RS3 issues? (ESC)
Discussion
Hi - not posted for a long time, but wondered if anyone else has seen similar issues? I have a March 2016 RS3, with 6500 miles on the clock. It had a previous owner, i bought the vehicle on 2000 miles with full history and maintenance and have owned the car since December 2017 with no issues and have maintained it properly. In Feb/March 2019, under light acceleration (out of the driveway onto the road), the ESP light started coming on for 1-2 seconds which kills all power and puts the car into limp mode until the light goes off.
I called Audi dealer (Hatfield), but was told it was the way i was driving the (powerful) car, and its doing what it should do. At the same time i had moved from the pirellis to Michelin pilots (as the pirellis were starting to crack)
2 weeks later the problem persisted and i insisted to check the car in. This was mid-March and the warranty expired on March 1 so i was told i would have to pay for diagnostics. I said ok.
It is now mid-May and i haven't seen the car since (8 weeks). The dealer has been great but has had no support from Audi. The dealer ran diagnostics and identified the issue, but doesn't know how to fix it. Audi can't tell them either. So far, the dealer has cleaned/replaced the wheel speed sensors, removed the wheel bearings and replaced with new, and changed the ABS control unit. The light now doesn't come on under acceleration or cornering, but comes on each time under cold start.
There is a real danger that nobody can fix the car and it will be handed back to me, being 1 week out of warranty with 6k on the clock and 3 years old. The dealer is pretty much out of ideas, and Audi won't help them
Has anyone else see or experienced this issue?
I called Audi dealer (Hatfield), but was told it was the way i was driving the (powerful) car, and its doing what it should do. At the same time i had moved from the pirellis to Michelin pilots (as the pirellis were starting to crack)
2 weeks later the problem persisted and i insisted to check the car in. This was mid-March and the warranty expired on March 1 so i was told i would have to pay for diagnostics. I said ok.
It is now mid-May and i haven't seen the car since (8 weeks). The dealer has been great but has had no support from Audi. The dealer ran diagnostics and identified the issue, but doesn't know how to fix it. Audi can't tell them either. So far, the dealer has cleaned/replaced the wheel speed sensors, removed the wheel bearings and replaced with new, and changed the ABS control unit. The light now doesn't come on under acceleration or cornering, but comes on each time under cold start.
There is a real danger that nobody can fix the car and it will be handed back to me, being 1 week out of warranty with 6k on the clock and 3 years old. The dealer is pretty much out of ideas, and Audi won't help them
Has anyone else see or experienced this issue?
Just had another check, that’s thread is on the front page of the RS3OC 8v forum page.
It looks like one of the issues is the Michelin 255’s on the front. Apparently the Michelin 235’s are the same size as the Pirelli 255’s so the Michelin 255’s are too big. One guy said he ran the fronts at 42psi and it solved it. Seems quite a high pressure though. Have a read through it, I’m sure you’ll find an answer. We run 235 Pirelli’s all round and they are fine.
It looks like one of the issues is the Michelin 255’s on the front. Apparently the Michelin 235’s are the same size as the Pirelli 255’s so the Michelin 255’s are too big. One guy said he ran the fronts at 42psi and it solved it. Seems quite a high pressure though. Have a read through it, I’m sure you’ll find an answer. We run 235 Pirelli’s all round and they are fine.
Its 100% your tyres, i had the 255 fronts/235 rears on mine.
No issues with PZeros, swopped to PS4S all round and issues straight away (plus they were far noisier).
Went back to Pirellis (i had kept them to sell on on ebay as they had 5mm on them), problem went away.
With regards to Audi diagnostics, i took mine in in June 2017, told them a valve stem seal had failed (blue smoke on cold start). It took them 2 months to diagnose what i had already told them, then another month to replace them/break some other parts that were on back order. I thoroughly enjoyed driving around in a 1.0 A1 courtesy car for 10 weeks though naturally
I then sold it purely because it was under warranty and i couldnt bear having to take it back to the useless muppets for anything ever again.
No issues with PZeros, swopped to PS4S all round and issues straight away (plus they were far noisier).
Went back to Pirellis (i had kept them to sell on on ebay as they had 5mm on them), problem went away.
With regards to Audi diagnostics, i took mine in in June 2017, told them a valve stem seal had failed (blue smoke on cold start). It took them 2 months to diagnose what i had already told them, then another month to replace them/break some other parts that were on back order. I thoroughly enjoyed driving around in a 1.0 A1 courtesy car for 10 weeks though naturally
I then sold it purely because it was under warranty and i couldnt bear having to take it back to the useless muppets for anything ever again.
