Most disappointing aspect of the B8?

[Sportwag]

For me it has to be the cheap and nasty interior front roof light cluster and switch - when you go to switch it on, it threatens not to work before blinking on. Not quite up to scratch for this class of car. The rest I like :D

[The Polisher]

Strange, mine feels fine......... but then I usually use the map lights if I want some light.

Only thing to dissapoint me so far is the right hand side of the seat bolster keeps digging into my leg..........................

Hoping it'll "soften" with miles............

Anyone else notice this on an S line.......... I'm not exactly a large person, average build........ but it does sometimes annoy me?

[Pauls898]

My Headlights are crap:mad: My car has almost every other extra feature in its build, but it has standard Headlights and there are really Sh**t..... The beam pattern out in front of the car is all patchly, the main beams are weak and were shining up in the trees lol. I have since replaced all the H7 bulbs with Halfords Extreme Brillance ones and they are slightly better, but not brillent. I had better lights on my Vauxhall Vectra, at least that had these glass lenses inside, not just some cheap baco-foil reflecters, its a shame you just can;t retro fit the HID ones easily, but apprentely you have to add Headlamp washers as well or it will fail the MOT?

[pitch3110]

After 2 weeks of ownership I can't really fault anything.

Yes the lack of B&O is a big loss but thats my mistake and after playing with the set up of the standard system I am now happy with what I have.

Only other minor is the voice on the MMI.

Very happy indeed

[ytsud69]

My little niggles (and they are only little niggles) are:

1. No light in the glovebox - I mean seriously how many cars these days dont have a light in the glovebox?
2. You can't see the fog light switches for the steering wheel

No mechanical faults though just the usual ommittance of common sense!

[Bratty]

I am finding the rear luggage cover a tad annoying, if you are not careful it collapses on one side or the other as it falls out of the rail. And the bolster from the s-line sports seats sticking in my leg I have cured,just order a Left Hand Drive, bit drastic but works;).

Dunk

[The Polisher]

Being dumb here.............. why does the left hand drive make the seat not dig into your leg?.............:1zhelp:

[prolfe]

Being dumb here.............. why does the left hand drive make the seat not dig into your leg?.............:1zhelp:


Offset pedals maybe.

The thing that annoyed me when i had one for the day was the DAB radio, FM was much better

[MFGF]

I'm in a B8 today as a courtesy car. The only niggle I have is the lack of a footrest next to the clutch pedal. I use mine all the time in the A6, and miss it when it's not there. Not a long-term problem for me, though! :)

MF.

[dandy27]

After 2 weeks of ownership I can't really fault anything.

Yes the lack of B&O is a big loss but thats my mistake and after playing with the set up of the standard system I am now happy with what I have.

Only other minor is the voice on the MMI.

Very happy indeed


I cant fault the standard speaker system. Yes im sure B&O is great, but for what you get as standard, im certainly not moaning.

[mkc]

I'm in a B8 today as a courtesy car. The only niggle I have is the lack of a footrest next to the clutch pedal. I use mine all the time in the A6, and miss it when it's not there. Not a long-term problem for me, though! :)

MF.


There is a foot rest isnt there? I have one

[MFGF]

There is a foot rest isnt there? I have one

Nope - not in the car I have today, and if I recall the other B8s I've driven as courtesy cars didn't have one either. Is it an optional extra?

[Sportwag]

My dealer told me that the bit of plastic by the clutch pedal is the foot rest (apparently Audi thinks it is better flat than raised?!?) - I still catch my foot on it when using the clutch (poss made worse by the offset)..

Haven't done a long enough journey to really miss it yet.

[Sportwag]

I cant fault the standard speaker system. Yes im sure B&O is great, but for what you get as standard, im certainly not moaning.

I traded up from a Saab 9-3 with the mid-range "Infotainment 150W 7-speaker" system and so the std Exec S-Line Audi Symphony stereo is a vast improvement for me :D

[ScottyUK]

There is one but it's not like the B6 / B7 one.......because there' no room due to the poor RHD conversion.

[MFGF]

My dealer told me that the bit of plastic by the clutch pedal is the foot rest (apparently Audi thinks it is better flat than raised?!?)

I just went out and checked, and there is indeed a plastic area on the carpet to the left of the clutch. I wouldn't class it as a footrest though - there's no difference to just having your foot on the floor! You B8 guys are being short-changed here!!!


There is one but it's not like the B6 / B7 one.......because there' no room due to the poor RHD conversion.

Hmmm - so is there a proper footrest in LHD cars? If I had a B8 I'd be quite peeved if so!

MF.

[Hippogriff]

Most of my most disappointing aspects are related to MMI 3G and AMI...

