Hollywood Has-Been and Notorious Mexican Driver Briefly Famous for Their Audis

There’s money to be made when automakers screw up.

Sometimes, being part of a class-action lawsuit isn’t enough, and you’ve got to wage a Charles Bronson-like battle for personal justice. That’s what newly unemployed actor Thomas Gibson is doing. His target? The maker of his Audi SUV.

According to TMZ, a source we rarely see around these parts, and with good reason, the former Criminal Minds star passed on being part of a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen Group for their diesel emissions scandal. Instead, he has filed a lawsuit against the maker of his Audi Q7 TDI for lying to his face.

Gibson, who was fired for allegedly being very, very angry, claims his dealership (and Volkswagen) told him his Audi would deliver horsepower, efficiency, and clean diesel operation. Of course, it’s now well known that the “clean diesel” claim is a complete and total fraud.

We don’t know how much money he’s seeking, but his vehicle is a 3.0-liter diesel model, which is not subject to a buyback. Volkswagen hasn’t announced a fix for their 3.0-liter TDI models, but it has had one soundly rejected by regulators.

Gibson, who also starred in the insufferable Dharma & Greg back in the 1990s (Remember that? Man…), is one of 85,000 Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen customers waiting for news on their 3.0-liter vehicles.

South of the border, a total jerk has become famous in Mexican media for allegedly clipping a cyclist who was travelling too slow for his tastes. According to Mexico News Daily, Rafael Márquez Gasperin, who looks like a cockier McLovin, faces multiple charges for hitting the cyclist with his Audi A4.

Unfortunately for the young man, known now as a police officer saw the whole thing, which was captured on camera. Márquez Gasperin then shoved the officer, told him to “Call my dad, dude!” and took off. It’s been a bad week for Audi drivers.

[Image: Audi AG]

Correction: An earlier version of this story erroneously stated Thomas Gibson’s Audi Q7 is powered by a 2.0-liter diesel engine, the same one that’s currently subject to a buyback. The Q7 was not sold in the U.S. with a 2.0-liter diesel. The article has been corrected.