It sounds like the tyres doesn't it. I haven't been given a courtesy car as it is a week out of warranty. I will put pirellis back on and see it if solves the issue and eBay the michelins
If it fixes the problem i have made a big mistake as i just bought a new M4 to replace it, on the basis i am so fed up with audi's lack of response or knowledge of their own product
If it fixes the problem i have made a big mistake as i just bought a new M4 to replace it, on the basis i am so fed up with audi's lack of response or knowledge of their own product
thanks guys - the dealer is going to try putting on a set of OEM pirellis to see if it fixes the issue. However, the light is coming on at cold start, so they are sceptical it will help. They are out of ideas. Like i said - the dealer has been great.
Audi has now got involved, and asked for dash cam footage of when the light comes on as they thought i was driving it off road and not on tarmac (seriously) ???????!!!!!!
Audi has now got involved, and asked for dash cam footage of when the light comes on as they thought i was driving it off road and not on tarmac (seriously) ???????!!!!!!
bruiser777 said:
thanks guys - the dealer is going to try putting on a set of OEM pirellis to see if it fixes the issue. However, the light is coming on at cold start, so they are sceptical it will help. They are out of ideas. Like i said - the dealer has been great.
Audi has now got involved, and asked for dash cam footage of when the light comes on as they thought i was driving it off road and not on tarmac (seriously) ???????!!!!!!
This has come up on a number of forums. Audi has now got involved, and asked for dash cam footage of when the light comes on as they thought i was driving it off road and not on tarmac (seriously) ???????!!!!!!
The RS3 comes with special "R02" tyres. These are significantly different in size to what you would expect from the tyre labelling. If you are running a staggered set up without R02 tyres, then the rolling circumference of the tyres may be out of range to what the haldex expects.
Most reports are that with a square setup, the use of normal tyres seems to work, provided that they are a matched set.
The cold start light could be a different issue, or it could indicate that the system needs a reset so that it can recalibrate. Difficult to know without more details, like the actual fault codes.
Audi won’t change the tyres for testing unless I pay for them (£800), it has brand new pilots on it that have done less than 500 miles. So far Audi is making me pay for £thousands of replacement parts that have not fixed the Stability control light. On a car with 6k miles full history and maintenance and broke down exactly at the point of warranty expiring.
I don’t know what to do other than take Audi to court and sue them for unfit for purpose under sale of goods act. Or pay another £800 on another roll of the dice
I haven’t seen the vehicle now for 4 months
I don’t know what to do other than take Audi to court and sue them for unfit for purpose under sale of goods act. Or pay another £800 on another roll of the dice
I haven’t seen the vehicle now for 4 months
So just to get this right, (as a prospective RS3 buyer at some point) putting 235s all round (even if not RO2 spec) should NOT give you this kind of problem with PS4S tyres (or any other brand)??
If you do go staggered, they must be RO2 (sounds like a neat way to get more money out of you!)?
Best of luck with this Bruiser, keep us updated.
If you do go staggered, they must be RO2 (sounds like a neat way to get more money out of you!)?
Best of luck with this Bruiser, keep us updated.
Update. I am hoping a new set of pirellis arrive tomorrow and a system reset fixes it: This is a statement i found from Michelin relating to the tyre issues on staggered RS3 models. Quite unbelievable that Audi is unaware of this problem. They have now had my vehicle for 4 months and counting..
"The fitment is mainly Pirelli OE, which is a R01/R02 specific fitment, and also Acoustic (Pirelli equivalent PNCS- Noise cancelling system)
Also the Pirelli OE tyres are doing less than 10K miles on the cars, making consumers keen to try our tyres, with our clear advantage in mileage
The R01/R02 marking sadly means the tyres are NOT THE SAME SIZE as a standard tyre in this instance.
The car is 4wd/Quattro, meaning it is very sensitive to it’s fitment in this case
We have a few examples where Pilot Super Sport/Pilot Sport 4S have been fitted and caused mechanical issues with the car, no damage, but the vehicle doesn’t drive as it should
These issues have been rectified upon returning to the standard specification of tyre R01/R02
There is NO technical issue with our products. It’s simply that the standard market tyres don’t work on this specialist vehicle and we do not make the appropriate tyre
The technical team in Clermont are aware, and we have asked for the Michelin.co.uk fitment advice to reflect these
Therefore if you are asked by a dealer as to the suitability of our products for this car, at this point we cannot recommend a product from our range
It seems apparent that the advice in the Audi handbook/manual in the car, isn’t being read/followed. We will as always deal with any specific issues arising if the customers fit our product
Please retain this information for our use. If you wish to share it with specific Key accounts/dealers, please do so, but remember the context.
It’s not a Michelin issue. It’s a very specific fitment requirement on a very specific vehicle"
"The fitment is mainly Pirelli OE, which is a R01/R02 specific fitment, and also Acoustic (Pirelli equivalent PNCS- Noise cancelling system)
Also the Pirelli OE tyres are doing less than 10K miles on the cars, making consumers keen to try our tyres, with our clear advantage in mileage
The R01/R02 marking sadly means the tyres are NOT THE SAME SIZE as a standard tyre in this instance.