AMI - silly limts on numbers of songs you can have on stupidly massive hard disks.
AMI - netting does not snugly fit 2.5" USB drives; you need a 1.8" that fits snugly - obviously intended for iPod users only.
AMI - no voice control. Poor integration, half-assed / half-hearted. All you can do with the AMI is shout "media".
AMI - no good / simple way of searching through long lists of Artists, i.e. a letter picker.
MMI 3G - the voice prompts are just cack; the RNS-E was miles better. I can't believe this got through any kind of quality control. It's rubbish.
MMI 3G - voice prompts for coming off roundabouts are all wrong in their timing "now turn left" sometimes comes before you've got onto the roundabout when you want to take, say, the second or third exit. Utterly terrible. Needs fixing; could be dangerous, even, as you start looking at the screen rather than trusting the voice prompts. This didn't happen in RNS-E or, I have been told, MMI 2G.
MMI 3G hardware - poor usage of the 'joystick', could do so much more than what it does; poorly thought out or version 1 limitations.
Navigation - still no full postcode search.
Navigation - voice prompts for "next..." should have all categories and things like "next post box" and "next post office" - I think these are things we often need; I feel this is limited right now.
Navigation - should have an option to show the street name that you are on in the DIS even if you are not actually navigating; RNS-E did and it was very useful.
Audi Parking System - would prefer more colours - green and red rather than just red, I think - also, the car diagram should face the way the car is, not be sideways.
TPMS - I would prefer some positive confirmation that everything is a-OK; I think, as it is right now, it is a UNIX-like system, i.e. no news is good news. I paid for it, I want it to constantly shout to me that all is OK. Like a Ford Mondeo does with its TPMS.
Seriously unimpressed on the AMI / MMI 3G front... and I had waited for it especially. Other than that, it's all pretty good. Although, I think the heated seats are not as warm as the previous B6 I had, even on the highest setting.

[Pauls898]

Oh dear, not sounding too impresive there......

I got around this issue with the (Letter Issue) with large amounts of Artists on a medis device.

I use an old redundant Laptop 2.5inch HDD and put this into a Silverstyle caddy, using a USB lead rather than the iPod one. I formatted this HDD drive as FAT32 then placed Folders, AAA,BBB,CCC - ZZZ, then copied Artists into each folder by name, and then added all albums by that Artist into that folder, then I added further folders at root level for Compilations, Dance, Pop, 60's, 70.s and 80's Music. Now I can access any track/album within 5 clicks of the wheel and not having to spinnning the dial for ages to say to get to an Artist begining with say V. This seems to work fine with my AMI G2 system and I have over 15,000 tracks stored on a 160GB HDD and it all appears to work ;) fine.
I did however have a strange effect with my B&O system lossing the Gala system effect, I had to get this reset by the dealer? They said it was caused by the Audi Driver Select switch :confused: effecting the B&O operation, so hopefully not related to the amount of tracks I have on my media HDD????

[MFGF]

This seems to work fine with my AMI G2 system and I have over 15,000 tracks stored on a 160GB HDD and it all appears to work ;) fine.

Ah now - don't go telling Hippo that - you'll only make him upset! :)

[Hippogriff]

Seriously, it's still cack - and a terrible decision as a design point, but I'm over it. My Samsung S1 disk is working beautifully and I keep getting new music so I put the stayers on the disk and hook it into the AMI and all the new stuff goes on the SD cards, 1 x 2GB and 1 x 8GB. It's a system that works.

P.S. - pretty sure I have a footrest.

[Wilkinson]

Agree that the bolster catching your leg on the right hand side on long journeys is a disappointment. I understand this is caused by the pedal offset. Someone has posted elsewhere that the body shell was made for the left hand drive market with more space for the pedals on the left - which results in less space on the right - hence the pedal offset to fit them in.

[Bristle Hound]

Lack of locking glovebox on standard cars. Why the bloody hell should I have to pay for it in a pack? :aargh4:

Both my B6 & B7 A4's had locking gloveboxs!

[Pauls898]

Obviously ALL the car manufactures are at it!!!! I had exactly the same with Vauxhall, on their so called "Later" models they were deleting things like locks, interior lights, cigar lighter sockets etc and hoped nobody would notice lol A classic one was on the Vauxhall Cavalier when they introduced the Air Bags for the first time, they removed the tiltable steering collum, and said it was a safety concern, then on the induction of the new Vectra sometime later it re-appearred as "NEW" option how strange?? If you wanted a cigar lighter socket to power things you then had to purchase the "Smokers Pack" lol

[Hippogriff]

I know I've banged on about this in a different thread - but on a long journey last Friday (Sheffield to Stirling to Sheffield in one day, ~11 hours) on roads that I didn't know, I had the navigation on all the time... this MMI 3G 'feature' I'm going to describe again is really starting to bug me and I think I could start to class it as a safety hazard.

It is all about the voice prompts on roundabouts. The "now turn left" voice prompt is spoken before you've even got onto the roundabout, whether you're taking the first exit or not! This is an example...

http://www.hmusiccentre.org.uk/forumimages/NowTurnLeft.jpg

Absolutely nuts as it means you have to cast your eyes to the screen, and away from the road, because you no longer trust the voice prompts.

