gade

I'm the happy owner of a 2015 A3 PP 1.8. with approx. 39,000 miles.

In December I noticed the heat took over 20 minutes to kick in. Local Audi dealership took it in (twice) and today it was returned to me. By now they've replaced a thermostat, changed the liquids in the heating system and cleaned the heating coil where there were some buildup.

Now I get some heat in about 13 minutes.

Ironically, I was given an A3 2.0 Quattro loaner. On a super cold day, it was producing exceptionally hot air in about 3 minutes.

At this point, the dealership is claiming all the components are working and testing out correctly, and that the car compares to other A3s. Given my experience with the loaner A3, I disagree and I generally think 10+ minutes to produce hot air is unacceptable in any car.

I'd like to hear if somebody has had similar problems, and suggestions as to what the next step would be for me, now the dealership is basically refusing to accept there's a problem.

uberwgn

Yeah, that's not normal. My A4 kicks out decent heat within 2 - 3 minutes, which is great. Some of the Q5s have a supplemental heater. That's close to instant heat.


Did the dealer check for any bulletins on this condition, Jakob?


Welcome aboard.

gade

They didn't mention any bulletins, only briefly commented that in their experience this was not a common issue.

I have a feeling they're giving me a run-around now: The first time, they simply returned the car and said the heat is fine. Second time they replaced a thermostat. Third time (this week) they replaced the fluids and cleaned the heating coil.

The service rep. uses a laser-thermometer to test the individual components in the engine compartment and measure the temperature of air from the vent in the cabin. That's all very fancy and probably accurate.

But my basic test of looking at the drive time and holding my hand to the vent in the morning consistently concludes the hot air takes forever to come.

I emailed Audi USA, but they just referred me back to the dealership. Who do I complain to now, if the dealership won't do more?

he46570

Probably an obvious question, but are you pressing the front vent button? I notice that if I have it set on auto, there is insignificant heat coming out the front vents, but pressing the front vent button gives me almost immediate heat (at least within the first minute of getting in the car).

uberwgn

Well, it's seems they don't know and I can't understand why the would suggest the system needs to be cleaned on a 1 yr old car.


If they're stumped, the shop foreman should be connecting with his technical resource at Audi for solutions.

gade

I tried that is morning on my way back to the dealership. Didn't make any difference, at the 14 minute mark I finally felt a change in temperature.

gade

So, today I went back to the dealership. After a long - and polite - discussion, the service manager suggested I took one of their A3 on a road test to compare. His argument is that my car is comparable to the other cars when he test it.

After driving about 3 minutes, the technician and I both felt the temperatuer change, and after just 5 minutes we had to turn the heat down again, the car was uncomfortably hot at that point.

Now, the service manager still claims my car is performing "within specs" and that it's difficult to compare them because of the many factors that come into play. I disagree. The outside temperature was about the same, settings and driving style also the same. Yet, the other A3 was 3-4 times quicker to produce very hot air in the cabin.

They took my A3 in for another round of tests, but I suppose we already know what the outcome will be there....

Questions:

If they finally give up and conclude there's nothing to do, who's next "up the chain"? Dealership owner? Audi USA? Do I need to get a lawyer?!?

Does it matter that I bought the car at another Audi dealership? I would assume not, but maybe I'm wrong?
If I play the devils advocate for a moment, I wonder if it's in their interest to drag this out? Either to get me out the door permanently, or simply to rake up hours at the workshop which they can get reimbursed from Audi?

Any thoughts are much appreciated...

greasykid

In previous cars that I have had that were a problem that could not be corrected by the dealer I requested a date with the factory rep when he makes his next visit to the dealer. The reps visit dealers periodically. Ask when the next visit is scheduled.

uberwgn

^^^ I'm in 100% agreement with this. The condition is NOT normal. These newer cars get heat fast. Keep hammering away at them Stay with it.

gade

Thank you, that's excellent advice. I didn't know that and I'll certainly bring that up if we can't get anywhere otherwise.