I have the 2012 TDI and it's just turned over 340,000 miles. I have replaced a wheel bearing (front), Injector seals (twice) and the battery. (other than oil, tires, brakes, etc). I am not nice to it, I tow with it (sometimes exceeding max) I occasionally offroad with it and love hooning about in winter. It still looks mostly new and doesn't even have a tear in the leather yet. It's been the most problem free, trustworthy vehicle I've ever owned by a very large margin.
@@Sevenseas0 it's a chain and the engine has to get out, usually lasts more than 160k km. For that you are looking at a $4000 bill minimum. For some people it lasts for the lifetime of the car (250k KM) others notice a rattle and it needs to get fixed asap
@@mewanksta11 Only issue with the Q7 is you have to catch the problems on its early stages. My coolant was very slowly dropping and I needed to clean out all the soot of the intake anyways (120k miles). Noticed the common leak coming from the EGR cooler and got it fixed. From the 2 years I've owned it, the only other problems I had were the common dumb ones. (Blower motor, front seat backs falling, cleaning out clogged water drains) This all costed me maybe $300 in parts/consumables so it wasn't bad by any means. I have a 15' TDI. I think a majority of shortcomings can easily be found/fixed when you remove the intake manifold for routine cleaning.
Just bought a 2007 Audi Q7 3L TDI on auction and it is the most beautiful drive I have experienced. I had electrical cabling redone and a few things here and there and it is perfect. It is 2024 and I think this car has kept up with modern cars.
Good to hear I hope to get the same experience from the 2016 Q7 TDI I recently purchased, I love how it drives for an SUV it handles sensationally well.
I'm an Audi enthusiast and am on my 4th Audi A4 S-line for the following reasons: 1.) I am stupid 2.) I love the four rings (refer to reason #1) 3.) Quattro (again, refer to reason #1) 4.) Rally, IMSA, and Lemans history. 5.) I hate surplus money (I'm American).
I'm amazed because I've owned two and both have been great. They have quirks but all cars do. I've worked for various automotive manufactures for over 10 years and what most people don't know is most parts for different manufacturers are made by same suppliers...we did Honda, Mercedes, Tesla, and Jeep parts out of same plant...
I drove Audi Q7 for last 7 years its a TDI, never had a problem, besides the VW Diesel classaction lawsuit that replaced the exhaust system. Its important to have good tires on it because if you use cheap rubber like Nitto tires, your ride will be very hard and jumpy and if you use Bridgestone Alenza tires it will be the best ride you ever had. I currently have 117,000 miles on it and drove it around west coast from Los Angeles to Vancouver and Arizona and Texas.
@@yurieu5872LOLLL yes and these are better than the cayenne they just handle better if you find a good example I have had mine since 2014 bought it full loaded and it’s been lovely I don’t have any issues that he talks about and mine will probably last longer than the new ones
I have one in Qld, currently 11 0000 kms, 21" 295 wheels S line. No problems with braking. Stops plenty quick for its weight. Impressively quick actually. I've taken it out to a back road and slammed the brakes on at 110kmh and it stopped far quicker and in a much shorter distance than most other cars I've owned. Stable, super comfortable, excellent driving experience. Had it 2 years, got it with 62000 kms, still in love with this car and I've had a few beemers in the past. Had an issue with the aircon blower under the dash, was an easy DIY replacement. In sports, not really slow, for a heavy beast, it's actually fast. I have to use cruise control a fair bit because it's actually too easy to end up over any speed limit due to the comfort in the driving not making you aware of your actual speed. Great family car, the 7 seats are useful when you need the extra ones, huge luggage space when you need it too. Tows any trailer in its towing range effortlessly. I've towed everything there is for it so far except a caravan and it handled the weight like it wasn't even there. Worth every cent I paid for it. Services I do at a local mechanic, you don't have to use Audi. 3.0 Tdi V6.
Funny, because the Q7 are more expensive than the Cayenne here in Germany. Also interesting that outside of Germany, suddenly Audi becomes unreliable. Here they are easy to get to 400.000, owned over 20 different Audis across the board and 600.000km and had less problems than my friends and colleagues in Honda, french or American cars. Range Rover isn't mentioned, they come with problems from factory. Not to mention BMW and Mercedes, awful reliability. Currently own a Touareg from 2002 which runs perfectly with 290.000km. Seems many countries aren't into maintenance
@leighname1059 I don't know how that would apply to 20 or 30 year old Audis. And still, the past year Audi had amongst the least recalls of all manufacturers and at least in Germany is amongst the most reliable used cars in the statistics from many different magazines and technical institutions.
Well I would partially disagree. Audis are known to be quite shit, to be fair. Even in Europe. There has not been a good engine for an audi since early 2000s, for example. BMW’s can be shit as well, but they can also be absolutely brilliant if you know which one to buy, same with Mercedes. P.s. - I was a mechanic and have quite a few mechanics in friend groups, this is not isolated opinion.
@karliszemitis3356 Well, to be fair, you are wrong. Many Audis are leading in terms of reliability in used car statistics. Amongst them Q5, A1, TT and A6. Those cars are leading in their classes across multiple journals, auto clubs and TÜV statistics. Only two BMWs and only two Mercedes are present in reliability statistics. Among them the GLK and 5er F10. So your opinion and those of your buddies are true, in your frame of reference. I owned 26 different Audis and currently own 6, so my opinion would differ from yours. But I'm not talking about my experience in different dealerships and free workshops, since then BMW and Mercedes would rival french cars in terms of electrical and weird engine problems. The last good engines from Audi were the 3.0TDIs, although only those pre DPF and 2.0TDI with up to 190PS. The 4.0TDI in the A8 was good, but from 2003 to 2004, so not late enough. But I aggree, Audis past 2003 are largely far behind their previous quality.
The 3.0 TDI made Ward's top 10 engine list. Mines been rock solid and going on 130k miles with still over 10k miles of warranty left from the diesel gate mods. I feel this video could have been much more informative like other videos on TH-cam that look at this vehicle. My EGR went out at 120k miles under warranty, I replaced the blower and driver window switch controller and had to regrease/lube the rear gate latch after it started sticking at extremely low temps, causing it not to close all at around 105k miles. I also replaced all the drive train fluids at 100k miles and replaced the transmission filter which desperately needed it. I've put less money into my q7 than any other vehicle I've owned for this amount of time. Can't wait for the emissions warranty to be up so I can delete the exhaust and get back to 35 mpg. If you're looking at one get one between 12-14. Don't get a 2015 or one from before 2012. Don't get the air suspension, lane keeping or auto cruise control features. You'll thank me later.
