Took delivery of my B9 yesterday, issues so far...

[bconley02]

Hi all!

I'm new to the community but wanted to post my experience so far with my new B9! For the most part, so far so good. A few minor quibbles (which if not resolved could become a nuisance) and I'd like some of the more experienced folks' opinion on best course of action for each.

But first, the positives:

Love the engine and DSG combination - smooth and extremely rapid shifting when needed.
Standard seats are much more comfortable than I first assumed.
Virtual cockpit is bringing out my nerdy side with each hour that passes.
B&O sound is amazing
...the above are just initial observations. I'm sure I'll find more to love as the days go on.

However, a few issues:

Probably the biggest annoyance at the moment would be the brake pedal. Brake feel is good, but for about the first 1/2 inch to inch of travel it feels "crunchy." That's really the only way I can describe it. Sometimes it's definitely present, other times it's all but imperceptible...which makes me worry the dealer won't replicate it. Possible that something just needs to be lubricated, or something in the mechanical linkage is rubbing? The remainder of the travel is silky smooth - only the first bit of travel when initially stepping on the pedal feels odd. Thoughts?

There seems to be a slight shimmy at certain speeds...almost like a vibration in the seat of your pants. It was present during my initial test drive, but dealer said it was flat spots. When I drove before taking delivery it seemed to be gone - but now seems as though it has returned. Possibly still flat spots? Maybe a wheel balance issue?

When traveling over rougher pavement or quick imperfections in the road, there's a vibration or buzzing noise that can be heard coming from the driver and passenger door. Haven't been able to isolate it yet - hopefully dealer can resolve. Here in the Northeast some of our roads are less than perfect, and the noise seems to be exactly at ear level...making it pretty annoying.

Lastly, and I should have seen this before taking delivery...I thought my inspection was thorough enough but I guess not :( - the plastic back of the drivers seat seems to be pulling away from the leather portion of the seat. Passenger seat is great fit and finish - driver's seat has a slight gap between leather and plastic. Do you think there's anything they can do for that?

I've already scheduled an appointment to have these things looked at (yes, I'm one of those people...but when paying close to 50K for a car, I have a hard time standing for these imperfections) but wanted to get your thoughts on the above. Any feedback is welcome!

Take care guys, thanks in advance - it's great to be back in the Audi club again.

Regards,

Brennan

[AudiA4b6US]

For the seat issue, does it look like this?

It's a known issue (at least in Germany) and some dealers were replacing the seat cover under warranty (http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/quali...1#post47402072)

[bconley02]

Hey there,

Thanks for your quick response. That's much worse than my issue - in fact that's not the location of my problem. It's the lower piece, actually visible in your photo as well. It's the plastic seat back, where it curves over at the top the rounded corner is pulling away from the leather slightly. Looks like it may be slightly doing the same on yours, so perhaps it's normal.

[jygesq]

Wheel balance should be checked on hunter 9700!road force balancer, flat spots would have worked themselves very quickly .

[bconley02]

Jygesq - is it possible for the wheels / tires to have come from the factory in a poorly balanced state?

Does anyone want to take a stab at the brake weirdness?


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine mobile app

[dannydc24]

More than likely, the tires have minor flat spots from possibly sitting on the lot for a couple weeks/months. Check to see if the vibration is more noticeable before the tires are warmed up. Doubtful they came imbalanced from the factory. Road force balancing can help, but doesn't always resolve it. As far as the brake pedal.. your only option is to just have the dealer look at it and hopefully they can duplicate it so they can advise whether it is normal or not.

[bconley02]

Thanks guys for the feedback. I've driven the car about 100 miles since picking it up, and I do have to say that the vibration does seem to have diminished some - though not completely. For a car that has potentially been sitting for weeks, how long does it take to work out flat spots? The vibration in the seat of my pants could also be that of the four cylinder engine - I'm coming from a BMW 335 (inline 6) which was extremely smooth at speed. Ironically, the 4 cyl in the Audi idles smoother than the BMW 6 though the BMW was smoother at rev.

