure if I really want to put this to the test, but it does give me some confidence.

It makes me wonder whether this clutch issue that some owners are having a problem with, is actually a "dealer" problem, with the dealer trying to lay the blame/expense on the driver, for as many problems as they can get away with. The feedback from my friendly dealer workshop foreman is that the manual clutch problem is certainly known about and acknowledged by the factory, and there is now a replacement "under-warranty" fix.

Of course, they have one manual car that they sold, that within 2000km has required three clutches and a new gearbox - maybe an exception, but they have tried to get on top of the problem and it would seem they have got a high level of support from the factory. I am hoping this is a sign of the "new school" Lamborghini distributor.

Maybe, with enough customer feedback complaining about the very poor customer service from some of the old dealers, there may be some changes in distributors that will bring the level of customer service up to at least that which you would expect if you were in the market for a new Mazda or even Skoda!

Am I being too harsh?

Hi there bunkhound,
Excellent posting. I think you have summed up the main problem precisely. I agree that Lambo dealers will have to improve their act dramatically with the sudden increase in Lambo owners, all of whom are used to much better levels of customer care with other car brands. I would hope that Audi are getting this message also and will act to improve or change some of their dealers.
I'm staggered that there are 28+ Gallardos in Australia, when they are about A$500,000 each (plus options!). Are you sure about this?
I'm returning to Aus in a couple of years, so I'd be tempted to bring a Gallardo over from here in the UK, as they are onlyA$280,000 here and I'd hoipefully avoid import duties, GST etc as a returning resident.
William

William, the Gallardo is $A400,000 here in Australia ($A425K in e-gear), plus options. I think Bunkhound's numbers sound correct. Australia is a (perhaps suprisingly) strong market for upmarket cars.

I would check carefully before trying to import a UK car as I think you'll find the duty regime pretty discouraging. In any case, any price differential would disappear on resale as privately imported cars always take a big hit when they reach the local used market.

My understanding, talking to my dealer the other day, is that the current "on the road" all up price for Gallardo in Australia c/w e-gear and pearl paint is now about AUS $470,000. This equates to about US $338,000.00 and UK 188,000 pounds, if I have done my conversion figures correctly.

Yes, we really get stung by our government. They even have a special "luxury" car tax for us. I guess they are a bit like a Lambo dealer - they know they can get away with it, because there is stuff all else we can do about it! Such is life.