What you DISLIKE about your Audi.

PNH80

PNH80

Low life livin' the high life.
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Just to repeat what i’ve already said in the positive thread:
There’s often a lot of bitching and whining on here about the pro’s and cons of the various A3 models which always results in conflicting opinion and argument. So.... i’m starting a positive and negative thread, one for each.
This one is the NEGATIVE thread. We all own Audi’s or have done til recently and most of us love our cars. Over all they are great cars...But nothing is perfect.
So what is it that you dislike about your car? Anything you think Audi missed or did wrong? What could be improved for the next all new A3? Do you wish you had picked a different car? Over priced? Do you think Audi has a bad image or is an over-rated brand?!
Cheers!
Paul.
 
The bone hard ride of the S-Line is the only significant thing I don't like.
 
My personal gripe is the way the options system works. Forcing you to spec one option to get another. Also VAG spec'ing things such as folding mirrors & parking sensors on Leons and Golfs as standard but making higher paying A3 owners spec them at extra cost. I think it's called taking advantage!
 
My biggest gripe is the apathetic spineless greaseballs in the dealership.

Oh, and only one cupholder WTF!, and the way the water runs off my roof into the car when the window is down.

Oh, the useless wipers that dont remove anything, just smear the bug splatter about.

Thats about it :p
 
Paying a hefty option price for the ipod connection to find out it doesn't even do id3 tag support or control the ipod properly. What a waste of money!

Stupid placement of armrest over handbrake. So badly laid out that you can't engage the armrest lock position with the handbrake up.

No smoking pack cig lighter position. Stupid place to put it for charging sat navs, phones etc.

Lame sat nav option for car, no touchscreen or full postcode support. When will tomtom start making doubledin headunits? Or merge with other manufacturers of headunits.

Still love my car though. Just minor gripes that could so easily be identified and sorted at the design stage IMO.
 
Overpriced, not enough std kit, even our trucks have MFSW as std, soft paint. and spose thats about it.

But ****** hell it looks good.
 
mfspen said:
The bone hard ride of the S-Line is the only significant thing I don't like.
Click to expand...

Try pirelli P zero rossos although they don't wear particularly well I find them very pliant over bumps/road imperfections and don't find my S line gives a harsh ride.From what has been said on this forum I think I will stick with the pirellis I was going to change to contis for better wear characteristics but whats 6or7K more mileage if you are getting shaken to f--k.
Oh on the subject of what I don't like about car no cup holder.Non functioning multi function steering wheel.
 
I've never had any problems with the dealerships. My o/s folding mirror packed up the other day and I rang up 3 dealers (Hitchin, MK and Coventry) to see who can sort me out with a courtesy car the earliest. All 3 of them were really helpfull and the guy from Hitchin even told me to ring up Audi Breakdown Service because the mirror was folded in and needed the car for the weekend. When I rang them, they guy couldn't be nicer! Within 15 mins of me ringing them, they were outside my door fixing my car! Thats what I call service...

As for what gets annoying, is putting my windows up before I clean my windscreen!

Coss
 
lil_coz said:
As for what gets annoying, is putting my windows up before I clean my windscreen!

Coss
Click to expand...

Thats what i mean, those fins on the side dont catch the water and channel it down like ALL my previous cars, and if its been raining the night before, you get in your car, its a hot morning so u put the windows down, drive off, next minute a bucketload of water empties into your car lol.

Also another gripe (uber minor) is the windows that sometimes have a mind of thier own and decide they dont want to close lol!
 
agree with all the posts so far

Main things for me, pi55 poor build quality, amazingly inept shoddy dealers, and equally inept head office monkeys
 
It's the water thing for me too, i'm sure it's not a difficult design detail to chanel water away from windows?
I got a car full the other day, not too happy!
 
The sat nav is useless- and the armrest problem with the hanbrake in the way.
All minor things though it must be said- And come off it guys- we can be negative about things but to mention **** poor build quality is taking it a step too far!!!!
 
Agree with most of what's here, so in no particular order:

Water pouring in (when raiing or just washed the car!) when the windows are even slightly cracked - last one did, it the new one is twice as bad! Had a soaking on may an occassion!

