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Audi A3: Problems & Solutions

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    allhorizonallhorizon Member Posts: 483
    Have you test-driven one? Sports suspensions vary a lot. After all, it's an Audi, not an STi or Evo. I'd give a test drive a shot. There are plenty of people out there who think it's not firm enough, and modify it for a lower and stiffer ride! :shades:
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    ccd1ccd1 Member Posts: 140
    Everyone should decide for themselves, but....I've driven the 3.2 without the performance tire package and I can tell you the suspension is very firm. It's at the limits of what I could tolerate on a daily basis and I have mostly smooth roads around me. If I had many bad roads around me, I wouldn't consider this suspension for a second.

    Lowering the car and firming up this suspension might make it a better "track" car, but would make it completely unsuited for daily use, IMHO. I like my back too much to do something like that (and want to stay married as well).
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    Given Audi's racing petigree, is Audi's A3 3.2 Quattro an attempt to provide a street legal autocross car; a refined Euro version of the Evo or WTI?
    Are there racing/autosports groups that are using A3 Quattros for race events?
    Will Audi offer a "competition kit" to let buyers add true race car ride and handling to their A3 Quattros?
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    seespotseespot Member Posts: 3
    I test drove the A3 3.2 today in Edmonton. We just had 30 cm of the white stuff. I didn't find the ride harsh at all. The demo had 17" wheels with 40 psi in them. By the by... the car is a freakin rocket with DSG. I think I just found my new car!
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    pscbeckspscbecks Member Posts: 1
    temp gauge on A3 TDI 1.9 2001 showing high when starting up from cold then gos further round when warm but engine not running hot is this a comman fault as it means replaceing the whole instrument cluster.
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    40 PSI in the tires???? Is this typical of low profile tires?
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    travelinmantravelinman Member Posts: 28
    Not sure if it was regional. The dealer just said that keys that begin with the letter "A" in the serial number (you can see it when you flip open your key) are the bad batch.

    I finally received my new keys yesterday, over 4 weeks after first reporting the problem. woo hoo.....
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    C&D posted recent article where Audi is going to recall a bunch of cars for malfunctioning dashboard wiring. The A3 was not listed, but wondering if could be same problem?
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    supretysuprety Member Posts: 2
    I see. I am waiting to hear from the Audi Shop. I will update if I hear anything.
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    imagine168imagine168 Member Posts: 6
    I have a question regarding standard features that are listed on audiusa website but missing in the car. On Audiusa site, there is a feature call "alarm with tilt sensor" listed as standard feature for the A3 vehicles. This feature have been removed on all post 06 build vehicles. Is there anyone else aware of this? I've had an A4 and TT and found this feature great. Now, after taken delivery of my A3. I've notice the button to disable tilt senor was not where the manual have indicated. I've pointed out this issue to my service and sale manager and they were surprised of this. I then called Audi customer relation and after a week of what they called research on this issue. They called and told me that Audi reserve the rights to make changes to there vehicles to improve the quality of there cars, bla, bla, bla... So, now all A3 do not come with alarm and tilt sensor as listed on there current website. I understand this feature is not so big of a deal but what are the rights for the customers? When customers expected something as standard feature then later finds out that it's not installed.
    I've been driving Audis most of my life and this little thing is going to make me buy other brand.
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    bruintoobruintoo Member Posts: 4
    Mine still has it (printed right on the sticker, too). I just got the car April 8, 2006, and it's post 2006 build. So I don't know what you're talking about. The dash board has a blinking red LED that indicates this alarm/tilt thingamajig.
    -Bruin
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    imagine168imagine168 Member Posts: 6
    Look at you driver door. Do you have a switch to turn off the tilt sensor? Have you rock your car when your alarm is on? If your car have that switch or the alarm goes off when you rock it. Then you have the tilt sensor. Otherwise, you just have a stick that say you have tilt sensor but it's not installed.
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    Years ago VW made the superbug with a "clutchless" tranny; 2 speed, shiftable, with small hydraulic torque converter. Oy, was that car slow...