This is bugging me 'cos I think the driver should be able to trust the voice prompts. If you did, then you'd be heading in the wrong direction and it only needs this to happen once or twice before your faith in it is removed.

As someone who wanted to wait for the latest and greatest integrated sat. nav. system, I actually think I've ended up with a pup.

[Pauls898]

The problem I notice with my 2G version is simular, as your approching a round-a-bout the map as displayed isn't orintated the way your facing so all the juctions are facing 90 degress out to where you are, so if the look at the map your highly likely to take the wrong exit before you get the voice prompt "Now turn Left" comes :mad: I think this sat nav is pants!!! I had a much better Kenwood system which worked!! and also you could enter proper post codes and not have half hearted ones which then mean you can't go to the map to correct so you have to do is to enter the whole location from the map and forget the post codes altogether :mad: Come on Audi get your act together here!!!!

[troc]

Whilst I agree the nav is not exactly perfect, it's my first ever navigation system :) I am used to using these weird paper things called maps!

Sure, I've been printing off directions from google maps and sites like that for years, but I always make sure I have a physical map of where I am going and (this is the clever bit) look at it before I go.

The number of people I know who get lost and then blame their nav is ridiculous - data can be wrong, roads get moved, housing estates appear etc.

Saying that, the voice prompts do suck :)

:aargh4:

[Hippogriff]

Saying that, the voice prompts do suck :)

:aargh4:

And that is my issue. I do wonder if I am overreacting referring to this as a safety issue because, maybe, I have just been 'spoiled' in the past with navigation systems (Audi and non-Audi) that don't seem to try and intentionally send you in the wrong direction off roundabouts.

I am trying to figure out what reason or excuse there could be for it being this way, but I am struggling to find one... in its most basic sense, it is a load of old cack.

[MFGF]

in its most basic sense, it is a load of old cack.

Hi Hippo,

Hmmm.... I wouldn't personally go as far as describing it in those terms. Quirky, maybe. ;) I believe there's another MMI 3G software update imminent, so maybe some of the snags will be ironed out. 3G Nav High is pretty new software to Audi, so it's probably par for the course to get a few teething problems in the early months. Keep smiling! :)

MF.

[Hippogriff]

Seriously, it is... RNS-E was vastly superior. I feel I can say this as I've spent significant time, now, with both of them.

In plan view (which I use) it looks just the same - 3D buildings is a gimmick.

Voice prompts were much clearer and didn't sound like a demented robot.

Voice prompts managed to tell me clearly and correctly when to leave a roundabout. Good job I didn't have to look at the screen with RNS-E, being where it was... that means a second or two with your eyes off the road.

RNS-E allowed street names to be displayed in the DIS while not navigating.

However, I hope you are correct with the software update that is imminent (and I wonder what that means - imminent - do you know?) because this is version 1 software in my mind. I don't expect to be shunted version 1 software on a car like this - I expect A8 drivers to have to suffer first then to have it trickle down to A4s.

Everyone - not just Audi - in every walk of life seems to want to "get stuff out the door" ASAP nowadays... where did the idea of appropriate testing and quality control go?

[rd1]

Hippo,
alright for you but my 2G is out of date already:mad:
I have not tried the 3G although looking at your example it looks to me if the 2g might have the edge with the graphics. I 've not had any probs with mine giving the instruction at the right time and wonder if it could have anything to do with the settings, (100yds or the orientation being used etc etc)
Previous cars with built in sat nav all seemed to have different strengths and weakness but overall the Audi one I think is pretty good.

Also very polite not like the mad french woman who shouts at you if you ignore her final 'now do a u turn'.
Hope you get it sorted.
Roger

[Hippogriff]

The zoom level and orientation are merely presentation settings and can have no bearing on how the car is handling the GPS data is it receiving and using to decide a) where it is, b) where it is going and c) when it should issue voice prompts.

Thus it would act the same if I was at 100 yards or 2 miles zoom settings.

This is a bug.

[steve1234]

My Headlights are crap:mad: My car has almost every other extra feature in its build, but it has standard Headlights and there are really Sh**t..... The beam pattern out in front of the car is all patchly, the main beams are weak and were shining up in the trees lol. I have since replaced all the H7 bulbs with Halfords Extreme Brillance ones and they are slightly better, but not brillent. I had better lights on my Vauxhall Vectra, at least that had these glass lenses inside, not just some cheap baco-foil reflecters, its a shame you just can;t retro fit the HID ones easily, but apprentely you have to add Headlamp washers as well or it will fail the MOT?

Just a quick note on this - you can retro fit Xenons without headlamp wash. The washers are only for new car conformity, once it's registered it will pass MOTs etc. with or without them....... Bit of a myth that one really, but definitely the case.

[MFGF]

I hope you are correct with the software update that is imminent (and I wonder what that means - imminent - do you know?) because this is version 1 software in my mind.

Latest on this, Hippo, is that the update is now available. My dealer gave me a call today to say the disks have come into stock, so my car's booked in next Wednesday for a software update.

Cheers!

MF.

