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I've had my 2017 A3 Cabrio 1.4 TFSi serviced from new by my local Audi dealership. Last year, they suggested I needed a brake fluid change, new plugs, and a new cam belt. The total quote was a bit alarming, so I declined the cam belt change. I probably should have declined the plugs and brake fluid! Anyway, having researched the cam belt issue, I decided to go for it this year. The car has done 16,700 miles, mostly in long journeys around Europe, and it sits around doing nothing for most of the year. The tyres dried out and cracked because of this inactivity, so I fitted a new set last summer. Audi charged me £599 for the cam belt work, on top of the standard cost for the annual service. I was disappointed to find that they hadn't replaced the water pump, but they were adamant it wasn't necessary, because the pump was in A1 condition. So the bill for the cam belt change was £599 without a change of water pump, but with a free MOT thrown in. Just for information - I'm not recommending anything! Steve

Tyre noise isn't normally a reason to change tyres - different makes of tyres on different road surfaces will produce different noise levels. My car is a convertible, so I can hear external noises all the time - maybe yours is missing some soundproofing in the cabin? If your tyres have decent tread depth across their whole width, and there's no damage to the sidewalls, they should be OK. Sounds like your fuel consumption is pretty similar to mine, so maybe you don't have a problem there...

If it helps, my 2017 A3 is similar to yours, except it's an automatic cabriolet, and I've had it from new. It's rarely used for long journeys, it's set to Comfort mode, and it's used on mainly rural roads. Overall fuel consumption shows up as 47.2 mpg, which I believe equates to just below 6 litres per 100km. I'm not suggesting that you should be expecting identical consumption figures, but I thought the comparison might be useful.

Sounds like the turbo...

Probably not relevant to your S3, but the headlights on my 2017 A3 can be adjusted for driving on the right via MMI. The dipped beam doesn't convert totally to LHD mode, but just flattens the left edge of the beam, but I've always found it adequate. http://www.instruccionesaudi.com/A3/en_GB/onboard/o_m00200.htm Apologies if you've already been through this, and found it doesn't apply to your car!

Thanks Mike. I'll have a look when it stops raining...

Interesting that you say it's a simple upgrade to the "curtain wash" nozzle. I asked Audi Yeovil if it could be done, and they said it couldn't. Seems they might have been fobbing me off! Mind you, I couldn't even figure out how to access the nozzles to clear them. Could you describe how to flip the holder out?

The key bit in my case wasn't so much the 6 months wait, more the fact that the 6 months eliminated the entire summer. Had it not been a convertible, I might have made a different decision, but we had plans for that summer that involved topless motoring!

Just checked my owner's manual, and automatic dipping came with the folding mirrors feature, which was an extra cost option. Because I didn't actually order that feature in the first place, I'd forgotten that it was, in fact, an optional extra. When I bought the car in March 2017 they quoted me a 6 month lead time, which wasn't particularly attractive to someone buying a convertible! But they could get me a new one within a few weeks if I was prepared to compromise a bit, so I ended up with a white car with folding mirrors and heated seats.

Sorry Wesley. Looks like I misunderstood. The mirrors dipped on all the three A3s I've driven (two were courtesy cars), so I assumed it was the same for all recent A3s. It seems I was wrong in thinking it was a standard feature. Apologies for the confusion. Steve

Perhaps I wasn't clear. In order for either the nearside or offside mirror to dip automatically when you select reverse, the appropriate mirror has to be selected on the rotary control. Select the nearside mirror, as if you were about to adjust it, then select reverse, and it should dip. If you want it to dip every time you select reverse, you must leave the rotary control pointing to it.

Presumably, you've checked that the nearside mirror is selected on the rotary control on the door? And I'm surprised you find the steering heavy, but maybe that's down to personal preference...

Hi Wilf I didn't respond earlier, because my feeble 1.4 (150 hp) doesn't really relate to what you're looking for! However, I can state that even my feeble 150 hp, through a DSG box, can often embarrass the ESP, resulting in much scrabbling for grip. But what prompted me to contribute was a recent loan of a 190 hp 2 litre 2wd A3, which was considerably worse when attempting enthusiastic acceleration, and I suspect that Audi's recent decision to offer that engine with 4wd only was in response to this problem. So it struck me that 220 hp might well benefit from having all four wheels driven... Sorry if I'm a bit late, and you've already committed to a car! Steve

Yes, the handbook isn't exactly brilliant. I remember when I first got the car, my daughter sitting and ploughing through the MMI menus, to see what everything did. The clock feature automatically updates for BST, and adjusts when you cross borders (e.g. Spain to Portugal), as well as keeping the correct time. Happy to help!

