Q7 Various Serious Issues
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2023 1:03 pm
I'm hoping I'm not alone on this one. My Audi Q7 3.0TDI S-Line has several issues, and Audi is unwilling or unable of resolving them.
The issues began in November 2007, when I began to smell diesel inside the vehicle via the heating vents. I was instructed to keep an eye on it:(
In December (when the temperature was colder - indeed, it seems to be heating linked), the stench became stronger, and I could smell diesel both leaving and inside the vehicle (in fact, the issue was worse if I had the window slightly open). Finally, the dealer agreed to accept the automobile on December 21st in exchange for a loan car. They said that the issue was caused by an exhaust on an auxiliary engine (related to heating) located behind the right front tire arch. Audi released a repair and was awaiting components (tape, believe it or not). The solution was to seal the wheel arches and the plenum chamber (whatever it is). At the time, I voiced worry that this would just conceal the issue (and maybe prevent the stench from reaching into the vehicle), but not solve it. They advised me to let them conduct the repair and then watch the vehicle. Simultaneously, they ran a software update that utterly messed up the whole vehicle and wrecked the ECU - I now had to wait for a new ECU (more on the troubles that this has brought later). After 7 weeks, I finally got my vehicle back, and within 3 miles, I could smell burned fuel inside. I went back to the dealer right after, and he told me it was probably residue from before the fix, and it will go away. The scent was improved for a few days, occuring just once every other day, but in the past two weeks it has increased to up to three times every day. The vehicle will be returned to the dealer tomorrow, but in my view, 'what can they do', this looks to be a design flaw.
Is this an issue that anybody else is experiencing? According to my dealer, there is just one other Q7 with the same problem.
Now for the ECU replacement and software update.
The first thing I noticed following this occurrence was that I no longer had voice control over my bluetooth phone and names. When I asked the dealer about it, he told me that Voice Control was not a bought option on my car (which was right). I mentioned that I didn't have complete voice control over everything, just the names for dialing, and that I believed this was included in the bluetooth bundle. I wrote to Audi indicating that I was granted this feature when I bought the vehicle and that it has now been removed - something they should not be entitled to do. I have requested that this capability be restored quickly. The letter was sent four weeks ago, and there has been no response to yet. Customer Service? - No, I don't believe so. It seems to be a matter of taking your money (a substantial amount) and then peeing off.
Other issues that have arisen following the software change include:
1. Turbo lag - the automobile takes 2 to 3 seconds to react at low rpm. Poor performance at intersections and roundabouts.
2. The driver's window opens halfway after locking the vehicle with the key fob (this has occurred three times, the most recently when it poured all night and I had to put up with a soaked seat for three days - who knows what it did to the leather).
3. The electric driver's seat continues to move. Clear the memory. Exit the vehicle. When you go back in, the seat has shifted and the memory setting has not been stored. I tried everything I could think of but nothing worked.
4. This has always been an issue - the information on Traffic Info is inaccurate - road numbers are incorrect, etc. According to the vendor, it only shows information received from radio stations that broadcast TMC. My sister, on the other hand, has a brand new VW Golf with the identical function, and guess what? All of the information is presented accurately.
Has anybody else encountered similar issues?
What began as my pride and pleasure is quickly turning into a nightmare, and Audi doesn't seem to care. If it is not fixed quickly, I will have to rethink my alternative choice of a Range Rover Sport.
Any assistance would be much appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to read my lengthy rant.
The issues began in November 2007, when I began to smell diesel inside the vehicle via the heating vents. I was instructed to keep an eye on it:(
In December (when the temperature was colder - indeed, it seems to be heating linked), the stench became stronger, and I could smell diesel both leaving and inside the vehicle (in fact, the issue was worse if I had the window slightly open). Finally, the dealer agreed to accept the automobile on December 21st in exchange for a loan car. They said that the issue was caused by an exhaust on an auxiliary engine (related to heating) located behind the right front tire arch. Audi released a repair and was awaiting components (tape, believe it or not). The solution was to seal the wheel arches and the plenum chamber (whatever it is). At the time, I voiced worry that this would just conceal the issue (and maybe prevent the stench from reaching into the vehicle), but not solve it. They advised me to let them conduct the repair and then watch the vehicle. Simultaneously, they ran a software update that utterly messed up the whole vehicle and wrecked the ECU - I now had to wait for a new ECU (more on the troubles that this has brought later). After 7 weeks, I finally got my vehicle back, and within 3 miles, I could smell burned fuel inside. I went back to the dealer right after, and he told me it was probably residue from before the fix, and it will go away. The scent was improved for a few days, occuring just once every other day, but in the past two weeks it has increased to up to three times every day. The vehicle will be returned to the dealer tomorrow, but in my view, 'what can they do', this looks to be a design flaw.
Is this an issue that anybody else is experiencing? According to my dealer, there is just one other Q7 with the same problem.
Now for the ECU replacement and software update.
The first thing I noticed following this occurrence was that I no longer had voice control over my bluetooth phone and names. When I asked the dealer about it, he told me that Voice Control was not a bought option on my car (which was right). I mentioned that I didn't have complete voice control over everything, just the names for dialing, and that I believed this was included in the bluetooth bundle. I wrote to Audi indicating that I was granted this feature when I bought the vehicle and that it has now been removed - something they should not be entitled to do. I have requested that this capability be restored quickly. The letter was sent four weeks ago, and there has been no response to yet. Customer Service? - No, I don't believe so. It seems to be a matter of taking your money (a substantial amount) and then peeing off.
Other issues that have arisen following the software change include:
1. Turbo lag - the automobile takes 2 to 3 seconds to react at low rpm. Poor performance at intersections and roundabouts.
2. The driver's window opens halfway after locking the vehicle with the key fob (this has occurred three times, the most recently when it poured all night and I had to put up with a soaked seat for three days - who knows what it did to the leather).
3. The electric driver's seat continues to move. Clear the memory. Exit the vehicle. When you go back in, the seat has shifted and the memory setting has not been stored. I tried everything I could think of but nothing worked.
4. This has always been an issue - the information on Traffic Info is inaccurate - road numbers are incorrect, etc. According to the vendor, it only shows information received from radio stations that broadcast TMC. My sister, on the other hand, has a brand new VW Golf with the identical function, and guess what? All of the information is presented accurately.
Has anybody else encountered similar issues?
What began as my pride and pleasure is quickly turning into a nightmare, and Audi doesn't seem to care. If it is not fixed quickly, I will have to rethink my alternative choice of a Range Rover Sport.
Any assistance would be much appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to read my lengthy rant.