[reppy]

Is the back seat really that unusable? what if say my mom has to travel in the back? She normally travels in the backseat of a Corolla

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by reppy

Is the back seat really that unusable? what if say my mom has to travel in the back? She normally travels in the backseat of a Corolla

I am a Octavia TSi owner who extensively researched/reviewed the A3 (then 1.8!). While the front was superlative and sports car-like, my impression of the back was as follows:

Impracticably cramped overall
Claustrophobic with those dark interiors
Inadequate thigh support for long-legged passengers
Inadequate headroom for taller passengers
High window sills adds to cramped feeling
High door sills means getting in is difficult
Third passenger totally unwelcome with a massive central hump and those rear aircon vents
Only if there is no front seat passenger is the rear seat usable
The hard seatback and net also fouls with rear seat passenger's knees
Ride is also stiffish and definitely not oriented to rear seat passengers!

So if your mother is thinking of moving from a Corolla (which has an amazing back seat!) to a A3, I would strongly discourage the same!

The TBHP review was a superb one too: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post3502323 (Audi A3 : Official Review)

Give me the front seat any day! I test-drove the then 1.8 A3 extensively and man, it was a rocket!!!!

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by reppy

She normally travels in the backseat of a Corolla

No comparison. She will be miserable in the rear seat. Plus ingress/egress will be a nightmare.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I am a Octavia TSi owner who extensively researched/reviewed the A3 (then 1.8!)....

Agree with everything you said.

[reppy]

Thanks guys, I think I'll stay away from the A3. Test drove a Superb yesterday - was blown away! Its between the Superb and Tucson now

Out of curiosity, I test drove the A3 twins. Found the Diesel ride very stiff, the petrol ride was far superior, although bordering on stiff. I think the A3 with Michelin P3STs or the new P4STs would be a wonderful drive!

That said, I found even the front seats cramped with my left knee touching and trying to push the center console while resting on the dead pedal - felt uncomfortable compared to my current Honda City - maybe you get used to it?

also - frankly the backseat was not all that bad - my mom is 5'2" and I don't think she'll complain - but it's uncomfortable for long rides - even for average size adults like me - I'm 5'10"

The price was surely tempting though - 24L discounted ex showroom for the base petrol variant is wow (I felt like there's still some more margin there)! I'm being told by the Audi sales rep that this is only a July deal.

[mohaks19]

Came across an interesting problem. Drove our A3 1.4 after 7-months (its my mom's daily driver) and realized there's definitely increased vibrations at start-up and idle.

What really alarmed me is the fact that the car doesn't switch to 2-cylinder mode anymore, despite driving in the city with a light foot - this is about two weeks after its first service. Have you faced any such issues in your car?

Will be taking the car to the service center tomorrow and get back to you guys on the issue. I'm guessing it might be related to faulty spark plugs - hoping it has nothing to do with the cylinder deactivation tech.

[deepfreak15]

I really wanted to retrofit the auto dimming rear view mirrors but the service center refused to do it and asked me to get it done by a third party. So decided to leave the car as is. I also wanted to get the puddle lamps changed to the brand projectors however 11,000 Rs was a bit too steep so instead got a pair from Amazon US for 11$




While I was at it I also ordered an A3 specific phone holder.



It sits between the AC vents and while it feels sturdy with no rattles I'm paranoid it might work the trim lose so I end up using it only when driving to an unknown destination and need maps.

Originally Posted by mohaks19

What really alarmed me is the fact that the car doesn't switch to 2-cylinder mode anymore, despite driving in the city with a light foot

Come to think of it, have not noticed the 2 cyl mode for a while now post my service (I haven't specifically looked for it), will keep an eye out and see if it appears. Do let me know what the service center says in your case, I'm really curious. Vibes or rather the lack of them are still the same as the day I got the car.

[mohaks19]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Come to think of it, have not noticed the 2 cyl mode for a while now post my service (I haven't specifically looked for it), will keep an eye out and see if it appears. Do let me know what the service center says in your case, I'm really curious. Vibes or rather the lack of them are still the same as the day I got the car.

Thanks for the quick response!

False alarm - reconnected the battery, did an extensive test drive this morning with a friend, and managed to get the 2-cylinder mode running after driving with an extremely light foot on some open roads.

My guess is that the ECU adapting to my foot-heavy driving style automatically reduces the frequency of cylinder deactivation.

[deepfreak15]

Apart from the fact my car has forgotten what Cylinder on Demand is, the ride so far has been a joy.

Gatecrashed a certain biking community's annual get together to meet a couple of our biking brethren.