@@daniel27560 Air suspension is the best that you can get. don´t listen to him. we have now over 200k miles down and everything works great. Also it is a 2011 model and still the best with no issues so far
Just got a 2015 Q7 TDI. Came with a coolent leak. Fortunately to get to it many engine parts had to be removed and those to be replaced were covered by the extended warranty. Now check engine light is on so maybe more fun. Love the car. Drives like a dream. Plenty of power and that’s good because I got it to pull my boat. Your video scares me but has given me things to look for. The road awaits!
You need to delete it. its expensive even dyi. The fuel pump went out in my jetta tdi. i have it in my garage tearing it down. removing the dpf, egr, swirl flaps in the intake a cp3 fuel pump and a tune. Reading other posts on forums people get 52-52mpg afterward. im looking into a tdi q7 now.
Have a v12 tdi parked in the garage with 60 000ks and I absolutely love the thing. It's kept mainly as the long distance holiday vehicle. On the open road sticking to 120kph it easily returns 9.5 L per 100km and then when you get further out into the country side where the chances of encountering law enforcement is slim to none and you plant your right foot it is absolutely astonishing. It really is a marvel to drive and that motor adds so much character.
Currently have 2 Q7 TDI's, a 2013 Prestige and a 2015 Premium Plus. Both from new. No problems with either. The 2013 is at 135k miles and the 2015 is at 100K miles. The arm rest creeping was annoying. I put silicone grease on the rubber stops and that seemed to solve the squeek for a while. Then I replaced the rubber bumpers with felt tabs off of Amazon. Noise is gone. Just make sure to clean the mounting surface with alcohol before applying the round felt tabs. Both of these have a Bose sound system with sub woofer, the 2015 has a JBL sub that fit's into the same space as the smaller Bose sub. Be sure to clean the AC condensor drains every couple of years and your golden. The 2013 did have a wiper blade launch into space. The replacement looks to be an improvement. BTW, not sure why your OZ interior is so bad, both of our interiors are still very nice with no issues or wear.
We have one it's done 450,000kms. Service it every 10,000kms. No major issues. Just don't go to Audi for servicing. It's actually had less issues than my husband's land cruiser and much cheaper to run averaging 7 to 10l of Diesel per 100k.
I have owned my 2011 Q7 for close to 8 years now. I have the V8 diesel, just on the second set of tyres after 100,000km in my ownership. 1 set of brakes, 1 battery and a service once a year at my local mechanic, nothing broken, nothing wrong. Averages around 10 litres per hundred k's. Like any car if you look after it, you will usually get a good ownership experience in return. These cars are not meant for a city runabout, use it for a country tourer and get a small hatchback for the city.
I would have to say that any car which is 7-17 years old can have issues especially as you are looking at cars over such a huge age gap. A 17 year old Lexus or land cruiser will definitely also have issues. I would have appreciated a review of perhaps up to 10 years old and then 10 to 17 years old as being more appropriate and informative to me as someone looking to buy a car . Another thing is purchase price, on a previous comment you said a Lexus or land cruiser were a good alternative. Really??? $30 000 for a 2014 Q7 compared to $75 000 + for a land cruiser very big difference in price! If comparing cars of the same vintage, prices should also be a factor. Thanks
My friend who is a diesel mechanic, he has a Q7 Diesel from 2010, he told me that only the Q7 or Q5 3.0 Diesel up to 2010 are good and reliable vehicles because the engine it has is excellent, but all of them are from 2011 onwards. top Audi made a change and began to implement many plastic parts in the vehicle and that is the reason for many problems it has.
Consider the Q7 as a three row Touareg. The Touareg was a two row only SUV. Also because both the Touareg and the Q7 got some very torquey diesels. Painful that they discontinued the V8, it was one of their most reliable engines, that's not saying much.
So… Q7 owner here, bought used 2015 last of the 4L range and as long as you buy with that in mind, you’ll likely have limited issues. The engines were well upgraded from an injector POV, making them infinitely reliable (refer to the multiple Facebook groups) . Repairs have become quite cheap, with front tyres and brakes being a typical issue with any large SUV. Have used it as a large Ute, towing, cement in the boot, 700kg of tiles etc and it’s handled it like a beast (on air suspension even). This drives, pulls , and handles waaay better than our other big SUV (2017 disco 4). These engines have been seen to go over 500kkm (over 700k in one I’ve seen),with just gooood servicing. I’m Now getting an aftermarket warranty (@ 135kkm) and looking forward to many more miles. But crikey it’s hideous, any angle, without 21” wheels it is just a hefelump of note, just get in and with black leather no issues noted with stretching, but the sunroof creak is the only one I’ve noticed which is inconsistent with the brand.
I have a 3.0 T 2014 with 130k no problems at besides oil changes, & brake pads the only thing that needed to be replaced was the blower motor and I replaced that myself. Overall good car for me…
Got a 2013, had it 7 years and that's had zero problems too, in fact i'm currently saving for a 2020 model, if you need a 7 seater it doesn't get much better than an Audi Q7
Yea, I have a Q7 and it's a beast. Mine is way back 2006, and I have had the engine knock once, my air condition fails every year. 😂 . I still love and drive it!
LOL i honestly think that to review something you need to own it and he has no clue what his talking about. I own one and love it. If the TDI injectors mess around, all it needs is a good clean. People generally dont drive this cars as long as they should (open road).
@EchoRhythmMusic i dont think i have to tell u that you made a brilliant choice 😂🤣😂. Glad you are happy and made the right choice despite the conflicting reviews.
