A3 3.2 question from a n00b

[imported_Amsterdam]

Hi

I'm about to change my car and recently tested the A3 3.2 MT, very impressed I was /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

However - the test car had a few 'characteristics' and I wonder if any of them ring a bell with you folks.

1. 6 speed MT box 'clatter' when shifting gear (only audible when the windows were open).
2. Wheels locking up momentarily under hard braking.
3. Constant adjustment required to steer a straight line at 120mph +
4. Loud clicking noises from the rear transmission when selecting fwd/rev (parking).
5. Brakes too sensitive - overservoed IMO.
6. Engine/transmission felt 'shunty' at light throttle eg. when in traffic.

The test car had about 4k miles on it, I had it for the day and it did get tested /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I loved the instant power, traction, grip and the sound of it !

I tried a DSG but they only had a it on a diesel, wasn't impressed, is it better on the 3.2 ?

Amsters

 

[StephaneS]

in ref to your comments :
1- Yep it makes some noise. Was surprised before but like it now
2- Never happened to me. ABS should not allow it
3- Never went over 120mph so cant say. but just below 120mph mine doesn't require adjusting
4- Never happened to me
5- It could be very surprising at first as it DOES brake hard but you'll get used to it. Actually after a while when you're launched at high speed you find them just good enough
6- What do you mean by "shunty"?

 

[RichA3Turbo]

ABS HAS to sense wheel lock before it works as that is HOW it works. Wheels speed sensors measure all 4 wheel speeds, and if the front lock, it notices the difference between the front and rear and eases off. If you slam the brakes on as hard as you can, you WILL come to a screeching holt. ABS works on skidding so you have to break traction before it works!

If you have ever tried braking in an ABS car on ice, you will notice you have NO breaks whatsoever as the ABS will not allow you to break...pedal just goes to the floor. SCARY!

Rich

 

[imported_Amsterdam]

Thanks for the info guys,

StephV6,

By 'shunty' I mean it's jerky, ie. hard to drive smoothly at light throttle in slow moving traffic.

Rich,

I've had ABS on my last two cars and they never locked up the tyres to the point they were squealing so much, it's as if the ABS system had too much delay between sensing the lockup and releasing the pressure to the calipers.

Any advice on the DSG anyone ?

Thanks,
Amsters

 

[StephaneS]

Amsterdam,
Yes, it is hard at first to get it move smoothly in first gear.
For the first month or so I found that you could only either start like you're on a race -then you dont really mind the kicking /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif - or very slowly. A friend of mine tried it and said the same
Now I am used to it and it is OK but you have to be very soft on the clutch release. The balance is difficult to find but is worse it
This is actually true for all gears but mainly the first 3.
To get it right the only way around I found was to have the instantaneous fuel consumption displayed and (except that I was shocked by the figures/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jawdrop.gif) I could see how the motor was reacting to different style of driving and I manage to get some nice starts and smooth gear changes.
If you go for it remember the style of drive is very different from lots of cars. Some people dont like it but this "caracteristic" and obviously the sound were the reasons I chose it over other cars

 

[imported_Amsterdam]

[ QUOTE ]
StephV6 said:
Amsterdam,
Yes, it is hard at first to get it move smoothly in first gear.
For the first month or so I found that you could only either start like you're on a race -then you dont really mind the kicking /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif - or very slowly. A friend of mine tried it and said the same
Now I am used to it and it is OK but you have to be very soft on the clutch release. The balance is difficult to find but is worse it
This is actually true for all gears but mainly the first 3.
To get it right the only way around I found was to have the instantaneous fuel consumption displayed and (except that I was shocked by the figures/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jawdrop.gif) I could see how the motor was reacting to different style of driving and I manage to get some nice starts and smooth gear changes.
If you go for it remember the style of drive is very different from lots of cars. Some people dont like it but this "caracteristic" and obviously the sound were the reasons I chose it over other cars


[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the info StephV6,

I'm worried that this jerkiness may become tedoius in traffic, I've done some research and it seems that the cause is lack of mass in the flywheel, this gives the V6 phenomenal throttle response for such a large motor and it's also why I stalled it several times at low revs. I'm hoping the DSG box may smooth this behaviour, unfortunately I can't find a local dealer with an A3 3.2 DSG to try out the theory. Maybe I can find a 3.2 DSG TT to try

Rgds
Amsters

 

[StephaneS]

right, did some driving during the week end and most starts were ok, some good, some below par
I get stuck in traffic every saturday in London and I dont worry about it anymore
let me know how you got on with your test drive, if you find any