The A3 Ownership Experience
 

I am excited about buying a 2007 A3 and am just wondering what everyone's experiences have been? How is the reliability of the car compared to other cars people have owned? Performance is obviously amazing, but am wondering have people compared the drive and handling of an S-Line A3 2.0T versus a stock A3 2.0T, what are people's observations or experiences with their A3's? Thanks!

My 07 A3
 

My '07 A3 has been a fantastic car. Nothing's gone wrong, it's never been back to the garage in 35K miles. Changed tires yesterday for the summer and there's still lots of brake pad left on all four wheels. Almost everything about it is nicely/thoughtfully designed and the gas mileage is super (30-32). 91 octane works perfectly well. Good Audi, that's for sure.

Oh, once the sunroof wouldn't close so I removed the tool hidden in the overhead light assembly and gave it a crank--it's been fine ever since.

Hi!

Mine is new, but I noticed a funny noise from the brakes when I'm parking ( backwards ). It happens every time I drive out of the city, highways or when it has been taking a rest for a week or so, it goes away suddenly. I'll take it to the service center soon and check what's that noise, I've read its fairly normal.

Besides that, everything is just perfect.

Mine has a squeaky rear suspension whenever the car is cold. I have been to the dealership and they haven't been able to fix it. I'm also not happy about the original tires. They seem to be getting louder and louder. Can't wait to get them worn out so that I can have them replaced. Other than that, and amazing car!

'06 Audi A3 2.0T

07 a3
 

You're right about the tires. The OEMs (Pirellis) are incredibly noisy. I replaced mine at 15K.
-S

well I have driven the '07 S-line and enjoyed that but am used to a 6 speed manual transmission. While the automanual sport function was extremely nice I found the automatic transmission disappointing. I guess I am a control freak? Any opinions on manual versus automatic trannys on everyone's A3's?

I'm rolling in an '06 manual and love it. I don't think you can go wrong with either, but if you normally have an MT I think you should continue. My last vehicle was an automatic (not DSG), but I quickly became bored. Most people I know with DSG do not use it that often. They get lazy ;)

I was formerly a MT fanatic, but I'm pretty happy most of the time with my DSG. In heavy traffic it's usually wonderful, and the auto shifting in "D" really helps gas mileage. I find it much more satisfying to manually shift with the paddles (still in "D") when I want to pass or downshift for 'fun' corners or down a steep hill, but I rarely use the pure "manual mode".

It is less satisfying when driving very slowly (a good place to use manual mode or "S" instead so that it stays in 1st, rather the shifting up and down) or when trying to parallel park on hill - the clutch engagement under very light throttle is jerky.

Now that there's a second generation DSG in the new Audi TT, and a similar transmissions from BMW and Mitsubishi, the magazines are starting to talk about the limitations of the first gen DSG and specifically mention that the solenoids controlling the clutch engagement were not as subtle as a decent MT driver's left foot. I've heard that the second generation DSG is better in that regard.

If I had it to do again, I would probably still get the DSG.

Not me!

I use manual mode almost everyday, except when I hit heavy traffic. I use toll highways pretty often!

:D

Going on to 3 years with my '06 2T MT with premium and loving it. Only complaint was the original Pirellis - they barely made it to 20K. Put the ContiExtremeContacts on back in September and have been lovin' em. I got a tint job done with the opensky done in "limo dark" - that definitely get the temperature down in the sun. And you can still see the sky with the shades opened. As far as auto vs manual - I recommend trying both and see what you prefer. If you do a lot of sitting in traffic - you may want to consider the auto. My schedule is flexible and I tend to use the back country roads if I have to drive during the high travel times. And whether you want the sport suspension or regular - that all depends on the ride you are looking for. I'm totally happy with the regular suspension - and then again so is my back after some longer drives.
My overall experience can be summed up in one word: AWESOME..... From the dealership experience to maintenance service times. Plus, the insurance company considers the A3 a stationwagon.