The car is 4wd/Quattro, meaning it is very sensitive to it’s fitment in this case
We have a few examples where Pilot Super Sport/Pilot Sport 4S have been fitted and caused mechanical issues with the car, no damage, but the vehicle doesn’t drive as it should
These issues have been rectified upon returning to the standard specification of tyre R01/R02
There is NO technical issue with our products. It’s simply that the standard market tyres don’t work on this specialist vehicle and we do not make the appropriate tyre
The technical team in Clermont are aware, and we have asked for the Michelin.co.uk fitment advice to reflect these
Therefore if you are asked by a dealer as to the suitability of our products for this car, at this point we cannot recommend a product from our range
It seems apparent that the advice in the Audi handbook/manual in the car, isn’t being read/followed. We will as always deal with any specific issues arising if the customers fit our product
Please retain this information for our use. If you wish to share it with specific Key accounts/dealers, please do so, but remember the context.
It’s not a Michelin issue. It’s a very specific fitment requirement on a very specific vehicle"
Interesting response from Audi below as i made a request for repair, replace or refund on the basis that there is an unknown manufacturing defect with the vehicle. A couple of points to note - 1. this is on a 3 year old RS3 with full history and maintenance with 6500 miles on the clock. 2. i reported it within the warranty period, 3. all work carried out has been recommended by Audi technical support team but has not solved the TC issue and is at my expense (new wheel bearings, new ABS control unit, wheel speed sensors, replacing michelin pilots that have under 100 miles on them)...:
Thank you for contacting Audi UK regarding your Audi RS3.
Naturally I’m concerned to hear that you have been without your vehicle so long, as we aim to rectify the issues you have stated in your correspondence.
I can see that since the start of the concerns, Hatfield Audi have been liaising with our Technical Support Team in an effort to identify the source of the fault in your vehicle. All work carried out by Hatfield Audi has been recommended by our Technical Support Team.
I appreciate that we can’t currently determine a timescale for a rectification; however, I can reassure the Centre are doing their upmost and utilising all avenues in an attempt to do so.
Whilst Audi takes pride in producing vehicles which are strong and long lasting, like any other vehicle manufacturer, it is not possible to guarantee that the many components which go into the complex build will never fail. It is for this reason that all new Audis are supplied with a comprehensive three year/60,000 miles manufacturers warranty and on expiry, owners are provided with the opportunity to extend this.
I understand that you would like Audi UK to look into the possibility of offering support with the potential costs involved in repairing your vehicle. Unfortunately, we are unable to directly offer any support towards the repair of your vehicle. Our Audi Centres are empowered to review and offer goodwill support towards repairs; where they feel appropriate.
I appreciate that this may not be the response you were hoping for; however I hope you can understand the reasons behind our response. I would like to take this opportunity to again apologise that we are unable to offer any further repair support at this stage.
Please do not hesitate to contact me on the details below should you wish to discuss this further.
Kind regards
Thank you for contacting Audi UK regarding your Audi RS3.
Naturally I’m concerned to hear that you have been without your vehicle so long, as we aim to rectify the issues you have stated in your correspondence.
I can see that since the start of the concerns, Hatfield Audi have been liaising with our Technical Support Team in an effort to identify the source of the fault in your vehicle. All work carried out by Hatfield Audi has been recommended by our Technical Support Team.
I appreciate that we can’t currently determine a timescale for a rectification; however, I can reassure the Centre are doing their upmost and utilising all avenues in an attempt to do so.
Whilst Audi takes pride in producing vehicles which are strong and long lasting, like any other vehicle manufacturer, it is not possible to guarantee that the many components which go into the complex build will never fail. It is for this reason that all new Audis are supplied with a comprehensive three year/60,000 miles manufacturers warranty and on expiry, owners are provided with the opportunity to extend this.
I understand that you would like Audi UK to look into the possibility of offering support with the potential costs involved in repairing your vehicle. Unfortunately, we are unable to directly offer any support towards the repair of your vehicle. Our Audi Centres are empowered to review and offer goodwill support towards repairs; where they feel appropriate.
I appreciate that this may not be the response you were hoping for; however I hope you can understand the reasons behind our response. I would like to take this opportunity to again apologise that we are unable to offer any further repair support at this stage.
Please do not hesitate to contact me on the details below should you wish to discuss this further.
Kind regards
I think you need to bite the bullet and try and make a deal with Audi. New set of Pirelli’s, if it fixes the problem you’re £800 out of pocket but get your car back. Try and get them to foot the bill for the tyres if it’s doesn’t. Free if they can swap a set of wheels from another car for a test drive.
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