Hi everyone,

This is my first Audi vehicle and I am very disappointed to say the least. I was very excited to get the car this May, a 2012 A7 Prestige with all the options except the B & O audio system. Since the purchase I have had nothing but problems. The car has been to dealer several times and they just drive the car around and say either they can't replicate the problem or Audi North America is aware of the problem but there is no fix available. The dealer has put 200 plus miles on the car; kept it for a week each time; told me they have replaced parts but the problems still persists.

Now I am stuck with a car that does not work properly and I am paying for features on option packages that do not work. In the past I have owned BMW M5, Nissan GT-R, and three different Lexus models all of which were purchased new and never gave me a single problem. The service with Audi North America and the dealer have been worse than Nissan for my GT-R service. I am listing all the problems below and would appreciate any feedback. Thanks

Monday May 30th, Blind spot sensor malfunction message displayed.
Sunday June 12th, Headlight malfunction message displayed.
Friday June 17th, Headlight malfunction message displayed.
Saturday June 18th, Navigation system freezes, screen goes blank.
Thursday June 23rd, Headlight malfunction message displayed.
Friday June 24th, Transmission noise and hard kickdown at 25 mph
Monday June 27th, Navigation screen freezes, flickers, closes automatically, shakes as it closes.
Thursday July 6th, Headlight malfunction and Navigation shuts down.
Friday July 8th, Headlight malfunction message displayed.
Saturday July 9th, Navigation screen starts to flicker again, car does not start. Wait 2 minutes car starts right up.
Monday July 11th, Navigation shuts off while driving on the highway and the screen closes. Works fine when the car is shut off and started again.

7/13/2011 8: 30 am. Brake distance control activated when no obstacle or car in front of the vehicle. The car started from a traffic light and then at 30 mph the brakes kicked in.

9/7/11 8:47 am. Brake activation and ABS activated when gentle pressure on the brakes.

9/7/11 5:53 pm Audi lane/side assist malfunction warning on the dashboard and system shuts down again.

9/8/11 Navigation flickers in sub menus, especially in media menus.

9/14/11 Right and left windows are sqeaking during opening and closing, especially after raining.

9/14/11 ABS activation when brakes were tapped gently to slow down not an emergency stop.

9/14/11 Audi lane/side assist malfunction warning and system shuts down again.

9/15/11 Gear downshift and ABS activation when accelerating brakes were not depressed.
9/29/11 8:55 am. Car placed into park and engine stop button pressed, the car shuts down. Open driver door, when the driver door closed the car turns ignition on again. Open the door and hit the start/stop button to shut the ignition again.

10/7/11 5:43 PM Vehicle light malfunction indicator, twice.

10/7/11 5:44 PM Vehicle light malfunction indicator.

10/8/11 Navigation screen rattle back again upon opening and closing.

10/9/11 Gas cap cover open without pressing the button. The cover opens on its own at random.

 

If these things happened to me, I'd blow my cork! I've had my A7 since July without any problem.
My only recommendation is for you to call Audi in Michigan at 1800 892 2834. They have been very helpful answering questions and giving me info. Have your VIN # ready.
I've also owned Lexus , BMW ,and MB. The only one that had no problem was the Lexus. I have also owned an A4 which had no problems.

Good luck!!
Hal P

 

Wow. I've had mine for about a month, no major issues, but did find an issue with the lockout system. If the A7 is locked, and you simply walk up and open the trunk, then put your key inside and close the trunk, the car is totally locked up and you have no way to get in. BEFORE YOU TEST THIS, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A SPARE KEY HANDY. I was out of luck as I was an hour away from my key. Lucky for me, the audi assist folks had a tow truck to me in 15 min and they got in. I've got an appt with Audi to get this looked at.

 

Thanks for your help Hal. The car is at the dealership again and Audi North America said that a master technician will be there with additional diagnostic equipment to evaluate the car. I'll keep everyone posted on how things are progressing. Just frustrated that the car is at the dealership again and I am stuck driving a Q5.

 

Sorry to hear you're having problems! I'm glad others aren't having so many issues and that they're going to bring someone from Audi proper to fix it.

 

delivered June, 18,000 kms so far:

Anyone having an issue with the satellite linking? Was poor during the trial period - led to me saying "no" to continuing. With another Siruis trial underway (Feb 1-14) it worked intermittently the first day then a bit the second and nothing the last two. Also threw my GPS for a strange loop three days ago showing me a block or two to the right of where I was and no road is.

Added windshield fluid yet? Chintzy. Will need to replace the cap before long and the needless splash back from the shallow entry with screen = a very slow pour rate.

Sure be nice to have my CD titles displayed. Trying to figure out the magic between different settings if iPod is plugged in vs. Bluetooth.

Radio - why not default to presets? Will wear the button out needing to hit that every time I start.