Interesting story. My uncle was one of the first people in South Africa to get a Q7 when they launched. He hardly had it and noticed that the dashboard was starting to melt. Took it back to Audi whereby they ended up giving him a different Q7. Later found out that Audi had send engineers from Germany to investigate this problem. Still don't know what caused it to this day
Had 2006 3.0TDI facelift 5 seater, s-line saloon, ordinary suspension back in 2015 with 160k kilometres, right before MK2 release. It was something extra, everybody thought that this was a new car, till this day I love facelift design. Long story short: Had it for 2 years, then my parents used it for 4 years (sold it last year with 230k km). For 2 years it didn't have any major issues despite driving pretty hard (nobody expected me to go hard into a corner with this 2.3 ton elephant, rip front tyres sidewalls, also experienced that legendary Audi understeer even more in this car :D), luckily it passed MOT on it's own. 14l/100km (10l at best if you drive slower than granny) in town doesn't seem economical, especially in these days. In those 6 years there was probably 2000 eur invested in this car for various small repairs (starter, passenger door lock, electrical problems). We were very lucky, because there was no engine, transmission repairs. After those years Q7 depreciated 50% and next owner had 1500Eur, probably injector repair job instantly, I believe transmission was counting it's last days also. So yeah, despite all that I still love that car, but I would never recommend to buy Q7 today (especially old Q7 with high mileage, 171 kw engine), it is VERY expensive to run, various electronic problems after winter could make you go crazy, just buy universal or hatchback, especially if you drive alone most of the time :). Q7 today are 20-30% more expensive so it's really not worth to buy it, but if you really want it, probably choose engine with 180kw, cheaper to run, lower mileage, so it should last longer (even better if previous owner changed timing chain, transmission). P.S. Glad I found this channel last year, absolutely fantastic content, definitely one of the very few car review channels that I actually enjoy watching. The value of knowledge that you put out for us for free is priceless. Thank you! Greetings from Lithuania, Europe. :)
Have a 2009 3.6 l Q7 and runs great only had a water leak which I manage to fix and purchased a new Bose board amplifier and it’s been working great since 2017. Still have it and very reliable.
Buying this exact car this week and was having second thoughts. This video is the only negative review I’ve seen on this car yet! I’m happy you still had good things to say about it it. I’ve fallen in love already 😂
I might be a bit biased as an Audi Q7 owner but here is some of our experience with the car. Model 2007 with the 3.0 diesel 233 HP. Bought in 2018. 1. No lose Seat back. All is as from factory (and we have 3 children kicking etc. on the seats. 2. Multimedia works 100% 3. Adaptive Cruise control works 100% (is being used 2-3 times a week and for about 2000 km every year going on holiday) 4. Holiday gets me to the driving experience. On longer journeys the car is fantastic for a 15 old car. Adaptive Cruise control combined with the driving comfort and height of the passenger seats is making our 2000 km trip each year to an easy peacy. On these trips we use the third row which is perfect for our children. (All are currently below the age of 6) 5. Repairs Of major repairs after 4 years we have replaced some pipes for the Air conditioning and regulators for the suspension. These two fixes amounts to about 4K USD with Air conditioning being the worst with a cost of nearly 3K. In total I believe we have spend about 7K USD on repairs. Maybe a bit less. It has to be said that the Air condition problem was there when we bought the car and therefore also got a discount. Notable. 6. Reliability We have had some problems with power. The no touch door handles had an issue which stole power when the car was turned off. This was captured by Audi after an extensive research. So this definitely has been annoying. Other than that we have had no problems with the car regarding daily reliability. It just works, drives and does its job. I hope this helps future buyers. Feel free to ask in comments and I will try to answer.
Bought a 2014 Q7 TDI with 133k miles. The car is pristine inside and out besides for some weathering on the exterior plastics. Within the first 1k miles, oil cooler started pouring oil all down my driveway. Towed to shop, $3k. A couple months later, DEF sensor failure, fixed myself, part was $300. Couple months later started going into limp mode if you accelerated too hard. Bad injector on cylinder 1, replaced myself, $220 part. Hood wouldn't keep itself open and slammed on my head, replaced both struts myself, $50. Developed small oil leak, likely the rear main seal on the engine, several large drops on driveway every morning. Several thousand dollar repair to fix so now I park it in the grass. Few days after fixing the injector, car started using coolant like crazy but no leaks. Did some troubleshooting, blown head gasket. I've had the car for 20k miles. What a total piece of garbage and I completely regret buying. If anyone is interested in taking it off my hands it's yours for what I still owe on it, $13k. I see a lot of you in the comments saying what great cars they are, I'll even knock the price down to $10K.
Love my TDI Q7! Yup it’s somewhat expensive to maintain. Thankfully the recall covers the EGR etc for free. So far the oil sensor and oil control valve has broken ($800 repair) but it seems rock solid minus that
Enjoyed your video mate, but it looks like I have bought a UNICORN (your words), I purchased my Q7 3.0Tdi 7 years ago for $18k, she (Bertha) had 175000k's on her, well 7 years later she now has 450000k's (mainly highway / country running) on her and is still kicking arse , the biggest problems have been 1. windscreen wiper snapped, alternator, a/c but these were all replaced , she has now done the big lap twice and heaps of interstate trips, so yes we love our big girl.
I just bought an 2017 Audi Q7 at 70k miles. Got a really good deal and she’s been checked out and everything came back good. As a previous Acura MDX owner (255,000 miles) your review makes me feel better about my purchase 🙏🏾😆
Ok, only my Mum's and my experience with our own Q7. Mine is now at 268k My Mums - 350k plus Things that go wrong, yep, theres a few. Do your own maintenance and repair, what I have done so far is a couple of sensors, go to supercheap, they use bosch obd II readers, then google/youtube. Tyres, eats them! Brakes, eats them! Had washing bearing failure, easy fix. The one that does annoy me, is the door handles/actuators fail- f'n hard to fix! Offroad, it has surprised a lot of ppl. All in all, great car to own, I brought it as a daily for the kids to trash, hence door handle issues.
Q7 3.0 TDI 2007 with 421000 km, bought it with 3100000 km 😁😁😁, Reapairs : Injector Seals Brake pads Tires Oil Thats it. I use it to tow a car Trailer. Even with Trailer attached, it accelerates fast💪
I bought a SQ7 2018 this year - best car I have EVER owned - way better than my EClass or 7 Series - simply beautiful and I am getting MORE MPG than either of the other two
MY 2011 USA model has 346,000 MILES AND HAS NEVER GIVEN ME A PROBLEM BESIDES AC COMPRESSOR FAILED AT 300 k ,Normal maintenance still runs and drives like new, v6 model,never uses a drop of oil, I love mine,
In my q7 2011 I Needed only to replace injector washer. Quality is really good and everything is working fine so far. Car has 140k kilometers. Users says tires lasts for approx 20-30k kilometers only as this car is 2.5 tons!