[Hippogriff]

Oooh, ta.

Why did I actually think that these future software updates would be hosted on the Interweb and be downloadable and self-installable via the USB cable or the SD slots?

All this talk of "disks" sounds very retro to me.

Is this a generic MMI update for any car, or something that is specific to, say, just MMI 3G cars or just MY2010 A4s or what?

Should I be asking my dealer..? Is there anything I can reference... you know, versions or suchlike, 'cos you know what they're like... "MMI 3what?"

[Hippogriff]

I know I've banged on about this in a different thread - but on a long journey last Friday (Sheffield to Stirling to Sheffield in one day, ~11 hours) on roads that I didn't know, I had the navigation on all the time... this MMI 3G 'feature' I'm going to describe again is really starting to bug me and I think I could start to class it as a safety hazard.

It is all about the voice prompts on roundabouts. The "now turn left" voice prompt is spoken before you've even got onto the roundabout, whether you're taking the first exit or not! This is an example...

http://www.hmusiccentre.org.uk/forumimages/NowTurnLeft.jpg

Absolutely nuts as it means you have to cast your eyes to the screen, and away from the road, because you no longer trust the voice prompts.

This is bugging me 'cos I think the driver should be able to trust the voice prompts. If you did, then you'd be heading in the wrong direction and it only needs this to happen once or twice before your faith in it is removed.

As someone who wanted to wait for the latest and greatest integrated sat. nav. system, I actually think I've ended up with a pup.

BTW - I actually wrote to Audi Customer Services a few days ago about this. They've phoned me back today and I now have a case number and all that. I wonder if they'll do anything about it - or whether they can tell me about any software updates (available now or soon) that will remedy it. Fingers are crossed, but I won't get my hopes up...

[MFGF]

Is this a generic MMI update for any car, or something that is specific to, say, just MMI 3G cars or just MY2010 A4s or what?

Should I be asking my dealer..? Is there anything I can reference... you know, versions or suchlike, 'cos you know what they're like... "MMI 3what?"

It's a software update for MMI 3G (according to the service manager at Stoke Audi). I don't know what the version numbers are yet - I will post them once the update is installed and I can get in to see. Mine's being done in the quest to cure my radio/TMC/TP issues, but if you call your dealer and mention the quirks with your 3G Nav High I reckon they will update your car to see if any of the issues are fixed.

Cheers!

MF.

[MFGF]

BTW - I actually wrote to Audi Customer Services a few days ago about this. They've phoned me back today and I now have a case number and all that. I wonder if they'll do anything about it - or whether they can tell me about any software updates (available now or soon) that will remedy it. Fingers are crossed, but I won't get my hopes up...

Your case should be allocated to a case manager, who will look into the issue and contact you in due course. Hopefully this will highlight the available software update as a potential solution.

MF.

[Hippogriff]

I am never surprised, but I thought that I'd check with the dealer I got the car from as to the availability of a software upgrade, and got told: "I have checked with our workshop and shown them the picture of your sat nav. There are no software updates for your car as yet, however they have recommended having your sat nav re-loaded. It has been suggested that you take your car to your local dealer to ask them to do this."

How likely is that going to be, huh? Oh well... I have a driver's window that whistles at 64mph anyway, so a trip to the local dealer was on the cards anyway.

[MFGF]

Hi Hippo,

What software version do you currently have installed? Is it the following?

From the Version Information screen:

Software version:
HNav_EU_P0022_D1
Nav. database version:
8R006884E_ECE5.8.5

From the hidden Engineering screen (press Radio then press and hold Setup and Return for 5 secs):

Train Version: P0022
MU Software: 0047

If so, it's the A4 equivalent to mine, and there should be an update now available.

MF.

[GolferPete]

I must admit to being a bit disappointed with the provided map release.

Driving up the M1 last week, the exit details around Buncefield (M1 J8?) were out of date and coming back down the A1(M) varioud roundabouts have been done away with. Just how old is the database provided to my 59 reg car?

Has anyone had any success with demanding the latest nav database FOC from Audi, as these changes are at least 6 months old, imho?

[MFGF]

As far as I'm aware there are no map updates to 3G Nav High as yet. Unlike some of the older systems, they are separate from software updates. It's ironic that my local Audi dealer moved to a shiny new site two years ago, but the POI for them still shows the old location. :)

MF.

[prolfe]

It may look great, offer not just SatNav but these built in units tend to always be pony.

Get yourselves across to totalpda.co.uk and pick up a TomTom refurbished SatNav for decent money and be happy at using the best there is. Christ even the TomTom One is as Tony would say Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreaaaaat


:approve:


http://www.totalpda.co.uk/refurbished-tomtom

[uncleTom]

Unfortunately, I suspect prolfe is right. The maps in the 3G MMI sat-nav seem to be horrendously out of date (multiple YEARS that is, not months).

[Hippogriff]

I concur that integrated proprietary systems are not the future - but integrated systems are still better, aesthetically, and I (may moan about it, but) still I prefer that over my experiences with a removable TomTom.

