VW/Audi Exorcism Thread

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > VW/Audi Exorcism Thread

wav3form: Aug 10, 2008

mykel posted:

I'm in the market for a new car. I test drove just about everything under the sun, and currently topping the list is an Audi A3.

I also test drive a fully-loaded 4-door GTI and it was incredible at how much nicer the A3 feels.

I also looked at (and really liked) the Mazdaspeed 3, which is in a different tier, but is also a ton of "bang for your buck."

I'm not a huge car nut, but I do put a priority on an enjoyable driving experience.

My question to you guys is: is the Audi worth the premium, or should I sacrifice a bit of the 'enjoyment' for the much cheaper, but still capable, A3, or GTI?

Get the Audi if you can afford it - it's worth the premium. I like VW cars but I really like Audis even if they aren't much different in this case.

# ? Jan 19, 2011 01:34

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 19:17

Autism Monday: Mar 18, 2005; anime comes to life and kisses me on the lips

primitive posted:

about 150kg?

If you track them you'd notice the difference (A3 doesn't have an LSD either and the manual transmission is also slightly different I think), in actual usage you probably would not.

veedubfreak posted:

I actually prefer the looks of the GTI to the A3, but you can only get AWD on the A3, so there is that difference.

A3s still look pretty good but the design is definitely dated by now. I'm interested in seeing how they evolve the design for the next generation.

# ? Jan 19, 2011 02:34

JHVH-1: Jun 28, 2002

They need to bring the RS3 here. I wonder how much it would cost if it was available.

# ? Jan 19, 2011 02:50

Autism Monday: Mar 18, 2005; anime comes to life and kisses me on the lips

Probably over 45K, it's priced to compete with STI and Evo in Europe but they are way more expensive there (over 50K). They might bring it over eventually if they use the same turbo 5 engine for the new RS3, since it's already in TT-RS.

# ? Jan 19, 2011 03:01

Mister Duck: Oct 10, 2006; Fuck the goose

Autism Sundae posted:

Probably over 45K, it's priced to compete with STI and Evo in Europe but they are way more expensive there (over 50K). They might bring it over eventually if they use the same turbo 5 engine for the new RS3, since it's already in TT-RS.

That would be pretty awesome, getting around 480 crank hp with just a software update in an AWD hatch would be really nice. I love the TT-RS and what it can do, but I could never have it as a toy car and it's not practical enough as a main car.

# ? Jan 19, 2011 03:10

PoopinClumpin: Jul 4, 2006

SwashedBuckles posted:

As far as forums to check out, Audizine and Audiworld seem to be the two biggest ones, but there's a lot of overlap between them. I think Audiworld is the larger of the two.

Quattroworld is another forum that has a fair amount of S4 related bad posting.

Here, I posted a pic of when I took the badges off the sides of mine :frogc00l:

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3145227&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=65#post386861548

# ? Jan 19, 2011 16:51

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

PoopinClumpin posted:

Quattroworld is another forum that has a fair amount of S4 related bad posting.

Here, I posted a pic of when I took the badges off the sides of mine
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3145227&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=65#post386861548

I took mine off too. I ended up getting whatever the trim package was that included the SC badges when I messed up one of the rock guards on a curb (because I am retarded)

# ? Jan 19, 2011 18:47

wolrah: May 8, 2006; what?

McDeth posted:

One thing right off the bat that is sort of annoying (and I am going to take the car in to the dealership this Thursday to have them take a look at it) is that for FM Stations that also have an HD signal, the MMI system switches back and forth between the FM and HD sources and causes an annoying echo every 10-20 seconds. It doesn't happen for any other audio sources and I can see the signal switch from 89.9 to 89.9 HD every time it echos.

I imagine that this isn't specifically an S4 issue since the MMI system is relatively similar across different cars that have it. Have any other Audi owners experienced this?

I had that a lot when I first got my HD Radio setup. It's actually a problem with the station's broadcast. They're supposed to delay the analog signal so it matches up with the HD signal, but sometimes this is not set up properly. When it's all working right you'll notice it fading between HD and analog signals, but the timing will be matched up.

It's nothing in your car and there's nothing your dealer can do about it. Your station of choice just needs their staff to actually test the HD signal.

# ? Jan 19, 2011 18:49

mykel: Aug 27, 2006; Let it bleep.

schindler.xls posted:

Placebo effect of the four rings on the whole GTI vs A3 test drive. Save the difference and spend it on a decent ECU tune + bigger brakes.