From L-R
Neil.Jericho, yours truly, Ashwinprakas


Was a privilege to be able to check out the Captain under the watchful eyes of AP saar. It was a surreal moment for me, from reading about a bike for 5 years and one day getting a chance to see it in real life (Same can be said about the owners too). I'm a huge fan of AP by the way! I was hoping to meet his GQ runner instead got a chance to see his Garage Queen


Thanks Neil saar for this pic. Will cherish this.


It was very refreshing to know I'm not the only one who does not know how to click a selfie. AP saar was closest to getting a pic (results below).
In the end we gave up and asked a biker "bro" to click our picture.

[neil.jericho]

deepfreak15, it was wonderful to meet you in Yercaud this past weekend. I am glad that the stars all aligned as they did so well. Hopefully checking out the GT 535 was enough to get you to upgrade from your Duke 390 to one of the 650 twins from the Royal Enfield stable .

P.S - The selfie picture is the funniest thing that I have seen in a while!

[deepfreak15]

Second service update:

Yet another year of uneventful ownership. Only managed to clock 21000kms in two years. Entry of a two wheeled highway tourer in my garage made sure the start of 2020 saw 0 highway runs at the start of the year and COVID-19 ensured it stayed that way. The day the dealership announced they were re opening their sales and service I called and booked an appointment. The service center did sound hesitant about the home pick and drop option as they didn't have enough chauffeurs, but there was no way I was going to avail that option so told them not to bother. They did say I could wait at their lounge till the job was complete and they assured me they were following all govt placed norms to maintain social distancing (They were following it btw). Based on last years experience I knew that meant a good 8 hour wait so I decided to let the Mrs drop the car while I followed on the bike and wait at home instead and when the service was complete repeat the same drill in the other direction. The only caveat I had with the service center was I needed the car on the same day and that was non negotiable.

Dropped in on the 15th and it looked like a busy day, there were a lot of cars already in the service center but looked like a lot of them had been there for a really long time (maybe stuck in the lockdown). My service advisor was Nikhil and he did a pretty decent job. He listened to all my concerns and answered my queries. Was realistic with his expectation settings and accepted my non negotiable same day delivery in spite of the telephonic team not telling him in advance. Since it was only the second service I insisted only the essentials be done, nothing less and nothing more.

Now the main reason I always insist on dropping my car off myself is so I can be part of the initial diagnostic process. Visual inspection once the car is hoisted on a ramp gives you some really good insight with things like tyre and brake wear, if you are scrapping the underbelly really hard etc. Also ill admit to being a bit skeptical if someone tells me a part needs to be replaced without me visually inspecting it, not that I'm an expert but at least I can get an idea and its purely for my peace of mind. So the moment they removed the wheels I could tell the front brake pads had enough life to last for a while but was shocked to see the rears looked really thin.

Front


Rear


I was always under the impression the Fronts wear out faster than the Rears. The Audi service engineer also corroborated my understanding but given that both rear pads had worn thin evenly he said it was a normal wear but had no explanation why the fronts were still in decent shape. Anyway, brakes and tyres are something I will never leave to chance so asked them to replace the rear pads. There is a brake pad wear indicator for the front (I found out only then) so let the front pads as is.
Now there are numerous theories on the interweb as to why rears wear out faster than the fronts, some say this is normal on newer cars, to prevent nose dive the bias is more to the rear, scary theories like the brake force distribution system is not working or aggressive cornering can trigger EBD to work overtime thus wearing out the smaller pads faster (with my driving style I wouldn't be surprised if this was true), and the most ego boosting theory , which is if you brake gently your rears will always wear out faster than the fronts (Yes, I like this theory and I'm sticking with it even if its just a load of BS)

In hindsight could have stuck with these pads for a few more thousand kms but like I said with brakes and tyres I don't like to second guess myself and take any chances



The service by itself was uneventful except for when I went to pick the car up at the assured time, they were frantically working on the sunroof. Apparently during the road test they heard a rattle (Till date I have not heard a single squeak in my car) and when they opened the sunroof to investigate, it refused to shut. 30 minutes later they said it was fixed and I had nothing to worry about. Just before leaving I asked them to open and close the sunroof twice in front of me and it functioned as it should. I will just have to keep an eye out on this. Honestly, I hardly use the sun roof except maybe once in 3 months to check if it works or not. Now ill be checking a little more frequently.
Overall I am happy with Jubilant motors, contrary to what I have heard in most service centers, I am welcomed into the service bay and have been kept up to date on whats going on with the car. That is good enough for me.

