Why I Would Not Buy A Q7 TDI Again......

turnbaugh

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Location
Texas
TDI
Q7
Although the Q7 is a very comfortable and utilitarian SUV I would not purchase another. We like the size, bulk, and inherent safety and it is great for highway driving and for towing a small to medium trailer.

However, we have had some issues that would prevent me from doing this again.

Currently the Q7 has 64K miles. At about 45K we started having jerky shifts mostly at low speeds. After 3 or 4 trips to the dealer they did not have any definitive answers on what was happening.

They finally decided to "reprogram" the transmission, whatever that means.

The jerky shifts did not change but we did see another change. We have a set trip to visit family that is about 360 miles round trip. Prior to the "reprogramming" we would get 28 mpg consistently. We would get 22 mpg around town most of the time.

After reprogramming we are getting 24 mpg on our set path highway trip and 18 to 19 around town.

The shifting is irritating and the reduction in fuel mileage does not meet the specs nor my expectations.

Audi having no clue is also irritating.

In addition, the consumables are very expensive. At 40K it needed $1200 for brakes and the OEM tires went about 35K. Mostly highway driving.

Dodge Eco-Diesel or the Jeep diesel may be the next vehicle.

Has anyone else seen similar issues?

Low mileage in Texas
 

cevans

TDIClub Enthusiast, TDI Parts Ninja Vendor , w/Bus
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Location
Hingham, MA
TDI
2015 Beetle Conv. TDI 6-Speed & 2006 E320 CDI
Dealer brakes are a HORRID deal. You can get front and rear brakes from IDParts for under $375 delivered.

The Q7 is not unique with the tire situation. Every heavy SUV goes through them. It is what happens when manufacturers want to put a high performance tire on something heavy. BMW X5, Mercedes ML, all of these go through tires quickly, and with the large rim size, these tires are EXPENSIVE.

Jerky shifts classically meant that the transmission needed a fluid and filter change. The 8-speed in your Q7 may just need some service.

The transmission programming experience you had sounds really bad. You shouldn't have see that drop in fuel economy - did you notice that the transmission behaves differently now? If you want to escalate the situation, any programming that changes MPG would be a violation of EPA rules, I might try asking around to see if this is a common thing or just something your dealer made up.

Common causes for poor MPG on your vehicle include the EGT sensors, alignment, missing underbody panels like the belly pan.

PS - I have a Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, and I love it. The Jeep Grand Cherokee Eco though seems to have a lot of very strange issues.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
I had a 2012 F150 supercrew FX4. The oem tires needed replaced before 25k miles. The brakes and rotors at 20k miles.
 

soot1

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
Personally, I would stay away from any Chrysler product. I owned a 1993 Dodge Ram with the Cummins diesel, and it was a mistake I will never repeat. Sixteen years after I bought it, I was all too happy to get rid of it when the "legendary" Cummins almost self-destroyed. That repair alone cost $700, and it was the proverbial last straw. If you think Audi quality sucks, you are in for a really rude awakening with any Chrysler product.
 

turnbaugh

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Location
Texas
TDI
Q7
Dealer brakes are a HORRID deal. You can get front and rear brakes from IDParts for under $375 delivered.

The Q7 is not unique with the tire situation. Every heavy SUV goes through them. It is what happens when manufacturers want to put a high performance tire on something heavy. BMW X5, Mercedes ML, all of these go through tires quickly, and with the large rim size, these tires are EXPENSIVE.

Jerky shifts classically meant that the transmission needed a fluid and filter change. The 8-speed in your Q7 may just need some service.

The transmission programming experience you had sounds really bad. You shouldn't have see that drop in fuel economy - did you notice that the transmission behaves differently now? If you want to escalate the situation, any programming that changes MPG would be a violation of EPA rules, I might try asking around to see if this is a common thing or just something your dealer made up.

Common causes for poor MPG on your vehicle include the EGT sensors, alignment, missing underbody panels like the belly pan.