You said the car is Slovakian and not German. Well, yes. But, to be fair, Bratislava is literally across the street from Austria, sooo, how different could it be? I have a 2013 3.0 TDI and LOVE IT! zero problems in almost 10 years.
Years ago, I considered getting a 2nd hand Q7 TDI when looking for a 7-seater. Did a ton of research and went with a Benz R320 CDI instead (would've gotten a GL but wife found it too big) - at 200,000km now and only did the usual: tire, oil, brake and filter changes. Was scared of all the issues being reported by the Q7 owners. Nothing against Audi, I've been driving an A6 for a few years now with no issues.
My wife and I both own our own Q7 Tdi's. Mine is the S line prestige with every option including adaptive suspension and b&o sound package. Hers is a prestige with the tech package. Mine is also modified(Malone stage 2+ with Def and egr delete) and 140k miles on it now. Hers is bone stock with 88k miles on it. Both of them had the same issue that I fixed on my own at the total repair cost of $390 and 20 minutes each to replace. It was the high pressure boost hose that cracked. I also had an issue about a year ago with the passenger wiper arm breaking off that I again, repaired on my own at the total cost of $39 and 15 minutes to replace.. Never had a single other issue with them and we drive the batsh*t out of them including towing loads of rock and huge tree limbs between different properties that we own. I always use the recommended oil for them at the required intervals along with filter(all of them), changes. I just love whenever people say "nice truck" and ask "if it's reliable?" I always reply with well we bought 2 of them and in the past 10 years of traveling up to 5x a month between Baton Rouge and Dallas/Fort Worth, have yet to come across one onside of the road if that helps any. Seen plenty of Expeditions and Tahoes tho.
@@montystevens1949hi I want to buy it Audi 2014 3.0 tdi 7 seater. What is your experience is expensive to own one. Have 4 children oldest 12 year. How is the space . Have a nice time Sorry for to many questions 😂😂😂
I bought a 2004 Toyota Sienna 6 years ago for $5900, with 130,000 miles on it. I've changed fluids as needed, & this weekend I'll change the brakes & rotors, its at 205,000 miles now, ZERO PROBLEMS. I've looked at flashy Audi's, then I look at my bland Toyota, and FULL Wallet !
I just bought a gently used 2015 tdi 3.0 Q7. I deliver home infusion medicine and medical supplies to homes everyday. I had a 2018 hybrid Rav 4 . I had an accident and was looking for a hybrid highlander used . They ran still $32,000 used. They got the same gas mileage like 28 to 32 hwy per gal. However when you looked at the gas tank the tank in the Q7 holds close to 640 miles to the tank of gas. The highlander still had a gas tank of 435 miles. Hybrids you had to change oil at every 5,000 miles the tdi q7 I am changing oil at every 10,000 miles. Yes i may need to get a gas filter eventually to help my tdi milage and hurry up and throw a delete kit on my car. But so far the car has been awesome to drive. My husband has a 2012 q7 he been maintaining his for over a year now. They are not that bad to own. I have put more money in my fords and dodges then on these cars. If you can do most of the maintenance yourself you save alot of money right there. We have the computer to set the sensors onces we work on the stuff. And we are doing great. Looking forward to having a car for many more years.
So, you went and got the most run down q7 you could find and started hanging shit on the whole brand! I've had to get the missus a second hand car due to her riding off her 5yo Lancer and with the money we got back from the insurance we were lucky to find a 2009 audi A3 from an old fella who hardly drove it. Still had the original tyres on it. For the first time, after 18 years in Oz, I felt like I'm in a car again. I've had commodores, falcons, Hyundais and currently I drive a d90. They all feel like you are sitting in a plank of wood with 4 wheels and no suspension. That 14yo A3 though drives as if it was made yesterday! Definitely getting a q7 first chance I get. If you know how to look after a car you will get the longevity out of it
Drove 2.0 3.0 tfsi 50i bmw 2008 quatroporte with 4.3 Ferrari engine.. the whole TH-cam tells me not to buy it.. yet i do. The secret is.. do your homework on the car, know it's flaws.. take care of them upon purchase.. change oil 3-7k km, depending on harshness of use, pray for transmission to stay in tact and have 5k stored in case shit happens. Never had to use that 5k stash in the end. Shopping for 2013- 2015 q7. Thank you so much for the info! All i needed to make up my mind!
owner for more than 7 years of a Q7 4.2 V8 TDI, I live in a very rainy region (puerto varas, chile), mine has already 170,000km, never had a issue, super fast, very safe in icy conditions, very nice stereo too. it's great family car, it even have courtins for the baby in the back. very reliable and safe car
I've got 2014 q7, so comfortable and spacious to drive and yet fuel economical love it for the family, only thing we done do it was change the injector seals
I have had two of these TDI. 2013 and then traded up to a 2015. THe first had a problem with the panoramic window but was resolved. The second has not had much mechanical. Had the TDI upgrade, lowered mpg but cruises down the turnpike and is fun to drive. Had to replace one door handle but the other three work well. Now at 98800 and due for service. The dealer will provide AdBlue but is available at local auto stores and easy to refill. Best car on the mountain here in my development, we watch the BMW's get ditched at the bottom of our hill.
I have a diferent opinion about it i purchased my audi q7 2015 4 years ago with 60k miles and now is 210k i wich that i could take a picture of my dash and the best of it is that looks amazing, so in based to my experience i think that the mos important is where you buy it and the conditions on how you buy it and the maintenance thats all
May be I've been lucky but all my Audi's are extremely reliable and lowest cost to own compared to all my friends other makes. My 2008 Q7 3.6L bought new, it has 65k miles and I haven't spent a dime in fixing it. Yes, the left mirror motor went out. Other than that original battery and everything, 1 set of brakes at 61k miles, 2 sets of tires. It's all about how you keep your car, it's complex and most technicians don't have a clue to diagnose or fix them, hence breaking the car in the process.