When Google Maps is more prevalent, companies should start taking that and allowing it to go into screens that are nicely integrated into car dashes with no need to have screen suckers and wires.

The biggest 'selling point' of the MMI 3G systems seemed to be Audi's crowing about graphics cards and 3D representative POIs and the hard disk and USB interface that should allow user updates, at some point, instead of a visit to the dealer or the shipping out of navigation disks.

However...

The graphics card powering the system ain't that good - it's certainly not super-smooth or super-slick.

The 3D POIs is a pure gimmick - it is value-add-less, just an initial "oooh" factor that [very] quickly disappears.

The promise of user updates seems to not be fulfilled - for my issues I'm advised to go to the dealer... for map updates I suppose it might well be the same.

Embracing of some kind of open system would be the smartest thing an automotive company could do - but I guess people have emotional hang-ups about their proprietary stuff.

I dream of the day I have a responsive, simple interface (like MMI), open system so I can input my own POIs, that is backed-up by the latest maps which have map updates automatically fed to the car after some vetting... after all, it is a communications hub - but even a downloadable self-installable USB update would be fine - a major leap.

So far away...

After all its promise, MMI 3G is so very wrong in many respects, I wonder if Audi secretly think this too, or whether they're going to spend significant funds (and time) making it better. Feels like digging a hole to me...

[Dtom]

The worst thing for me is

1. The road noise
2. The lack of a light in the glove box
3. The lack of any radio text on the RDS radio
4. Only manual time adjustment on the radio
5. I wish I had waited for the 3.0TDi instead of going for the 2.7TDi.

David

[troc]

4. Only manual time adjustment on the radio



On my car, I set it up for automatic over-the-air time adjustment. Can't remember where the setting was offhand, I guess this could be a 3G MMI thing?

[Dtom]

On my car, I set it up for automatic over-the-air time adjustment. Can't remember where the setting was offhand, I guess this could be a 3G MMI thing?

I have 2G MMI and there is no option for auto adjustment.

David

[prolfe]

I concur that integrated proprietary systems are not the future - but integrated systems are still better, aesthetically, and I (may moan about it, but) still I prefer that over my experiences with a removable TomTom.

When Google Maps is more prevalent, companies should start taking that and allowing it to go into screens that are nicely integrated into car dashes with no need to have screen suckers and wires.

The biggest 'selling point' of the MMI 3G systems seemed to be Audi's crowing about graphics cards and 3D representative POIs and the hard disk and USB interface that should allow user updates, at some point, instead of a visit to the dealer or the shipping out of navigation disks.

However...

The graphics card powering the system ain't that good - it's certainly not super-smooth or super-slick.

The 3D POIs is a pure gimmick - it is value-add-less, just an initial "oooh" factor that [very] quickly disappears.

The promise of user updates seems to not be fulfilled - for my issues I'm advised to go to the dealer... for map updates I suppose it might well be the same.

Embracing of some kind of open system would be the smartest thing an automotive company could do - but I guess people have emotional hang-ups about their proprietary stuff.

I dream of the day I have a responsive, simple interface (like MMI), open system so I can input my own POIs, that is backed-up by the latest maps which have map updates automatically fed to the car after some vetting... after all, it is a communications hub - but even a downloadable self-installable USB update would be fine - a major leap.

So far away...

After all its promise, MMI 3G is so very wrong in many respects, I wonder if Audi secretly think this too, or whether they're going to spend significant funds (and time) making it better. Feels like digging a hole to me...

For sure they are better to look at, have bigger screens are capable of far far more.

With Bluetooth and wireless cards fitting inside mobile phones, this should be something that car stereos have as standard.

Over The Air updates can then happen or updates via your mobiles 3G connection.

Take an Archos Media Player or convert a iPod Touch to a massive screen. combine it with TomTom routing which is amazing in HD Traffic and HD Safety Camera guise and you will surely have a MMI that is second to none.

Why dont they develop it?

Not sure really. maybe cos the time and money in research and development in this kind of unit is better spent elsewhere in the cabin or on the handling.

The technology is there already in many different devices, look at how far iPods have come along or even Netbooks.

[Pauls898]

Even my old 2003 Vectra had automatic time adjustment, but no, on this new Audi its nowhere to be seen :zx11: But in my MMI paper manual it mensions it, but the option in the menu isn't there??? :confused: You would think with the expense of the B&O system it would have included this as well as RDS text :confused:

[STAGMAN]

I had a loan B8 whilst my B7 was in for service. Gripes were stupid speedometer calibration. 70mph was in a similar postion to 50 in my B7. Why is a 180mph speedometer necessary?? No good as a getaway car, you spend ages fiddling with the key fob trying to get the engine started. Why do you need the fan speed displayed as a graphic and a number on the DIS? I like my B7 and think the quality of dash materials is much better.

[ScottyUK]

Speedo calibration
Fuel Consumption
Cost
It replaced a 390bhp S4

[jakerade]

why on earth did they think it was sensible to write 20 between 20 and 30mph?