And the squeaky cover over the storage area - was what made me say "no" at first during test drive, then came back to A7 after delay in when A6 might be available...despite their promise - I can't get used to the squeaks yet. Maybe duct tape.

Design issue? Gee the mirrors need be cleaned a lot, don't recall that in my Mercedes E320 - also the moisture patterns in light snow and early night collect and not clear with wind as the Merck did.

Climate control - maybe owning this right after the E320 set up poor comparisons but I am thinking the sliders bars on my dad's '66 Laurentian gave me better control - and more focus on the road as I adjust.

Turning radius - did forget to check that on the test drive...oh well - Getting back to three point turns.

Audio Pilot - they assure me it is working. I keep turning the volume up and down myself according to road noises.

The "don't do this while driving" notice for the very neat finger pad phone and map directory is annoying. Again, my needing to reach over and click "OK" could be more or a hazard - how does one unplug that?

Why have a message that you need to place foot on brake to start? Wouldn't the owner KNOW THAT ? If you don't know how to start it - maybe you should not be in my car?

More, but I type too slow.... DV

 

Took delivery in November 2011 of an A7 - second car in the household. What can I say...it has turned out to be a really unexciting car, with numeorus design flaws and several annoying features. The dashboard is at an angle that causes the instruments to easily reflect on the windshield, which forces one to adjust seating position constantly to avoid seeing the reflection. Accelerator and brake pedals are too close to each other; any man-sized shoe is too big for the pedals. Generally, a very uncomfortable car to get into and out of; the seats are way too low -- much easier to access a Porsche Panamera or Jaguar XF (which I consider the main comparables). WHY DOES THIS CAR NOT HAVE a rear windshield wiper? The incline of the rear windshield is such that with minimal rain, rearview visibility becomes almost impossible. Generally, the interior of the car is rather pedestrian and unexciting -- the "wood" inserts are especially tacky (I selected the matte "frene" inserts because on the catalogue, they looked nice, but in reality, they are like worn melamine. Additionally: air heating takes very long to kick in, and when it does, it really heats up too fast and too much. BUT THE MOST ANNOYING FEATURE HAS TO BE THE AUTOMATIC ENGINE SHUT DOWN: Here in Belgium this car comes with a default automatic engine shutdown; after the engine attains normal temperature, the engine will shut down when the car is at a stand-still, starting automatically as soon as you depress the accelerator. This feature can only be disabled manually each time. It makes the car feel like an old clunker. In addition, the appeal of the styling of the car's exterior has faded quite rapidly; it already looks like a very dated car. I can't wait to get rid of this car...and judging by the very few A7s on the road, this car seems to be a total flop. The best thing: our other car is a Range Rover Sport, and that one is pure pleasure with timeless appeal. I tried Audi for the first time with this A7, and it will be the last Audi for us...

 

Wow - worrying stuff especially as I've just ought a new A7 here in the UK.
But things are for me OK.
The wood insert/dash is the best quality of any car I've had (BMW x6, Merc E & S class), the fit is the neatest. I do not have windscreen reflections from the dash either. The seat height is OK for me getting in and out and driving (I'm 5' 6"). We have lots of rain here (Scotland) and the rear screen does rain up until you move the car and then it simply slips off the glass (the glass is polished) and is no problem. Heating is fine and well, controlled with controls as you expect.
I agree the Auto Stop feature IS annoying in Europe, but is here to stay what with the over the top Euro legislation - However the fact that you can get into the habit of pressing the engine start button, followed by the little button above it to disengage the Auto stop - is no back breaker - I do it second nature now. And if you forget, no big deal really as it is a very good Auto Stop and it starts VERY quickly anyway - but take your point - I too would prefer it was not there, but that's about the only downside I've found so far with this car.
As to styling - this is in the eye of the beholder - I like it - it looks classic and everywhere I go people do look at it.

 

I got my Audi A7 in late December 2012 and immediately noticed a problem with steering. When turning the steering wheel there was some kind of notch, which was extremely annoying when you constantly needed to go over the notch turning from left to right and right to left. Several visits to audi service and finally they ordered a spare part (basically almost everything between the front wheels) from the factory and installed it. I was told this was the 1st such a problem in the whole world...
Another major problem was the gearbox malfunction. There was the alarm (yellow) indicating of the problem and saying that you can continue driving with limited functionality. Well, yes it was limited as some of the gears were lost. Again back to audi service where the car is still waiting for another spare part from Germany. Again, I was told this was the 1st such a problem in the whole world...
I would be curious to if anyone has experienced these problems too?

 

Not so far Maccari.
I do have a slight issue with resonance from the wheel arches - possibly caused by 19" rather "sharp" profile alloys and the particular tyres supplied.
The Dealer is going to remove and replace both tyres and wheels to see if this stops the resonance noise.