I have that same motor, 2009, 140k miles. Worst problems I've had are the panoramic roof leaked because the drain tubes deformed a little. Also had issues with a coil pack melting. Is yours really loud when you accelerate? I've always noticed that and it doesn't have an exhaust leak. It sounds like there's no sound proofing between the motor and cabin. It's always been like that too
@@3dogs1monkey lol okay, yea I've checked with others online, I guess they just thought we were all nascar fans and would like the noise. Enjoy yours, I like mine, seems to age well
BMW owner here who needs a Q7 for towing and three rows of seats. Great info from ReDrive here, the variants and timings of upgrades I’ve always been a bit confused by. I know I’m in for dramas, but it’s a 4.2TDI with three rows of seats, or a mega buck Land Cruiser. I’m a frustrated amateur engine builder, and electronics technician by trade, so think I’ll just be able to keep my head above water.
I have the '15, 3.0 TDI. Positives: Ride and handling are great for a large-ish SUV. It wasn't terribly expensive to buy used. Fuel economy is decent for a large-ish SUV. Negatives: Center console is stupid. Cupholder makes stupid noises when you put a cup in it. Programmed throttle response delay is annoying and dangerous. DPF, EGR and Adblue system burn extra fuel and cause reliability problems. Audi dealer repairs are stupid expensive (I just paid $2,000 USD to replace a thermostat). It's not "luxurious", but costs luxury money to maintain. GPS maps are out of date and Audi wants a bunch of money to update them. My wife hates it.
I remember from the 80's to early 2000's when Audi really did make nice quality long lived and reliable cars. Audi never even made SUVs then, they had the Audi 80 and100 in saloon, estate and cabrio forms and Quattro. Then the golf based A3 came along with the name changes to A4, A6 etc and after that the range started to really expand and reliability started to reduced at the same time. To be honest Hyundai and Kia have caught up to such an extent that their vehicles are just as attractive, more relaible and better built. Just like Re-driven said if you want an Audi Q7, BMW X5, Range Rover or Mercedes ML for the image of looking rich then go ahead and fool yourself out of a lot of your own hard earned cash.
@@davidperry3531 yea, I heard about that especially in America. Although not heard so much about that in the UK, I do recall that Hyundai had a batch of weak clutch plates that wore out too quickly. But you have to put things into perspective, remember Audi price point is much higher, they also had issues with TSI engines blowing up and in the UK ignored helping owners repair just out of warranty. At least Hyundai and Kia have generous warranties, and in general Hyundai and Kia have been quite reliable compared to those premium brands. Audi have gone right down hill for reliability along with all the European marques in my opinion. I am from Europe and would prefer to buy a local Euro box but hear some real horror stories about DSG gear box failures and all sorts of other expensive issues. Jaguar, Merc, Audi, Land Rover and the rest make beautiful cars that drive with class leading dynamics etc, but they go wrong too often, are too expensive to fix and become such a money pit in the end nobody wants to touch them. Technically they are good looking over priced, over engineered junk, and by junk I mean the material choices used for high stress components is junk and the cost of those components turn them into junk.
You probably got bad maintained exemplar. I have Q7 for 2 years. Can say, if you have some knowledge it is easy to fix, pretty cheap (expensive only at dealership), very much info in forums about common diseases and tips how to fix it. With air suspension it is pleasure to drive, difficult to compare with any other car. Fuel consumption? If you looking for economy you buying toyota yaris or public transport ticket. If you looking for comfort, safety and pleasure you taking Q7. I everyday enjoying my travel with this car. Also recommend to buy S-line, with Alcantara seats. 4,2tdi the most optimal between consumption, acceleration and maintenance. But 3.0tdi also powerful enough for everyday ride.
I have a 2009, in the states, with the 3.6 vr6. 140k miles. Probably the worse problem I had was the panoramic roof leaked and I had to drop the headliner and re squeeze the drain tubes. Also had an issue with coil packs melting and burning the spark wires, which had to be spliced to replace. I like it though.
I can’t stop watching reviews of the luxury cars that I really really really want to own one day ONLY to stop myself ever making that mistake in future 😂 BTW love your work guys 👌
No bro if you like something and 1st if you can afford it then get it you have 1 little life so buy 1 with warranty sell it before it runs out of warranty easy
7:48 My '10 TDI does fantastic off-road. Especially now that they are much cheaper, off-roading/overlanding these is quite popular. More so with the Cayenne & T-reg but the Q7 is definitely capable so it's worth checking for the damage (missing/damaged underbody plastic is a good sign it's been romped) Overall after 5 years with our '10 TDI as our daily driver in the states, we absolutely love it. We paid around $13k for ours & you get so much for so little. It's great for road trips, towing campers/trailers, hauling kids & dogs, & even mid-level off-roading with just adding AT tires. I will say it is rather inexpensive to repair IF you are doing the work yourself. I'm a hobbyist mechanic/car builder (by no means a pro) & the issues that have come up have been easily fixed in a few hours on a Saturday. I did buy an aftermarket powertrain warranty just to cover the major stuff that's out of my depth. The bad: interior quality is disappointing to say the least. The center console hinges easily break when dealing with AZ heat. Due to the heat, a lot of interior adhesives have weakened or failed. All of those have been easily fixed & improved in my driveway though (including the seat back issue he showed). Same for the leaking washer fluid jets & wiper arm disconnect at the bearing. Aside from upgrades I've done, in 5 years I'd say we have around $1500-2,000 into repairs & maintenance (plus about 6-7 days of work) which is almost as cheap as my Subaru.
Thankyou for the comment and info. As someone who DOESN'T do work on my own cars, if I owned the car you describe it would have cost me a lot more, or I would have had to put up with a lot of frustrations that you've been able to fix yourself. I applaud your abilities as a hobbyist mechanic, but I still see this as something of a warning for more mechanically useless folk like me!
