I just bought an 01 AR 2.7T, 116k kms. Great car, however:

(1) feelsbouncy and soft while cornering, even in lowest suspension setting. Shocks seem ok.
(2) brake pedal feel is soft; changed fluid as advised by dealership. Slight improvement, however, "grip" and stopping distance questionable...I have owned many cars and this doesnt feel right. An independent suggests changing rotors.

(3) At temp below-15 degrees here in Canada, both front doors will open but do not shut! Tried de-icers etc etc but no solution. Dealership suggested new door latch mechanism, $400 a piece ordered from Germany! To my surprisethe dealership isnot sureif new door latches would work!!!

Should I bail outby trading in for another make or keep the faith with Audi and attempt to resolve 1, 2 & 3 above?

Any tips would be appreciated.

 

What were you driving before? maybe the allroad is just too soft for you. I've never checked my braking distance, but I can say the braking on my allroad feels quite a bit softer than on my A4.

Maybe one of the tech guys can shed light on your door problem. I could maybe understand why one door wouldn't close, but both? Anyone know if the door lock mechanism is computer controlled?

The yyz in your name gave you away as a canadian before I opened your post...haha.

 

I felt the same way when I got our Allroad too, very bouncy/wallowy. I changed tires, which helped, but I'm now contemplating H-Sport sway bars, which seem to be a possible cure for some of the handling "issues" you're describing. I'm also going to get my shop to drop the suspension a bit lower with the vag-com 402 mod: http://www.allroadfaq.com/howto/suspension.shtml

If your brakes are in good shape, you might just try a slightly more aggressive brake pad before going all out with a brake swap, that might be the difference you're looking for.

I find the door problem the strangest. When you say the doors do not shut, do you actually mean both doors are ajar or the doors close, but won't catch and stay closed?

Jonathan

 

Thanks for the feedback, incrementalg and BS4.

The last German car I owned was a 1988 Porsche 928S4 andbefore that a Merc 560SEL...both had confidence-inspiring brakes with firm pedal feel. Comparatively the AR pedal feels softer... justnot right. I will try performance brake pads, cross drilled rotorsand perhaps new steel braided lines and lets see if that works.

I like the idea of sport sway bars and loweringabout an inch. Will look for a reliable shop in my area for installation. A bit of a challenge sourcingAR performance parts in this part of the world. Do you think lower profile tires on 18 or 19" wheels or 20mm wheel spacers will further improve handling? Currentwheels are 17" (stock) with Michelin All Season225/55/17s (70% tread remaining).

Regarding doors:whenparked outdoors, at temperatures below -15Cthelatches will not engage i.e. keep slamming the door trying to get it shut but latch will not engage and door remains ajar.Could incur this problem either sideor both doors. When temperature returns to -10C or higher, both latches work fine. A very frustrating experience indeed (ever try crawling into frontseat from the back seat and vice versa?) Once I aimed a hair dryer at the outside front door latch /keyhole area for a few minutes and the door would shut ok.

I once read in a forum that door locking problemsin freezing temperatures maybe due tomoisturetrapped inside door panels, orperhaps inferior qualitygrease applied to inner latchmechanisms thatcan not withstand extremely low temperatures.The local dealership was not convincing- quoted $800 in parts alone with no guarantee that the problem would be rectified. Not sure if I can trust an independent withthe door panels just in caseI end up withmore electronic problems, nicks & scratches etc.

Spring is in the airand with temperaturesabove 0 degreesthe next 6 -9 months should be ok, however,Idefinitely need a solution before next winter that is if Idecideto keep the AR after the planned brake and suspension mods.

I thinkthe ARis a great package that offerssuperb design, decent performance and everday practicality of a family car that is hard to beat. I hopethe above issues get resolved so I can endorse this vehiclefor its reliability and handling. If yeah, the next steps would be some interesting Stage III mods to unleash more power.

Further tipswould be highly appreciated.

 

Well I live in TO too, so you've got some company up here! I'd try some white lithium grease on the door latches. It seems that you're describing a problem I had on another car which had sticking latches that wouldn't allow the door to close properly, but the fix was as simple as lubricating the hatches sufficiently to displace any moisture.

I've been searching for proper fitment wheels for the AR with mixed results. I finally settled on 18" August Werkes with Falken FK-452 tires (hopefully to be delivered within the next week or so). I was really trying to stay away from any type of spacer since I've heard from a couple of wheel / tire shops that the AR is particularly prone to vibration when the wheels require spacers. I'm sure that there are several AR owners who haven't had any problems with high quality wheels / spacers, but I wasn't really wanting to risk it. Whatever you choose, make sure that you get a wheel / tire combination that has a suitable load rating. The AR is a pretty heavy car, and the previous owner of mine had tires on it that were under rated and the tires went out of round - want to talk about handling issues!

 

Sher,

It has gotten a little colder than -15 C here in Hyde Park this past winter, and I have had no problems with my doors whatsoever. I think that there's something wrong with yours, but don't spend $800 until the techs will guarantee their work. If the new latches don't work, no charge.

As for the brakes, when I picked up my AR from the dealer (I got a CPO '04 with only 10.5K on the clock), I stepped on the brake pedal and then got out and immediately ran into the dealership to ask the salesman if the 'squishy' feeling was normal. He said that the brakes were fine...and I have gotten used to them since last November. I had switched from a BMW X3, which had a much more direct brake feel. It's no surprise that you feel a difference from your Porsche.

Lastly, I am with you on the handling, although I think 'bouncy and soft' is a bit strong. I have come to appreciate a lot about how this car handles...but let's remember that it's not a true sportwagon...it's the ultimate comfy snow car. I am looking into bigger wheels/lower profile rubber, as well as lowering the suspension a bit. But most importantly, I think that we have to accept this car for what it is. If you want a barn-burner, go grab an S4 Avant, which is what I came very close to doing. Unfortunately, a yellow Labrador and a Rottweiler would probably not have fit into the back of the yellow S4.

Keep us apprised of developments with your situation!

john

 

I too am new to the allroad scene, after driving a '90 90 20v for many, many years. Love the car in many ways, but I too have the same complaint about the brakes...soft pedal, "squishy" is a perfect description. In my case, I get a lot of pedal travel before anything happens, then they finally come on with this "gooey" feeling. My Ford F-350 has better pedal feel and response!

The dealer said the system needed to be flushed, which he did, but it did not change the feel in the pedal.

It's not that I'm worried the brakes won't stop the car, it's just not the linear, predictable feel I was expecting from Audi.

Did braided lines help? Or is there some sort of brake pedal pressure modulator controlled by the ECU that can be overridden with a chip? I'd hate to install new lines, new pads and rotors only to learn pressure is being controlled by a computer designed to save me from myself!

Thanks for any feedback.

Dale

(PS, the H-Sport sway bars sounds like a great mod for this car! I'm going to look into that!)

 

Installed brembo & Zimmerman rotors with Pagid pad, not much difference in pedal feel. Braided lines yet to be installed.Will post feedback next week. 19" wheels made a difference, better cornering andoverall handling improved. Other issues that have now cropped up include faulty headlight / levelling sensor, worn tie rods and noisy P/S pump; all this at 120,000 kms makes me questionAudi's build quality.

 

Would love to see pics of the car w/19s!

 

Ive got Falken fk452's on my A4, and I had to end up ordering them from tiredirectonline to get them. waited a month from my tire place and never got them in so I had to do it myself. But long story short they're really great tires, at least on the A4, and im sure they would be on the AR.

Ive also got spacers on my AR, looks a lot better with them and handles a bit better too. Yet you still cant forget that the AR is a heavy car, thats that.