gtakid1

So I bought a new 2013 S-Line Q7 last August and have had numerous repetitive issues. After my one year maintenance, I have consistent brake squeaking at low speed braking. Had it in twice and was told they're known to squeak because they were designed for harsher braking than how I brake, they cleaned them twice, squeaks went away for about a week and now back and driving me nuts! Really embarrassed stopping at a red light and having people looking at my $70K German "luxury" car making noises. Also after the one year maintenance, I know hear a clunking noise when going over bumps. Dealer claims they don't hear anything. Typical and FRUSTRATING! Next up is disappearing windshield wiper fluid. Had it in 6 times and had the top tank replaced twice, still missing fluid after driving the car several days without using the windshield wiper fluid. Takes about 1/2 gallon to fill, only to be down 1/2 gallon a few days later. Cake topper...the dealer damaged all four of my rims TWICE when taking wheels on and off to address the brake squeaking issues. I had them refinish the rims TWICE at their cost. At wits end and starting to hate driving my Q7.

acadianbob

Any options to try a different dealer?

TimU

I feel your pain, and but it sounds like your dealer/service centre is pulling your leg. Try elsewhere of you can.

Squeaking brakes "normal"? No, that's bull. Have them change the pads (Audi OEM have two types, Standard and Ceramic), then change the disks if it still occurs. Don't accept "normal" as an excuse.

Clunking noise over bumps - Do you have one of these tow-hitch's installed? Do you keep the square neck & ball installed in the hitch?
I do and neck clunks against the fitting over every bump. I keep it in as added protection in the event of a rear-ending (or my wife touch-parking :-\ ).

Washer fluid - Reservoir replaced twice and still leaking indicates a split line or leaky fitting elsewhere? Get 'em to do a pressure-test to track and trace the leak. Surely there's a wet spot somewhere they can find.

Edd W

My wife always complains about the wet spot!

Seriously, the damage to the rims is not the car, it's the dealer as is the inability to resolve both issues.

Brakes may well need different pads - changing the disks will not make any difference.

Washer fluid leaking - can you see any trace on the floor when the car is parked overnight?

gtakid1

I am looking into taking it to a different dealership. Unfortunately the one i am delaing with is ranked in the top 10 Audi dealership in the country. Apparently they are not taking their Service department into consideration. I agree that the problem is not the care, but the service department. hopefully a different dealership can resolve my issues and not tell me that "its supposed to squeak/rattle/leak, etc." No traces of fluid leakage anywhere, which also concerns me. the two times they replaced the tops tanks, they told me they found hairline cracks towards the bottom.

Olden

Keep the car, but trade in your service department!

AudiQ7Lady

Absolutely feel your pain. Mine does the same thing! It will be wonderful (except for forking over the cash) when I have to replace the brakes.

My Q7 is completely out of warranty now and I had my last covered service in December. Will be switching to another dealership for service when it is time. The one I have been dealing with (that I didn't purchase my Q7 from) has been less than stellar.

Force-1

Unfortunately high performance brakes can squeal. My Q7 does it, my S5 does it, my 2008 Corvette did it, my BMW 540i did it,.....

What works for me is getting the vehicle up to 60 or 70, lock the brakes, repeat. Quiets them for weeks.

gtakid1

High performance braking sqealing? Unacceptable. My 2002 Z06 doesn't squeal, my 10 second drag strip Trans Am (with performance brakes) don't squeal. What exactly is luxury about a $70K SUV squaling at every stop sign and stop light? What a joke.

pdisme

My theory would be that your '02 Z06 and your 10 second trans am don't squeal because neither one likely has pads made for heavier levels (i.e. higher heat and longer duration) of abuse. On a drag car you'd need high bite without the normal requirement to heat the brakes up like you'd have on a normal heavily metallic autocross or track pad, so in that case a "quiet" normal pad would probably even be preferable to a noisy race pad. The '02 z06 was simply never made for heavy use to begin with; it was made for cruisin' with happy quiet brakes.

The SQ7 likely comes with more metallic pads, well not likely, it must have come with metallic pads if it's squealing like that, and my guess as to why would be because Audi wants its brakes to not go away if you're tossing a big heavy thing like that around some twisty roads for an extended period of time, or, if you're towing with it and needing to cope with stopping 10,000 pounds of mass in hilly terrain. My '14 Q7 (not S-line) squeaks a little bit but not much; SQ7 is more powerful and designed to be pushed a little harder, even more so if it has the towing package.

My $105k Nissan GT-R squeals like I just got a $20 brake job at the local pep boys; if anything, it results in more Nissan fanboys looking at the car at stop lights and asking me questions about it. My Lambo Gallardo came with nice and quiet brakes; only problem is I melted them in the first session I had it on the track. I swapped them for Pagid autocross pads, which hold up to all the abuse of a 25 minute track session while not losing too much initial bite on the street, and now that car squeals like a pig too.

If squeaky brakes are truly causing you to feel "really embarrassed," some counseling may be helpful.