I don't know about UK, but in US I have a blast every time I go to a dealership cause of all the fibbing and BS I hear. Of course it's not every salesman, but it happens a lot. One time I was buying a Dodge minivan and I was using the safety rating which I had compared earlier as a reason it should pay even less. The salesman told me I was wrong, that it had the best safety rating cause the steel was thicker! He even said I should check on his computer! I mean this is like poker level stuff. I have heard the best stories when buying cars - like about hidden underground ICBM launch sites where I work, alien abduction, crazy stuff about Denver airport, how one guy had been a sniper or spy or something - I love it, it cracks me up inside. I expect UK dealerships to be similar.

Well, we have strict advertising and trading standards laws.

I imagine that some simple hidden camera work would be enough to make UK agencies take action - perhaps fake customers of their own - and then take legal enforcement.

I am kind of surprised that "regulatory enforcemen as a service" does not exist. Many complaints to the UK ad regulator come from competitors in the same industry.

The UK government department with responsibility for business got into some trouble when they issued a leaflet about "dirty tricks" - which included (if I remember correctly) 'dumpster diving' to get information. (This would have been before 2003 and probably before 2000, bt my web searching is too weak to find references.)

You can't possibly vet someone that well. Audi may indeed have the responsibility to take action against this dealer and make things right, but the dealer's behavior shouldn't tarnish the image of the company.

Yes, but as mentioned in the article, concerns had been raised five months before the BBC investigation. Which suggests that Audi only care about being caught.