Stupid niggles that the dealership say are known faults and Audi wont do anything about (eg wind noise from wing mirrors, dirt in the engine bay from wheel arch liners, stained s-line headlights)

[Sportwag]

I am repeatedly getting condensation around the LEDs in the front headlights - the weather is cold but not freezing yet. At night with the headlights on I can see the finger prints of whomever assembled the headlights. Looks a bit Naff on a £31.5k car!

[didkobandita]

I think
wind noise from wing mirrors
dirt in the engine bay from wheel arch liners and
no light in the glove box
for a car cost me 41000 EURO:aargh4:
But I love it

[iknight21]

Must admit very pleased over all with my new car, but must agree thus far with;

1. No light in the glovebox - Anyone fitted one yet?
2. You can't see the fog light switches for the steering wheel - maybe that why they are on for 6mths after you use them!

only had it a week so maybe time will tell......but can't imagine any thing more serious than a niggle though - lovin it :)

[Bratty]

OK, I have a LHd A4 I have no prob with the visibility of the Fog-lights, so have AUDI used the same switch on RHD cars, I think so? also your foot rest is missing, Pedal offset subject to contoversy but I can catagorcally say the European version is comfortable! You are being short changed!!

Dunk

[juniperz]

OK, I have a LHd A4 I have no prob with the visibility of the Fog-lights, so have AUDI used the same switch on RHD cars, I think so? Dunk
Ah, so you can see the fog lights, but the dash lights dimmer (that you seldom use) is hidden by the steering wheel. Much better...
file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg

[troc]

Ah, so you can see the fog lights, but the dash lights dimmer (that you seldom use) is hidden by the steering wheel. Much better...
file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg

Yep, it seems that quite a lot of the basic ergonomics was lost in the RHD conversion.

Shame :(

[Pauls898]

Re:- Fog Light Switches

It was a simular situation on my Vauxhall Vectra C model, but at least you had warning lights displayed in the head up display area, the first time I turned on my Fog lights on my Audi I expected to see a warning light, Orange and Green illuminate in the central warning light area above the DIS? :zx11: But no, just more reds lights which you can't see from the driving position lol.

I really think Audi have over done the Red illumination for everything :zx11: What do others think?

[Hippogriff]

I really think Audi have over done the Red illumination for everything :zx11: What do others think?

It is very red. At first I liked holding my hands out in front of me, to the left, where the interior light package red LEDs glowed all over me. It shines onto my left knee and thigh too.

Sometimes I think I'm in Amsterdam, or Antwerp... oh, the red memories.

[ScottyUK]

1. No light in the glovebox - Anyone fitted one yet?

yes : http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/showthread.php?t=81670

[MFGF]

Is this a generic MMI update for any car, or something that is specific to, say, just MMI 3G cars or just MY2010 A4s or what?

Should I be asking my dealer..? Is there anything I can reference... you know, versions or suchlike, 'cos you know what they're like... "MMI 3what?"

Hi Hippo,

My A6 had the 3G Revision J software update applied today. The displayed Software Version number has changed from HNav_EU_K0022_1_D1 to HNav_EU_K0022_2_D1. You should be able to ask your dealer for the latest release update for MMI 3G index J, which updates software version K0022 (according to that top bloke A8_Tech).

Regards,

MF.

[Hippogriff]

Thank you for this, I will check and see what I am told.

But, most importantly, has anything changed dramatically with your update? Or, unlikely, were you informed about what the update is supposed to fix / add / change?

I doubt they come with proper release notes, for the public anyway.

[Pauls898]

Are there any updates for the G2 MMI version? My car was reg in 04/09 so there should be some since then?

[MFGF]

Thank you for this, I will check and see what I am told.

But, most importantly, has anything changed dramatically with your update? Or, unlikely, were you informed about what the update is supposed to fix / add / change?

I doubt they come with proper release notes, for the public anyway.

It's a bit early to tell whether there are any changes yet. I haven't used the nav since the update, but so far the TMC and radio have been behaving themselves. I did have an "oh no!" moment last night when I switched to the jukebox and the entire content was listed as "Unknown Album". I tried viewing by Artist and everything was "Unknown Artist" too. After a couple of minutes all the album and artist names reappeared and it's been fine since, so I guess it had to build a new index of the ID3 tags after the update.

I haven't seen any release notes detailing what's fixed by the update, so it will just be a case of looking for the differences over the next few days...

MF.

[MFGF]

Hi,

I noticed on Tuesday that the "Now Turn Left" instruction is still present just before entering a roundabout, so this has not been fixed by the update.

MF.

[Hippogriff]

Ta for letting us know; I am most disappointed. However, I might as well not go and get it 'reloaded' now... they'd probably just break it anyway.

Audi's response... after raising a case via Customer Services, was "Technical also looked at your concerns with the navigation system in your vehicle and they advised that these systems are designed to be used as an aid to driving. In view of this, they do not see this as being a safety issue."