Definitely not just 'placebo effect'. As I said, I'm not a car nut, so Audi and VW are roughly interchangeable in my eyes. I do focus highly on the little details, though. The Audi felt like it had an extra layer of sound proofing or something, as it was much quieter, and door closing felt way crisper.

The actual driving experience was near-identical, but it was tough to tell because the Audi I tested was DSG where the GTI was full manual.

The pricing difference is only $1500 MSRP, so I'm leaning on the A3 side.

I'm also a huge fan of buying late-model cars vs. new redesigned ones. They're the most problem-free.

mykel fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Jan 19, 2011

# ? Jan 19, 2011 18:50

Autism Monday: Mar 18, 2005; anime comes to life and kisses me on the lips

Yeah, as an example take a look at the door/window seals in GTI and A3... A3s seal looks like a dual-layer deal and is much much tighter. There are other examples of this, and it's definitely more soundproofed.

# ? Jan 19, 2011 19:04

teh jhey: May 23, 2004; Kitty needs more souls.

Is there any point in turning on the fog lights on the GTI?

This may be more appropriate for the "general questions" thread, but I'm not sure if they're just particularly useless on the GTI.

# ? Jan 19, 2011 19:17

chutwig: May 28, 2001; BURLAP SATCHEL OF CRACKERJACKS

teh jhey posted:

Is there any point in turning on the fog lights on the GTI?

This may be more appropriate for the "general questions" thread, but I'm not sure if they're just particularly useless on the GTI.

On the few occasions where I've used them they made a slight difference but it's not exactly melting the fog with laser beams or anything. Using them when there's no fog is obviously a dick move.

# ? Jan 19, 2011 19:20

Autism Monday: Mar 18, 2005; anime comes to life and kisses me on the lips

I think I've turned them one twice since I got the car, they do make a small difference when it's foggy but useless otherwise.

# ? Jan 19, 2011 19:39

drizzle: Jul 7, 2004; The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.

Looks cool assuming you've replaced the ugly yellow stock ones with ones that match the headlamps

# ? Jan 19, 2011 21:07

teh jhey: May 23, 2004; Kitty needs more souls.

I always thought the point of fog lights was that you could turn them on independently of the main headlights so that it could help you see the ground under fog cover during the day.

# ? Jan 19, 2011 21:55

Thumposaurus: Jul 24, 2007

I picked up a 2007 GTI a few weeks ago, and have been enjoying it so far.

Today I was drving and shortly after I filled up the gas tank I got a CEL when I got home I scanned it and it came back P0100 MAF/VAF sensor problem.
Just a fluke? I double checked the gas cap was tight.
Some quick googling led to a bad MAF ground being a culprit.

I guess just wait and see if it comes back for now.

While I'm here any other things I should keep a close eye on?

Here have a terrible picture:

# ? Jan 19, 2011 22:38

JHVH-1: Jun 28, 2002

teh jhey posted:

I always thought the point of fog lights was that you could turn them on independently of the main headlights so that it could help you see the ground under fog cover during the day.

The euro light switch lets you do this. The US one doesn't let you turn them on unless the lights are in the on position. So maybe they were designed that way originally but america is stupid.

# ? Jan 20, 2011 02:01

teh jhey: May 23, 2004; Kitty needs more souls.

wav3form posted:

Get the Audi if you can afford it - it's worth the premium. I like VW cars but I really like Audis even if they aren't much different in this case.

Unless you like plaid.

# ? Jan 20, 2011 03:12

Liquid_Table: Jun 9, 2010

Been having this issue for a while now, but it's really gotten out of hand lately.

For those of you who don't know: it gets loving cold in Minnesota. Being that I have only had my '01 A6 Quattro for 2 years now it hasn't experience much winter yet. I did have this problem last year but I was able to monkey through it, no such luck this year.

My door doesn't latch some times. I can open it, then when I try to close it again it just stays open as if the latch is not clasping itself properly. Usually I could remedy this by pressing the latch on the door closed and opening it a couple of times but now even that did not work. I've tried everything I can think of it varying degrees of success: working the latch by hand, spraying it with CRC water displacer to unfreeze it then putting some lithium grease and/or 3-in-1 oil on it. The displacer/3-in-1 worked briefly but went back to the same problem.

