2008 AUDI A3 Complaints

2008 AUDI A3 WITH 2.0 ENGINE AND 6-SPD AUTO DSG GEARBOX. DURING SUMMER OF 2009 STARTED HAVING PROBLEM IN WHICH FROM A STOP (RED LIGHT, ETC.), WHEN LETTING OFF THE BRAKE AND GIVING IT GAS IT WOULD HESITATE FOR 1-2 SECONDS BEFORE FINALLY JERKING OR LURCHING (SOMEWHAT VIOLENTLY) INTO GEAR. SOMETIMES IT WOULD JERK TWICE. ALSO THE DOWNSHIFT FROM 2ND TO 1ST IS SOMEWHAT ROUGH. THE PROBLEM IS STILL PRESENT BUT NOT AS BAD, HOWEVER IT SEEMED THERE WAS A STRONG CORRELATION BETWEEN HOW HOT IT WAS OUTSIDE AND THE SYMPTOMS BEING WORSE. TOOK IT TO CUTRUBUS AUDI IN LAYTON, UT AT END OF SUMMER, THEY SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM, THAT HOW IT WAS SHIFTING WAS NORMAL FOR THE DSG. JUST GOT A LETTER FROM AUDI OF AMERICA THAT THEY ARE DEVELOPING A WAY TO DIAGNOSE FAULTY MECHATRONIC UNITS (WHICH CAUSES JERKING) IN LATE SPRING OF 2010, BUT I DON'T WANT TO WAIT THAT LONG TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM RECTIFIED. WILL BE TRYING A DIFFERENT DEALER SOON. *TR

2008 AUDI A3 3.2 DSG: TRANSMISSION WOULD DROP VIOLENTLY FORCING A REDUCTION IN SPEED. PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR SOMETIMES WOULD NOT LET THE CAR ACCELERATE...ENGINE REVOLUTIONS WOULD NOT RISE. DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN A SAFE SPEED CONSISTENTLY. TAKING TWO BOTH DEALERSHIPS IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY (THE COLLECTION AND PRESTIGE). THE SERVICE EVENTUALLY DID NOTHING TO THE CAR. AUDI WOULD NOT HONOR ANY SERVICE WITHOUT ECM LOGGED ERRORS. I SAW A RECALL INVESTIGATION ON LATER MODEL CARS, BUT A CONTINUING INVESTIGATION ON CARS INCLUDING MY MODEL YEAR FOR THE EXACT SYMPTOMS I HAVE EXPERIENCED. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AND WITHOUT NOTICE OR THE ABILITY TO RECREATE AT WILL. *TR

PREMATURE WEAR OF TIRES AND EXCESSIVE NOISE FROM TIRES WHEN VEHICLE IS MOVING. *TR

I HAVE AN AUDI A3 2008 2.0 MODEL THAT WAS PURCHASED NEW IN 11/07. I STARTED EXPERIENCING A HESITATION WITH THE TRANSMISSION A FEW MONTHS AGO. BASICALLY, FROM A ROLLING START IN 1ST GEAR, THERE CAN BE A JERKY ACTION WITH THE CAR. I DON'T THINK THIS IS TURBO LAG BECAUSE I CAN HEAR THE CLUTCH TRYING TO CATCH ONTO THE GEAR. ON TOP OF THAT, WHEN I SLOW THE CAR DOWN (I.E. 40 MPH TO 0 MPH), I FEEL A JERK EVERY TIME THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS. TO MY PASSENGERS, THEY FEEL AS IF I AM SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES AND THEN RELEASING THE BRAKES SPORADICALLY. A FEW ONLINE POSTS TELLS ME THAT THIS IS POSSIBLY A DEFECT WITH THE MECHATRONICS UNIT AND THAT IF NOT REPLACED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, IT COULD CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION. *TR

