2006 Audi A3

I GOT A 2006 A3 (AUTOMATIC) WITH 90K MILES ON IT. WE STARTED EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS 2 WEEKS AGO, BASICALLY WHILE DRIVING (AT ANY SPEED) TRANSMISSION WOULD SPORADICALLY SHIFT TO NEUTRAL FOLLOWED BY A JOLTING/CLUNKING NOISE, AND THEN PRNDS LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF ONTHE DASHBOARD. THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED 3-4 TIMES WITHIN 1 WEEK. THE SCARY THING IS THAT DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS, SUCH I-95, MY WIFE ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED BY A 18-WHEELER. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. TALKED TO AUDI NA COMPLAIN LINE, AND THEY MENTIONED THERE WASN'T ANYTHING REPORTED TO THEM, THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THIS ITEM, AND NO WILLINGS TO HELP TO COVER THE COST OF REPLACING PARTS. I DON'T SEE THIS ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE GAS PEDAL ISSUE THAT TOYOTA IS ADDRESSING. MANY COMPLAINS OR CASES HAVE BEEN REPORTED ON AUDI/VW FORUMS.

MY AUDI A3 DYNAMIC SHIFT GEARBOX, HAS BEEN HAVING ISSUES FROM ABOUT 30K MILES, WHICH IN THE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE ESCALATED TO A COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE GEARBOX. DESPITE THE FACT THAT I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE AUDI SERVICE AT 48000 MILES, ABOUT: JERKINESS WHILE SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 1ST GEAR; LACK OF ADEQUATE ACCELERATION WHEN STARTING FROM A COMPLETE STOP; CAR DIES WHEN STOPPING ON INTERSECTIONS WHILE DRIVING IN CITY CONDITIONS; SHIFTING TO INCORRECT (NEUTRAL) GEAR WHILE OPERATING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS; AUDI DOES NOT WANT TO COVER THE REPAIR COSTS UNDER WARRANTY, AND IT DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT IT HAS SHOWN NEGLIGENCE IN DIAGNOSTIC THE PROBLEM, PRIOR TO A COMPLETE MECHANICAL FAILURE. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY IS SERVICE AWAITING A REPLACEMENT OF THE DSG (MECHATRONIC AND GEARBOX) WHICH ARE ESTIMATED TO COST AT ABOUT 7000 - 10000 DOLLARS. ACCORDING TO THE FACTS AND MY SERVICE RECORDS, IT IS MY BELIEVE THAT AUDI SHOULD BE FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COST OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

LEFT DIPPED (LOW BEAM) HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT. SPOKE WITH DEALERS AND OTHER MECHANICS. IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE THE BULB. MAY BE THE BALLAST, BUT MAYBE NOT. DEALER HAS NO INDICATION OF PROBLEM. MANY INCIDENCES OF THE PROBLEM REPORTED ON INTERNET FORUMS. VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR FOR A TRIAL FIX. BALALSTS ARE 400+ AND BULBS 300+. MANY PEOPLE HAVE SPENT THE MONEY AND HAD NO GOOD RESULTS. *TR

INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION. OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR OF OWNERSHIP, THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT HAS MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. JUST RECENTLY THE LEFT HEADLIGHT HAS STARTED TO MALFUNCTION AS WELL. WHILE DRIVING BOTH HEADLIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT! THIS CONDITION IS BOTH UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL - AS MANY STATES WILL ISSUE A TRAFFIC VIOLATION FOR DRIVING WITH A NON-FUNCTIONING HEADLIGHT. THE RIGHT LIKE MALFUNCTIONS EVERY TIME I USE THE LIGHTS AND THE LEFT HAS MALFUNCTIONED 4 TIMES IN THE PAST MONTH, THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF THEN ON AGAIN. BUT THE FLICKERING OCCURS WITH IN MINUTES OF SWITCHING THEM BACK ON. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS CLAIMED THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE AND THEY CAN NOT REPRODUCE. THEY HAVE SUGGESTED I WAIT UNTIL BOTH GO OUT TO REPLACE THEM. NO PARTS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED OR REPLACED, HOWEVER THEY HAVE CLAIMED TO PERFORM A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS. ANNECDOTAL EVIDENCE (CONVERSATIONAL, AND VIA INTERNET OWNERS' FORUMS) SUGGESTS THAT THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF AUDI'S MODEL RANGE AND YEARS. *TR

MY WIFE IS TRAVELING A LONG TRIP. SHE IS DRIVING A 2006 AUDI A3. SHE HAD BEEN HAVING WEIRD THINGS HAPPEN DURING HER TRIP. IT STARTED WHEN SHE MADE A RIGHT HAND TURN FROM A STOP SIGN. SHE PUSHED THE GAS, BUT THE CAR DID NOT MOVE FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN IT WENT. THIS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES, ALL THE SAME SORT OF WAY. THEN AFTER A RIGHT-HAND CORNER TURN, THE CAR MADE THIS HUGE NOISE AND CLUNK UPON ACCELERATION. AGAIN, IT DROVE OK AFTER THAT. HOWEVER, THE BIG UNSAFE PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED @ APX. 49,870 ON ODOMETER, IRONICALLY, JUST BEFORE THE WARRANTY WAS OUT. SHE WAS DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH & BACKED OFF OF THE GAS TO SLIDE IN BETWEEN TWO CARS & THEN PRESSED ON THE GAS TO ACCELERATE TO THE SPEED OF THE MOVING TRAFFIC & SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR SEEMED TO GO INTO NEUTRAL BUT BECAUSE THE GAS WAS INCREASING, THE ENGINE KEPT REVVING. SHE SEEMED TO COAST, NO INCREASE IN SPEED. THE CAR BEHIND HER SWERVED OVER IN TIME, BUT IT WAS TOO CLOSE! SHE BACKED OFF OF THE GAS OR BRAKED, SHE COULDN'T REMEMBER AND THE CAR CLUNKED INTO GEAR. WHEN SHE CALLED ME, THE CAR HAD 50,150 & SHE WAS CONCERNED BECAUSE THIS HAD JUST HAPPENED A 2ND TIME. IT HAPPENED THE SAME WAY, WHEN SHE WAS ACCELERATING. I CALLED MY LOCAL AUDI DEALER & SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER WHO AGREED TO PROVIDE A FREE DIAGNOSTIC TEST. WE HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM IN EFFECT FOR THE 2007-2009 AUDI (INCLUDING A3) AS WELL AS FOR 2007-2009 VW'S WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. 2006'S NEED TO BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL TOO. *TR