Vibration does seem more noticeable before tires are warmed.

I have an appointment scheduled for the brake pedal, it is pretty strange. It truly feels like it's rubbing on some kind of rubber for the first bit of travel, causing an odd feeling in the pedal. I'll keep you guys up to date with what I find out.

Currently out of town, and can't get the car in until next week. This is my first "new new" car purchase, is it normal to run into little oddities and annoyances like this, or am I unlucky?? Just looking for others' experiences with new car purchases


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine mobile app

[kjung7]

Hey guys I just took delivery of my first Audi last week. I'm loving the B9 A4, but I've been noticing a clicking sound after starting up the car and speeding up. It's two clicks and it can be felt in the gas pedal. It usually occurs around 25-30 MPH. Is this normal? Anyone else having the same issue?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

[bconley02]

Hey man, I know exactly what you're talking about. For me, it would be unnerving if I hadn't already experienced this in cars I've previously owned (not Audis). A Volvo XC60 I used to own did it every time after putting the vehicle in gear and increasing speed to the range you just specified. Maybe someone more experienced in vehicular mechanics than I can chime in here. It's a "click click" felt in the gas pedal (coming from under the dash) after reaching a certain speed range the first time you've shifted into drive for a trip.

Not a big deal as far as I know. My Audi A4 B9 and a Q7 I recently drove as a loaner both did this.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine mobile app

[kjung7]

Hey man, I know exactly what you're talking about. For me, it would be unnerving if I hadn't already experienced this in cars I've previously owned (not Audis). A Volvo XC60 I used to own did it every time after putting the vehicle in gear and increasing speed to the range you just specified. Maybe someone more experienced in vehicular mechanics than I can chime in here. It's a "click click" felt in the gas pedal (coming from under the dash) after reaching a certain speed range the first time you've shifted into drive for a trip.

Not a big deal as far as I know. My Audi A4 B9 and a Q7 I recently drove as a loaner both did this.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine mobile app

Yes! So I'm not the only one haha. I thought I was going crazy. I had an 2017 A4 loaner for a week cause I was waiting for my car to arrive, and the loaner didn't make those sounds. As long as it's "normal" mechanically speaking I'll live with it. Just thought it was weird sound for a new car to make.

[bconley02]

I call that "new car syndrome" - I never hear rattles or weird noises in my girlfriend's or brother's car (even though they're there) just my own. It has something to do with it actually being yours, and the insane pursuit of perfection for thing you own :). At least, that's it for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine mobile app

[kjung7]

I call that "new car syndrome" - I never hear rattles or weird noises in my girlfriend's or brother's car (even though they're there) just my own. It has something to do with it actually being yours, and the insane pursuit of perfection for thing you own :). At least, that's it for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine mobile app

Haha true every little sound gets noticed. That clicking though kind of gets annoying. First couple of times I thought it was something wrong with the DCT.

[bob marino]

For the seat issue, does it look like this?

It's a known issue (at least in Germany) and some dealers were replacing the seat cover under warranty (http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/quali...1#post47402072)

Hmmmmn, I noticed a similar but way less noticeable "tear" on my seat. Just may be taking it back to the dealer. Seems this is an issue with the 2017 A4's. Never had it on any car other I owned.

[OmaHahn]

Hi all!

(yes, I'm one of those people...but when paying close to 50K for a car, I have a hard time standing for these imperfections) but wanted to get your thoughts on the above.

Regards,

Brennan

I'm with you and guess what?...I don't care if the car cost $15,000 - if it's new, well then it should be in NEW condition. Yes, you have every right to get it corrected. Good luck and happy motoring!

