The AUDI Q3 BUYERS GUIDE | AVOID this car until you watch!

A review of ALL the common problems with the Audi Q3 to make sure YOU buy the best car possible.

Something else to watch?

[zezimaaaaa]

I have a 2018 2.0t q3 its been about 3 yrs since i bought it and no major problems yet and at 87k miles rn also running a couple of mods aswell pretty reliable

[liliyasarokina]

what a joke… I am driving my Q3 Premium Plus (2nd generation, Quattro, AWD, fully packed) for almost 4 years and still in love with it! Perfect car for a single mom who likes to spent the weekend w/ kido at the mountains, moderate driving (sometimes aggressive) on the roads in San Francisco. No major issues occurred with the car so far, given almost 40K miles driven and regular maintenance. Folks, who posted negative comments here, are you sure u driving Q3???

[realmach]

For those looking at buying a Q3, beware that there is currently a class action lawsuit being settled that affects 2012-2017 Q3 equipped with the 2.0t. There is a piston ring defect that can cause either excessive oil consumption or the engine to destroy itself(dealer replacement for that engine is around $10, 000). My wife bought a 2012 Q3 after we moved but before I joined my family again so I was unfortunately unable to inspect the car or really research the model prior to her purchase. For reference her car consumes roughly 1 liter of oil per 300 km.

Beware!

[Indigo_Sky]

Driven 110, 000+ miles from new in 2013 - almost faultless. Boot release catches a little now, but easily resolved with some WD40 and cleaning (when I get round to it).
The only repairs I carried out in that time are replacement of two rear suspension coils when one snapped, a wiring fault in 2021 and recently an ABS wheel sensor. The front suspension bearings may be getting a bit worn but it's done 110, 000 miles and most cars would have required new suspension struts and springs in that time. All other work undertaken was routine maintenance e.g. brake pads and discs, Haldex Oil, DSG transmission oil and timing belt/water pump at around 70, 000 miles per Audi guidance. It's still using the original exhaust with no issues.
One gripe - the ride is not as smooth and 'magic-carpet' as I would like, but I am comparing it with E-Class Mercedes or Volvo estates which is not a like for like comparison in cost or wheelbase length.
It's been a great ownership experience apart from cheeky dealership prices for service and repairs

[Stevesolo]

Check the rear lower wishbones as they do tend to rust. Usually it's only surface rust, but if left, it could develop into something more serious.

[JERSY]

I am in the market for this vehicle and this was the perfect video. Thank you so much for your professionalism! God bless you.

[WAR-R]

Bought a 2017 Q3 premium.
Glacier white.
We love it.
Just as much as our 2019 BMW X3 40i

[trinm]

The 2018 Q3 is my new car:) I was searching for in-depth explanations of all the features and potential issues, but finished the video solely because I enjoyed his accent.
Thank you for the insight🩷

[danielwarren]

I think you should add the common water ingress issue into the footwells from the the panoramic sunroof drainage system. My advice is stear clear of purchasing any Audi with a Panoramic sunroof.

[Mouaadinno]

I have an Audi q3 s Line 2.0 diesel Quattro with every option (back up camera, automatic boot, ecc) and it’s really good it doesn’t consume much fuel as well it’s pretty reliable

[drmisfit]

I have a 2012 Q3 Quattro great car just changed the glow plugs but it’s done 93000 plus miles so not too bad, only issue I found is the rear lights and that is the earth wire melting in the plug and and earth pin in the bulb holder has broken away but manage to modify the wiring on the earth connector saving me £45.09 per each bulb holder and that’s off eBay

[robbie]

Reliability wasn’t stellar in the one I owned. Bought new in 2015 it was a 1.4 TFSI manual. I purchased an extended warranty for it after three years and glad I did. One day it suddenly lost power as though it had gone into limp mode but no warning lights appeared on the dash. On investigation at the dealership it was reporting a low fuel pressure fault. They changed the pump in the fuel tank and that fixed it for a day or two. Then they changed the high pressure fuel pump on the engine…again just a short lived fix. They then got Audi tech services involved and engine management software was updated…still no better. TBH I don’t know what fixed it in the end only that it took weeks of repeated visits to the dealer and by then I’d lost confidence in it and moved it on. My wife had an Audi A1 with the same engine and that was no trouble at all over seven years of use so the Q3 was not I guess representative of a typical owner experience but the fault certainly caused some head scratching at the dealer workshop.

[lewis]

I bought a used 2011 A3 from an Audi dealer and got recalled due to the emissions debacle. My EGR got clogged up. The dealer changed it free of charge. A few years later it got clogged up again. It's such a pain that none of my local garages or the Audi garage wanted do it (the egr is towards the firewall). Part ex'ed it for much less than it's book worth because of the warning light.

[kgreig]

Excellent review! Have you done a video on the Q5 on a 2019/2020 year? While I imagine it would be a similar score, I'd be interested to know how the Petrol Hybrid model fairs... Thanks!

[pacificcoltrane]

Smart review - thank you. Do you have a review of used Q5's as well?

[charlesmarinier]

Stretched and broken timing chains and excessive oil consumption are common faults.

[tecraven]

Just bought a late 2014 2 litre petrol Audi Q3. How can I tell if the S-Tronic automatic gearbox is wet clutch or dry clutch?

[OmahaLasse]

What is the maximum size of the rear compartment you can possibly get on these? I am looking to buy one of these and haven't yet gotten around to go to look at one, which I will do as soon as I know if it would actually meet the specs I need. Do the rear seats fold down to make more space and how much would it be in addition to the around 530 liter boot? Measurements in either metric or imperial will do, I am not good with gallons but interwebs will guide me if needed.

[jaeykelly]

I bought my Audi Q3 in 2018, it's a 2013 model, I've had the vibration for a few years and I've taken it back and forth to Audi, they've always said they can't find a fault but if it's common like you mention, then how can I get them to rectify it?

[shyammohabir]

I'll never will buy a Audi Q3 again! - too expensive to maintain my Audi Q3 Premium Plus (2nd generation, Quattro, AWD, fully packed) - 1 headlight cost $1, 800 USD, replace the Gas Cap (which cause engine light to come on ) $500USD! to replace it's oil cost $500USD, I was told the steering colum needs replacement because of vibration at 70mps - cost $10, 000 USD - Audi (wants to be ferrari) is a rip-off !!