Ipod - £170 for something that plays the first 5 playlists only, shows no track names, and mutes the volume (on Bose at least) as the music quality isn't as good

Hub housings rusting - nice car, alloy wheels big brakes everything looks good - until the hubs start to rust and it looks a little fugly...... surley as an Audi they could do something....?

Dealerships - focussing on the bad ('cause not all of them are rubbish), but some of them in the 5 years of Audi ownership are terrible in both service and sales!

Other 'less permium' VAG products getting loaded with some of the basic options that cost a fortune on the A3

No option to change Xenons to drive in mainland europe without a delaer visit and a £100 bill...... each time! Skoda's have a 'traveller' button that does this for xenons!!!!

Rattle from the parcel shelf - surely a design over-sight that could be fixed easily!

Parcel Shelf holders with 'balls' suspended from them that play conkers in your boot - why!!??

Think that's it!!!!

I love my car though!!!!!
 
Daft plastic struts that run down the side of the centre console.

Price.

Errr...
 
Expensive to buy, lacking in standard equipment for a 'premium' model. Things like Xenons should be standard when you are spending this sort of money.
 
Think all my frustrations have been said - the wipers and travelling to europe changes.

Oh and the options choices sometimes frustrate - such as misano red only on the S line and the Xenons now only on Sline and above.
 
I agree about the Xenons choice being now available on the S-Line and S3 although my dealer spoke to the A3 Product Manager at Audi UK yesterday who said that will almost certainly change in the not too distant future.

My only two real dislike are the water getting into the car when the doors or tailgate are opened in certain conditions and the lack of a full-size spare wheel. Space savers are OK if your local but on my long drives to Germany, Switzerland and Austria I much prefer to have a full size spare. So much so that I've bought a steel wheel and tyre and it goes behind the passenger seat on the journey and then into the boot when the cases are taken out.
 
And with Audi generally - well how they (well the whole VAG lot of em!) are trying to market a fairly ancient engine - the 1.9PD 105bhp as the environmental choice in the A3 and Leon, when in reality it should be much better - they've managed to bring down the CO2 on the 140&170 by new development, but not done much on this one.
 
sat1983 said:
The sat nav is useless- and the armrest problem with the hanbrake in the way.
All minor things though it must be said- And come off it guys- we can be negative about things but to mention **** poor build quality is taking it a step too far!!!!
Click to expand...

Do we really have to get into this again?
 
urm,
1. crappy ipod integration,
2. having to get another app for my nokias to work and still not be able to get a cradle, not that I would at £100,
3. the RNS-E costing £2000 dealer price and really at the end of the day not being any good in comparison to other kit from specialist shops,
4. the fact one mirror folds/unfolds faster than the other.
5. The MFFBSW mode button not looking after the audio (CD/TELEPHONE/FM/AUX/CD/TELE) ETC ETC.
6. the rear wiper not wiping once when you put the car in reverse (when wipers are on)
7. The headrest only going up and down.
 
Kontraband said:
6. the rear wiper not wiping once when you put the car in reverse (when wipers are on)
Click to expand...

Is yours broken or something because mine does... ? :think: Or is it only part of the auto wipers?
 
Urm, broken? maybe it is then... I have auto wipers... never noticed it come on... strangely this afternoon in the 75 degree sun when I put it in reverse it flicked on.. but thats the only time... might get the hosepipe out later ! ;)
 
I hated the way I always had to wear a coat, in winter.
My commute is only 3.5 miles, and the temp gauge would barely move, even though that drive could take 20 minutes+
Which meant the heater barely worked.
That used to drive me nuts.
 
sat1983 said:
we can be negative about things but to mention **** poor build quality is taking it a step too far!!!!
Click to expand...

It's all opinions sat and in my opinion my £24k Audi was thrown together. It's also my opinion that the A3 is nothing more than a Golf in a posh frock.

Play nicely boys :)
 
rich1068 said:
It's all opinions sat and in my opinion my £24k Audi was thrown together. It's also my opinion that the A3 is nothing more than a Golf in a posh frock.

Play nicely boys :)
Click to expand...

I'm not going to say you're opinion is wrong, after all....it's your opinion but having driven Golf GTI's before buying the S-Line i do strongly disagree. The Audi doesn't feel like they've cut back on anything at all to save a few quid here and there, the Golf does.
The two cars have a very different road stance when you put them side by side. Handling is set up to be very different between the two also.
Fine they share common components but so does the Leon and i definitely wouldn't say the A3 was a Leon in a posh frock. It's a different level of motoring entirely.