LOSS OF POWER AND DTC P2293, P0087 IN ECM CAUSED BY PREMATURE WEARING OF THE CAMSHAFT FOLLOWER THAT DRIVES THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. THE DTC ARE REFERENCED IN NHTSA ITEM 10025965, AND SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 15-08-05. THE CAMSHAFT WEARS THROUGH AND DAMAGES THE FUEL PUMP. OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION HAS DETERMINED THAT THIS PREMATURE WEAR IS CAUSED BY AN IMPROPERLY HARDENED CAMSHAFT. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM AFFECTING A LARGE NUMBER AUDI AND VW VEHICLES UTILIZING THE 2.0 ENGINE. *TR

MY AUDI A3 WITH DSG HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING SHIFTING PROBLEMS FROM 1-2 AND 2-3. ON THE 29TH, WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A LIGHT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED VERY ROUGHLY AND THE ENGINE SEEMED TO HAVE LOST POWER. WHEN I LOOKED INTO MY MIRROR, THE CAR DIRECTLY BEHIND ME DIDN'T EXPECT MY SUDDEN LOSS OF ACCELERATION AND CAME CLOSE TO REAR ENDING ME. THIS ROUGH SHIFTING IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND I AM GOING TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT SOON. *TR

1. NORMAL DRIVING. 2. THE CAMSHAFT FOLLOWER ON MY HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP IN MY 2006 AUDI A3 WAS PUNCHED CLEAN THROUGH AND THE PLUNGER ON MY FUEL PUMP WAS EATING AWAY AT MY CAMSHAFT... I SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS, BUT HAD FUEL CUTS AND BOOST CUTS IN MEDIUM TO HIGH RPMS. 3. I HAD TO BUY A NEW CAMSHAFT, CAMSHAFT FOLLOWER, AND HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. VW/AUDI REFUSED TO HELP ME BECAUSE I AM AT 60,000 MILES, EVEN THOUGH MY MANUAL SAYS THE PART SHOULD BE CHECK, AND MAYBE REPLACED STARTING AT 100,000 MILES... THEY SAID THAT MY AFTERMARKET INTAKE MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THE DAMAGE BY "OVER SPINNING THE ENGINE"... THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE, AS THE ENGINE HAS A REV LIMITER, AND I NEVER HAVE GONE OVER 4K RPM YET, PLUS MY "AFTERMARKET INTAKE" IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE STOCK INTAKE, BUT WRAPPED IN CARBON FIBER, WITH A K&N FILTER REPLACING THE FACTORY ONE. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 AUDI A3 3.2 QUATTRO WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION. I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM MY 45K MILE SERVICE(THE LAST ONE BEFORE IT GOES OUT OF WARRANTY). I WAS DOING ABOUT 45-50 MPH GOING THROUGH THE SUNPASS EXPRESS LANE. I LIFTED OFF OF THE THROTTLE FOR A SECOND AND THEN, WHEN I WENT BACK TO THE GAS, NO DRIVE, NO GEARS. THE RPMS SHOT UP TO AROUND 7500 RPM'S AND THE GEAR INDICATOR SCREEN LIGHTS (P,R,N,D,S) WERE FLASHING AND I HAD TO PULL OFF OF TO THE SHOULDER. AND TRYING TO PULL OVER WITH NO DRIVE ON THE PALMETTO EXPRESSWAY IN MIAMI ALMOST GOT ME INTO 2 DIFFERENT ACCIDENTS. I TRIED TO SELECT REVERSE THEN DRIVE AND SPORT MODE ON THE SHIFTER, NOTHING, SCREEN STILL FLASHING AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I CALLED MY DEALER AND HE TOLD ME TO CALL AUDI ROAD SERVICE AND HAVE IT FLAT BEDDED BACK TO THEM. ABOUT 15 MINUTES AFTER THE OCCURRENCE, I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND IT NOW WAS ABLE TO SELECT A GEAR AND THE FLASHING STOPPED. I DROVE IT VERY DELICATELY BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS AWAITING A DIAGNOSIS. THEY SAID THEY ARE REPLACING THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION CONTROL/MECHATRONICS UNIT. THIS HAPPENED ON 7/24 AND I AM STILL WAITING ON THE NEW PART TO COME IN. I WANT TO REPORT THIS BECAUSE, IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON TO EXPERIENCE THIS FAILURE ON AN AUDI OR VOLKSWAGEN CAR USING THE DSG OR S-TRONIC GEARBOX.I WANT THIS TO BE DOCUMENTED IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS. I'M ALSO WORRIED THAT MY CAR IS JUST ABOUT TO COME OUT OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND, IF I HAVE THIS FAILURE AGAIN, IT COULD COST ME THOUSANDS OF MY OWN DOLLARS TO HAVE IT FIXED. *TR