I had to leave on a trip for 4 days last week so I parked it in the garage, came back with the same problem so I heated the lock for a couple seconds with a MAPP torch and it closed. Obviously this is not the best solution as I can't exactly bring a MAPP torch everywhere and this behavior of the door not staying shut is pretty erratic. I should say too this only happens on my driver's side door and only in temps below about 25F. I gather from my googling this is a fairly common issue but I've seen no mention of a permanent fix other than "drive with the heat on holding the door closed and hope it thaws". I sometimes have to drive on 6+ hour road trips for work so that's really not going to work for me.

# ? Jan 20, 2011 03:25

DropShadow: Apr 15, 2003

Liquid_Table posted:

For those of you who don't know: it gets loving cold in Minnesota. Being that I have only had my '01 A6 Quattro for 2 years now it hasn't experience much winter yet. I did have this problem last year but I was able to monkey through it, no such luck this year.

I don't have advice, but you should join MNAudi if you're not already a member. Tons of knowledgable Audi enthusiasts there, willing to help.

# ? Jan 20, 2011 03:31

SEStone: Jun 30, 2007

Hey Mr. C:).

You may just need a new door latch. I work at Imola in Golden Valley, we haven't seen that specific issue on A6s that I can think of, but I've run into it on my 80. At some point, the innards of the latch have probably gotten corroded up or worn. A new latch is usually under $200, you could also probably look for a used one but used parts are used parts.

Sam

# ? Jan 20, 2011 09:17

DropShadow: Apr 15, 2003

Hey Sam, how long have you been lurking in this thread?

# ? Jan 20, 2011 14:35

veedubfreak: Apr 2, 2005; by Smythe

Liquid_Table posted:

Been having this issue for a while now, but it's really gotten out of hand lately.

For those of you who don't know: it gets loving cold in Minnesota. Being that I have only had my '01 A6 Quattro for 2 years now it hasn't experience much winter yet. I did have this problem last year but I was able to monkey through it, no such luck this year.

My door doesn't latch some times. I can open it, then when I try to close it again it just stays open as if the latch is not clasping itself properly. Usually I could remedy this by pressing the latch on the door closed and opening it a couple of times but now even that did not work. I've tried everything I can think of it varying degrees of success: working the latch by hand, spraying it with CRC water displacer to unfreeze it then putting some lithium grease and/or 3-in-1 oil on it. The displacer/3-in-1 worked briefly but went back to the same problem.

I had to leave on a trip for 4 days last week so I parked it in the garage, came back with the same problem so I heated the lock for a couple seconds with a MAPP torch and it closed. Obviously this is not the best solution as I can't exactly bring a MAPP torch everywhere and this behavior of the door not staying shut is pretty erratic. I should say too this only happens on my driver's side door and only in temps below about 25F. I gather from my googling this is a fairly common issue but I've seen no mention of a permanent fix other than "drive with the heat on holding the door closed and hope it thaws". I sometimes have to drive on 6+ hour road trips for work so that's really not going to work for me.

Bungee cord? Worked for the 4th gear in my old 68 :stare:

# ? Jan 21, 2011 00:08

my1999gsr: Mar 21, 2009

Liquid_Table posted:

Been having this issue for a while now, but it's really gotten out of hand lately.

For those of you who don't know: it gets loving cold in Minnesota. Being that I have only had my '01 A6 Quattro for 2 years now it hasn't experience much winter yet. I did have this problem last year but I was able to monkey through it, no such luck this year.

My door doesn't latch some times. I can open it, then when I try to close it again it just stays open as if the latch is not clasping itself properly. Usually I could remedy this by pressing the latch on the door closed and opening it a couple of times but now even that did not work. I've tried everything I can think of it varying degrees of success: working the latch by hand, spraying it with CRC water displacer to unfreeze it then putting some lithium grease and/or 3-in-1 oil on it. The displacer/3-in-1 worked briefly but went back to the same problem.

I had to leave on a trip for 4 days last week so I parked it in the garage, came back with the same problem so I heated the lock for a couple seconds with a MAPP torch and it closed. Obviously this is not the best solution as I can't exactly bring a MAPP torch everywhere and this behavior of the door not staying shut is pretty erratic. I should say too this only happens on my driver's side door and only in temps below about 25F. I gather from my googling this is a fairly common issue but I've seen no mention of a permanent fix other than "drive with the heat on holding the door closed and hope it thaws". I sometimes have to drive on 6+ hour road trips for work so that's really not going to work for me.

You need a new latch. Over time the latch's inner workings develop play. When moisture sneaks into those parts and freezes it results in your problem.

