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2008 Audi A4....sigh.... - Page 4

post #46 of 53
9/18/07 at 12:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by imageWIS View Post
This is what I just posted on an Audi forum...buyer beware:


Jon.

I don't want to sound like some sort of Audi apologist but this really does not sound as bad as you make it out to be.

You have a front wheel drive car which is very hard on the front tires and front brakes. The Continental tires supplied with the car were probably not very good to begin with. A lot of OEM supplied tires are ill matched to the car and offer poor performance. The brake wear does not appear to be that unusual and without knowing your driving and braking habits it's hard to say who is at fault. The alignment issues could have been caused by uneven wear on the tires. Once the front tires have some wear on them they can cause slight pulling or instability at highway speeds which some people can interpret as out of alignment suspension.


The stereo and the center console issues are regrettable but thankfully they were covered under warranty. Overall, I do not think you got a lemon.
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post #47 of 53
9/18/07 at 1:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmax View Post
The alignment issues could have been caused by uneven wear on the tires. Once the front tires have some wear on them they can cause slight pulling or instability at highway speeds which some people can interpret as out of alignment suspension.
I think you have this backwards. The uneven tire wear was likely a symptom of a of problem with the car holding it's alignment. There are a few simple explanations for this such as poor road conditions or the fact that the alignment was always set by the same person every time, and that person could have been doing something wrong. Lastly, brake performance can be degraded by a poor alignment... so the root of all of these issues was probably alignment related. If I had my car aligned, and it went out of alignment within a short period of time for no explainable reason, then I'd take it somewhere else. Alignments are a very fickle adjustment, and a good alignment is definitely different than an average alignment in terms of longevity and accuracy. Also, I rarely hear anything good about Conti's, so YMMV, literally. Oh, and maybe the guy just rides his brakes.
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post #48 of 53
9/18/07 at 1:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by briancl View Post
I think you have this backwards. The uneven tire wear was likely a symptom of a of problem with the car holding it's alignment. There are a few simple explanations for this such as poor road conditions or the fact that the alignment was always set by the same person every time, and that person could have been doing something wrong. Lastly, brake performance can be degraded by a poor alignment... so the root of all of these issues was probably alignment related. If I had my car aligned, and it went out of alignment within a short period of time for no explainable reason, then I'd take it somewhere else. Alignments are a very fickle adjustment, and a good alignment is definitely different than an average alignment in terms of longevity and accuracy. Also, I rarely hear anything good about Conti's, so YMMV, literally. Oh, and maybe the guy just rides his brakes.
What I was saying sometime people think they need an alignment because the car pulls when there is a problem with the tires (tires don't match, one tire is worn more, etc.). People may also think that they need an alignment because the outside tire edges are excessively worn when all they need to do is slow down in the corners. But yes, you are correct that poor alignment may cause uneven tire wear. Since John mentioned he has had several flats I am going to say either his tires are total crap or he drives on really rough roads either of which can cause alignment issues.
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post #49 of 53
9/18/07 at 3:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by briancl View Post
Oh, and maybe the guy just rides his brakes.

IIRC, Jon's Audi's an automatic so brake riding wouldn't be unusual.

--Andre
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post #50 of 53
9/18/07 at 3:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre Yew View Post
IIRC, Jon's Audi's an automatic so brake riding wouldn't be unusual.

--Andre

I usually let the car slow down on its own before hitting the brakes (in a very stick-shift fashion).

I was told contradictory things regarding the tires and brakes from the service people at my Audi dealer. I haven't had any problems like this with the other 2 cars I have owned, one which was stick and the other was automatic. And yes the Conti's are complete and total crap. As of today the car is Conti-free, so we'll see how to drives now.

Jon.
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post #51 of 53
9/18/07 at 5:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by imageWIS View Post
I was told contradictory things regarding the tires and brakes from the service people at my Audi dealer. I haven't had any problems like this with the other 2 cars I have owned, one which was stick and the other was automatic. And yes the Conti's are complete and total crap. As of today the car is Conti-free, so we'll see how to drives now.

Jon.

I had Contis as OEM equipment on my old E46 330Ci and wasn't impressed with them at all. I switched to Kumhos when I changed rims and couldn't have been happier. I think Kumhos are the best bang for your buck for high-performance but low-budget tires.
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post #52 of 53
9/18/07 at 6:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkNWorn View Post
I had Contis as OEM equipment on my old E46 330Ci and wasn't impressed with them at all. I switched to Kumhos when I changed rims and couldn't have been happier. I think Kumhos are the best bang for your buck for high-performance but low-budget tires.

That's what I have now: Kumho Ecsta ASX.

Jon.
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post #53 of 53
9/18/07 at 6:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkNWorn View Post
I had Contis as OEM equipment on my old E46 330Ci and wasn't impressed with them at all.

The oem tires for the M3 were ContiSport or Michelin Pilots, mine had the ContiSports and the dealer wouldn't change them out when it was new. I thought they were ok, I changed them out when I went to 19" wheels. The Contis were good for road noise, better than any others I have had. I have a feeling this is why many cars come with them stock.
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