@@TopherField you are absolutely correct! They are an amazing value IF you can do the work yourself or have a trusted VW group mechanic. When we first bought it, we took it to Audi for an inspection & was told the brake job would be almost $6k... $550 to upgrade the brakes & do it myself lol
Kyle did you have any issue with the injector pump imploding and grenading turbo and injectors ? From the TDI forums it’s seems like a recurring issue . I’ve had the TDI Passat in the past and have taken a hiatus from diesel . The Q7 may get me back. Like yourself I do a lot of my own tooling but as I get older I’d rather enjoy the view from the top than underneath. Even with Vag com lol. What exactly was the Dieselgate warranty and when does it expire ? Thanks
@@chrisdoe6890 I did have the high pressure fuel pump fail at 130k miles. I was going to do the repair myself & it was going to be able $4k in parts (pump, injectors, regulator, etc). I had already ordered the parts when a friend of mine said to take it to Audi & see if they will cover it. I was over the 120k warranty on the pump but it ended up being covered under one of the diesel gate catch-all warranties. Following the TSB they replaced every from fuel tank forward but turbos were not affected. The bill would have been about $11k but I just had to pay for gas in the loaner car (got to drive a new A5 for 2 weeks). I can't speak for the other TDI's but this CATA 3.0 engine is amazing. I've towed 8,000lbs at 85mph on the freeways with relative ease. It gets 25-28mpg on all-terrains on the highway (despite being a 7k lb tank). Definitely one of the most well-balanced vehicles I've owned (had around 30). I don't know the details of the dieselgate warranties other than it saved me from a few weeks of work & my vehicle is covered until 160k miles. I do know that VAG cares a lot about PR & impressions of owners (I know a few have gotten non-warranty work covered just because they asked & made a case) so my guess is this one is a result of the trouble they got in & that customer focus
Just purchased 2011 Q7 S line 3.0 Diesel. Just thought I would add that there is a compartment under drivers seat with an Audi branded first aid kit. Also in rear well where spare is there is a small portable air compressor on the left hand side to inflate your tyres. Again Audi branded. The fuel economy is amazing for such a big vehicle. I was driving a Mitsi Pagero Sport on lease previously which is thirstier than the Audi with a smaller engine.
I’ve owned a 2007 3.0tdi BUG engined sline Q7 since it was 1 yr old. I’ve had 14years of reliability and solid performance catering as the family “battle bus” and trackday towing machine. I’ve done most of the mechanical servicing and repairs myself and honestly in that 14 years I’d say I’ve only spent @ €3000 on parts that are not normal service consumables (wishbones, injector seals, one injector leak off pipe, powersteering pump, rear wiper motor, MMI board for the infotainment, and blower motor). I’ve never kept a car so long, it’s reliability and comfort meant it was hard to justify changing it. I felt that the newer q7 just offered a nicer cabin environment. BMW 5 series were unreliable engine wise and my wife didn’t like XC90’s 😂 Unfortunately the most difficult part of ownership these days is the fuel consumption and high road tax (@€1600 PA in Ireland). So a change is finally coming!
"738 lb-ft for those of you using a stupid unit of measurement." "Enough torque to alter the rotation of the globe." "50 shades of beige." "You've got a spot for life's filth and history, and your secrets down here. And which in this car, there are quite a few." "..verging into motoring journalist wanker speak with you know, steering nuance and all that sort of bullshit." "... when you're driving something the size of a decent two-bedroom home in Sydney..." The wit, candid Aussie humour, and definitely Aussie unfiltered opinion, is something that draws me back like a magnet. You've nailed the script and it gets better with every video! All the praise aside though, this channel ought to be a mandatory watch for anyone going to buy a used car. I don't think I've commented as much on YT but I cannot recommend your content enough.
Ah Pavit thank you so so much mate. You are too too kind and we appreciate this so much. Honestly, it's comments like your that keep us striving forward. - AK
Currently have a 2017 Q7 3.0tdi in bits, oil cooler gasket, assorted plastic coolant fittings all leaking coolant, only done 100,000km. It also has rh rocker cover leak and rear main leak. 1 headlight is about $3500 - $4000 not including the labor involved.
Just purchased a 2013 Q7 Premium Plus 3.0 TFSI. 53.000 miles. Like the drive, now will see how expensive it will be to maintain. My other option was a MB GLS 450 but price was $20k more for similar year and mileage.
My 2013 tdi had some injector issues and needed some rotor work done. Right now it is having dpf issue, but it is at 140k miles and we did a lot of short trips around town last 2 years. No issue on this car so far made it undriveable and it is quite a tank all things considered. It's a gen 2.1 3.0 tdi.
I couldn't help but notice that the tone of your voice is as you are scolding the car, not presenting it. That (and the comments below) make me wonna buy a Q7
I ended up buying a 2015 x5 rather than one of these and I’m so glad I did. The x5 has its issues but no where near as bad as this. The motor has been perfect.
I have owned the top of the line Premium Plus. I know of many professionals that own them. I don't know where the cars that have those problems are made, but the ones that are completely trouble free are the vast majority of them. Of course, your channel wouldn't be popular if you couldn't dig up problems, so the conflict is huge.
I can see 30 down votes, who on earth down voted this video? It's probably one of the best car reviews I've seen on the Q7. I've got a 10 year old Merc E class with over 105k miles and it's had a couple of faults in the 7 years I've owned it costing me £2k over the years (other than usual servicing and consumables). Nothing rattles or squeaks, and the interior still looks like new, despite 2 kids and numerous 1000 mile road trips across Europe. Really surprised at the interior trim issues on that Q7. Very disappointing and unless Audi have massively improved the quality on the newer model I'll be giving it a miss. In case anyone wanted to know what went wrong with the Merc, blower motor and regulator, rear subframe rusted out from the inside (yeah, I was surprised at that one, apparently the new one has been redesigned with better drain holes and will last forever, which is nice).
1) what’s the deal with VAG cars in Australia? They’re very reliable here in Europe. 2) who the hell buys a 7 seat SUV and doesn’t option in rear seat pockets behind the front?
I have a 2008 q7 3.6 quatro and it drives smooth , it’s my second Audi I also have a 2011 a3 s line 2 t that does give me a bit of problems but wear n tears .
LR(s) unfortunately always reserve the bottom of the list when it comes to reliability, such a shame for a beautiful car with heritage. I hope someday they manage to at least jack it up to above average.
This is much too harsh - you run the risk of scaring people off what are some of the most practical, capable, comfortable and reliable used cars out there. I’ve owned 3 mark 1 Q7s, a 2006, 2011 & 2015, all 3.0 TDi V6s. Some of the issues you report I’ve experienced namely the blower fan however generally speaking they have been trouble free and lovely cars to drive. If you buy a well looked after Q7 with a full Audi service history you’ll be rewarded with many many trouble free miles (or kilometres for the Aussies)!