# ? Jan 21, 2011 00:11

Harold Fjord: Jan 3, 2004

my1999gsr posted:

You need a new latch. Over time the latch's inner workings develop play. When moisture sneaks into those parts and freezes it results in your problem.

This sounds like what happened to my trunk. It's finnicky about shutting.

Where does the fluid reservoir on a jetta 06 sit? I did some damage to the radiator core support the reservoir was working fine for months before we discovered the core problem, and now the reservoir is leaking like a sieve after it's been replaced.

# ? Jan 21, 2011 17:30

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

I'm thinking I'm going to finally be able to take a whack at the Audi 5000 this weekend, now that it's not frozen to the ground and -25 outside.

Here's the plan for what to look at:

Going to put the injectors in bottles or something before turning the car on to see if residual fuel system pressure has caused the injectors to drool from being leaky - hopefully there will be residual pressure. If not, we'll reinstall the injectors, jump the fuel pump relay and then leave the injectors in the bottles while the car is turned off to see if it all leaks out. My understanding is that if the injectors are leaking, they don't necessarily have the proper pressure behind them in order to fire at the right time (they function similarly to a turbo wastegate spring?)
Warm starting the car with an injector removed to see if the fuel metering plate is properly moving to regulate fuel pressure, or if there is some kind of vacuum leak preventing it from working.
Going to continuity test the O₂ sensor ground. I don't believe this is the cause anymore.
Going to check fuel pressure at the fuel filter (baseline pressure) and after the warm-up regulator. This car was hard to start for its entire time with me, and then after swapping the fuel pump has become impossible to warm start. I think this might be a case of too much pressure, or possibly someone cheap loving around with the settings to make the car continue working as the fuel pump aged.
Pull off the fuel pressure regulator ("Bosch control pressure actuator") and see if I can at least clean it a little and swap some o-rings in from my stash to make things easier.

Anything I'm missing? I'm hoping the injectors aren't too bad since I've been unable to find anyone in North America willing to rebuild them with some casual Google searching and replacements are expensive at $75 a pop from DJM Autotechnik. Hopefully it's just seals ($3.71 a pop).

edit: I also found this:

quote:

If you find that your residual fuel pressure is going up too high, and you are getting some hot start problems with mild engine flooding (rich mixture), and you have already replaced all of your fuel injectors, then you may want to try adjusting the residual pressure. Replacing the fuel pressure regulator may also fix the problem.

This sounds like my basic problem. I'm hoping the fuel pressure regulator has not failed as a replacement FPR is $234(!); it looks like I can pull off one of the fittings and adjust the spring tension with an allen key, which might have been what a previous owner did to compensate for a dying fuel pump many years ago.

Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 03:17 on Jan 22, 2011

# ? Jan 22, 2011 03:06

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
Ruhest du auch.

Thumposaurus posted:

I picked up a 2007 GTI a few weeks ago, and have been enjoying it so far.

Today I was drving and shortly after I filled up the gas tank I got a CEL when I got home I scanned it and it came back P0100 MAF/VAF sensor problem.
Just a fluke? I double checked the gas cap was tight.
Some quick googling led to a bad MAF ground being a culprit.

I guess just wait and see if it comes back for now.

While I'm here any other things I should keep a close eye on?

The entire electrical system.

Welcome to the VAG family.

# ? Jan 23, 2011 08:29

kimbo305: Jun 9, 2007; actually, yeah, I am a little mad

just saw a McDonald's ad where a bear flips and trashes a nice-looking Corrado for the fries inside.

# ? Jan 23, 2011 21:15

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

kimbo305 posted:

just saw a McDonald's ad where a bear flips and trashes a nice-looking Corrado for the fries inside.

Rogers used to have one with smarmy idiot kids hiding in a nice Volvo wagon as a bear ate their camera phone and car keys.

I wonder if it's the same ad agency. I know the Rogers ad (and the subsequent "sequels" after they apparently avoided certain death) was annoying enough on its own to make me want to buy some hedge clippers and train to become a vasectomy technician for everyone involved.

# ? Jan 23, 2011 21:32

Autism Monday: Mar 18, 2005; anime comes to life and kisses me on the lips

Does anyone know how to take off the cushion part of the handrest on MK6s? Or how to disassemble the handrest in general.

# ? Jan 24, 2011 05:59

HATE TROLL TIM: Dec 14, 2006

teh jhey posted:

Is there any point in turning on the fog lights on the GTI?

