unila

hello fellow A3 owners. i have come to the dark side... sorry...im trying to be jolly despite my audi experience.

i am a new forum member and first time Audi owner. this is not the first time i have owned German luxury. i have owned 4 BMW and 1 Mercedes. i loved the ride and interior of Mercedes but hated the performance. i loved the performance of BMW but hated the comfort and effort on slow drives. to make the long story short, i have found my soul mate in cars... Audi.

i fell in love with the interior quality and workmanship. alot better than BMW indeed and at par with Mercedes. i fell in love with the comfort of the seats. very comfortable but supportive unlike the hollow seats of Mercedes and the firm, hard wood-like seats of BMW. i fell in love with the fact that at slow unspirited drives it does not take two hands of Arnold to turn the wheel like in BMW but at speed would tighten up to improve stability and road feedback. i fell in love with the fact that i don't have to break my wallet buying one.

here is the nightmare. dealer sold me 2008 Audi A3 with 25050 miles certified pre-owned. first, after a day with me, i noticed that the engine sounded like a diesel. i thought, could they have sold me a diesel? was i dreaming? to make the long story short, my heart dropped on the floor when i checked the engine oil and it was a few millimeters on the tip of the dip stick. i called the dealer and service director assured me that the car is fine and not to worry about engine damage. i was already skeptical because it was sounding like a freaking diesel. so its got to be the valves or the lifters that was noisy due to lack of oil. he told me to drive it to work and he will send out a flatbed with a loaner in the morning. so i did just that.

after a day they notified me that they dont know what happened to the oil but according to thier records the 25000 mile service was not done yet. mind you this was a certified pre-owned. they should have done the freaking maintenance before they even certify the car. so to make me feel better and for the inconvinience they said, they are throwing in audi care for free for the 25k 35k 45k service for free and they will do the 25k service. wow free audi care... yeah right. free my A$$

after 3 days the car would not creep forward or backward. there was a delay and then the car would jump forward or backward. like there was a delay in power transfer. took it in again and they said bad mechatronic. i told them wasnt there a recall for those things and they said yes and that this was the cars second mechatronic. to they put in a new mechatronic. drove the car for 2 days. i noticed that the tranny like skips on uphills. took it back again and test drove with mechanic and after like 20 mins of going around to replicate the problem it finally showed and mechanic was like " that i felt!" so mechanic said that because the car had 2 faulty mechatronic that there might have been some mechanical damage to the tranny already. mind you again car has 25000 miles. so they replace the tranny and another new mechatronic. tranny working ok not great but livable.

here is my main issue now that i want to ask you guys. how does your car sound? how does your engine sound? mine sound like a diesel. not the same like when i first got it when it had like a few oil at the tip of the dip stick. it sounds better but its still noisy and dealer is telling me that all 2.0 fsi turbo sounds like that but i dont buy it. i have not heard an engine sound like this except for diesels. im used to bmws and mercedes thats why im asking you guys how does your engine sound? its not the same noisiness of diesel but close. another thing is fuel economy. i get like 25-26mpg highway and 17-18 city. i drove the car to vegas which was like 280 miles from los angeles and my avg is 24-25mpg on the highway cruising at 65. im not a speeder so i set my cruise at 65 so why em i getting 25 mpg and there was not traffic at all it was smooth sailing. emailed the service director and he asked my my speed and traffic conditions and i replied now almost a week no reply. how are your fuel consumptions? i only put premium gas.

i hope Audis are not like this or this will be my first and last. please help

MikeSS

All of the 2.0T FSI/TFSI engines sound like diesels. It's due to the high-pressure fuel injectors because they inject directly into the cylinders as opposed to the intake.

LWNY

Your transmission has the extended warranty from the recall, which is around the same length as your CPO warranty. The recall was for a flashing PRNDS and clutch not engaging. This seems to be due to different issue that only more recent owners are experiencing, but you don't have a latest model car. Maybe oil not filled in DSG? I guess a trannie swapout is good if they are willing to do it.

All direct injection engines would sound like this. And if your car is a diesel and you put regular gasoline, it would not be running anymore.

unila

thanks for your reply. new update/ the engine has a pinging sound. not that obvious but its there and noticable.

andrec

What octane rating of gas are you using? Should be minimum 91 octane.

I realize that you're a first time Audi owner, but maybe a bit of paranoia is now setting in?

unila

it could be but i only use 91...

UnoDosTurbosQuattro

I've averaged 30+mpg over the last 30K miles in mixed driving using 93 octane (can't get 91 around here). Winter ethanol mix 29-30, otherwise ~31. Only lower than 29 if the trip is less than a few miles and/or driving 75mph+.

I wouldn't think DSG and 91 would knock off 5mpg but am interested in other owners' experiences.

And yes, my engine absolutely sounds diesel-like when idling...

unila

here you go gents

05/20/2011

$4.279 gal

12.813 gal

251 miles

80% hiway driving

avg 19.5 MPG

05/16/2011

4.559 gal

12.341 gal

246 miles

19.93mpg

unila

i emailed the service director

here is his answer when i asked him why its eating so much gas

and now they want to split the cost of the bluetooth with me. when its the sales persons fault. they sold me a car that they said had bluetooth when the car really didnt have any.

STAY AWAY FROM PENSKE AUDI WEST COVINA

i should have gone with my instincts and went for my 4th BMW instead of an Audi

the experience is a nightmare. and they wonder why BMW is outselling them... if this is the type of service they give premium customers you shouldnt wonder

I cannot change the mileage figure. On the bluetooth I can split the cost with you 50\50 with the Audi approved Bluetooth accessory kit. It retails for $600.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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UnoDosTurbosQuattro

Something must be wrong, either with the tranny, engine, or something else. Any CEL or code shown in a scan? Bad MAF or clogged air filter? Silly things like brake drag from faulty handbrake? Are you in sport mode or regular mode with the DSG? Tire pressure OK?

Before you blame Audi as a mfg, can you find history on the car? Insist on a service history based on VIN search, any dealer should be able to do this for you.

Good luck.