audigirlll

Hi all,

I have a 2017 Q7 with 130k miles on it. Recently, the drive system malfunction light came on again while I was on the highway, but the car didn't really go into limp mode. There was some "vibration" and reduced power.

A few months ago, the same light came on and the car did go into serious limp mode due to cylinder misfires. However, after restarting the car, the limp mode and engine light turned off. I drove with reduced engine power but everything else seemed okay. I assumed it was related to the spark plugs and transfer case fluid, so I drove to the shop and had them swapped, but I didn't ask for a diagnosis of the drive system malfunction.

After the drive system malfunction light came on for the second time yesterday, I drove to the local dealership for a diagnosis. The computer recorded a misfire in cylinder 1, but they have tried switching the coils, and the misfires should be gone by now. They said the hesitation in my car is due to the supercharger clutch being worn out, which makes sense given the car has 130k miles. The quoted repair estimate is $3,200ish, primarily because it is labor intensive.

My current concern is that I understand maintenance and repair on this car can get expensive, especially since it has depreciated significantly at this mileage. I know $3k will not be the end of the story. I've already spent nearly $10k in the past 10 months. I love this car and have many memories with it (otherwise, I wouldn't have driven 130k miles), but I'm considering moving on to another car (currently looking at the SQ7 and RSQ8) due to the cost. I'm hesitant to ask the dealership if there's any leaking from the water pump while they are looking at the engine during this service.

I'm relatively new to the mechanical aspect of vehicles as I've never driven a car to such high mileage. My concerns are whether the supercharger clutch might be a safety concern (I try to convince myself it's not too bad since it's been wearing out for a while; I recall the vehicle lagging while idling a little while ago). What other issues should I expect from this car at high mileage? The car is valued at less than $10k, and I'm trying to persuade myself to make logical decisions besides the emotional side. What is the typical lifespan of this generation Q7?

Thanks guys!

amdi93

The worn supercharger isn’t a safety concern, but it definitely is annoying. The supercharger clutch in my 2019 started to go bad at 26k miles. Luckily, I was still under factory warranty, so it didn’t cost me anything. The part itself costs about $700. It definitely cost me a lot of time to persuade the Audi techs that there was an issue with the supercharger clutch. It is not that labor intensive as they say ($3200 is a rip-off​​​​​​). You can get it done for much cheaper at an independent shop that knows how to properly install and code the clutch. The first Audi dealership that I brought mine to did not code it properly so I was still getting hesitations even with the new clutch. A cheaper option is to tune your ECU so that the supercharger clutch is permanently engaged, this way you will not get any hesitation. Check out the link for more info on tuning.

https://jackalmotorsports.com/produc...47221692891427

XA6

@audigirlll Info on clutch delete

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...-Now-Available!