Q7 4M Reliability Update

[christianb5s4]

All,

I've been doing a lot of research on 2017+ Q7 4M for my next car and thought to start a thread to get updated reliability/problems feedback from everyone now that the latest gen has been on the road a few years. Based on Audiworld and other threads, these seem to be the main issues that crop up:

- Electrical glitches and modules
- Brake squeal (TSB out for this)
- Oversensitive Pre-Sense in certain scenarios
- Infotainment system glitches/restarts (seem to be on early 2017 models mostly)
- Alignment issues on certain cars

Let me know if you've had any of these issues (or any others to add) so we can accumulate a central thread of possible trouble points on these cars. I'm personally on the search for a Prestige package car.

[termite]

2017 Premium Plus w/ 40k miles. Brake squeaks fixed with new pads and rotors at about 35k miles. Occasional over sensitive Pre-sense. Otherwise the car has been rock solid.

[christianb5s4]

Thanks for the feedback! Went to the dealer this weekend to check out the Q7, great tech and looks great but trying to decide on if it's too big for my needs. Also checked out the Q8 thinking it would be a bit smaller but the size difference is surprisingly almost negligible.

I did connect with some service advisors at several high volume Audi dealers in the area and they all had positive things to say about reliability.

[rayray]

We purchased our 17 Q7 brand new with 10 miles back in April 2016 and have put it though it’s paces. Over 3 years later, we currently have over 113k miles on the clock (majority highway miles) and its only issue, besides recall stuff, was a radiator fan fault that was partially covered by AoA even though it was out of warranty. Obviously, it in for the long haul now and we are very satisfied with our selection over the XC90 T6 we were cross shopping.

[Charles.waite]

Funny, we were cross shopping a 2017 Q7 and a XC90 T6 as well. Ultimately my wife felt the Volvo styling was a bit much, and we’ve had Audi’s for so long we knew we would like it. That and the new Volvo’s don’t have the greatest reputation for reliability. Neither does Audi but at least I’m familiar with the brand and know how to wrench on them, worst comes to worst.

So far we’ve put about 5k on it, i think it’s at 40k miles now. Had a leaky water pump identified in the PPI that was covered under warranty. So far we’ve not had any major issues, though apparently some systems were glitching out the other day and a few errors popped up, but went away the next time we drove it. Ours is a Prestige with a couple extra packages so it’s got a boatload if electronics and the notorious air suspension so we opted to spend $3k extra on a comprehensive warranty that will kick in after the factory warranty expires next year.

On the whole we’re quite happy with the car, it’s the perfect size for our family of 4 (humans) and 2 dogs (80lb golden and 40lb spaniel/retriever mix) so we totally outgrew our Q5. The 3rd row is awesome to have just in case and the cargo area is endless.

The 3.0t is a solid engine, particularly the CREC we have with the port injectors so we don’t have to worry about carbon buildup. It makes solid power, leagues better than what I’m used to with 1.8/2.0ts. The zf8 transmission is proven reliable as well. Overall I expect this car to be reliable, though the electronics do worry me a little bit. Fingers crossed nothing major fails.

[arjun90]

The 2nd gen 3.0T engine's superchargers have been known to slip at higher RPM's
https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/thread...-issue.347998/

[christianb5s4]

Thanks everyone, that's great to see they have stood up over that kind of mileage. I really like these but just have to decide if I need something this large right now. Love the style, tech, and way it drives. It's between these, C8 A6, D4 S8s, and Cayenne GTS.

[arjun90]

I've been coming across a lot 2017 Q7's being heavily discounted (62K miles car can be had in the $25k range now), even came across one that had a flat-bottomed steering wheel (which was a rare thing to see in a Q7). However, one design aspect that deterred me from considering one was the rear. Because the Q7 has third row seating, designers had to force components further down towards the ground; such as the rear control arms and downpipes, and in the interest of fuel economy, the overall weight has come down drastically. Technically this design aspect is in other large-SUV's as well, such as the X5 and GLE. Right now, its too soon to question reliability as the motor has only been out on the market for a couple of years now. Most leases typically last three years. Carfax will not elaborate much in terms of what was replaced / repaired. Its best to question the service centers at which these vehicles were serviced to get a better gauge of overall reliability in the first 50,000 miles. Most German cars will be problem free within the first 50,000 miles driven, its not brand-specific. Its very easy to put in highway miles, but don't let the number scare you. Though keep in mind, once you cross over the 80,000 mile threshold there is no warranty on the catalytic converters.

