dwbarg

Hello all! New to the forum and Audi's. My wife and I are looking at a used 2015 Q7, 3.0t prestige S line with 26,500 mi on it. We really loved the car, but I am concerned about reliability and upkeep of the suv. We also are looking at a lexus gx460 (I know two different types of suv's). I would like some feedback and opinions, because we put 15k-20k a year on her cars and tend to keep her cars for around 5 years. I did talk to a reliable import mechanic and he said he hasn't seen many problems with them since they solved the thermostat problem. Also, the brakes have just been replaced after it was traded in. Any input will be appreciated! Thanks

J. Patterson

We are 105000 miles in on our 2011 Q7 Prestige TDI. It has been near issue free. We plan to drive another year or two then trade for another. ( it IS part of the diesel buyback) We did have a Lexus RX 300 back several years ago and it was solid but only kept it about 3 years. The Audi is our first family car ever that is so pleasant that we have kept it for 100,000 miles. ( I also have a 2001 TT that I've kept longer but not because of reliability ��)
FWIW we have 3 friends with competitive 3 row SUVs. A Lexus GX, an Infinity, and a Dodge Citadel. I've spent time in each and the Infinity comes closest, but none is as pleasant and competent as our Q7.

dwbarg

Thanks for the reply. The reason we picked the Q7 and GX is the towing capacity. The Infinity can't tow as much. How is yours on brakes and tires? I hope someone will chime in on their 3.0 gas engine.

dreadlocks

Any big heavy vehicle is gonna eatup brakes and tires, the S-Line's come with 21's which make em particularly expensive to put shoes on.. but you can always find 18-20in OEM rims if your not keen on driving on expensive rubber bands.. Brakes are quite affordable, these didnt come with massive RS style rotors so a DIY Brake job w/performance upgrades could cost as little as ~$500-600.. Compared to my last big heavy Audi with $1500-2000 brakes on it that seems alot more reasonable.

Ive been waiting a month, I take delivery of my 2014 Q7 TDI @ 42k miles tomorrow morning.. My research indicates these are quite reliable and since they are the last years of this generation most all the kinks been worked out long ago.. Just make sure all the MMI buttons work correctly, and dont spill anything on em or else your going to have to replace the circuit board.

J. Patterson

Agree with all that is reported above. Our brakes last about 45000 miles. Did rotors on second set of pads. I do brakes myself. The 4L Q7 has really good brakes. The OEM pads are dusty but offer very good stopping power. Tires -- original Pirelli and two sets of Continentals have lasted about 35k each. Have newer Pirelli Verde + now and hoping they will be last set we buy. ( TWR is much higher) Agree about the towing. Was important to us too. FWIW, to me the GX feels "truckier". Drive both before you decide. Both are very reliable.

dwbarg

J. Patterson..yes the gx is "truckier". But that doesn't bother my wife as she once owned an excursion and loved it. Btw, we now have a 2007 mdx.

flynavy

is a 2012 prestige S line with all the options available. I bought it as an audi certified used car and I have put about 60K of trouble free miles on it. It has never failed me. I replaced the rotors and pads at about 80K and it also got a new battery, and the start stop button cover started to peel. the latter 2 were replace under warranty. I serviced (changed fluid and filter) of my trans at 75k as NO fluid is lifetime. I service it with synthetic oil and I usually change all the fluids in my cars every 2 years regardless of the mileage (which is why all my friends want to buy my cars when I sell them!) this is to me a mandatory thing. The only failure if you can call it that was that one of the rear hatch struts started to leak causing issues with the auto open feature, changed them out my self in five minutes an problem solved.
as with any car service history is one of the most important things to look at as an abused and not serviced car will bite you. I have approx 98k on my car now and it looks and runs like new and when I tell people its a 2012 with 100k on it they are blown away. I plan on keeping mine until they either let us have new SQ7 or failing that the Q8 but I am in no hurry to get rid of it at all, I love my Q good luck with your decision!

dwbarg

Thanks flynavy. I assume yours is a 3.0t with supercharger. If so, this is the info I was looking for.

Force-1

My 2011 Q7 was 3 years old when traded in, just a few minor issues.

My current 2014 Q7 is 43 months old, 30K, only issues was a separated fan in driver seat.

And the S-Line comes stock with 20" tires; 21" is optional.

flynavy

no worries I hop it helps you in your decision.