[mrboombakid]

I'm one of those people too! You're paying so much for the car and the imperfection bugs the crap out of you! I bought my car on July 1 and driven 600 miles on it. Its been in the shop for the Homelink issue two times already. It's currently still in there. I had to get in front of my gate literally an inch before my gate would open. I hope they replace it... I also found out the sensor is now built in the rear bumper

[AUDIMAN33]

Hmmmmn, I noticed a similar but way less noticeable "tear" on my seat. Just may be taking it back to the dealer. Seems this is an issue with the 2017 A4's. Never had it on any car other I owned.

That looks like something an American car would have...

[deedub]

Brennan,

So very sorry you are experiencing any issues at all, let alone several. I would agree you should not have to put up with them and I hope you are successful getting them addressed by your dealer.

FWIW, I picked up my B9 yesterday, a Manhattan Grey Premium Plus with Tech and Sport Packages. I've got none of the issues you describe.

Best of luck,

Dave

[bconley02]

Hi everyone -

Figured I'd recap on the above issues now that the vehicle has been to the dealer. Here we go:

- Brake Pedal Feel: So, the service manager was able to feel what I was talking about. He said that it was present on another A4 B9 they had on their lot which had been newly added to their loaner pool and welcomed me to drive it. I did drive it, and can confirm that it has a similar feel - albeit much less noticeable than mine. I've now driven my car about 550 miles, and I can say that what used to be a minor nuisance is now a full blown major annoyance. The feel continues to get worse. It used to only be perceptible for the first 1-1.5 inches of brake travel. It is now present throughout almost the entire throw of the brake pedal. It feels like the "crunchiness" has become more intense. The official answer from the dealer at this point is that "it can be replicated on other vehicles on the lot (only one that I know of) and therefore they cannot do anything. They mentioned that they have it on file for my vehicle and will notify me if a TSB is released - not entirely optimistic. What's interesting is that I've felt this sensation on a brake pedal before - on an older Volvo right before the master cylinder failed. It's scary how similar the the sensation is between this brand new vehicle and an old Volvo with 170K miles and a totally shot master cylinder. Guess we'll see what happens...

- Shimmy at certain speeds: Okay, this is a weird one. Sometimes the car glides over the road like silk, other times it feels like the wheels are majorly out of balance. I've read a few forums on the notorious early B8 shimmy issue and they seem to describe my issue perfectly. Not sure if the problem is the POS Pirelli P7 all seasons that came on the car or what. At this point I'm seriously considering eating the cost of a new set of Michelin's to see if that fixes the problem. I'd be happy if it were just tires at this point. Should note that "dealer is unable to replicate."

- Vibrating or buzzing noise in passenger door: Turned out to be a loose speaker grille which was never fastened down properly. Dealer fixed, no more vibration noise.

- Black plastic seat back not flush to back of seat: Appears to be the case for all B9 A4's. Examined numerous vehicles on the lot, each had the same issue to a varying degree.


NEW ISSUES: The following have developed over the course of the past few days:

The rear license plate bracket has a faulty screw receptacle which just spins in place while trying to fasten down the license plate. Called dealer, none in stock so ordering now and will call when it arrives.

The rear passenger seat (the double unit which is comprised of the passenger side rear seat and center seat backrest) shakes at highway speeds and elicits a vibration sound. This is intermittent, depending on whether or not I'm experiencing the shimmy noted above at the time.

All in all, not entirely pleased with my experience so far. The car is under two weeks old and has less than 500 miles, I'm hoping that this is just a rough start and everything gets ironed out...but to be honest I'm pretty disappointed that a premium car like this seems to have such poor initial quality. Sounds like other folks are not having any of the same problems - guess I just had bad luck :(.

Thanks for reading, and please let me know if any of you are experiencing / begin to experience any of the above. Or, suggestions for rectifying my problems are also welcome :).

Thanks,

Brennan

[audinator]

OP- sorry to hear of your problems, I hope they are resolved by the dealer / Audi.

I just brought my new B9 p+ home today and found that the seat memory "set" button is not working. Also the trim on the drivers A pillar is not quite on all the way. Hoping this is the extent of the bugs .. otherwise great car!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bconley02]

Hi everyone -

Just wanted to post an update.