FROM A STOP, OR SLOW SPEEDS, TRANSMISSION WAS LURCHING W/OUT AN APPARENT PATTERN. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 AUDI A3 2.0T DSG. MY PROBLEM IS WITH THE DSG. WHILE SITTING AT A STOPLIGHT I WILL LIFT OFF THE BRAKE TO GO, THE CAR WILL LURCH FORWARD AND THE TRANSMISSION WILL DISENGAGE. I THEN MUST WAIT A FEW SECONDS FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO RE-ENGAGE. THIS CAN BE A PROBLEM IF THERE ARE PEOPLE BEHIND ME. I HAVE BEEN NEARLY HIT ON A FEW OCCASIONS. THIS PROBLEM IS RANDOM AND THE DEALER SERVICE TECH'S HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPLICATE IT TO THEIR SATISFACTION. THE CAR DID NOT DO THIS WHEN I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW. *TR

WHEN FEATHERING THE GAS PEDAL THROUGH TRAFFIC, THE CAR SURGES/LURCHES TRYING TO FIND GEAR. ALSO, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN PULLING OUT OF A SIDE STREET OR TAKING OFF FROM A RED LIGHT, WHEN PUSHING ON THE GAS PEDAL, ALL OF A SUDDEN IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS NO POWER. WE BOUGHT THE CAR IN EARLY '08 AND THE PROBLEM RANDOMLY STARTED TOWARDS THE END OF '08. AT THAT TIME WE THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE BEEN JUST BAD GAS. IT SEEMS THE PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE AND MORE FREQUENT AS OF LATE. READING FORUMS AND ARTICLES ONLINE, IT SEEMS TO BE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE TRANSMISSION WHICH IS A DSG/S-TRONIC TRANSMISSION. AT THIS TIME, THE DEALER IS STATING NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION. I OWN ANOTHER CAR WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION, AND THAT SEEMS TO HAVE NONE OF THE ABOVE PROBLEMS. *TR

I HAVE AN AUDI A3 2008 WITH DSG TRANSMISSION. I DROVE IT ON VACATION FROM COLUMBUS OHIO TO NH ABOUT A 15 HR DRIVE. WHEN I WAS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THE RPM'S WOULD DIP AS I WOULD APPLY THE BREAK CAUSING THE CAR TO NEARLY STALL. EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENED I HAD TO REACT QUICKLY AS TO MAKE SURE NOT TO HIT THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN I WOULD LET OFF THE BREAK THE CAR WOULD SURGE FORWARD CAUSING ME TO ABRUPTLY HAVE TO HIT THE BREAK. I TOOK IT TO AUDI AND THEY CLAIM THAT IN HOT WEATHER THIS HAPPENS AND IS A SIDE EFFECT OF THE MECHATRONIC CONTROL UNIT OF THE VEHICLE BUT THAT IT IS NOT SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO REPLACE THE UNIT UNTIL IT ACTUALLY FAILS. THIS SEEMS TO BE A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD CONSIDERING I FEEL LIKE I AM TAMING A WILD STALLION ON THE OPEN ROAD. THIS MUST BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY. HELP! *TR

DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG) TRANSMISSION STARTED JERKING WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP. SECOND TO FIRST DOWNSHIFT WOULD BE SEVERE WITH A LOUD "CLUNK" FROM THE DSG. WENT TO DEALER AND VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A FAULTY TCU(MECHATRONICS MODULE). PART IS ON BACKORDER AND WILL TAKE OVER 1 MONTH TO GET IN. WAS TOLD THAT VEHICLE IS OKAY TO DRIVE BUT WITH THE UNCERTAINTY OF RELIABLE PERFORMANCE AND POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO OTHER TRANSMISSION COMPONENTS I DON'T AGREE. HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND MANY OTHER AUDI AND VW OWNERS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM AND SIMILAR EXPERIENCE WITH SIGNIFICANT DELAYS IN GETTING THE REPLACEMENT PART. APPARENTLY VAG IS FOCUSED MORE ON PRODUCING NEW VEHICLES THAN MAKING SURE THE VEHICLES ALREADY ON THE ROAD ARE OPERATING PROPERLY. THIS COMPANY HAS NO CONCERN FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE ONCE THEY HAVE YOUR MONEY. *TR