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Comments
I'll never again test drive a car in the city only. The first time I drove my new car home (after waiting 8 months after putting down my deposit to get it), I kept looking for a motorcycle which I just "knew" was around me causing all of the noise. I finally called the salesman and asked if roadnoise was a known is and was told it was not. What to do now?
My 11-yr-old Infiniti J30 was quieter than my brand-new Audi, and the sunroof NEVER made the rumbling sound w/ all windows tightly up.
An aside, my side-view mirror makes a whistling sound which eventually annoys me to the point of adjusting it to a less-than-ideal position.
Moral - If you live in the country where things are quiet and you can accelerate over 40 before having to stop again, test drive the car all the way to your house rather than just a quick jump on the interstate for a few miles while you're testing out the stereo system.
When i drive at speeds between 35 and 55mph i have to turn the sunroof knob 2 clicks down to get rid of the rumbling... above 55mph it can be fully opened again. but it still is louder then previous model.... that is a shame, but not that big of a deal to not like the car.
If you open the sunroof further, you will need to have at least one of the windows part way open.
I believe this "feature" (the demarcation) is documented in the manual -- not that that alone makes it OK, since, apparently, your expectations were that you could crank it fully open.
The two click demarcation point, however, is "nearly fully [almost] open."
A few cars fit the bill that have made my short list: Honda Accord EXL-V6 NAV, Acura TSX V6 TECH (I think), the Volkswagen Passat, & the A4 2.0T Quattro.
The car we get will replace my wife's X3 as her car (my 2001 Honda Prelude Type SH has over 112,500 miles and will be with us for quite some time). So the 2 biggest criteria we will be looking for is interior space & trunk space. We have 2 very handsome men under the age of 3 (One will be 3 in September & the other is 3 months old) and she has a "side by side" double stroller she brings everywhere with her. The thing that caught my eye about the A4 (other than the 258 lb-ft torque FSI turbo engine) is the seemingly gigantic trunk.
mark: I've been following your posts for years & have tremendous respect for your opinions about Audis & driving in general. I think your wife still has an X3 if I'm not mistaken. How would you compare the trunk space of the X3 (seats up) to the trunk space of your A4?
The thing that concerns me about Audi is their reliablity & dealer network. My Mom had an '02 A6 3.0 Quattro that had a transmission issue that was never resolved in the 3 years she leased the car. The dealer (PALISADES AUDI in West Nyack, NY) was just plain awful (3 week wait for service appointments, 4 week + wait if you need a loaner car) and Audi customer service wasn't much better. After complaining about the transmission NUMEROUS times, we were granted time to see the regional customer service guy. The guy backed the car out of the parking spot it was in, drove it maybe 15 feet to another parking spot, got out, and said there is no problem with the car.
The A4 I'm interested in for my wife would be a 2.0T Quattro with Automatic & the S-Line Package. I'm eager to hear everyone's opinion!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
The space in the A4's trunk is the same as or slightly bigger than the X3 -- at least if you move things between the cars as we do sometimes. There is, however, a difference in how they get their space.
The X3 isn't as deep but it is taller.
It seems to me the A4 is deeper, less tall and a "smidge" wider.
Both have flat floors.
If hauling, with the seats down, was what you would be doing, perhaps the X3, overall, would seem to swallow more.
The driving experience of these two vehicles is similar, but the X3 shows its age -- the steering seems a bit more sluggish than the A4 (but our A4 has ADS plus the 19" sport package; while our X3 has the SAV package which offers 18" wheels and tires but no sport suspension -- both cars have servotronic steering but the Audi has adaptive steering, the X3 does not.)
The X3 is great. It seems "older" technology wise, however. A bit more truck like.
The A4 is fresh and is brimming with brand new technology -- it steers and can respond like a "go cart."
Both cars were north of $48,000. Both have maintenance included. The torque of the A4 is the winner in performance. The X3's engine is, well, it is a BMW engine -- it is, however, lower in torque and it is quite thirsty.
You will not dislike either vehicle -- if you want, "the best of both worlds, however, get a brand new Q5 -- it feels more like an A4 but it is like a newer technology X3 -- with this meant in the most flattering way one could mean.
The new Audi (2010) will even have 3G MMI, mine, alas, has 2G MMI -- not a huge improvement, but a significant one nonetheless.
Test drive them both (the A4 and the Q5). Now, however, the new Q5 will have more power than the current X3, but the torque of the Q5's V6 is 15 foot pounds lower than that of the A4's 2.0T i4.
Report back, if you would, please.
Thanks. :shades:
We have an X3 now (metallic paint, rear climate pkg, heated front seats, bluetooth/BMW Assist). My wife likes it but thinks she wants a car for her next car and not an SUV. The seats are always up due to the fact we have 2 car seats buckled into the LATCH system.
The Q5 looks like a nice truck. I'm starting to see more of them around, but it doesn't meet the fuel economy requirements (22 city/highway combined) for me to get the $3,500 cash for clunkers credit.
I am excited to go over to the dealer and test drive the car.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I just don't know about the wagon. The rear glass of the car is so raked to make it sporty that it almost defeats the purpose. Maybe when I take my wife to look at the car we'll check out a Q5 too.
