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Do all Audi S-Tronics suffer from erratic acceleration?
I took delivery in April 2012 of a new Audi A6 Avant 3.0 TDI Quattro with a retail price circa £53,000. This car is fitted with a DSG/S-tronic transmission and from the outset I complained to the supplying dealer about the poor driveability. When moving off from stationary one can slowly depress the accelerator pedal by 2cm to no effect, then the next 1mm launches the car forward or backward as the case might be.
It has been back to the dealer numerous times and I have left it with them for several days. The final straw came when I had to manoeuvre my car in a hotel garage and limited space meant I had to reverse as close to the wall as possible. After checking all was clear, and ascertaining I was three feet from the wall, I attempted to move the car backwards. The lightest pressure on the throttle was applied and then suddenly the car raced back into the wall. It is impossible to drive this car smoothly on the road. It was suggested I keep my left foot on the brake pedal whilst reversing to stop my car leaping back. It has only covered 6320 miles because I hate using it, and my annual working mileage is normally 12,000 miles per annum. The dealer offered me £28,500 for the car and eventually raised to £30,000. I consider a 43 per cent loss against the new price ridiculous; after all, it is not my fault the car is in this condition.
It has been back to the dealer numerous times and I have left it with them for several days. The final straw came when I had to manoeuvre my car in a hotel garage and limited space meant I had to reverse as close to the wall as possible. After checking all was clear, and ascertaining I was three feet from the wall, I attempted to move the car backwards. The lightest pressure on the throttle was applied and then suddenly the car raced back into the wall. It is impossible to drive this car smoothly on the road. It was suggested I keep my left foot on the brake pedal whilst reversing to stop my car leaping back. It has only covered 6320 miles because I hate using it, and my annual working mileage is normally 12,000 miles per annum. The dealer offered me £28,500 for the car and eventually raised to £30,000. I consider a 43 per cent loss against the new price ridiculous; after all, it is not my fault the car is in this condition.
Asked on 13 April 2013 by MS, Huddersfield
Answered by
Honest John
DSGs and S-tronics can be like that, and may not take kindly to being left-foot braked when reversed to keep them under control. But DSGs and S-tronics are not all as bad as this. Once of our guys ran the same car from September 2011 to April 2012 with no trouble and was highly complimentary of it. Your problem now is that you seem to have accessorised the car to the tune of around £7000. This is something I continually warn about. If you pay £53,000 for a £46,000 car, the residual percentage value is based on £46k, not £53k. But the fact that many buyers accessories their cars by £5000 - £20,000 pulls up the average residual value. The dealer is not legally liable to buy this car back from you, so he is merely offering you standard trade price from a book. Glass's says £27,750 for the SE and £30,000 for the S Line. Corresponding book retail prices are £31,250 and £33,500. Though, of course, the dealer will try to get a lot more by 'selling' the customer on the fact that the car is loaded with extras. I don't advise you to take the matter to the County Court because the case could cost you £15,000 and the judgement might not be in your favour, but a threat of court action might bump the dealer offer up.
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