Basically, washed their hands of it - not impressed. If I responded to my customer like that - trying to pass off a rather obvious bug as something that is either working as designed or isn't remotely important - I would be crucified.

Has all left a sour taste in my mouth - I think MMI 3G (and AMI) has gone backwards over what I've had with Audi before, that is no exaggeration.

I'd not recommend a car without integrated sat. nav., but I couldn't recommend this to anyone. So, really, I couldn't recommend this car to anyone.

P.S. - for any new reader, this position is not just due to this - the system has many, many flaws and is poorly implemented - it is a culmination of things relating to the MMI / AMI which I believe is a massively important part of the overall car experience.

[ScottyUK]

I'll be raising similar with my dealer. I've had a lot of instances of being told to take the wrong exit on roundabouts. That causes confusion and therefore is a risk :(

The 2G was fine.

[Hillbeley]

Door noise (both front doors)
No foot rest(s)
Key slot on left side of wheel
Fog switches/ lights hidden by (LHD) switch assy
Surging
Lack of basic features in an 'SE'
Fuel consumption
Lots of ESP interference
Power comes in a rush (turbo lag?) then it's on with the brakes
Steering vagueness (coming out of roundabouts quickly especially)
Difficult to plot a confident course at speed around tight curves.
Headlight brightness/ throw (non Xenon)
Tatty exhausts (until I paid £56 for accessory covers which are now the best bit of the car)
No lumbar support
No glovebox lock or light
Spacesaver spare
No seat back pockets
Fuel consumption 31mpg after 12500 miles (was 43 quoted by Audi?)
Key gets trapped
Dirt on the cills
And finally, the hazard light switch location

However, I have driven a lot worse cars, I just wouldn't buy another SE FWD.

[Hippogriff]

But, to be fair, some of those "disappointing aspects" are well defined parts of other options, i.e. glove box light with Interior Light Pack and seat back pockets (netting?) come with the Storage Pack.

My point being that they're not really disappointing... in that, if anyone really wanted them, then they could order them. The other things, like the key getting stuck is certainly a disappointing aspect.

Though, thankfully, one I shouldn't have to worry about.

Door noise (whistle) is a pretty big one for me. I keep saying that I will take it in, and I will when I find the time. Most of my gripes are technology related; well documented I think.

[richard100]

I positively hate the servotronic steering. I just can't get used to the fact that there is absolutely no feel at slow speeds. Thank goodness, my other car's a Z4!:D

[Sportwag]

I positively hate the servotronic steering. I just can't get used to the fact that there is absolutely no feel at slow speeds. Thank goodness, my other car's a Z4!:D


I don't like the way the steering suddenly "firms up" whilst going around bends!

[B6Andy101]

1. Creaking door seals are doing my nut
2. When you open your door with snow on your roof it falls neatly into the drivers seat
3. The 'carpets' are OEM from 'the poundshop'


Not really dissappointing but have you tried to find your locking wheel nut yet.......(noted it does have a positive side)

[jakerade]

1. Creaking door seals are doing my nut


Not really dissappointing but have you tried to find your locking wheel nut yet.......(noted it does have a positive side)

Spray some silicon spray /wd40 on the seal between the front and rear door and it will magically go away. Audi looked at mine twice and havent sorted it so its easier to do it yourself.

Locking wheel nut under the boot floor - you have to remove the spare wheel floor cover to open the compartment (well in an avant anyway)

[redrolo]

Locking wheel nut is in the same on the saloon.Lift the boot carpet up, and it clips into a hooked holder above, and the nut is in with the spare wheel arrangement.

[nicebiscuit]

And that is my issue. I do wonder if I am overreacting referring to this as a safety issue because, maybe, I have just been 'spoiled' in the past with navigation systems (Audi and non-Audi) that don't seem to try and intentionally send you in the wrong direction off roundabouts.


I'm pretty bemused by these integrated sat navs. Have test driven both A4 and 3 series BMW with integrated nav and find my £150 TomTom far superior to either. How do they justify the prices for an inferior system?

[Gary_W]

I'm pretty bemused by these integrated sat navs. Have test driven both A4 and 3 series BMW with integrated nav and find my £150 TomTom far superior to either. How do they justify the prices for an inferior system?

I don't have my new car yet, but I opted to leave the satnav off for this reason. I have the HD traffic subscription on the Tomtom and (whilst not perfect) it does a really good job of getting me there and back. Granted, it is nowhere near as nice to look at as the built in effort would be but the price is right...

[Pauls898]

Yes I am very dissapointed with the SATNAV in my car. You can't enter the FULL post code, only the first 5 characters :zx11: then it asks for an intersection, which you might not want between two other roads?

The responce for example is some yards behind so you end up missing the turning you wanted, or you take the wrong exit from a round-a-bout :zx11:

I had in my previous car a Kenwood DVD based system which was at least 3 to 4 years old and it was supperiour to that of the Audi one, I only wish I could have fitted it, but as the screens are now used for other things, even checking your oil lol you can't simple rip it out and replace it with your oun system errrrr.