PS - I have a Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, and I love it. The Jeep Grand Cherokee Eco though seems to have a lot of very strange issues.
They tried everything on your list for the shifting problem. It is in the dealer today being looked at again.
 

turnbaugh

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Location
Texas
TDI
Q7
The shifting feels like it is in sport mode but it is not. Fuel mileage acts like sport mode too.

I-10 to Houston is perfectly flat. 70 mph on the cruise control should be the best mpg possible short of all downhill. Q7 gets 23/24. Used to be 27/28 with 29/30 occassionally.
 

cevans

TDIClub Enthusiast, TDI Parts Ninja Vendor , w/Bus
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Location
Hingham, MA
TDI
2015 Beetle Conv. TDI 6-Speed & 2006 E320 CDI
Does your truck have a manual-shift mode? For the heck of it, try manual shifting it for a few days and shift how you would expect it to. See if your MPG goes up.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Personally, I would stay away from any Chrysler product. I owned a 1993 Dodge Ram with the Cummins diesel, and it was a mistake I will never repeat. Sixteen years after I bought it, I was all too happy to get rid of it when the "legendary" Cummins almost self-destroyed. That repair alone cost $700, and it was the proverbial last straw. If you think Audi quality sucks, you are in for a really rude awakening with any Chrysler product.
This post made me smile: expressing dissatisfaction with a vehicle that you still kept for sixteen years.
 

NarfBLAST

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 3, 2002
Location
Waterdown, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2001 Golf 5MT
This post made me smile: expressing dissatisfaction with a vehicle that you still kept for sixteen years.
Yes! I caught that too... I thought the comments about the $700 repair reminded me of my wife's Grandfather who is 86 years old.

Back to the Audi: Curious about this reprogram, anyone else heard of this or done a search is there a TSB? Also wondering if the the OP's transmission has been serviced, or is due?
 
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turnbaugh

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Location
Texas
TDI
Q7
Q7 is back from the dealer again.

They gave up. They did a lot of tests but did nothing to resolve the problem.

Like I said, I won't be buying one of these again. Nor a Q5.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
If it has an Aisin transmission, it needs a valve body. Very common. You see, about 15 years ago, it would seem everyone in Japan's Aisin factory forgot how to make a valve body properly. And about 10 years ago, Aisin started supplying automatic transmissions to a bunch of manufacturers. So, today, we get to replace valve bodies in all kinds of cars. Because if it has an Aisin transmission, it will have a flakey valve body sooner or later. Doesn't make any difference if it is in a Toyota, a Ford, a Nissan, a Volkswagen, a Chevy, a Volvo, or a Mini..... if it has an Aisin automatic transmission, it is likely to need a valve body at some point and time. The good news is, the Aisin transmissions that Volkswagen uses allow for relatively easy valve body replacement, and they do not mark the price of them up to a ridiculous level. For instance, a valve body for a 2.5L 2007 Jetta costs about $900, and takes a couple hours to install, and is pretty easy. That same basic valve body in the same basic transmission in a 2007 Mini? That costs a whopping $1600, and takes twice as long to replace due to how they placed the transmission in the chassis relative to the subframe. And it is a pain in the butt.

Tires and brakes are normal. I could have told you that before you drove it off the lot. All these giant SUVs are like that when they have the wide, low profile tires. And they are not cheap. It isn't a cheap car.
 
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47driver

Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2013
Location
Alabama
TDI
2011 Audi Q7 TDI, 2010 Touareg TDI, 2009 VW Jetta Sportwagen
I have owned Jeeps and Dodge trucks all my life until my recent switch to VAG. Jeeps eat tires also. Brakes are a bit cheaper in a Jeep, but I just swapped pads and rotors all around in our Q7 for $800.

Just about any 5,000+ pound vehicle is going to eat brakes and tires. That is just the way it is. I hunt and hunt until I find a high quality tire that is stupid enough to place a mileage warranty on the tire. Then I stay with them, letting them pay 50% of my next set.