The brake pedal issue continues to persist, and I have an appointment with my dealer and the Audi territory rep on Thursday of this week. I guess the dealer plans to have him drive it and see if he's able to experience. I've taken a video of the sound emitted by the pedal that accompanies the odd sensation in the pedal. It's attached here - let me know your thoughts.

I should add that the sound is much easier to hear on my iPhone when playing the video than when playing back on my MacBook Pro. Might have to turn your volume up. I'm just basically depressing the pedal a number of times slowly, like you'd feather a brake pedal in traffic. It sounds like a rubbery groaning noise.

[marklar182]

I would call that abnormal.

[tekmo]

I just see a black screen and don't hear anything.

[kjung7]

It's just a recording so there's no video. Have to turn up the speakers all the way.

I'd say that's not normal. Bets of luck getting it solved.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

[bconley02]

Thanks everyone, I have an appointment tomorrow with my dealer and a regional Audi technical rep will be present as well. This afternoon I was inspecting my wheels and tires just to see if anything looked off about them (given the shimmy and just overall bounciness of the ride), and noticed something interesting on both rear shock mounts. Car has 700 miles and has been in my possession for 15 days. See the attached photos. It looks as though there is oil seeping onto the shock mounts on each side of the rear. Anyone think this is normal / abnormal?

[tekmo]

I checked mine today and didn't see anything like that.

[bconley02]

Hi all -

I wanted to report back with my current status - nothing more annoying than when someone takes to the forums with a problem, but never posts the outcome or resolution. On Thursday of last week, I dropped off my vehicle with Audi. There was an Audi regional technician present, who took a ride with me in the car. Prior to going out on our joyride, I played the video for him that I posted here - his response was that yes, that was absolutely not a normal sound for the brake pedal to be making. I drove the car for a bit and made sure I could replicate both the sensation and audible noise - the tech was able to hear the noise live in the vehicle with me.

We switched driving positions, and immediately he could feel the sensation to which I was referring. He also noted that the pedal was not depressing as far is it should, and it was providing unnatural resistance. His initial comments were that it could be a tensioner spring, but that he'd have a look over the course of a few days. Fast forward to EOD Friday, and the car is still with Audi. AoA has recommended the replacement of the brake booster, as they believe that it's possible that it was defective from the factory and could be the source of my woes. I'm leaving on a business trip (currently at 30K feet, roughly ) for a week and left the vehicle with them, so that they have plenty of time to try other fixes in the event the booster is not the fix.

Also, in regard to the oil on the shock mounts in the photo I posted above - the same AoA regional tech said that when the rear shocks are installed, they occasionally need to spray lubricant on the bumpstop area and on the spacers that were installed for transport, for easy removal of the spacers. I'm going to take him at his word for now, it still seems a little odd to me...but hey, I guess you have to trust someone sometime.

That's all for now folks, but I'll keep you all updated on the outcome. Thanks for sticking with me.

[localh85]

Nice to hear that they sent an expert out to work with you.

[bconley02]

Hi guys -

I know I'm reviving an old thread here, but wanted to give you an update on my situation.

Around mid-August or so, an Audi Technical Field rep was assigned to my case. After riding with me, he determined that the shimmy in the vehicle (mentioned earlier in this thread) was indeed abnormal. Turns out that after multiple wheel re-balances (all road force) the road force values were still way above Audi spec. Audi specifies that each wheel must be under 18lbs road force (at peak) to be within spec. Some of my wheels were around the 30lb mark, highest values in the rear. This would explain the shimmy and wobble feeling at higher / highway speeds. After inquiring as to why after several attempts at road force balancing (including different sets of tires) the values were still out of spec, I received the following response: a proper road force balance cannot be done on brand new tires. Brand new tires have not yet been heated to a temperature that will allow them to reach their "final form and shape." As such, road force values can vary greatly on a tire for the first 50 or so miles. Apparently, the proper way to road force balance a tire is to mount, spin balance, drive for 50 miles, then road force balance. I had never heard this before, but I must say that after following this procedure - the shimmy was gone. Audi also provided Continental ContiProContact tires in place of the nasty Pirelli P7s.