Just hoping that maybe one day Audi might? update thier software to a/ accept UK postal codes, and b/ speed up on the responce of the graphic to more real time and not from several seconds before lol

[sassenach]

For me, the main gripes are:


Nowhere to put your right foot when using the cruise control, except between the clutch and the brake
My left foot catches on the footrest when pressing the clutch
Can't switch between phones on the Bluetooth (even cheap aftermarket handsfree kits have this feature - with the Audi, I have to manually disconnect the phone I don't want to use)
The twiddly knob and all these menus are too distracting when driving (I much preferred the "one function, one button" of the B7)
You have to work your way through the menus to turn off the centre display, and it lights back up again as soon as you touch any of the knobs or switches (the "Audi Infotainment" screen is very distracting at night, and it would be great to have a button that blacks that screen, like Saab have)
No phone cradle available for my Blackberry 8900
The drive select damper control adjustment is subtle, to say the least. I wouldn't have forked out another £1,500 for it if I'd known
Having said all that, I am generally pleased with the car - I just hope Audi read this thread and take lots of notes...

[Hippogriff]

I just hope Audi read this thread and take lots of notes...


They probably won't. I don't think that they enjoy taking customer feedback, not really.

[leehal]

Abysmal winter handling.

[robtt09]

Well if you think an Audi is bad in these condions try a C Class Merc or a 3 series BMW ! I know from experience on both makes and they are worse than any front drive Audi. If you want to keep going in these conditions get some snow socks or a a pair of Vredstein all weather tyres fitted to the front wheels

[leehal]

Had to buy some winter tyres to get around the estate where I live, has 2 Saab 93's with same profile wheels and no bother with those in the past on standard wheels.

[cmp13]

Only heard about snow socks yesterday, I had a look on the web and they are around the £60 mark depending on make. They look like a very good idea but are they legal, ie if you had them on the car and had a bump what would the police say? Only a question as I may buy some. :beerchug:

[robtt09]

I used them on three occasions in the snow last year.All I cn say is that they were brilliant.I was stuck solid and after fitment got going with no problem.Got me home in the car not on foot as it would have been without them.They look a hoot when fitted as well ! Get them you will not be disappointed.I have quattro now so will have to find out if I fit them front or rear soon

[troc]

According to the manual, Audi say you should only put chains etc on the front wheels whether FWD or Quattro.

[jakerade]

Only heard about snow socks yesterday, I had a look on the web and they are around the £60 mark depending on make. They look like a very good idea but are they legal, ie if you had them on the car and had a bump what would the police say? Only a question as I may buy some. :beerchug:
I cant imagine it would be any different to if you bumped into someone with snow chains on. Snow socks are TUV approved i believe.

[prolfe]

I used them on three occasions in the snow last year.All I cn say is that they were brilliant.I was stuck solid and after fitment got going with no problem.Got me home in the car not on foot as it would have been without them.They look a hoot when fitted as well ! Get them you will not be disappointed.I have quattro now so will have to find out if I fit them front or rear soon

according to the website, it says the driven wheels, so i guess all four.

[robtt09]

So far have managed without them although we have just had an inch of snow on iced up back roads which made journey to work interesting.Amused me the local authority had a tractor out with snowplough on front (to shift the inch of snow presumably) but on grit.Doh!
Best bit was a young lad jogging on the road with back to traffic ! Lunatic or what

[B19RAK]

My washer jets keep freezing, anything i can do?

[cmp13]

Thanks for the replies, think I will make an investment :beerchug:

[ScottyUK]

My washer jets keep freezing, anything i can do?

What strength solution have you got in? I use Audi's own mix and normally dilute it 3:1 but currently I'm running at 2:1 (mixed with what ever was in before) which should be good down to -16 or -30 IIRC. Of course wind chill could cause it to go lower so maybe just strengthen it up by dropping some in without diluting it.

Aren't the jets heated on the B8's? :confused:

[troc]

I think they are heated if your rear screen is on.

I've not had a problem with them freezing up yet.

[markp306]

according to the website, it says the driven wheels, so i guess all four.

I reckon front axle only would suffice...but they do recommend an additional set for RWD cars to help with directional stability. :biglaugh:

I'm going to have to consider this product. It's a bit late for the current conditions, but we this is relatively early, so we could get more snow in the coming weeks/months...perhaps?

[jakerade]

A few more following a 1400 mile tour of the north last week


Thinner glass (compared to B7) that seems to scratch easily and lets more road noise through

Useless door seals and micky mouse wing mirrors

Suspect build/assembly quality of arm rests, dash etc leading to rattles, squeaks and creaks

A sunglasses compartment that can only be used by John Lennon

No centre sun blind (unlike B7)

No underfloor boot compartment

Much smaller boot in the Avant even though its bigger (if that makes sense). I am sure if you filled the boot up with water it would probably be bigger but the roof line and ridiculous parcel cover / load net arrangement makes it smaller in for everyday use.