This may be more appropriate for the "general questions" thread, but I'm not sure if they're just particularly useless on the GTI.

You can use the fog lights as Daytime Running Lights. With VAG-COM, it's byte 17, bit 04, I think. (You'll also need to enable DRL if it isn't already on; byte 0, bit 4.)

# ? Jan 24, 2011 17:31

FrankeeFrankFrank: Apr 21, 2005; Say word son.

Hello, Mr. Bad Luck Jetta here again....

Just got my oil changed and the shop called me and said they had to put 2 extra quarts into my car above what is their normal oil change. so they had to charge me $12 more.

I said "Uhh.. OK."

I've gotten my oil changed many different places over the last 10 years and no one has ever said anything about it taking an extra 2 quarts.

????

I went to their website and their standard oil change is good for up to 5 quarts. ???

Does my Jetta take 7 quarts of oil?

It's only 12 bucks, but it just seems odd... but that is par for the course for me and that car lately.

# ? Jan 26, 2011 17:23

Autism Monday: Mar 18, 2005; anime comes to life and kisses me on the lips

Ask them how much oil they put there?

# ? Jan 26, 2011 17:39

FrankeeFrankFrank: Apr 21, 2005; Say word son.

Autism Sundae posted:

Ask them how much oil they put there?

I'm going to... leaving in about 5 minutes to go pick it up.

EDIT: OK so I asked how much did you put in it? "6 quarts", (I think ok I'm not fighting over one quart of oil), and then they said, "because it's a V6 it takes 6 quarts of oil".

I've never heard it put that way before. Is that more like a rule of thumb?

My truck is an 8 cylinder diesel and I know it takes a gently caress ton of oil, maybe 10 quarts if I remember right.

Anyway... since I had to go to their website to get details on what there oil change included, I found a coupon for an $18.00 oil change... so gently caress your "special filter + extra oil".

FrankeeFrankFrank fucked around with this message at 18:35 on Jan 26, 2011

# ? Jan 26, 2011 18:02

Autism Monday: Mar 18, 2005; anime comes to life and kisses me on the lips

What's the engine in your Jetta? A quick search gives me 6.1 quarts for a VR6. Check the oil level to make sure it's not overfilled.

# ? Jan 26, 2011 18:43

FrankeeFrankFrank: Apr 21, 2005; Say word son.

Autism Sundae posted:

What's the engine in your Jetta? A quick search gives me 6.1 quarts for a VR6. Check the oil level to make sure it's not overfilled.

It's a V6.

I'll check it.

# ? Jan 26, 2011 18:45

mr.belowaverage: Aug 16, 2004; we have an irc channel at #SA_MeetingWomen

mr.belowaverage posted:

I had a terrible accident, so now I need help.

On the way to work this morning, on my first goddamn turn, I spilled my entire morning coffee into the centre console of my 1998 A4. Fortunately, it's well below freezing, and there is a just piles of coffee slush lumped around the handbrake area. I need to take the whole centre console off, but cannot figure out where to start. How do I clean up this mess? How do I get back my lost morning coffee?

I never got a real reply for this question. Also wondering if there are any good cupholder solutions for the A4? I read threads at the vortex and fourtitude, but they actually link back and forth to each other over and over, and culminate with ebay screw-in accessory cup holders stuck to the passenger side of the console. Definitely looking for something more seamless and attractive.

# ? Jan 29, 2011 22:38

my1999gsr: Mar 21, 2009

mr.belowaverage posted:

I never got a real reply for this question. Also wondering if there are any good cupholder solutions for the A4? I read threads at the vortex and fourtitude, but they actually link back and forth to each other over and over, and culminate with ebay screw-in accessory cup holders stuck to the passenger side of the console. Definitely looking for something more seamless and attractive.

Can you post a pic of your console where the spill happened? Once I see it I can tell you how to remove it. As far as aftermarket cupholders go I can't really help much - you'll have to jigger-rig something to get what you want.

# ? Jan 30, 2011 00:49

mr.belowaverage: Aug 16, 2004; we have an irc channel at #SA_MeetingWomen

Found this well-shot example on google:

# ? Jan 30, 2011 06:00

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 19:17

my1999gsr: Mar 21, 2009

mr.belowaverage posted:

Found this well-shot example on google:

Ok, I see what you mean now. To remove that cupholder you have to pull up the whole center console. The cup holder is secured by 2 screws from the underside at the rear and there's two locking tabs at the front.

# ? Jan 30, 2011 15:05

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