A3 reliability?
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
A3 reliability?
Hi everyone,
I'm about to ditch my Toyota with 175,000 miles on it and buy a new car.
The 2006 Audi A3 is one of three finalists, and I love almost everything
about it except for one thing: I have some doubts about reliability.
It's not that I *know* it's going to be bad. In fact, part of the
problem is that (it being a new model, in the US), I can't find ANY
data about reliability. And several other Audis have gotten fairly
bad ratings from Consumer Reports in the last few years. Although
CR does say reliability on the A4 has improved in the last few years.
So, does anyone know of any kind of hard data on reliability or initial
quality or anything like that on the A3? Failing that, what about
subjective opinions? One thing I'm having a hard time with is
understanding what it means when Consumer Reports rates a car as
"below average" reliability. Does that mean I'll be paying slightly
more on repairs than I would with (say) an Acura[1], or does it mean
I'll be paying double or triple? What are people's general opinions
of late-model Audi reliability compared to other cars?
- Logan
[1] The other finalists in my decision-making process are the Acura
TL and the Infiniti G35. Neither has half the personality of
the A3, but you see I have this Japanese car right now, and it
has 175,000 miles on it and is still going strong, and...
I'm about to ditch my Toyota with 175,000 miles on it and buy a new car.
The 2006 Audi A3 is one of three finalists, and I love almost everything
about it except for one thing: I have some doubts about reliability.
It's not that I *know* it's going to be bad. In fact, part of the
problem is that (it being a new model, in the US), I can't find ANY
data about reliability. And several other Audis have gotten fairly
bad ratings from Consumer Reports in the last few years. Although
CR does say reliability on the A4 has improved in the last few years.
So, does anyone know of any kind of hard data on reliability or initial
quality or anything like that on the A3? Failing that, what about
subjective opinions? One thing I'm having a hard time with is
understanding what it means when Consumer Reports rates a car as
"below average" reliability. Does that mean I'll be paying slightly
more on repairs than I would with (say) an Acura[1], or does it mean
I'll be paying double or triple? What are people's general opinions
of late-model Audi reliability compared to other cars?
- Logan
[1] The other finalists in my decision-making process are the Acura
TL and the Infiniti G35. Neither has half the personality of
the A3, but you see I have this Japanese car right now, and it
has 175,000 miles on it and is still going strong, and...
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: A3 reliability?
Im new to the forums but have been doing alot of research on the
reliability of audi's and this is what ive come to find in general.
Note that these are subjective opinions and im sure that evidence can
be found to support several different conclusions.
1)Audis are reliable cars in the sense that when you turn the key the
engine will start and you will be able to drive. however, there is a
difference between reliability and maintenance and audis certainly do
require the latter. I work at an accounting firm and today i was
sorting through service invoices for two different car dealerships, one
a subaru one an audi. A given subaru might have 2 or 3 things wrong
when it came in for service while an audi might have anywhere from
5-12. Audis were obviously more expensive to service but i noticed that
there were no major problems....no suspension work no taking apart the
engine...a lot of electrical things but nothing huge. The same went
for subaru but then again no one is questioning th ereliablity of the
japanese makes
2)From what ive read on forums, following the service schedule of an
audi is a must...they arent lke japanese cars or american cars where
you can pretty much ignore the service schedules and fix things as they
arise. This approach with an audi or any german car will kill you.
I hope this helps....again im no audi expert ive only done alot of
research. And dont forget the a3 is all new in the us and the a4 is
refreshed so the reliablity numbers could be quite different from those
of the past.
(like me if you are on this forum asking these questions you are
looking for excuses to buy the audi...if you like cars you have to have
a car you love)
)Audi's require care...you cannot run them and pay no attention to
their maintenance schedules
reliability of audi's and this is what ive come to find in general.
Note that these are subjective opinions and im sure that evidence can
be found to support several different conclusions.
1)Audis are reliable cars in the sense that when you turn the key the
engine will start and you will be able to drive. however, there is a
difference between reliability and maintenance and audis certainly do
require the latter. I work at an accounting firm and today i was
sorting through service invoices for two different car dealerships, one
a subaru one an audi. A given subaru might have 2 or 3 things wrong
when it came in for service while an audi might have anywhere from
5-12. Audis were obviously more expensive to service but i noticed that
there were no major problems....no suspension work no taking apart the
engine...a lot of electrical things but nothing huge. The same went
for subaru but then again no one is questioning th ereliablity of the
japanese makes
2)From what ive read on forums, following the service schedule of an
audi is a must...they arent lke japanese cars or american cars where
you can pretty much ignore the service schedules and fix things as they
arise. This approach with an audi or any german car will kill you.
