[wendel_t_wolf]

I bought my brand new Q3 S Line about a month ago. Ever since I drove it off the lot, it has been vibrating anywhere between around 40-80mph. It vibrates so badly that I can feel it in my seat, gas pedal, and at times the steering wheel.

I've taken it in for service 3 times for this issue. The shop foreman has driven the car with me and has said each time that he feels the vibration but it is not "any abnormal vibration for this model." This model does has the 19 inch wheels, which I do understand can cause a slightly rougher ride than the 18 inch wheels. This is what the shop foreman is attributing the vibration to. I don't believe, however, that a bigger wheel would cause consistent vibrating.

They balanced and rotated my tires the first time I brought it in, but the vibrating was worse after they did that.

The last time I brought it in, they lowered the PSI in my tires to 38 in the front and 40 in the back. The ride is now a bit smoother but the vibration is still present.

I am so frustrated. I feel like I am getting nowhere, so I found this forum and am hoping someone can help. Anyone else have this issue? This is my first luxury vehicle I have ever purchased, and I am very upset to spend all this money only to have a shaky, uncomfortable ride.

 

[BadWolf]

We picked up a 2017 Q3 (Prestige, S-Line, 19in wheels) about a month ago...it's smooth all the way to 100, and I imagine even past that.

Do you have another dealer you can bring it too? Usually if it's a front wheel/tire issue you will feel it in the steering wheel. Rear will be felt in the seat.

You can also call Audi of America and let them know the ride is unacceptable.

 

[rgobantesdc]

I bought my 2017 Audi Q3 Prestige S-Line with 19" wheels late August. I have only run it up to 80mph+ so far and it has had no vibration issues. It actually runs smooth and if I am not looking at the speedometer I can't determine if I am going 55 or 80mph. I agree with the suggestion above to try another service/dealer. If you're stuck with the same service/dealer, have the service person ride with you in a Q3 loaner to show the ride difference and disprove his claim that the vibration you are experiencing in your Q3 is normal.

 

[Monsoon]

I agree with trying a different dealer.

 

[wendel_t_wolf]

We picked up a 2017 Q3 (Prestige, S-Line, 19in wheels) about a month ago...it's smooth all the way to 100, and I imagine even past that.

Do you have another dealer you can bring it too? Usually if it's a front wheel/tire issue you will feel it in the steering wheel. Rear will be felt in the seat.

You can also call Audi of America and let them know the ride is unacceptable.

I purchased the vehicle in Memphis. I just called Audi in Nashville (closest one to me, ~3 hours) and they have me on the schedule for someone to do a test drive with me tomorrow afternoon.

The problem is that the vibration does not happen all the time. Sometimes it feels pretty smooth, at other times my whole body is shaking. So based on that alone, I am not sure if it is the wheels/tires. I am truly a layperson when it comes to vehicles though.

Thank you for your reply! It helps knowing that we have the same model and your ride is smooth.

Have you ever called Audi of America? If so, what was your experience with them like? That will be my next step if I don't get any resolution in Nashville.

 

[wendel_t_wolf]

I bought my 2017 Audi Q3 Prestige S-Line with 19" wheels late August. I have only run it up to 80mph+ so far and it has had no vibration issues. It actually runs smooth and if I am not looking at the speedometer I can't determine if I am going 55 or 80mph. I agree with the suggestion above to try another service/dealer. If you're stuck with the same service/dealer, have the service person ride with you in a Q3 loaner to show the ride difference and disprove his claim that the vibration you are experiencing in your Q3 is normal.

Thanks for the reply!

During my 2nd visit to the shop, I actually did test drive another Q3 with the shop foreman. As soon as we pulled out of the lot, he said, "This vehicle is actually a rougher ride than yours! I'm watching the cuff of my sleeve vibrating right now!" and laughed. It was definitely not worse than mine and I did not feel the same vibration as I do in my Q3. I think he was trying some reverse psychology?

I just don't believe Audi would sell a product that people pay upwards over $40k that isn't a comfortable ride. I think the shop foreman in Memphis is stuck and doesn't know what the problem is so he is acting like everything is normal.

I have service scheduled tomorrow in Nashville. Hopefully I get some answers.

 

[wendel_t_wolf]

I agree with trying a different dealer.

Thanks for the reply! I have service scheduled in Nashville tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Klassic]

Running 19" wheels alone wouldn't cause a vibration within a range of speed. It'll either give you a vibration thoughout, or no vibration. Vibrations come in at the high speeds can be tied to improper balancing however ?

 

[wendel_t_wolf]

Running 19" wheels alone wouldn't cause a vibration within a range of speed. It'll either give you a vibration thoughout, or no vibration. Vibrations come in at the high speeds can be tied to improper balancing however ?

My vehicle is as smooth as a dream if I'm under 20mph. The vibration can be felt during acceleration, but also let's say I'm on the interstate doing about 75 and let my foot off the gas.

During my first service visit they balanced and rotated my tires. They said only one of the wheels was just very slightly out of balance but that they corrected it. Vibration seemed to be worse after that, to where I could feel it in the steering wheel and gas pedal. I'm wondering if they moved the "culprit" to the driver's side front?

How common is a warped wheel straight from the manufacturer? This was also a possibility I mentioned to the service technician but he dismissed it without checking.

 

[Monsoon]

How common is a warped wheel straight from the manufacturer? This was also a possibility I mentioned to the service technician but he dismissed it without checking.

Anything goes. Who knows what happened during delivery. Stay on it. Do not let them off the hook. Mine rides real nice. So did the dealer demo. I liked the ride so much we bought a Q3 based on that. Maybe they should put new wheels/tires on yours for the next bit of trouble shooting. Is the vibration constant. Can it be in the transmission or differential? Just thinking out loud.