    BMW and a few others also make clutchless autosequencing manuals. Has anyone compared these to the Audi? Other reports suggest "brand x" doesn't shift all that smoothly.
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    shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    By all accounts that I've read, the VW/Audi DSG is the best all around non-Hydraulic on the market with the two different versions of the BMW SMG (M and non-M) positioned as two and three respectively. Then there are the entries from the exotics which as I understand them are much more suited to racing than they are to street driving.

    Then again I could be totally wrong as I'm not interested in owning an Automatic and as such have never driven one. Errr, at least not in this class of car. ;-)

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
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    bmx43bmx43 Member Posts: 5
    call it what you want. it is NOT a manual transmission. with a manual transmission, i have complete control without any computer looking over my shoulder. if I want to go from 6th to 1st, I can with a manual, with DSG, I have to filter through the gears, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

    I too drive this car only in manual mode. it is the only way to drive this car. again, when it works, it is better than a manual, when it doesn't, it SUCKS! sounds like you are not experiencing the problem. perhaps i drive mine bit harder than you and simply expect more from a $39k small car. i just drove home. the car now has 752 miles. other than the tranny issue, the car is great.
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    tslbmwtslbmw Member Posts: 172
    Shipo,
    I thought you were gonna take the plunge and drive an A3 DSG...are you telling me you still have yet to experience the "wonder transmission?" And trust me, I, like you, had never owned a non-stick vehicle (G35 coupe, 330i, 318is, C230, etc...all sticks); but, after one drive, I was sold.

    Just go drive it!
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    tslbmwtslbmw Member Posts: 172
    like I said, fair enough. And you're right, I haven't had any of the "delays" or "lags" in my transmission that you speak of. Maybe it's the 3.2, maybe it's the Quattro...who knows, but hopefully your problem will "fix itself" after a couple thousand miles...and btw, stop drivin' it sooo hard in that break in period, you could be hurting your transmission.;)
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    shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    "Just go drive it!"

    I've yet to come up with a good reason to drive one. I mean it could be the snappiest shifting Automatic in the world and be completely clairvoyant, shifting EXACTLY as I would, when I would and I still wouldn't be interested. Why? No control. I want to tell my car what to do, when to do it and how to do it, not the other way around. Some folks will say, "Well then drive it in *Manual* mode you dummy." Sorry, that only covers the "what" and the "when" parts, the "how" part is still left up to the computer and that ain't gonna fly for me.

    I suppose IF there happens to be an opportunity to drive one and I have nothing better to do (like cut my finger-nails or something), the I'll give the DSG a try, just to say I did it. ;-)

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    well, before the memory of my drive with the 3.2 goes cold;

    The feeling of the DSG was less involving than a manual (drove them for many years before moving to LA). Tap the 3.2 paddles and wait for the trans to do its thing. As for shifting while turning, was quite difficult as the paddles turn with the wheel (but more possible than shifting a box during a turn!).

    When I stepped up thru gears (1st to third) the trans went through them faster than I could row thru both gears/clutching in a manual box. Going down from 3rd to first, the trans took longer and "hunted" a bit, trying to decide between staying in 2nd or going to first, but still a bit faster than rowing/clutching.

    However, if I were shifting from first to 3rd and back directly w/ manual/clutch, the shifts would probably have taken about the same time, minus the trans figuring things out.

    The big advantage of DSG is it supposedly keeps power to the wheels all the time (save for the instant the two clutches are switching engagement.

    But granted, there is a loss of user input/control. And it's a pity the Audi/VW Golf manuals seem to be second best to Honda and a few other venders.
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    bmx43bmx43 Member Posts: 5
    yes, you are one of the first to accurately describe the shifting experience of the 3.2. upshifting is indeed a breeze and lighteningly quick. and as you say, the downshift and the "hunting" is where the problem is. i would dispute the fact of it taking the same amount of time as a clutch though. mine is inconsistent and literally can take from 1-3 seconds, particularily if the turn is at the top of a hill and you are downshifting. unfortunately, i have to do it every day do get to my house and it is becoming quite frustrating. if i can keep the transmission engaged on the downshift, it is not a problem, only when i pull off the accel and downshift, the problem happens.