I hope this helps....again im no audi expert ive only done alot of
research. And dont forget the a3 is all new in the us and the a4 is
refreshed so the reliablity numbers could be quite different from those
of the past.
(like me if you are on this forum asking these questions you are
looking for excuses to buy the audi...if you like cars you have to have
a car you love)
)Audi's require care...you cannot run them and pay no attention to
their maintenance schedules
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: A3 reliability?
Im new to the forums but have been doing alot of research on the
reliability of audi's and this is what ive come to find in general.
Note that these are subjective opinions and im sure that evidence can
be found to support several different conclusions.
1)Audis are reliable cars in the sense that when you turn the key the
engine will start and you will be able to drive. however, there is a
difference between reliability and maintenance and audis certainly do
require the latter. I work at an accounting firm and today i was
sorting through service invoices for two different car dealerships, one
a subaru one an audi. A given subaru might have 2 or 3 things wrong
when it came in for service while an audi might have anywhere from
5-12. Audis were obviously more expensive to service but i noticed that
there were no major problems....no suspension work no taking apart the
engine...a lot of electrical things but nothing huge. The same went
for subaru but then again no one is questioning th ereliablity of the
japanese makes
2)From what ive read on forums, following the service schedule of an
audi is a must...they arent lke japanese cars or american cars where
you can pretty much ignore the service schedules and fix things as they
arise. This approach with an audi or any german car will kill you.
I hope this helps....again im no audi expert ive only done alot of
research. And dont forget the a3 is all new in the us and the a4 is
refreshed so the reliablity numbers could be quite different from those
of the past.
(like me if you are on this forum asking these questions you are
looking for excuses to buy the audi...if you like cars you have to have
a car you love)
)Audi's require care...you cannot run them and pay no attention to
their maintenance schedules
reliability of audi's and this is what ive come to find in general.
Note that these are subjective opinions and im sure that evidence can
be found to support several different conclusions.
1)Audis are reliable cars in the sense that when you turn the key the
engine will start and you will be able to drive. however, there is a
difference between reliability and maintenance and audis certainly do
require the latter. I work at an accounting firm and today i was
sorting through service invoices for two different car dealerships, one
a subaru one an audi. A given subaru might have 2 or 3 things wrong
when it came in for service while an audi might have anywhere from
5-12. Audis were obviously more expensive to service but i noticed that
there were no major problems....no suspension work no taking apart the
engine...a lot of electrical things but nothing huge. The same went
for subaru but then again no one is questioning th ereliablity of the
japanese makes
2)From what ive read on forums, following the service schedule of an
audi is a must...they arent lke japanese cars or american cars where
you can pretty much ignore the service schedules and fix things as they
arise. This approach with an audi or any german car will kill you.
I hope this helps....again im no audi expert ive only done alot of
research. And dont forget the a3 is all new in the us and the a4 is
refreshed so the reliablity numbers could be quite different from those
of the past.
(like me if you are on this forum asking these questions you are
looking for excuses to buy the audi...if you like cars you have to have
a car you love)
)Audi's require care...you cannot run them and pay no attention to
their maintenance schedules
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: A3 reliability?
Im new to the forums but have been doing alot of research on the
reliability of audi's and this is what ive come to find in general.
Note that these are subjective opinions and im sure that evidence can
be found to support several different conclusions.
1)Audis are reliable cars in the sense that when you turn the key the
engine will start and you will be able to drive. however, there is a
difference between reliability and maintenance and audis certainly do
require the latter. I work at an accounting firm and today i was
sorting through service invoices for two different car dealerships, one
a subaru one an audi. A given subaru might have 2 or 3 things wrong
when it came in for service while an audi might have anywhere from
5-12. Audis were obviously more expensive to service but i noticed that
there were no major problems....no suspension work no taking apart the
engine...a lot of electrical things but nothing huge. The same went
for subaru but then again no one is questioning th ereliablity of the
japanese makes
2)From what ive read on forums, following the service schedule of an
audi is a must...they arent lke japanese cars or american cars where
you can pretty much ignore the service schedules and fix things as they
arise. This approach with an audi or any german car will kill you.
I hope this helps....again im no audi expert ive only done alot of
research. And dont forget the a3 is all new in the us and the a4 is
refreshed so the reliablity numbers could be quite different from those
of the past.
(like me if you are on this forum asking these questions you are
looking for excuses to buy the audi...if you like cars you have to have
a car you love)
)Audi's require care...you cannot run them and pay no attention to
their maintenance schedules
reliability of audi's and this is what ive come to find in general.
Note that these are subjective opinions and im sure that evidence can
be found to support several different conclusions.