Definitely get a black interior one with the plus or premium interior. Look for the climate control for that back. Then it gets MUCH nicer. Base is bland for sure. Only thing you missed was the tow capacity. 7000lbs for my American one. Great video though! In the US minus Honda and Toyota all cars are terrible for reliability so it’s actually average lol.
Had one, 10 years old with 80,000 miles,lovely drive, but constant battery drain, air suspension issues, rattle trim pieces, Eats tyres for fun,had to go after 18 months of ownership.
I bought my 3.o TDI S-Line 18 years ago in 2006 and its a dream. Its is as good today as the day i got it. The exhsust is still as clean as day 1. Probsbly because I drive the shite out of it all the time. Now iys not perfect it keeps sinking on the front right air unit. I pulled it out and couldnt find sny fault. I replaced the air retention valve but its still the same. I have had swirl flap wear issue so i replaced the control link arms. I took the intake manifold off to see if it was clogged up or about to explode but it was surprisingly clean... so i put it back. I chsnge the oil e wry 2 or three years if it starts to look dark so that is about 3ok intervsls and meantime it drinks about half a liter. Thr biggest problem i have had is the brake master cylinder needs replacing as pedal not always biting in the same spot and it feels like more braking goes to the back if not used for a few mins. Ironically, Audi have refused to do it as they want to replace the discs pads fluid tyres at the same time. It has new tyres but not stsmped Audi. They did the fluid change recently and broke a bleed nipple at the time so they also want to change the whole calliper but a pair not just one side. The discs and pads are 90% but they didn't supply them so they say they can't guarantee any work on master cylinder on its own. Its not losing fluid but i dont like knowing it's bypassing one of the intwrnal seals. When i paid 101400 Euro for this car i never would have expected this would be my problem. Vut its a fa tastic car, van, towing beast ( oh yes i also got the full towing package so it has double transmission coolers) PS i haven't changed the serpentine belt or transmission fluid yet... don't want to jinx it. What on earth will i buy next?
Our 2006 4.2 petrol is great. Serviced regularly, sounds great. No troubles apart from I want to change the MMI to a model touch screen system. Ours has limo blacked out windows all round on silver car. Love these cars, luxury to drive. Took a while to work out how to sort the lights out when towing. Needed resisters on the cables to the trailer.
@@Seriesxnation hi, it has 141,000km. It has the button start/stop and key if you want to use a key. I’m going to put a roof rack on and draws in the huge boot.
As an Audi Owner, the front ashtray on that car didn't appear to be broken. It needs to be 'clicked' in for it to stay open, hence why it was closing on you.
How do these German car makers build things that look and feel so indestructible when new, yet explode like an origami swan filled with C4 when they rack up a few miles? It astonishes me.
UK Q7 2012 V8 Tdi 4.2 66000 miles FASH owner here - Leather and plastics seem better in mine (UK so less heat/sunshine I expect), tires last for ages, 1 failed blower motor (noisy bearings), failed rear wiper motor (twice)(washer fluid leaks and corrodes slip rings inside the gearbox), ride is choppy always has been, you can see every space in the car park but won't fit in any of them. Use mine 7-up with kids and grandkids so they can leave their car at home when we have a family day out. Amusingly quick at the traffic light races, 20mpg fast fun day out, 25mpg sensible driving, 30mpg best careful driving long-distance. Might have a V12 if I could find a bargain - you only live once.
Have in the States, Honda and Toyota are the only two brands that I know of where the build quality of their cars made outside the US (here or in Canada) are as good as the Hondas and Toyotas built in Japan. The quality control is just amazing ❤.
Yes correct. + transmission wiring loom 3k and wiper motor $20 after market the power winds ( fixed myself free) and all the trim issues and door sag( fixed with shims) and the left hand side clunky noise when turning and the broken speaker..... very nice family car. Payed 23k for a 2012 in 2021. Not totally disappointed. New what I was getting into......... so fare......😅
I have had some expenses on my Audi Q7 tdi to maintain it and it’s a have a car and rotors brake pads and tires go fast , I bought it new 2015 I had minor stuff to fix I love it I won’t change it with other cars it’s not the best but it it’s decent
I have the 2012 TDI and it's just turned over 340,000 miles. I have replaced a wheel bearing (front), Injector seals (twice) and the battery. (other than oil, tires, brakes, etc). I am not nice to it, I tow with it (sometimes exceeding max) I occasionally offroad with it and love hooning about in winter. It still looks mostly new and doesn't even have a tear in the leather yet. It's been the most problem free, trustworthy vehicle I've ever owned by a very large margin.
I got an 2007 and it's never failed me!!!
complete inverse here, dpf problems, inner V turned into a pool of oil and coolant sledge, tailgate motor failure (just that is about 1000)
What about the timing belt??
@@Sevenseas0 it's a chain and the engine has to get out, usually lasts more than 160k km. For that you are looking at a $4000 bill minimum. For some people it lasts for the lifetime of the car (250k KM) others notice a rattle and it needs to get fixed asap
@@mewanksta11 Only issue with the Q7 is you have to catch the problems on its early stages. My coolant was very slowly dropping and I needed to clean out all the soot of the intake anyways (120k miles). Noticed the common leak coming from the EGR cooler and got it fixed. From the 2 years I've owned it, the only other problems I had were the common dumb ones. (Blower motor, front seat backs falling, cleaning out clogged water drains) This all costed me maybe $300 in parts/consumables so it wasn't bad by any means. I have a 15' TDI. I think a majority of shortcomings can easily be found/fixed when you remove the intake manifold for routine cleaning.
I have a 2007 Audi Q7. It’s 2023 and it’s still my favorite car. I have a charger and a Benz and the Audi is still my go to car. Audi for life ❤
Same here... I have an 2007 and my BMW cost me triple in repair cost and my Q7 never failed me.
Just bought a 2007 Audi Q7 3L TDI on auction and it is the most beautiful drive I have experienced. I had electrical cabling redone and a few things here and there and it is perfect. It is 2024 and I think this car has kept up with modern cars.