    and TSLBMW, to comment on the 3.2 when you don't own one is kind of irresponsible don't ya think...since it's a completely different setup than the 2.0 and just began being offered in the US.
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    was good to have driven the 3.2. Now I know what it is, and can decide if it's worth the $40K. Right now, the DSG glitches are a no vote. Hopefully for '07 Audi will improve it.
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    tslbmwtslbmw Member Posts: 172
    "Do people with the 2.0 T notice the same thing with the DSG?" (asked by kurtamaxxxguy)

    I began by answering this question bmx, I never mentioned driving a 3.2. All I know is that IMHO the DSG is the slickest gearbox I've ever drivin...period. Like I said, though, I haven't encounter the same problems that you guys have.

    My only question for you guys is obvious, how did you guys miss this during your test drives. I would never throw down 38-40K on a new ride if it wasn't perfect...was it just the need for Quattro?? otherwise, a loaded 2.0T manual would have saved you A LOT of money and heartache!! :confuse:
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    klunkmanklunkman Member Posts: 80
    Good to see they're out in full force again!!! Hooray!
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    scotty10scotty10 Member Posts: 3
    As I noted in my original message this problem is intermitent and was not apparent during my test drive. Currently my car is back with the dealer for rectification and they have given me another A3 3.2 DSG as a back up. This car does not have any problems and is a dream to drive, the gearbox being the 'dogs b***ocks'. Hopefully soon with the help of Audi (who are also involved with the Dealer)the problem will be resolved and I'll be back to happy motoring with my own car. I'll certainly report back if and when a resolution is found with what has been done to correct the problem.
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    shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Hmmm, it seems to me that it is actually the other way around. After all, we've been hearing from lots of folks who are insisting that the DSG is the greatest thing since sliced bread (saying things like, "just try it, you'll instantly be a convert") and that those of us who prefer to stir our own are (pick your adjective), Reluctant to Change, Old, Cheap, Dumb, Afraid of new Technology... (you get the idea). The flip side is that I don't recall too many comments (if any at all) from those of us that prefer three pedals insisting that the rest of y'all are..., errr, well I won't go there. ;-)

    Fact, I like three pedals under my dash and a direct link to my gears under my right hand (or left if I'm driving in the U.K., New Zealand, Japan or any of the other RHD countries out there). It is quite simply a matter of choice, I like Manuals, many others don't, and I'm glad to have the choice. Why is that so difficult for the Automatic transmission enthusiasts to get through their heads?

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
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    tslbmwtslbmw Member Posts: 172
    wow, shipo...ahhhh, ok. I hearby declare that I will NOT ask you to try out this little wonder transmission again. Enjoy your continued love affair with your 3rd pedal; BUT, when your mind opens up a little (and you're not clippin' your nails) give the DSG a whirl and try not to smile.;)

    and btw, of course you've been hearing from a lot of folks about DSG, it's what's new (or "what's next" according to Audi literature) and without folks out there singing it's praises, no one will know what it is...we're just serving our fellow automotive enthusiasts. ;)
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    tslbmwtslbmw Member Posts: 172
    I do hope your problem is resolved and I'm sorry I missed the part about your test drive. Good luck!
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    please let us know, scotty10. I suspect it's a first year blues issue (Audi said some stuff got changed as the A3 made its trip from Europe to USA - trans calibration may have been one of them). If Audi nails it, I'll take another look.

    Is your dealer near los angeles? It seems with this brand, a good dealer is more important than usual.
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    klunkmanklunkman Member Posts: 80
    Actually, the decriptors I would use are arrogant, condescending, snobbish (hence the subject title). I myself was of this ilk once. I got away from manuals for about 8 years and decided to go back to it with my '04 TL 6MT. Meh, whatever. I came to realize I wasn't missing much. It's a lovely car, and a joy to drive when I have the wherewithall to really concentrate on driving it correctly. I can't/don't always do that. The engine is so smooth and so quiet that if I'm listening to music even of moderate volume, I can hear it. And I shift by sound, generally (or NVH, of which Acuras have nearly none).