The transmission needs to be addressed with corporate. Giving you back your improperly tuned $60,000+ car is unacceptable. We have over 130,000 on our Q7, and we will keep it until we die. My wife loves it.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Wow. $800 for brakes. I replaced Pads and Rotors on my wagon earlier this year for about $180. I guess I'm not ready for a Q7 or a Touareg.
 

turnbaugh

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Location
Texas
TDI
Q7
If it has an Aisin transmission, it needs a valve body. Very common. You see, about 15 years ago, it would seem everyone in Japan's Aisin factory forgot how to make a valve body properly. And about 10 years ago, Aisin started supplying automatic transmissions to a bunch of manufacturers. So, today, we get to replace valve bodies in all kinds of cars. Because if it has an Aisin transmission, it will have a flakey valve body sooner or later. Doesn't make any difference if it is in a Toyota, a Ford, a Nissan, a Volkswagen, a Chevy, a Volvo, or a Mini..... if it has an Aisin automatic transmission, it is likely to need a valve body at some point and time. The good news is, the Aisin transmissions that Volkswagen uses allow for relatively easy valve body replacement, and they do not mark the price of them up to a ridiculous level. For instance, a valve body for a 2.5L 2007 Jetta costs about $900, and takes a couple hours to install, and is pretty easy. That same basic valve body in the same basic transmission in a 2007 Mini? That costs a whopping $1600, and takes twice as long to replace due to how they placed the transmission in the chassis relative to the subframe. And it is a pain in the butt.

Tires and brakes are normal. I could have told you that before you drove it off the lot. All these giant SUVs are like that when they have the wide, low profile tires. And they are not cheap. It isn't a cheap car.
Oilhammer. Thanks for the tip
I will see what the dealer says
 

HBarlow

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Location
Crosby County, TX
TDI
2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2016 Audi Q5 TDI
It's hard for me to understand someone who has had a bad Dodge Cummins. I've owned a 2001 Dodge Cummins dually (325k miles), a 2006 Dodge Cummins dually (230k miles), and currently own a 2008 Dodge Cummins cab and chassis dually w/174k miles. I've used all three for heavy towing and had very few problems.

All three were hecho en mexico trucks built with excellent quality control.

With decent maintenance they will run almost forever. I've had friends and acquaintances who have put more than one million miles one their trucks.
 

Kevinski4

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Location
Nebraska
TDI
.
It's hard for me to understand someone who has had a bad Dodge Cummins. I've owned a 2001 Dodge Cummins dually (325k miles), a 2006 Dodge Cummins dually (230k miles), and currently own a 2008 Dodge Cummins cab and chassis dually w/174k miles. I've used all three for heavy towing and had very few problems.

All three were hecho en mexico trucks built with excellent quality control.

With decent maintenance they will run almost forever. I've had friends and acquaintances who have put more than one million miles one their trucks.
Yeah, but wait until it's 16 years old and you have to spend $700 fixing something. Maybe then you won't be happy anymore. ;)
 

HBarlow

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Location
Crosby County, TX
TDI
2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2016 Audi Q5 TDI
Yeah, but wait until it's 16 years old and you have to spend $700 fixing something. Maybe then you won't be happy anymore. ;)
I have friends who have put in excess of one million miles on ordinary Cummins powered Dodge Rams pulling travel trailers for-hire. That's pretty strong evidence of quality and durability to me.

What $700 repair are you talking about? Any minor repair of cars or trucks in 2016 will cost $700 or more. That's hardly a reason to be disappointed with a car or truck.

In July my wife and I took an RVing vacation to the Pacific Northwest pulling a heavy travel trailer with my old Dodge Ram. I recall a long steep grade several miles long we pulled with heavy throttle in Northern NM, CO, or UT. The EGT gauge was at 1300° for miles. Later the truck had a small exhaust leak.

I spent $1000 a week ago to have a dealer pull the turbo, exhaust manifold, and intercooler to replace gaskets. It was expensive and I'd rather not have spent $1000 for the repair but that's life. Mechanical devices wear, break, or fail. Routine repairs are necessary.
 
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