Hello All
You might remember an earlier post of mine where I was having problems with a new (2020 model) A3 with cruise control issues. Intermittently the cruise control would refuse to come on and the dealer couldn’t fix it. In the end I rejected it and exchanged for a similar specified A3 which was new March 2021. Well, six months later here I am again.
Aside from all the usual MMI lockup nonsense, “please take over the steering” messages, dodgy out of lane messages, and strange “low visibility” announcements on beautiful clear days, I’ve got a more serious intermittent problem with the parking brake. Every so often the car reports that there is parking brake fault, and I should take it back to the workshop. The dealer has been very helpful and supportive, but they have again been let down by Audi engineering. The car diagnostics are claiming it is an ABS module at fault, but since it’s on its third ABS module I think we can rule out that being the problem.
I last took the car to the dealer a month and a half ago and only got the car back yesterday (a long wait for a new ABS module), but within a few hours it was presenting with the same old problem. Whilst I was waiting over the last month and a half, the dealer gave me courtesy cars (including a TT which was great, two A5’s, and another A3), but at the same time I would just rather have my own car. With the fault occurring today (Saturday), I’ve found myself carless again and the dealer can’t get me a loaner until Monday (hopefully!). Unfortunately, this has really screwed up my plans. Although we do have two cars, we both had to be out this afternoon, so being down to one (trustworthy) car was a disaster.
The dealer has offered me the option of throwing in the towel and a buy back, but to be honest I like the A3, the dealer is just up the road, and they are decent bunch of people that try and look after you. I’d happily buy another car from them, but at the same time do I really want another Audi ? As the saying goes, the definition of madness is repeating the same mistake and expecting a different result. I now worry that the 2020 A3 is just a bit of an electronics\software liability, and they all have problems – but then again maybe I’m just really unlucky. I could of course go to some other manufacturer, but I’ll be sorry if the grass is just as brown but further to drive to get there. Not to mention that the price of used cars has gone up a fair bit since last June.
I’d welcome any thoughts, both on the subject of the brakes, or if I should walk away and give up on Audi.
David
You might remember an earlier post of mine where I was having problems with a new (2020 model) A3 with cruise control issues. Intermittently the cruise control would refuse to come on and the dealer couldn’t fix it. In the end I rejected it and exchanged for a similar specified A3 which was new March 2021. Well, six months later here I am again.
Aside from all the usual MMI lockup nonsense, “please take over the steering” messages, dodgy out of lane messages, and strange “low visibility” announcements on beautiful clear days, I’ve got a more serious intermittent problem with the parking brake. Every so often the car reports that there is parking brake fault, and I should take it back to the workshop. The dealer has been very helpful and supportive, but they have again been let down by Audi engineering. The car diagnostics are claiming it is an ABS module at fault, but since it’s on its third ABS module I think we can rule out that being the problem.
I last took the car to the dealer a month and a half ago and only got the car back yesterday (a long wait for a new ABS module), but within a few hours it was presenting with the same old problem. Whilst I was waiting over the last month and a half, the dealer gave me courtesy cars (including a TT which was great, two A5’s, and another A3), but at the same time I would just rather have my own car. With the fault occurring today (Saturday), I’ve found myself carless again and the dealer can’t get me a loaner until Monday (hopefully!). Unfortunately, this has really screwed up my plans. Although we do have two cars, we both had to be out this afternoon, so being down to one (trustworthy) car was a disaster.
The dealer has offered me the option of throwing in the towel and a buy back, but to be honest I like the A3, the dealer is just up the road, and they are decent bunch of people that try and look after you. I’d happily buy another car from them, but at the same time do I really want another Audi ? As the saying goes, the definition of madness is repeating the same mistake and expecting a different result. I now worry that the 2020 A3 is just a bit of an electronics\software liability, and they all have problems – but then again maybe I’m just really unlucky. I could of course go to some other manufacturer, but I’ll be sorry if the grass is just as brown but further to drive to get there. Not to mention that the price of used cars has gone up a fair bit since last June.
I’d welcome any thoughts, both on the subject of the brakes, or if I should walk away and give up on Audi.
David