    Bottom line is my garage is only good for two vehicles. My wife's MDX takes up one spot, leaving me room for one vehicle. In a perfect world, I would have a Miata or some other sporty runabout for weekend pleasure driving. But my world's not perfect, my vehicle has to wear many hats. So my next vehicle will probably be some sort of automatic, or manumatic, or sportronic, or some kind of onic. And hopefully Audi/VW have any bugs out of their DSG machines when I'm ready to buy, because the A3, Rabbit, GTI sound like vehicles that do everything moderately well.
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    klunkmanklunkman Member Posts: 80
    Oops, meant to say "can't" hear it.
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    scotty10scotty10 Member Posts: 3
    No my dealer is across the 'Pond' in Scotland. Beautiful countryside, winding roads through distillery country with a car that thrives such challanges (when working!). Local dealer is an Audi Specialist with back up from Audi UK. Now that the dealer has identified the problem and with Audi UK taking a more direct interest there will be a positive outcome.
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    davidd7davidd7 Member Posts: 1
    I've had my A3 2.0T DSG about 2 months and 3000 miles.
    How do you remove the warning stickers on the visors? I love the A3 interior design but get irritated everytime I look up!

    Also, I have the same key thing with the engine not starting every now and then. Happens whether I wait
    a couple secs before starting or not. I haven't taken it in yet as I was waiting until the fix was known.

    My 2.0T DSG seems to hunt a bit when donwshifting in a hard turn as described for the 3.2. After 2 months of driving, the manual that I originally test drove was more fun but less practical - my SO doesn't do stick. The DSG is a blast though once you get used to it's little issues.
    It there new SW for the DSG that fixes the problem?
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    andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,729
    I too, have found issues with the DSG downshifting and hunting and doing strange things while turning. It's almost as if the tranny goes into race mode anytime you take a turn. The slightest increase in pressure on the accelerator while turning makes the car go into "madman" mode, and usually will activate the ESP and the tire may screetch.

    I have to get more miles and practice before I can judge the "severity of the problem" or simply if its just the A3's personality to go into "sport mode" everytime you take a turn.

    FUN to drive as all heck though! Not quite as explosively fast and quick as many have said (but I'm used to Honda's awesome 240 HP V6). Amazingly, Honda's V6's are some of the best V6's out there, and this 2.0 T behaves a lot like that engine, only with more low end torque, but less top end HP.
    '15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    "the company is paying for these to be changed but refuses to accept their responsibility for the A3"

    Thanks for info. Let's hope in near future they get their reliability act together. I won't buy one until they do.
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    I'm curious if Audi dealers do anything __different__ wrt service provided to their customers ..vs.. us domestic car owners.
    Let's please disregard their current free maintanance, as that's gone in 2007, when I will be considering the next car.

    Reason is in my area, Audi dealers are sparse and a considerable drive to reach.
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    dazzadazza Member Posts: 2
    Hello

    I own a 97 Audi A3 1.6 and when it is at a stand still the revs fluctuate instead of staying steady at around 900rpm.

    Has anyone seen or heard of this?? What is the cause??? How can i fix it??? without an expensive trip to the Audi garage!!!
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    Am also curious if any Audi owners posting here have dealer service departments that are open on WEEKENDS?? Out of the 12 Audi Dealers I surveyed in my location in LA, CA, only __one__ was open on Saturday.
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    robert66robert66 Member Posts: 1
    in the april 2006 issue of quattro route magazine they talk about a crack developing in the cylinder head of the a3 2.0tdi audi from 2005 model downwards at 90000 to 100000km onwards.they also say that audi have corrected this from 2005 nov model upwards on the assembly line.has anybody out there experienced any thing like this.
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    a3ownera3owner Member Posts: 1
    I have a problem with my "Service Warning Timer" as well.

    I bought the car in August of '05 (A3 2.0 DSG). I currently have approximately 7,600 miles on it. A few months after its 5,000 mile service I began getting new service warning indicators when I started the car. Its starts at 500 miles and 365 days. It begins counting down in incriments of 100 miles until the SERVICE! light kicks on. I've taken it to the dealer to reset 2 times now. The light just came back on again. Has anyone else had this problem? They've told me they must not have done it correctly the last time. Not sure I'm buying that anymore.
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    Could be the dashboard module problem that has been mentioned over on the A4 forum. This is used in a number of Audis and seems to be problematic.

