Newbie Looking for advice.

[Don]

Hi All

Iv been lurking for a while & find this forum useful.

Iv just bought a 2011 A4 Avant 2L TDI 170 Quattro Manual. It has full service history had new radiator, Discs & pads all-round as well as timing belt & new water pump, New alternator the car has been well looked after & has 138k on the clock.

I have a couple of questions.

1 Both myself & my wife have experienced the car stalling when we pull away from a junction or out of our drive we have come from a 2l Petrol Mazda so maybe we just need to get used to the revs required to get it moving but just wondered its its something to do with a software upgrade or normal.

2 I find the electric brake a bit awkward to use when pulling away on a hill I have to release the electric brake & then get on the accelerator fairly swiftly otherwise it rolls back there is no auto hold which i find strange.

3 I have just had 4 new tyres fitted Michelin Cross Climate plus 225 x 50 R17 as the previous tyres although evenly worn were on the limit. I have read somewhere that the Quattro especially needs to have the tyres even wear/inflation as they can get problems otherwise can anyone shed any light on what might go wrong.

4 Does the Quattro drivetrain need the oil changing Iv been told its in there for life but i would like to change if possible.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Don..

 

[Duck]

Hi Don, I just joined this forum too and also last week bought an 2012 A4 Avant 2l TDI Quattro Manual.

Not too knowledgeable about questions 1 & 4 but I can shed some light on 2 & 3.

Having previously owned a manual Q5 for some years, I can tell you that unless you have the 'Hill Hold' spec (which holds your car in position on hills for a couple of seconds so that you can apply acceleration in a slightly more casual manner), you can negate the problem by having your clutch foot ready and releasing the electronic parking brake in tandem. Not suggesting you make the car lurch with the brake on, just makes it easier if you have your clutch foot ready to release as opposed to your other door trying to accelerate.

I also had Michelin Cross climates 235 60 R18 (not plus) on my Q5 and i was advised by Audi that the Quattro system should be more effective (and therefore less likely to lose traction) if all wheels wear evenly. Technically this should be easier on 4WD as opposed to a front wheel drive system. Despite this, I decided to swap my wheels after 20k miles and the tread difference between the front and rear wheels was only a matter of 1 mm. 

I holiday with the family and a roof box in the UK on a serious amount of country roads and rough tracks and those Cross Climates are the best tyres I've had.

 

[Simon P]

Mine has two switches,  one behind the other. The front one is the electric parking brake, the one immediately behind it is the hill hold. It's either switched on and comes on when you brake to a stop, which then shows a green parking light on the dash and the switch is red lit. It operates every time you stop.

Or its off. No red light on the switch, no green light.

[stevos]

Hi Don,

Regarding Q2, as far as I'm aware, if you simply drive off the electronic parking brake releases automatically. Mine does, no hill hold switch.

                 Q4, A4 uses Torsen transmission which is sealed for life. Only Haldex transmissions require oil and filter changes.

Hopee this helps.