Now, you'd think that'd be the end of my story...but it's not. I'll tell you up front that it has a happy ending :). I continued to experience a number of defects with the vehicle that implied poor quality manufacturing. Long story short, Audi of America along with my AWESOME dealer determined that they needed to get me into a different car, as my unit was clearly not up to Audi's standards. When it came down to it, I was able to negotiate a trade for another unit (which was the same as my original vehicle, albeit inclusive of the sport package and burl walnut trim) for a nominal fee. AoA and my dealer absorbed a huge amount of the initial depreciation (dealer threw in more than AoA) so that I paid very little out of pocket.

I received the new unit two weeks ago, and I'm in love. It's everything the first vehicle should have been, and more. Silky smooth ride, bank vault quiet cabin, tight interior fit and finish, etc.

The only issue at the moment is that the front end seems slightly out of alignment, as the steering wheel is slightly cocked off center when tracking straight. Steering to the left also feels a bit more taught than steering to the right. It is bothersome to me, but my assumption is that a simple alignment and steering wheel centering exercise will rectify the issue.

So, all around I'm a happy camper. AoA and especially my dealer turned around what was an initially terrible experience. The dealer has certainly earned a customer for life. It is absolutely my opinion that I was the exception to the rule, and that most will receive a quality copy the first time around. I am thrilled to be once again driving a very high quality vehicle from Audi.

[casuso]

Hi all!


When traveling over rougher pavement or quick imperfections in the road, there's a vibration or buzzing noise that can be heard coming from the driver and passenger door. Haven't been able to isolate it yet - hopefully dealer can resolve. Here in the Northeast some of our roads are less than perfect, and the noise seems to be exactly at ear level...making it pretty annoying.


Brennan

Hi, you mentioned a noise in the driver and passenger, but you found that the passsenger was solved because of a loose speaker grille, but what about the driver side?

I have a smiliar noise comming from the drivers door or drivers dash side, not sure, and it's not the first time I see this. In the FB group, a guy posted it was a loose harness in the A pillar. It's not so loud but once you detect it it's kind of anoying, my car is new as well and has this since the first week, dealer was unable to solve it.

[bconley02]

Hey bud,

I originally thought that they had solved the buzzing noise in the passenger door by correctly fitting the loose speaker grille, but it hadn't been resolved. The driver's side was not resolved while I owned the vehicle. Luckily in my replacement A4 (knock on wood) the interior is tight as a drum, for now. Here's what I would tell you: beware a dealer who wants to tear down the door and reassemble. While is sounds like a good solution in theory, in practice it almost never works out. On my original unit, I had a loud wind noise which seemed to come from the top of the passenger door frame. In an attempt to resolve, the dealer tore down and reassembled my passenger side door trim. When they put it back together, there was obvious (visible) felt tape applied where they could not get the trim pieces to go back together in a factory fit.

You might have better luck than I, but make sure if the dealer has to tear into your door trim for any reason that you stipulate you want a factory finish with no visible gaps or felt tape.

Where on your drivers' door is the sound coming from? I've felt from the beginning that the wires for the door ambient lighting could be a "buzzing" culprit.

I hope you're able to get this resolved, I know how frustrating these noises can be - especially on a brand new vehicle.

[dseag2]

Great outcome, with Audi offering you a new car with additional options at a nominal fee! Sorry you had to go through all the issues, but it sounds like it was worth it in the long run. Now you feel the love the rest of us feel for our A4s!

[bconley02]

dseag2 -

Absolutely! I feel like it was certainly an acceptable outcome. I'm very much enjoying the new car...now if I could only get the alignment fixed so that the steering wheel is top dead center when driving straight...

Also, does anyone else on here not enjoy the Pirelli all-seasons? I drove the same car with ContiProContacts and the ride was far superior.