Agreed. There is a very real concern that needs acceptance and immediate fixing. But, the drama is a little heavy. I know that you get to voice your opinions on forums, and I've heard yours over and over, but I don't think the car is wholly unacceptable at this point. Sorry, but it ain't happen'n.

Cheers!

 

I've got to agree with Chef for the most part. No need for freaking out or 'what-if' plans yet. Give them an honest chance to properly fix the problem and restore your confidence. If they can't/won't/fail to do that, THEN raise hell.

 

What would constitute an "honest" chance to fix the problem?

I believe that is all anyone has been asking for. Thus far (that would be the 'immediate' part there Chef) the response has been "here, have a new fuel pump, that might fix it, or not". While they have acknowledged the problem, they don't seem very forthcoming with any kind of real fix. At the time I took my car in, they told me flat out that they had just fixed this same problem on another A3, and it didn't make it a day before it was back. Maybe the fuel pump replacement is the real-deal fix, but they sure aren't instilling any confidence with it. So again, what would be an 'honest' chance to fix the problem? Two, three, four tries? I'm happy that mine hasn't acted up since the fuel pump was replaced, but I certainly have no feeling of confidence that it won't happen again.

Sorry, I don't think anything has been over dramatized in this thread. I don't know where you all drive, but around here sudden, uncontrolled loss of power an deceleration has a very high probability of leading to a wreck. Considering the percentage of large SUVs and trucks around here, said wreck would likely result in a pretty poor outcome for me and/or my car.


(I'll add for the record that in my case, I thought the service department was doing what they could to fix the problem. The're just isn't anything else they can do but keep replacing fuel pumps and sensors. That seems to be the only option at this point.)

 

Ogurut, my views are very much in line with yours. "Sudden unintended deceleration" on Albuquerque area highways is a recipe for very bad news. The average non-commercial vehicle here is utterly huge not to mention the plethora of commercial ones. Regarding an "honest" attempt at a solution, it is quite possible, probable even, that Audi is honestly attempting to engineer a fix -and not just replacing bad parts with bad parts. The fact is that they haven't produced the fix yet. In my statement to Audi Customer Support, I clearly verbalized that I would drop my case if Audi issued a TSB which described the problem and presented an engineered solution. That would be fantastic. I love my A3 and very much want to keep it. Short of that, I am unwilling to wait to a repeat of "sudden unintended deceleration".

 

I honestly do hope that they find a fix soon. That is what TSB, recalls, and lemon laws are designed to help with on new cars. I just hope it is a quick TSB, and not a long drawn out lemon law process for each of you. It would be a shame to "giveaway" such a fine car, but I do understand how upset this makes each of you. Keep us posted on what they've done, and what works.

Cheers!

 

Stickied to the NooB thread.

 

It's been 6 months since my last post on this issue and I miss my A3 terribly. I did trade it in. Does anybody know if the 2.0t engine problem has been resolved? Did Audi/VW release a TSB or a fix? Thanks.

 

I'm not sure if it's related to this issue. But, I have not heard anything recently of anyone having any problems as mentioned in this post. Back in the fall when I went in for my 15K service - they informed me of a TSB which involved a reflashing of my engine management system.
Chef and some others may remember more clearly what that was about. Frankly, I cannot remember what I had for dinner on Thursday night - so asking about what was done at my last service interval is an exercise in futility.

 

L7, thanks. If anybody does know what that update did -specifically whether it addressed the issue of this thread- I'd love to know. If it was fixed, I may consider jumping into another 2.0T.

 

Forget hypothetical, I've experienced all three over the years (different vehicles of course), and while losing power can be dangerous in certain situations, even complete power cutout is nowhere near as bad as brake or steering failure. Steering failure is by far and away the worst. I was driving an '84 Chrysler Daytona Turbo Z a couple of years after buying it new and most of the teeth on the aluminum steering rack sheared off suddenly. That is sheer terror. Never another American car, much less a Mopar product after that.