Steve Rogers

I took my Audi A4 Avant 35 TDI (purchased last August) into Derby Audi for the battery to be checked in February. Had a couple of instances where the lights didn't come on in a morning and the car seemed to struggle to start. Alternator was fine but the battery was found to be defective. They said it was not covered under warranty. I said it doesn't matter, as per S.19 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a fault which occurs within 6 months is taken to have been there on the day it was handed to the buyer. Any arguments about wear and tear are therefore nullified. They said they would talk to the sales manager to see if they will cover the cost. Well it's either that or see you in court. 👋 Audi called back to say their sales department would foot the bill as per my request and it was fitted yesterday. Would have been £508 all in if I had been paying. Good result.

I got similar from my remapped 1.4 TSI Skoda Octavia which had 180bhp. I now have an A4 35 TDI Avant and have seen 75mpg.

Agreed. The diesel engine doesn't bother me in the A4 thanks to the sound insulation but it became a bit tiresome in the A3 and would leave me opting for a petrol engine if I was buying an A3.

I have made a similar observation after having an A3 courtesy car.

Well I've got my A4 back now and it feels like a Rolls Royce by comparison. The 19" wheels on the A3 didn't help and it was prone to tramlining. The paint is better now on the A4 so I'm just waiting for the valeter to be free to apply the ceramic coating for me.

My 2020 face-lift A4 Avant 35 TDI Technik has gone in today to sort out the paint issue I wasn't happy with when I bought it. The courtesy car is a brand new A3 35 TDI S-Line. Slightly down on power and torque but being top spec, it has some features such as blue mood lighting, Audi symbol projection from the bottom of the doors and those fancy adaptive headlights that dip just in key areas such as oncoming cars. It did have less features than my A4 in other areas though, such as 2 zone rather than 3 zone climate control, manual tailgate and no hill hold. The 2 biggest drawbacks for me was the step down in refinement, with noticeably more wind and road noise, and the hard suspension. Very fidgety and harsh over pot holes and other imperfections. Maybe it's an age thing and my dodgy spine. Once upon a time, the S-Line would have been my cup of tea but these days the creature comforts of my car is more my thing. Lovely motor but looking forward to getting my A4 back. 👍

Hi guys, Had my 2020 A4 Avant Technik for almost 2 weeks now and very impressed with the 35 TDI mild hybrid. I had a 1.4 TFSI Octavia (remapped) before this, so I have gone to a slower car yet it does not feel like it in the real world. The refinement is way above the Octavia and the MPG is excellent. Once on the open roads doing 50-60mph, it claimed 114mpg! Realistically, 60 something MPG but I have not yet given it a full tank. The tank size is 10 litres smaller than the Octavia and I used super unleaded in that. So the fuel is cheaper (normal Esso diesel) and cheaper to fill up due to capacity. The Octavia typically managed 400 miles from a full tank, so it will be interesting to see what the A4 achieves.

The only gripe is that the dealer said they would machine polish some scratches out yet if it has been done, it has been done by a 5 year old! There are numerous swirls in the paint, various scratches remain including some nasty one's on the near side rear door which might need painting, and some cloudy patches on the bonnet. They have agreed to get the car back in and put it through the bodyshop. Let's hope for better results.

Evening all! After a few years in the VW and Skoda wilderness, I'm back with Audi. I had an A3 back in 2017 but now have an A4. It's a 2020 reg A4 Avant Technik in Manhattan Grey. 35 TDI Auto. Got it from Derby Audi with 2 years free servicing, MOT, and warranty.

Yes I went out with them the first time it went in and as Sod’s law goes, neither noise occurred. It seems strange for any car to have creaky suspension as a characteristic. I’ll see what they say this time. The loose item that is rolling around irritates me more to be honest. God knows what it is or where it’s coming from. Thanks

This is either Sod’s law or selective hearing by the dealers. My car is going in on Thursday for the 3rd time to see if they can hear a couple of noises (it was in for other things as well last time). Firstly, there is a very irritating rattle that sounds like a screw rolling around in the vicinity of the front centre armrest but more towards the back of the seats. It doesn’t always do it but it does happen more often than not. I suspect whatever it is gets wedged somewhere occasionally which is why it is not constant. If I accelerate, brake or go around a corner, there it is rolling around and yet the dealer says they can’t hear a thing. If I knew how to remove bits of trim, I’d go looking for it myself but I’d probably end up breaking bits of trim! Secondly, I’m getting creaking from the front suspension, particularly the drivers side. The top of our drive is on a slight slope and whenever I pull onto there, it does it every single time. The other day, I went over a speed bump on an incline at very low speed and the creak was very noticeable. Despite this, the dealers cannot hear a thing. I’m starting to think that as soon as the car runs out of warranty, the dealer will miraculously be able to hear these noises and draft a hefty bill!! Any experience with these noises or any opinions generally? Cheers

I have a front wheel drive A3 with Avon WV7 winter tyres (back on summer tyres now) and laughed at all the snow too.

By the 19th all being well.

Ok, Derby Audi phoned a short while ago to deliver two lots of bad news and one piece of excellent news. The fault is not covered by the warranty and the cost to me would be between £3k and £4k. Basically it needs a whole new glass roof and all components. Fortunately, Audi HQ and the sales team at the dealer are going to split the cost between them so I don’t have to part with anything. One positive review coming up on Google once I have it back around the 19th

Yes good work. I just felt like a good old rant lol