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cathaloneill

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I havent been a member of this site for very long but i think my 6 month relationship with Audi and this site will be coming to an abrupt end.

after a long list of problems with my 2003 A3 2.0FSi the straw that finally broke the camels back came this morning. Audi have been 8 weeks trying to sort out a coolant usage problem on the car. they showed me the cylinder head this moring with 6 cracks in it. i asked them to check the head the first day the problem arose.

surely this cant be norm for a premium brand car!!!!!

cant take this any more so i told them to keep the car this morning and that i would argue with them over a price for the car or its replacement when i get back from hols.

he gave me an 04 A4 1.9 130bhp to see what i thought of it. Its a nice car alright, not as well spec as my A3 but i dont know if i can trust/rely on Audi or it dealers any more.

do the A4 diesels have many faults? or any i stupid to consider another Audi
 
VAG diesels in general have an excellent reputation for performance and reliability - they have been using the same basic design since 1993 so have had a good chance to iron out problems. iirc one the 130bhp the only 'common' problems are the MAF sensor failing (which is more Bosch's fault) and the flywheel/clutch assembly failing (the latter due to inadequate greasing at the factory; but this may have been fixed by the time the A4 was made).

Also my advice would be; don't confuse dealer ineptitude with the car itself being substandard. You'll probably find that another local dealer would be totally different. VW Leicester and Loughborough are rather different!
 
My experience with VW in Leicester has been very poor. Stopped me and the wife from ever buying another VW .........
 
I had a similar story with Chester Audi and a 03 2.0 FSI,which I have swapped for a 2.0T Quattro with another dealer, so far so good, any similar troubles with this car and thats that, no more Audi for me, I WILL go elsewhere.

As a reply to icenutter, imho if the car breaks its AUDI's fault, not Bosch, not the man putting the grease into the flywheel, the supplier is Audi, if their quality control is going downhill THEY need to sort it out, this is Audi's last chance with me...............
 
steeve said:
My experience with VW in Leicester has been very poor. Stopped me and the wife from ever buying another VW .........
Click to expand...

Damn right!! Bunch of ar$eholes! At least they were when Vardy were running the place. Thank god they have been kicked out now and VW from Derby are running it. Not sure if that's a good thing though either....
 
johnmv55 said:
As a reply to icenutter, imho if the car breaks its AUDI's fault, not Bosch, not the man putting the grease into the flywheel, the supplier is Audi, if their quality control is going downhill THEY need to sort it out, this is Audi's last chance with me...............
Click to expand...
True. I was just trying to say that the MAF sensors failing seem to be due to sub-standard parts from Bosch, the choice of fitting them or not is up to Audi.
 
Funnily enough,my previous car was a......1.9tdi A4 !
It was three years of trouble free,although a bit dull,motoring.
The only thing it needed,over routine servicing,was a door speaker.
It was better built and (far) more reliable than my A3 is proving to be.
It was also a damned sight more economical,but the 1.9tdi is getting a bit long in the tooth now.
Even the 2.0tdi engine is falling behind the opposition.
 
I went from The 1.9TDi A4 to a 2.5TDi A4 and I regret it now. The 1.9 lump is a fantastic motor, and compared to your 2.0FSi, is more exciting. Great economy with fantastic torque that gives you a comfortable nudge in the back when you want it to. A remap will improve it, but I'm guessing you're not into speed, judging by you're current 2.0. If you wanted speed you probably would have gone for the turbo petrol engine. The A4 is a better built than the A3 for some strange reason, but as with ALL cars, you do get the odd lemon. I've heard of lemons from Merc, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, etc etc, so don't judge an entire marque by it's odd lemon.
 
Eeef said:
In what way?
Click to expand...

Most other manufacturers have turned to Common Rail Diesel Injection, which helps achieve higher bhp and torque figures. The 1.9 and 2.0 diesel still uses Pump injection, so cannot get the figures BMW and Merc do from their diesels. In real world everyday driving, the 130 bhp is more than capable. If not, a few hundred quid will get you a remap, pushing out about 165 bhp, which will put a grin on your face.
 
after the probs iv had with my dealer and audi ill never buy another one again
 
arthurfuxake said:
Most other manufacturers have turned to Common Rail Diesel Injection, which helps achieve higher bhp and torque figures. The 1.9 and 2.0 diesel still uses Pump injection, so cannot get the figures BMW and Merc do from their diesels. In real world everyday driving, the 130 bhp is more than capable. If not, a few hundred quid will get you a remap, pushing out about 165 bhp, which will put a grin on your face.
Click to expand...

And common rail diesels are considerably quieter and more refined than the Pump Duse tractors. Even the new 170PS 2.0 TDI isn't common rail.
 
Eeef said:
In what way?
Click to expand...

Refinement,for sure.
Honda/BMW/Saab/Fiat/Alfa.
I've driven them all (to be fair,Saab/Fiat/Alfa use the same unit) and they're all less 'diesely' than the Audi.
 
bowfer. would you take a A4 130 in echange for the A3, considering the TDI engine may be slightly outdated?
 
cathaloneill said:
bowfer. would you take a A4 130 in echange for the A3, considering the TDI engine may be slightly outdated?
Click to expand...