 

[wendel_t_wolf]

Anything goes. Who knows what happened during delivery. Stay on it. Do not let them off the hook. Mine rides real nice. So did the dealer demo. I liked the ride so much we bought a Q3 based on that. Maybe they should put new wheels/tires on yours for the next bit of trouble shooting. Is the vibration constant. Can it be in the transmission or differential? Just thinking out loud.

UPDATE!!!!!!!

I drove to Nashville this weekend and visited the Audi dealership there. WHAT A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE in service!

To make a long story short, they ended up replacing TWO of my tires that were bad! The technician checked the road force of each tire. Audi standards indicate that the road force of any tire should not exceed 18 pounds. I had one at 21 and one at 24. I am so happy! I wanted to hug the technician! He took the time to listen to my problems and he actually wanted to figure it out. The sad thing is, the guy in Memphis said he checked the tires and that they were perfect. I am so unhappy with the Memphis dealership. It really is unacceptable that I had to drive three hours to Nashville to get anything done about it.

My drive to work this morning was a smooth dream

 

[BadWolf]

Nice, glad it worked out.

 

[Monsoon]

UPDATE!!!!!!!

I drove to Nashville this weekend and visited the Audi dealership there. WHAT A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE in service!

The sad thing is, the guy in Memphis said he checked the tires and that they were perfect. I am so unhappy with the Memphis dealership. It really is unacceptable that I had to drive three hours to Nashville to get anything done about it.

My drive to work this morning was a smooth dream

Glad you're in business. Be sure to fill out the survey's appropriately for both dealerships.

 

[Weakfish]

I bought my 2016 Prestige Q3 with sport package (19""wheels) over a year ago and it has been flawless. I had my Q3 up to 100 mph and it sailed..no vibrations at any speed. I have noticed that on some road surfaces the ride feels a little "grainy" but certainly no vibrations. On the majority of roads its like riding on glass. FYI I have Continental tires. I feel your pain, I had a vibration problem in my Montero Sport when it was new and I went crazy trying to get the dealer to fix it. I eventually gave up and just waited till my first tire change to see if this would fix it which it did. This may be the first step to fixing your problem, insist they put new tires on it (easy for me to say!). You should not have "any" vibrations. Audi needs to fix this. If you get really disparate, I'm in Indianapolis IN and your always welcome to stop by and we can compare rides (2016 and 2017 should not be that different).

 

[Weakfish]

OK, I guess my page was not updated when I read your post! Daa! Anyway, I guess I wasn't far off. Glad to hear the problem has been resolved! You're going to love your Q3!

 

[wendel_t_wolf]

Glad you're in business. Be sure to fill out the survey's appropriately for both dealerships.

After having driven for a few days now, I do still notice some vibration at higher speeds, now around 65-80, but it comes and goes. I'm wondering if I need to ask them to replace the other two tires. I don't believe Audi will allow it since the radial force of the two they didn't replace was at 2lbs and 10lbs, well under their top limit of 18lbs.

I ended up sending the service manager at Audi Nashville an email explaining my situation and praising the technician who worked on my car. Haven't gotten a response, but hopefully he has seen it. I'm still trying to decide how I want to approach Memphis Audi to let them know I had two bad tires, but I haven't thought of a tactful way yet...anything I say now will most likely be angry!

So I guess my next logical question is: is vibration at higher speeds common? It is definitely less prominent but there nonetheless.

 

[wendel_t_wolf]

OK, I guess my page was not updated when I read your post! Daa! Anyway, I guess I wasn't far off. Glad to hear the problem has been resolved! You're going to love your Q3!

Thanks for the reply! Thank you for the kind offer. I will let you know if I get that desperate!

I do still feel some vibration in the 65-80mph range, but it comes and goes. The technician told me to drive it for a week or two and then let him know how it goes. Sometimes the ride is as smooth as can be, but then sometimes the vibration creeps in. Definitely not as bad as before, but still there. So I would say I am 95% satisfied, just wondering if I will never get rid of the vibration completely

 

[Weakfish]

One thing you should also check if you have not already is whether your car is steering with high accuracy. Take it out on a flat highway and get it up to 60-70 MPH and take your hands off the wheel. It should continue to drive straight for at least 15-30 sec if not longer (varies with quality of the road). If there is obvious drift to one side or the other this could also be an indication that you still have a tire issue, most commonly a belt bead alignment issue or worse a belt separation problem. These can also cause vibration.

I would not feel bad about nagging the dealership about this. It's not just a real nuisance to you but a potential safety issue. Reminding them of this and how you would hate to have to hold them responsible for a bad accident due to a tire failure should get their attention. With regards to how to approach the Memphis dealership, yea maybe you don't want to get on their bad side since you'll need to take your car back there for other stuff, just tell them you took a business (or whatever) trip out to Nashville and the vibration got so bad while you were there you felt you had to take it into their Audi dealership to be checked out and...this is what they found. Of course, you can also take the hard line approach if you prefer!

 

[rnlabas]

You might also ask that the AoA Area Service or Tech Manager be present when you visit this new dealer ESPECIALLY if you now have it on record that your'e in for the THIRD time on the same issue. You are on the edge for eligible BUY BACK under your state's lemon laws - Check them out BEFORE you go so you know your rights. I'm NOT advocating any nasty attitude, BUT really just knowing what your rights are AND be sure that AoA and the new dealer KNOW your history and frustration - believe me they will WANT to make you a happy and satisfied Audi Owner ... even without the lemon laws -

 

[dipaola]

Do they make an S-Line package for the Q3 in America? I didn't know!