Troy Sorzano

Just got my Blue/Blue 180Q a week ago. Took it on long trip from Philly to CT this weekend. On two different occasions the interior dome light and the map lights would not turn on. At the same time the vanity mirror lights did not work. Has anyone seen a problem like this? Sounds like a wiring problem to me.

Later,

Troy

PeterK

Might be a lose fuse - push them in hard - access panel is on left side of dash (nt)

John J. Szobocsan

I have not written much on the TT forum lately because I am very disappointed in my car. I have had the problems with the transmission (1-2 upshift grind) since the middle of June, a wheel shimmy since July, and the works whenever it wants to map lights. I have also suffered a complete failure of the instrument panel in July.

The car has been to 2 dealerships to rectify the problems to no avail. When the instrument panel failed, the autocheck indicated a high operating temperature warning. Both techs told me that the fans are wired through the IP and this is why the temperature warning appeared. The car was actually overheating in 100 F ambient temperature when the fan was not working, but there was no harm done! I really believe this comment. AofA had told me that it was okay to drive the car to the dealership when the IP malfunctioned.

The transmission problems are most apparent during warm weather and during a long drive. The tech told me to keep driving the car until he, per AofA's instructions, is able to readily duplicate the gear grind.

The wheel shimmy appears around 60-70 mph and sometimes during braking or acceleration. The attempted fix was a rebalancing of the front wheels. It did not work and the shimmy returned after 150 miles after the service.

The map lights malfuction on occasion, usually when it is dark outside and the headlights are on. I also sometimes get a power surge through the cigar lighter. I found this when I sounded my horn with the radar detector (Valentine 1) installed; power surge set off the detector.

I have not driven the car in the past 2 weeks because I have lost confidence in the this car's ability to provide reliable transportation. This car replaced a 1987 Audi Coupe GT with 107K miles. The GT was a much more reliable and more pleasant driving vehicle than this almost $40K boat anchor.

Soon be an ex TT owner.

John J. Szobocsan

John P.

John,
Sorry to hear about your problems with the car. What state are you in? You should examine the lemon laws to see if they apply ("www.findlaw.com" is a place to start). You shouldn't be expected to pay for (or keep) a car with such persistent problems.
On a personal (selfish?) note, I hope Audi rectifies these problems before my 225 arrives.
Regards,
John P.

John J. Szobocsan

John,

Thank you very much for the post. I am very well versed in the lemon laws in my state and am saddened by all the problems I have faced with this car. As many long-term readers may remember, I purchased one of the Neiman-Marcus edition TT's. The car is really quite striking and the thought of getting rid of the car is almost beyond comprehension; all I want is a car that is not going to leave me stranded somewhere. The problems keep multiplying and the only response I get from everyone is wait till it breaks-down, then we'll be able to properly repair it. I work approximately 70-80 hrs. per week and just want a car that is reliable; there would be nothing worse than to break-down on the express-way or on the south or west sides of Chicago.

I hope that someone at AofA reads the above post and helps to facilitate the prompt repairs to my automobile.

Regards,

John J. Szobocsan

Scott

And you've obviously, unfortunately, studied dealer's service departments extensively, I was wondering if you can either recommend or counter-recommend particular dealerships?

I'm due to take delivery from Laurel any day now, but despite a so-far excellent purchase experience, I'm still a little wary of them because of a past M-Roadster purchase experience. Have you ever used them?

Thanks! And sorry for your problems. All I can offer is: get a good attorney...from an experience with a lemon law claim against Saab, I can tell you that Illinois statue is not very easy for the consumer to use for relief.

Scott
'00 180TTQ ("Any Day Now")

TToby

Mine does the same thing. If yours is like mine you will find the power unlock doesn't work either. To bring the lights back to life:

1. Make sure your doors are locked.
2. Pull your inside door release handle once.

I can reproduce the problem by repeating the following steps a few times:

1. Doors are usually locked.
2. Insert ignition key and turn it to the ON position.
3. Turn the ignition key to the OFF position, and remove the key.
4. Wait for the dome light to fade and listen for a relay click coming from the CD Changer area.
5. Try to turn on a map light.

Reproducing the problem is key to getting the dealer to fix it. When I took it in the dealer did nothing because they couldn't reproduce.