Is that an offer,or a question ?

If it's an offer,it's not my car to swap ! (company car)

If it's a hypothetical question,no I wouldn't take a 1.9tdi A4 in exchange for my car,unless it was the only option available.

Just because I'm keen to get rid of my A3 doesn't mean I'm willing to take a 'step back'.
 
cathaloneill said:
I havent been a member of this site for very long but i think my 6 month relationship with Audi and this site will be coming to an abrupt end.

after a long list of problems with my 2003 A3 2.0FSi the straw that finally broke the camels back came this morning. Audi have been 8 weeks trying to sort out a coolant usage problem on the car. they showed me the cylinder head this moring with 6 cracks in it. i asked them to check the head the first day the problem arose.

surely this cant be norm for a premium brand car!!!!!

cant take this any more so i told them to keep the car this morning and that i would argue with them over a price for the car or its replacement when i get back from hols.

he gave me an 04 A4 1.9 130bhp to see what i thought of it. Its a nice car alright, not as well spec as my A3 but i dont know if i can trust/rely on Audi or it dealers any more.

do the A4 diesels have many faults? or any i stupid to consider another Audi
Click to expand...


Don't think I will be touching Audi or VAG again, fantastic branding and image poor build, poor customer service, **** dealers.
 
Obviously you have to make your decisions based on you own experience but my personal experience has been just the opposite. I have purchased new VW or Audi cars since 1976 when I bought my first Mk 1 Golf. Up to then all the cars I had (all British) were rubbish and the dealers no better.

Since 1976 I have owned 5 VW Golfs including 3 GTis and a VR6. I have also owned 8 Audis, including 4 A3s. My currenty car is an A3 2.0TDI SE DSG. All of these cars have been very reliable, especially the A3s which have basically only been back to the dealers for servicing and very minor problems.

My current A3 has only been back for servicing and to change the door locking so far. All of VWs and 4 of the Audis were purchased from the same dealer. When the dealers split between VW and Audi I went to a different dealer for the 4 A3s. In both cases they have always been very good and have always done what I have asked without any problems or having to go back for any reason.

Obviously I have had no personal experience of other than VW/Audi dealers for the last 30 years but colleagues with other makes including BMW and Mercedes seem to have had no better and in many cases worse experiences.

As I said every one must make up there own minds, but for me I shall be sticking with Audi for the forseeable future.
 
I think you'll find poor after care service from most car dealers (BMW, Merc), there only after the initial sale......
 
audi upgrades
Leaving aside the reliability/dealer issues,Audi are falling behind the competition in lots of aspects.
If you read any of the motoring press,group tests often leave Audi trailing behind.
For example,in a recent group test,the A4 2.0tdi was only saved from finishing bottom by overly high gearing on the new Lexus (being resolved by Lexus) and poor sound insulation on the Alfa 159 (easily resolved by Alfa).
Poor performance,poor engine refinement and uninspiring handling are usually the three biggest bugbears.
If you only ever drive Audis,you'll think they're great though.
 
320d or 330d m sport,for me next,i think,ive had it with front drive cars,im not saying i dont like the a3,because i do,its just the 3 series is a better drivers car than most of the others,and im starting to like them more,but thats a while off yet.
 
Personally I think beemrs make lovwely cars but I'm not 100% on the image that goes with them. When I drive my mates I feel like a bit of a twot!

Regarding dealers my local VW dealer is brilliant and I have used them many times, my local Audi dealer is proving to be very good as well. My Audi is holding up well after 30K miles and the only fault so far has been the damping function on the glove box.

Have contemplated getting a beemer in the past but didn't like the sales people (although stupidly I bought an MCS a couplo0e of years ago) but the servicing side of things was spot on.

Picked up a new B-Class for Claire on saturday and what a revelation that was. Excellant customer service, because I found some marks on the bumber (caused by the foam protectors used in transit and easily removed with a finger) they whipped round to the valeting bay and gave me a mobile phone craddle. Ok so it's not a lot percentage wise but the craddles are £130 plus vat. When I asked why he said because the car should have been perfect on collection.

I'll let you know reagrding the after sales side of things when we have had the car more than a few days!

J.
 
I don't yet know what I'll be doing when the A3 goes,but if I decide to stay in the company car scheme I am going to look at a 3 series.
I don't like 'the image' either,but when ALL the motoring press say the 320d is just light years ahead of the competition,it seems silly to deny myself the opportunity to own the best car in the class,or at least try it.
 
im willing to forego the image,for my own satisfaction,too many cars ive had,hav'nt lived or been up to my expectations,i cant remember having a car that drove or handled right.
 
TDI-line said:
I think you'll find poor after care service from most car dealers (BMW, Merc), there only after the initial sale......
Click to expand...


I can only speak from account - Lexus Sheffield and Edinburgh - brilliant. BMW Astle Scunthorpe brilliant, BMW Sytner Sheffield good.

Audi Gilders Sheffield - border line
 
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