If you mean the little satellite image, it enables you to select automatic updating using GPS. You can access the settings in the MMI menu.

Have you checked the MMI Navigation options? Select NAV, Settings - there's a set of "avoid" options (e.g. highways, scenic routes, tunnels, etc) that might have been set by a previous owner.

Could it be worth checking your exhaust isn't contacting anything? Even a slight movement can result in quite a loud noise.

Hi I once had an experience like the one you describe. The car had been sitting outside unused for a few weeks, and we'd just had that spell of gale force winds and heavy rain. It started OK, but the check engine light flashed for 5-6 seconds, then went off. It never happened again, so I put it down to a temporary sensor issue caused by the wet weather. The auto stop/start relies on having enough battery power before it will operate - did it come back on after you'd driven a few miles? If not, it might be worth checking the condition of your battery.

I think it varies with the kind of driving you do. I live in the sticks, and all my Audi journeys have been long ones - all over Europe, and a couple of times to Scotland, mostly with the top down. It's not my main car (it's a bit too impractical for everyday use - it's effectively a 2-seater), so it doesn't get involved in shopping trips or ferrying the kids around. It also has the old 1.4 litre engine rather than the newer 1.5 litre that yours has - maybe that makes a difference. There's a thread on here discussing issues with the newer engine that might be of interest... Link

My A3 Cabrio started out brand new in April 2017, and has just flagged up the need for an oil change at 9500 miles. Local Audi dealer said that a full 2-year service will be due in April anyway, so he suggested they do both now to save me going back in two months, for which they would charge a grand total of £402. Whether that's a good price or not, I've no idea, but I've agreed to it. The price includes collecting and returning the car to my home, which saves me a lot of hassle.

What Car? have a review of the Seat Ateca with the 1.5 TSI engine, and this comment struck me: What Car? article So they recognise that the new engine doesn't perform like the 1.4, but they don't seem too bothered by it. Could there be some basic flaw in the 1.5's design that causes varying levels of flat spots at low revs, and the test car exhibited the problem mildly enough to be acceptable, whereas some other 1.5 engines are more badly affected? Either way, it seems there's potential cause for concern....

https://www.whatcar.com/car-leasing/deals/personal/audi/a3-cabriolet/35-tfsi-sport-2dr-s-tronic/3263919/44782728/ The 1.5 auto version of my A3 Cabrio is now being described as "Audi A3 Cabriolet 35 TFSI Sport 2dr S Tronic". Does anyone know if this is a different engine, or just a new name for the one we're discussing?

I don't remember getting anything special - a lot of coffee while I was waiting, and a bottle of water for the journey home is about all they gave me! I got it on a lease, and I got the price right down, so maybe there was no room for goodies. To save a 6 month wait for the spec I wanted, I agreed to a different colour and a couple of extras so I'd have the car through the summer of last year (a brand new cabrio arriving in November didn't appeal too much!). The folding mirrors are quite useful, but I didn't particularly want the heated seats. I'm now in a position where I might have to make a decision soon on what car to order for next April, assuming A3 Cabrios are still subject to a waiting list. I've thought about the 2.0 litre version, but the performance isn't significantly better than the 1.4, while the fuel economy is much worse. I also note that the 1.5 TFSI is now being called 35 TFSI instead; whether that indicates a revised engine , or just a marketing ploy, I don't know.

Hi Ryan I can help on only one of your three queries. I have the 1.4TFSI engine, which has performed perfectly, and I'm apprehensive about the 1.5 unit, having read numerous complaints from owners. I don't have the Audi Cockpit option. However, I've been very pleased with the S Tronic gearbox, and can wholeheartedly recommend it. Before I bought the car, I'd read in reviews that the gearbox could be jerky at low speeds, but that's not been my experience at all. Maybe it's down to how you drive it.... Hope you get answers to your other two questions; sorry I couldn't help with those.

My 1.4 TFSI STronic has been excellent, but the lease is up next April. I was planning to get another A3, which would presumably come with the 1.5 litre unit, but these posts are giving me cause for concern. The 1.4 litre unit (assuming it's the same as mine - same quoted bhp and torque figures) continues to be used in other VAG models, including Skoda and SEAT; even the A5 uses it as its base petrol unit, so was the 1.5 introduced to replace the 1.4 across the board, and have they backed off the switch because of problems with the newer unit in the A3? I'll continue to follow this thread with interest.