In fact to use your analogy i'd say the A3/S3 was an expensive sharp cut suit in comparison to the Golf's jeans and T-shirt and the Leon's Tracksuit and cap.
 
Only thing that really annoyed me when I got my first A3, was as already mentioned the lacking of some standard components that come as standard on cheaper cars.

Radio controls on the steering, auto lights and mirror, etc.

But we all make a choice, and I must have liked it as after a year of not having one the new one is delivered tomorrow.
 
lil_coz said:
Is yours broken or something because mine does... ? :think: Or is it only part of the auto wipers?
Click to expand...

It's not part of the auto wipers it applys to all A3s . If the front wipers are switched on and you engage reverse the rear wiper should be activated once. It certainly works on my A3.
 
Matt said:
Expensive to buy, lacking in standard equipment for a 'premium' model. Things like Xenons should be standard when you are spending this sort of money.
Click to expand...

If that's what you think of the A3 why didn't you buy a Focus or a Golf or similar instead. The A3 must have had something to make you choose it.
 
Some basic ( in this day and age ) equipment are still options on a 27k S3.

Cruise control
Auto lights
Auto wipers
Interior light pack
Stalk/steering wheel control for the stereo

Should be coming Std on a 27k top of the range car IMHO

p
 
h5djr said:
If that's what you think of the A3 why didn't you buy a Focus or a Golf or similar instead. The A3 must have had something to make you choose it.
Click to expand...

You get the badge and arguably better materials/build quality.
But you're already paying a premium for that.
So a lack of standard equipment is hard to swallow.
If an £18k Golf has loads of kit, then a £23k Audi should also have loads of kit, with the extra £5k being attributed to the badge/build.
 
bowfer said:
You get the badge and arguably better materials/build quality.
But you're already paying a premium for that.
So a lack of standard equipment is hard to swallow.
If an £18k Golf has loads of kit, then a £23k Audi should also have loads of kit, with the extra £5k being attributed to the badge/build.
Click to expand...

That's one way of looking at it. Personally I prefer the lots of options approach so that I can tailor the car to what I want and not be forced to accept things that I don't like. If people are after value and an 18k Golf has loads of kit, then buy a Golf.
 
h5djr said:
That's one way of looking at it. Personally I prefer the lots of options approach so that I can tailor the car to what I want and not be forced to accept things that I don't like.
Click to expand...

I would agree with you, if the price reflected the fact that you are getting a 'basic' car, but with the freedom to add stuff at will.
Unfortunately, the way things stand, Audi are charging a high price for a comparitively basic product, which is them getting their cake and eating it.
 
Having just looked at the VW website a Golf 2.0 TDI-170 GT Sport 5-door comes at a basic price of £19,220+£110 luxury pack (£19,900+£1550 Sport trim). Much of the equipemnt is the same as an A3 with the following available as extra cost options on both models - Electronic air-con £695 (£375), Acoustic parking sensors £315 (£300), front armrest £120 (incl), iPod prep £275(£150), DVD Sat/Nav £1845 (£1870) and BiXenon headlights £750 (£550). The price in brackets is the same option on an A3.

This means that an A3 2.0 TDI-170 5 door would cost £21,450 + £3,245 in options = £24,695

The Golf 2.0TDI-170 GT Sport 5-door would cost £19,330 + £4,000 in options = £23,330

So you would pay an extra £1365 for an similar spec on an A3 than on a Golf. I know which I would choose.
 
owned.jpg
 
I dont have many, if any gripes about my car.

The only real problem I have with it is the judder at idle due to the bad design of the flywheel :(

Other than that the little things that annoy me are:

MPG can be bad sometimes
Prices for service

To comment against those who have gripes with the build quailty.....ya wha??

What are you comparing them too?

My car is 4.5 years old now with 71k miles and not one rattle!

My best mate A4 from 1999 is of the same era as his old 95 328i sport BMW and the build quality of the A4 is far superior and still is!

I am very happy with my A3 and couldnt have asked for a better car!
 
Do the girls come as standard or are they an optional extra.

Perhaps that should read - Do the girls 'come' as standard or that an optional extra!!
 
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