1)Audis are reliable cars in the sense that when you turn the key the
engine will start and you will be able to drive. however, there is a
difference between reliability and maintenance and audis certainly do
require the latter. I work at an accounting firm and today i was
sorting through service invoices for two different car dealerships, one
a subaru one an audi. A given subaru might have 2 or 3 things wrong
when it came in for service while an audi might have anywhere from
5-12. Audis were obviously more expensive to service but i noticed that
there were no major problems....no suspension work no taking apart the
engine...a lot of electrical things but nothing huge. The same went
for subaru but then again no one is questioning th ereliablity of the
japanese makes
2)From what ive read on forums, following the service schedule of an
audi is a must...they arent lke japanese cars or american cars where
you can pretty much ignore the service schedules and fix things as they
arise. This approach with an audi or any german car will kill you.
I hope this helps....again im no audi expert ive only done alot of
research. And dont forget the a3 is all new in the us and the a4 is
refreshed so the reliablity numbers could be quite different from those
of the past.
(like me if you are on this forum asking these questions you are
looking for excuses to buy the audi...if you like cars you have to have
a car you love)
)Audi's require care...you cannot run them and pay no attention to
their maintenance schedules
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: A3 reliability?
<sheehan888@hotmail.com> wrote
> 2)From what ive read on forums, following the service schedule of an
> audi is a must...they arent lke japanese cars or american cars where
> you can pretty much ignore the service schedules and fix things as
> they
> arise.
Umm... ignoring the service schedules will most likely cause troubles
down the line, whether it's a German, US, or a Japanese car.
Preventative maintenance is key for all cars. The thing with Audi is,
you might actually want to do more frequent maintenance than Audi would
have suggested. Instead of changing the oil every 10K miles like Audi
says, you might want to do it every 5-7K, especially if they are not
mainly hwy miles. Instead of changing the timing belt every 120K miles
(brilliant Audi recommendation for a 2001 model year A4 1.8T), you might
want to do it every 60K.
The key is to do some research beforehand, like you're doing, so that
you don't find out about these things once it's too late. Other than
that, Audis are very enjoyable to drive. And mine was actually more
reliable and better built than an Accord I owned before that. Right now
I'm stuck driving a Japanese car again (company Sentra) and I miss my A4
dearly.
Good luck,
Pete
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: A3 reliability?
<sheehan888@hotmail.com> wrote
> 2)From what ive read on forums, following the service schedule of an
> audi is a must...they arent lke japanese cars or american cars where
> you can pretty much ignore the service schedules and fix things as
> they
> arise.
Umm... ignoring the service schedules will most likely cause troubles
down the line, whether it's a German, US, or a Japanese car.
Preventative maintenance is key for all cars. The thing with Audi is,
you might actually want to do more frequent maintenance than Audi would
have suggested. Instead of changing the oil every 10K miles like Audi
says, you might want to do it every 5-7K, especially if they are not
mainly hwy miles. Instead of changing the timing belt every 120K miles
(brilliant Audi recommendation for a 2001 model year A4 1.8T), you might
want to do it every 60K.
The key is to do some research beforehand, like you're doing, so that
you don't find out about these things once it's too late. Other than
that, Audis are very enjoyable to drive. And mine was actually more
reliable and better built than an Accord I owned before that. Right now
I'm stuck driving a Japanese car again (company Sentra) and I miss my A4
dearly.
Good luck,
Pete
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: A3 reliability?
<sheehan888@hotmail.com> wrote
> 2)From what ive read on forums, following the service schedule of an
> audi is a must...they arent lke japanese cars or american cars where
> you can pretty much ignore the service schedules and fix things as
> they
> arise.
Umm... ignoring the service schedules will most likely cause troubles
down the line, whether it's a German, US, or a Japanese car.
Preventative maintenance is key for all cars. The thing with Audi is,
you might actually want to do more frequent maintenance than Audi would
have suggested. Instead of changing the oil every 10K miles like Audi
says, you might want to do it every 5-7K, especially if they are not
mainly hwy miles. Instead of changing the timing belt every 120K miles
(brilliant Audi recommendation for a 2001 model year A4 1.8T), you might
want to do it every 60K.
The key is to do some research beforehand, like you're doing, so that
you don't find out about these things once it's too late. Other than
that, Audis are very enjoyable to drive. And mine was actually more
reliable and better built than an Accord I owned before that. Right now
I'm stuck driving a Japanese car again (company Sentra) and I miss my A4
dearly.
Good luck,
Pete
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: A3 reliability?
looks like theyve had the a3 in the uk since at least 96...
http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-su...=11&Submit1=GO
http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-su...=11&Submit1=GO
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: A3 reliability?
looks like theyve had the a3 in the uk since at least 96...
http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-su...=11&Submit1=GO
http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-su...=11&Submit1=GO
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: A3 reliability?
looks like theyve had the a3 in the uk since at least 96...
http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-su...=11&Submit1=GO
http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-su...=11&Submit1=GO