    The module is very expensive outside of warranty.
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    staciemeowstaciemeow Member Posts: 1
    No smoke or anything like that.

    When I reported to the problem they said they "couldn't find anything wrong" and that it just needed an oil change.
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    tslbmwtslbmw Member Posts: 172
    Question for all A3 w/OpenSky owners: When I first purchased the car in March ('06), the rear sunshade would not latch. The dealer fixed it and it seems fine now; however, now the front shade won't latch and I'm gonna have them fix it when I take it in next month for the free 5000 mile maint. Have any other owners had the same problem? And if so, will this happen again in a couple of months with the new latch or do they replace it with a different type? :confuse:

    Thanks for the input.
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    bruce30bruce30 Member Posts: 8
    I purchased my 2006 A3 Jan 06. Have 2600 miles now. I also have the annoying wind noise at 50+ mph w/skyroof with the roof & windows closed. I think this is a design-structure problem with the roof which probably can not be fixed. So I wont be going on any roadtrips with this car. I also have the intermittent key start problem. And back to the sun roof..most annoying are the holes in the sunshade in the Arizona summer. Bad enough its 110+ then you get the sun on your head! I put one of those flexible sunshades between the glass and flimsy shade to solve that problem.
    Bruce
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    gp325gp325 Member Posts: 1
    Just bought my A3 a month ago, and my front shade latch broke. Brought it in this morning and by 2pm the service manager had called me saying that he needs more time to fix the shade because Audi has sent a non-official recall/fix on the shade, and that he had to order more parts that would come in tommorrow..hhmmm....wondering if this is true or did the technician break something??? Why didn't he tell me this when I brought in the car this morning...
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    tslbmwtslbmw Member Posts: 172
    Well, I've heard this problem is happening to almost ALL A3 owners with OpenSky so I hope your manager was right and a recall/fix on the shade was on the way from corp. And I was told the same thing by other owners that the fix could take a while b/c the parts are on back order. I called today to schedule by 5000 maint for next week and told him to go ahead and order the part so it's in next week...we'll see. Let me know how yours turns out when you get it back, I'm VERY interested to know what the new fix will be!!
    Thanks!
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    dazzadazza Member Posts: 2
    Hello

    I own a 97 Audi A3 1.6 and when it is at a stand still the revs fluctuate instead of staying steady at around 900rpm.

    Has anyone seen or heard of this?? What is the cause??? How can i fix it??? without an expensive trip to the Audi garage!!!
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    stinkwordsstinkwords Member Posts: 4
    So is there a consensus that OS causes annoying (or at least louder than it should be) freeway wind noise? Someone posted about a "comfort" position on the OS dial, which eliminated a rattle. Is this related?

    I'm just about to pull the trigger on an A3 with OS, but noisy road trips might be a deal breaker.
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    bruce30bruce30 Member Posts: 8
    Has anyone noticed that it is not possible to flip the wipers up off the window for window cleaning. You need to hold them up due to the position under the hood. The driver side will lift out only with the hood open and the passenger side will not flip out with the hood open or closed..the wiper blade must be dismantled on that side.
    I confirmed this with the service manager on my first oil change. We had a good laugh about that. At least they did a good job on the rear wiper design!
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    a3girla3girl Member Posts: 1
    OK OK i know im a chick but i'll try describe in the most technical terms i can!!
    Got an A3 1.8t 2001, every now and then it kind of jerks around, feels like fuel not getting hro, i know that isnt the prob but thats best way i can describe, it loses power, you take your foot off then it jerks off, then stops etc, when is left to tick over, sometimes cuts out, sometimes just keeps juddering on, then prob goes away for while!!
    Spoke to few peoplw they've said have had same probs with audis too, no registered fault on computer, som suggest ecu unit, other changed fuel filter??
    Anyone know anything???
    Thanks!!!!
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    kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    The 4 Japanese and one American (Malibu '04) I have owned burned very little. The old VW Superbeetle that started me out did burn some.
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