Thanks everyone, that's great to see they have stood up over that kind of mileage. I really like these but just have to decide if I need something this large right now. Love the style, tech, and way it drives. It's between these, C8 A6, D4 S8s, and Cayenne GTS.

[gdawg'05a4]

The motor (3.0T) isn't anything new. The main difference with the 3.0T in the 4M (and others running this version) is the clutched supercharger. Given how stout the 3.0T motor is and been out for 10 years now with various iterations, I don't have any doubts the motor will last for quite some time esp if stock. If anything, Audi has learned from their issues with earlier 3.0Ts and taken care of them by the CREC version. I haven't been able to find many reports of the supercharger clutch completely failing on stock cars. Supercharger clutches aren't anything new either.

We have 51k miles on our '17 and she's been great so far. The only repairs done during the warranty period were the TSB for brake squeal and control arm bushing. Other than that, it was the scheduled services (and my own oil change in between). I do find the sensors can be overly sensitive when they're dirty like lane assist and rear cross traffic. These are annoyances that crop up mostly during the winter time when the car is covered with road salt, grime and snow. Once clean though, they're fine.
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[Charles.waite]

Yea we had the same issue with our lane assist and adaptive cruise a few weeks back. Snow got caked on the radar sensor and disabled it. It was a minor annoyance at best and when we stopped for a minute I just brushed it off and everything resumed working as intended.

My main issue now, and it has nothing to do with the Audi, is the Thule rack I bought whistles like crazy and is super annoying. I’ve chalked it up to their new split gasket which is supposed to make sliding in t-bolt attachments super easy but for our needs is useless (it’s mainly just for a roof box). I’ve been meaning to start a thread on that actually...

But yea possible supercharger clutch issues aside, the drivetrain on this car is an evolution of a proven-reliable setup used in hundreds of thousands of cars with pretty much no deal-breaker issues. Given that I’m used to failed cam followers and piston ring issues in my FSI b7 and failed timing chain tensioners and stretched chains in my TFSI B8, I know I’m going to be pleasantly surprised with the reliability of this drivetrain. And auxiliary port injectors mean carbon buildup isn’t a concern.

[KaizerWilhelm]

Reviving this thread. I'm looking at a 2017 Q7 3.0 with 50k on the clock. It sounds like reliability has been quite good so far. Since the last post, has anything popped up regarding electronics or engine issues? The vehicle I'm looking has been serviced by a local Audi dealer since new, so I'm less worried about it.

Also, has anyone put a tune on the 3.0? If so, has reliability been affected at all? Anything to look for if I do decide to tune it?

[Stock B6]

Blah blah necro bump blah blah. How is everyone’s 4M Q7 holding up? Been nearly 8 years since release so wondering if there’s any new/common issues people are seeing.

[A4Qwattro]

Blah blah necro bump blah blah. How is everyone’s 4M Q7 holding up? Been nearly 8 years since release so wondering if there’s any new/common issues people are seeing.

Beware of excessive oil consumption on 2017-2018 models with supercharged motor.

[hanyoung]

No oil consumption for me, although I did have the PCV replaced due to leaking coolant (doesn't make sense, but it worked!). Also see my thread for suspension issue. But all in all, solid car. Just heavy so consumables are more frequent.

[JWebb_C7_Comp]

Any sense of the labor time on the PCV job? Our Q is using oil at 95K, and I don't see it leaking anywhere, nor do i see evidence of oil in the exhaust. Don't know if i'm up for removing the SC to get that the PCV..

[Tony@Jackal]

Any sense of the labor time on the PCV job? Our Q is using oil at 95K, and I don't see it leaking anywhere, nor do i see evidence of oil in the exhaust. Don't know if i'm up for removing the SC to get that the PCV..

While i don't have the pricing to do the PCV Job i suggest you get the runner flaps cleaned as well while your in there. they like to open slow eventually.