Hi All,

I have just purchased my first Audi A3. Its a 56 plate 1.9 TDI. with all the optional extras you could ever want in a car.

I know this is probably a question which is asked a lot. But would love to know from other owners of there pit falls and problems experienced during owner ship. I have just changed from a Range Rover so am used to electronic systems and all the problems / expense they need to be kept going. Are these cars really as good as everyone says?

I know this is a depends on how you drive it question, but would be really interested to hear from current owner fuel consumption figures.

Thanks

Bryan

 

You can not buy parts in the US except from dealerships or from online import sites that take weeks to deliver parts unless you want to pay through the nose.

Once you get your parts, half of them will require tools not found in the US except at dealerships, or from online import sites that take weeks to deliver unless you want to pay through the nose.

DIY Information is hard to find, and when you do find it, you have to sort through all the former rice burners who now have decent enough jobs to afford to over custom their expensive german cars. They say VAG a lot, and talk of chips and mufflers and turbos and blacking out yellow lights... sort through their stuff and you will eventually find half useable information.

Dealers know these three things, and charge you insane amounts for service in order to pay for the local bikini model they have working reception and the fancy flavored coffee and sattelite TV you get to watch why their too good for you sales people stare you up and down to see if you are a 6 figure guy, or a wannabe.

The Engines and suspension are wonderfull, the Air conditioner, Water Pump and paint on the side bars will all go to ****. You will eat through tires pushing you to bankruptency (sp?), all off your buttons on the doors and console will eventually bubble up and peel off, so try and memorize them now. And in the end, you will realize you paid $10 grand more for a car that gets loose rock chips on the nose just as frequently as the Hyundai beside you, and you both are limited to 65 MPH on the highway, he is getting better gas mileage, his tires last longer, his buttons dont peel and his AC will always work... and he will never ever ever need to spend a saturday morning with his lap top over the engine trying to figure out why the stupid "Service Engine" light wont go off.

Audi my friend, is all about love.

 

usaf, come on, it's not that bad.

v8, i purchased my first audi back in '97 when audi was trying to get back into the us market. it was a first generation A4. i kept if for about 7 years and let it go with 170miles on the clock.

sure it has it's issues but not any of the things usaf mentioned. the a/c was cold, water pump never failed, no bubble up or peel off, and the paint was perfect. regarding the water pump, i didn't change mine out til 90k. well over the recommended mileage and it still didn't go. what did go wrong was the cat. converters, issues with sunroof rails (quite costly for just a sunroof issue), cv boots would tear all the time but this was my fault since i changed out the springs without applying a camber kit and some minor leaks.

as you know, repair cost on these types of cars can get up there but that goes for so many other makes. lucky for me i had an inexpensive extended warranty and paid for itself 3 fold.

i too recently went out and purchased a new '10 A3 2.0t. the wife wanted me to get the new A4. the new A4 is very nice looking car but, after comparing the 'drive' of each car i knew i would have a lot more fun with the A3. sure, not a ton of power nor the best handling car in the world but just simple/clean and lots of fun to drive while getting decent gas mileage. i was also looking at CPO '07 335. yes, one of the best cars out there, in my opinion. tons of power and great handling but the thing i didn't like is the fact that there are 3 series everywhere. just count how many you see on your commute or in a parking lot. i like the fact that i rarely see A3's on the road.

as for gas mileage, my usual drive is an equal mix of highway and street miles. i get about 26-27 mpg. keep in mind, i have the 2.0t.

i see you have a 1.9 TDI. are you in europe somewhere? here in the states we have the 2.0 TDI.

anyways, i think you'll enjoy the TDI.

that's my 2 cents.

 

Thanks for the reply. I am in the UK and Audi's are as common as VW golfs. I only choose a A3 as it drives well and is fully loaded with all the comforts I had with my old Range Rover.

No doubt I will appear on the forum from time to time with little niggling things. I dont pick up the A3 until Saturday. Cant Wait

 

i originally wanted the TDI but they were not making any deals; basically, msrp was the true price. i'm not sure about the UK but the TDI isn't readily available.

anyways, have fun with the new car this weekend. i only have 1,400 miles on mine. so, basically, it's still brand spanking new to me.

 

Dear V8 Alligator.
I had a 1.9 Tdi 130 bhp here in the uk but it was an A4 Avant. It did 54mpg loaded going to France and back. Knocking about it did a regular 45mpg.
I then got excited and got the A3 3.2V6 DSG. That did 26 over the 2 yeras I had it and the S3 DSG I now have does about the same although I have just doen 1400 miles in 4 days (France to England to Scotland back to England) and it averaged 30mpg.
I reckon that you should be in the mid 40's.
Run red x diesle to keep the injectors clean and I ran mine on Shell V-power because it ran better but I did try normal diesel to compare.
If its a manual keep an ear out for the dreaded dmf failure that they suffer from.
But most of all enjoy the car.
Regards