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Sold and cheated: Fulda family fights for money for defective Audi
The Radke family from Kassel is suing a car dealer after purchasing a defective Audi A4. Court rules in favor of the buyer.
Sold and cheated: Fulda family fights for money for defective Audi
The story of Daniel and Sabrina Radke from the northern district of Kassel has developed into a legal drama that reveals a lot about the pitfalls of the used car trade. In 2018, the Radkes bought a used Audi A4 from a local car dealer for 12,700 euros. The first impression was positive - the salesman was friendly and offered a test drive. But a few months after purchasing it, it turned out that the car was defective and had an alarming oil consumption of almost 2.71 liters per 100 kilometers. This deception was to have further consequences, as HNA reports.
After the Radkes contacted the seller and received no response, they filed a lawsuit in May 2019. The court ruled in October 2021 that the car had been sold broken and the family was entitled to a refund of the purchase price. But enforcement of the judgment was made more difficult by the absence of the car dealer's managing director.
A long legal process
In November 2021, the Radkes filed a criminal complaint for fraud. The public prosecutor's office informed the family in April 2025 that the investigation was entering its final phase - but without providing a clear time frame for a possible verdict. A spokesman for the public prosecutor's office pointed out that white-collar criminal proceedings can often take several years. There were also delays in the preparation of an expert report after an economic advisor died.
In another exciting case, the topic of fraudulent deception in the used car trade is currently being discussed. In a ruling on July 19, 2023, the Federal Court of Justice made it clear that failure to mention a short acquisition and limited use does not necessarily constitute fraudulent deception. The plaintiff in this case had advertised a used car for 4,500 euros, but had only recently purchased the car himself and was not obliged to disclose this information to the subsequent buyer. The ruling clarifies the limits of the exclusion of warranties and the responsibility of buyers in private purchases. This shows how complex the legal framework can be for buyers like the Radkes, who have to rely on the word of a dealer, which can ultimately be to their disadvantage, as anwalt.de explains.
Final thoughts
The situation surrounding Daniel and Sabrina Radke's Audi A4 opens up a further perspective on the topic of exhaust gas manipulation. Another case from Düsseldorf confirms this: In a ruling from August 2016, a lawsuit from an Audi owner who wanted to return his car was dismissed because it was equipped with an engine affected by the emissions scandal. The Düsseldorf Regional Court ruled that the retailer was not obliged to take back the goods, which increased the uncertainty for consumers in the industry. This case, as Motor-Talk reports, makes it clear that many courts have rejected VW customers' lawsuits.
For the Radkes, the situation remains tense - a passionate example of how important transparency is in the car trade and that buyers should always be aware of their rights to avoid being left with a mountain of problems.