I might forgo cash 4 clunkers and wait till the lease is up on our X3 next July. Maybe by then the Twin Turbo X3 will be out & the Audi Q5 2.0T will be out. I'm still considering an E60 5er as well.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I love love love the amenities. The sound system is awesome. The navigation is scarily accurate. The backup camera is a total lifesaver. I suck at parking, so this is easily one of the coolest and best features on the car. The beeps have saved me from denting my car already. I am now addicted to my Sirius radio and love the ability to plug my iphone in and play my music. The bluetooth feature also works perfectly.
I'm hoping that all will continue to run well (minus a little hiccup with the fuel pump) but so far, it's the style and the amenities I love the most.
I love discovering all the new stuff on the car. I should've read the manual, but it's so thick that I can't really get past the few things that interest me.
Nothing about new cars really surprises me anymore, though. If that poster had a problem with something it may be par for the course in a new car.
What manufacturers find acceptable in oil consumption is often very liberal. I've heard standards of one quart per 1000 miles, which is nuts. You will want to find the official Audi standard in writing.
Weird thing about oil though, when i brought mine in for the 5k mile service, dealer set computer to require next oil change in 5k miles (at 10k) although the next maintenance is scheduled at 15k. Per Audi manual oil should be changed at maintenance time -- 5k, 15k, 25k etc., and not any more often than that.
That is the schedule i had with my previous A4, it was different dealer back then.
I guess it;s just dealer playing tricks to earn some bucks. Hopefully they at least put in the right grade of oil... :confuse:
None in the first 5K miles
One in the next 10K miles
None since then
They both have, however, excellent brakes.
I bought an unlimited car wash pass and I wash the car (which power sprays the wheels) regularly.
We ended up putting Kleen Wheels on the Bimmer -- wish they were offered for the Audi.
And, no, we have had NO adverse effects from the Kleen wheels, they are ventilated.
Now, perhaps, were we to track these cars, the Kleen Wheels would be an issue -- but, for me, Kleen Wheels are the best way to go.
I wish to find know if any one on the forum has similar problems? Or am I crazy in trying to drive a German car like a normal American car? I am truly baffled by this simply and yet very annoying problem of my 2009 A4.
im driving 2009 A4 quattro and have no problems stopping smoothly.
why dont you test drive any other A4 at the dealership and see if it handles any better? at least you'll know if the problem is with a car (and your dealer too in this case) or your foot is too heavy.
i need some advice quickly!
they keep changing cars that are available---audi needs to have a dealership in savannah---keep these guys on their toes when there's competition.
so long, audi....for now
The MSRP of the audi care plan for new A4 is $740 and it will cover "Any scheduled maintenances not completed within 5 years from the original in-service date are excluded".
60 08 33
2019731/1
December 23, 2008
Affected Vehicles
60 Buffeting noise in cabin
Condition
Rhythmic pressure wave or buffeting noise is heard in cabin with the sunroof open to the comfort position and a road speed range of 35 mph to 45 mph .
Technical Background
Figure 1
The shape of the sunroof wind deflector may make this symptom occur within this speed range.
Production Solution
None.
Service
Figure 2
An effective solution is to replace the current wind deflector with wind deflector 8D9 877 651 A.
Warranty
All warranty claims submitted for payment must be in accordance with the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures Manual. Claims are subject to review or audit by Audi Warranty.
Required Parts and Tools
Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB are subject to change and/or removal. Always check with your Parts Department and service manuals for the latest information.
It is perfectly quiet now.
If your deflector doesn't deflect anymore -- it will be repaired or replaced within the warranty period, unless there is some fine print somewhere that specifically excludes it -- even then, Customer Good Will could be helpful.
Of course, if YOU broke the thing and it is apparent that it was mis-used, well, you might have to fight about it and if you ABUSED something and THAT was apparent, well, good luck chuck! :shades:
just before Christmas i went to my dealership for 15k mile service on my 2009 A4 and i asked if they could replace my wind deflector under warranty, i said it makes the buffeting noise at speeds between 35 and 45. they just checked if the part was in stock, and no problem whatsoever! wind deflector is replaced and it did not cost me a penny.
i cannot say it deflects wind better, because i *think* there is actually more air coming in through open sunroof now, but it certainly is much much more quiet than the original wind deflector... havent tested a lot though, since its pretty cold and snowy here this time of year...
I had a new steering wheel put on my car, free, when there was a mid year update to the wheel and I liked the new one better than the old one. They replaced a non leather wrapped wheel with a leather wrapped one, and washed the car to boot!
Actually, I had just wondered out loud to the svc mgr if such a swap was possible -- when I came back to pick up the car, the replacement wheel was put on without any charge or fuss.
My experiences have virtually always met or exceeded my expectations.
At least with Audis. Not so much with other cars -- but after personally owning dozens of Audis, you'd think I'd have a klinker in their somewhere. :surprise:
The TSB on the sunroof wind buffeting. The fix is quick and warrentied. Here it is.
60 08 33
2019731/1
December 23, 2008
Thanks..
I will say that the breaks on the 2010 A4 will stop the car from highway speed as well as my Porsche, which is saying something. Perhaps there is an aftermarket break rotor/pad combination that won't be so sticky and grabby at low speed city driving. I'm about 1/2 way through the front pads now, so it won't be too much longer before I need to replace them.
Hope this helps.
I have noticed that the few times I topped the oil up to the top of the bar, It seemed to drop down fairly quickly to the 1/5 down point. Any one else notice this?