Ouch, that definitely hurt





The only grouse I have is there is some new fancy ozone cleaning that goes on and they charge you for it, but they stick a horrible sticker on the driver door handle saying its done and it does not come off cleanly. Come on Audi why do you force me to work extra hard to remove a sticker

At least this year they cleaned the car up pretty well which was a far cry from the shabby job done the previous year




Annual service is not complete without some tyre TLC and for peace of mind there is nowhere else I'd go than to Madhu's. I hadnt visited their new outlet on Wilson Garden and after having spent almost a couple of months of social isolation decided to check out the new center and catch up with fellow Bhpian Nikhilb2008 the next day. Their new center is massive with great frontage and the best equipment but their USP is their service oriented way of working and its always a pleasure to spend time at any of their centers.



Completed both balancing and alignment in about 30 minutes but somehow ended up spending 3 hours there. Guess I was just socially deprived . Thanks Nikhil for putting up with me.

Never thought I'd say this but the car has lost its sense of occasion and is now more like an extremely comfortable tool that serves it purpose and gives me no reason to complain, I guess getting a character filled temperamental Italian motorcycle does this to you.

[deepfreak15]

In other news the other car in the family was due for its second annual service. The car has done a grand total of 11,800 kms in two years. Dang have to find a better way to make use of it, less than 6k per year is sacrilege.
The car was serviced at S7 cars in Salem. During the vehicle check they noticed the battery was weak (no surprise). Since we were aware of the ridiculously low life of the OEM battery we diligently ensured proper up keep was maintained and managed to eke out 2 years , though that is seriously poor life for an OEM battery. I am thankful it chose to reveal its deteriorated status at the service centre as opposed to dying out on us at an inconvenient moment.
Mr.Udhaya our service advisor was very patient in explaining why extended warranty did not cover the battery however when I insisted he did agree to file a claim for goodwill warranty. He asked for a couple of days time and true to his word he called me on day two to confirm that the claim was passed and I would get a new Varta battery 100% free of charge. Its minor things like this that show Skoda India is on the right path. He was very open in explaining the situation before filing the claim and made no false assurance nor outright deny the claim. He stuck to his commitment of two days with no follow up on my part. So overall a very pleasant experience with S7 cars and Skoda India.

[deepfreak15]

For someone used to shuttling between KA/TN almost every weekend I am now starting to feel like a caged animal. For lack of anything else to do went on a short early morning drive on the outskirts of North Bangalore.

My feeble attempts at some panning shots

[anandavinash]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Second service update:
Never thought I'd say this but the car has lost its sense of occasion and is now more like an extremely comfortable tool that serves it purpose and gives me no reason to complain, I guess getting a character filled temperamental Italian motorcycle does this to you.

After 3 years of ownership is this still a car that gives you joy while driving? I'm considering buying a pre-owned A3 of the same vintage as yours and test drove the 35 TDI which has done less than 20K km over three years. Loved it. Just wanted to know if as an owner of this vehicle for a good amount of time, are there any areas that I'd need to be concerned about?

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by anandavinash

After 3 years of ownership is this still a car that gives you joy while driving? I'm considering buying a pre-owned A3 of the same vintage as yours and test drove the 35 TDI which has done less than 20K km over three years. Loved it. Just wanted to know if as an owner of this vehicle for a good amount of time, are there any areas that I'd need to be concerned about?

Hi, Absolutely! I have had no reason to complain so far *touchwood. Only thing I have to fix is my rear right rim has a slight bend that isn't visible to the naked eye but let's itself known way above legal speed limits. So while buying a used car there are these things you might not be able to catch with the initial test drive, but if you know the cars history or you have confidence in your local service center then I see no reason why you shouldn't. The car goes about its business like a well oiled German machine should and the badge on the hood does give it a sense of occasion if you are into that sort of thing. Do note though, as a vehicle this falls in the same category as a Vento or Rapid so if you jump in knowing that you should be ok. Just don't make the mistake of comparing it with cars of similar price point like the Octavias and Superbs because those are completely different segments with respect to size, rear seat comfort and boot space.

[anandavinash]

Thanks for the quick reply. To be honest, I am not comparing it to other cars of a similar price. I am actually looking at something under Rs. 20 Lakhs OTR and this sparingly run A3 fit the bill perfectly.

I currently drive a Honda City and prior to that when I was in Mumbai, drove a Skoda Laura 2.0 TDI Manual so the reference points of space and size are there but this car is more for my driving pleasure and all the points you mentioned about the size being perfect for Bangalore traffic are appealing to me.

Hoping that I am able to work out something with Audi Bengaluru.