Good to hear I hope to get the same experience from the 2016 Q7 TDI I recently purchased,
I love how it drives for an SUV it handles sensationally well.
I'm an Audi enthusiast and am on my 4th Audi A4 S-line for the following reasons:
1.) I am stupid
2.) I love the four rings (refer to reason #1)
3.) Quattro (again, refer to reason #1)
4.) Rally, IMSA, and Lemans history.
5.) I hate surplus money (I'm American).
You’re the most honest person we’ve ever witnessed
My A4 has been great.
I'm amazed because I've owned two and both have been great. They have quirks but all cars do. I've worked for various automotive manufactures for over 10 years and what most people don't know is most parts for different manufacturers are made by same suppliers...we did Honda, Mercedes, Tesla, and Jeep parts out of same plant...
What plant?
I drove Audi Q7 for last 7 years its a TDI, never had a problem, besides the VW Diesel classaction lawsuit that replaced the exhaust system. Its important to have good tires on it because if you use cheap rubber like Nitto tires, your ride will be very hard and jumpy and if you use Bridgestone Alenza tires it will be the best ride you ever had. I currently have 117,000 miles on it and drove it around west coast from Los Angeles to Vancouver and Arizona and Texas.
Didn't realize tyres could make that sort of difference
is yours airbag suspension?
No conventional suspension
The 2012-2015 Q7 is one of the most beautiful curvaceous SUVs.
AGREED
YESSSS YESSSS YESSS now
Is a LGBTQ mess with rainbow leds and carbon fiber suede and some fake leather…
@@yurieu5872LOLLL yes and these are better than the cayenne they just handle better if you find a good example I have had mine since 2014 bought it full loaded and it’s been lovely I don’t have any issues that he talks about and mine will probably last longer than the new ones
we are countin 2010-2015 ong.
@@zycer3434 yes
I have one in Qld, currently 11 0000 kms, 21" 295 wheels S line. No problems with braking. Stops plenty quick for its weight. Impressively quick actually. I've taken it out to a back road and slammed the brakes on at 110kmh and it stopped far quicker and in a much shorter distance than most other cars I've owned. Stable, super comfortable, excellent driving experience. Had it 2 years, got it with 62000 kms, still in love with this car and I've had a few beemers in the past. Had an issue with the aircon blower under the dash, was an easy DIY replacement. In sports, not really slow, for a heavy beast, it's actually fast. I have to use cruise control a fair bit because it's actually too easy to end up over any speed limit due to the comfort in the driving not making you aware of your actual speed. Great family car, the 7 seats are useful when you need the extra ones, huge luggage space when you need it too. Tows any trailer in its towing range effortlessly. I've towed everything there is for it so far except a caravan and it handled the weight like it wasn't even there. Worth every cent I paid for it. Services I do at a local mechanic, you don't have to use Audi. 3.0 Tdi V6.
Funny, because the Q7 are more expensive than the Cayenne here in Germany. Also interesting that outside of Germany, suddenly Audi becomes unreliable. Here they are easy to get to 400.000, owned over 20 different Audis across the board and 600.000km and had less problems than my friends and colleagues in Honda, french or American cars. Range Rover isn't mentioned, they come with problems from factory. Not to mention BMW and Mercedes, awful reliability. Currently own a Touareg from 2002 which runs perfectly with 290.000km. Seems many countries aren't into maintenance
Audi (VAG) Australia don't recognise many of the tsb's/recalls Audi Germany does so the owners pay a lot more or drive with known issues.
@leighname1059 I don't know how that would apply to 20 or 30 year old Audis. And still, the past year Audi had amongst the least recalls of all manufacturers and at least in Germany is amongst the most reliable used cars in the statistics from many different magazines and technical institutions.
Well I would partially disagree. Audis are known to be quite shit, to be fair. Even in Europe. There has not been a good engine for an audi since early 2000s, for example. BMW’s can be shit as well, but they can also be absolutely brilliant if you know which one to buy, same with Mercedes. P.s. - I was a mechanic and have quite a few mechanics in friend groups, this is not isolated opinion.
@karliszemitis3356 Well, to be fair, you are wrong. Many Audis are leading in terms of reliability in used car statistics. Amongst them Q5, A1, TT and A6.
Those cars are leading in their classes across multiple journals, auto clubs and TÜV statistics. Only two BMWs and only two Mercedes are present in reliability statistics. Among them the GLK and 5er F10. So your opinion and those of your buddies are true, in your frame of reference. I owned 26 different Audis and currently own 6, so my opinion would differ from yours. But I'm not talking about my experience in different dealerships and free workshops, since then BMW and Mercedes would rival french cars in terms of electrical and weird engine problems. The last good engines from Audi were the 3.0TDIs, although only those pre DPF and 2.0TDI with up to 190PS. The 4.0TDI in the A8 was good, but from 2003 to 2004, so not late enough. But I aggree, Audis past 2003 are largely far behind their previous quality.
The 3.0 TDI made Ward's top 10 engine list. Mines been rock solid and going on 130k miles with still over 10k miles of warranty left from the diesel gate mods. I feel this video could have been much more informative like other videos on TH-cam that look at this vehicle. My EGR went out at 120k miles under warranty, I replaced the blower and driver window switch controller and had to regrease/lube the rear gate latch after it started sticking at extremely low temps, causing it not to close all at around 105k miles. I also replaced all the drive train fluids at 100k miles and replaced the transmission filter which desperately needed it. I've put less money into my q7 than any other vehicle I've owned for this amount of time. Can't wait for the emissions warranty to be up so I can delete the exhaust and get back to 35 mpg. If you're looking at one get one between 12-14. Don't get a 2015 or one from before 2012. Don't get the air suspension, lane keeping or auto cruise control features. You'll thank me later.
What's wrong with the 2015's? I just purchased a used one and this video is terrifying me....
@@vipersb1 the oil burned at 110,000 mile and the the air blower at 80,000 miles need to change.
Wich ones don't have air suspension?
@@daniel27560 Air suspension is the best that you can get. don´t listen to him. we have now over 200k miles down and everything works great. Also it is a 2011 model and still the best with no issues so far
@@jiggijames8990 all original parts? Or what's been replaced
Just got a 2015 Q7 TDI. Came with a coolent leak. Fortunately to get to it many engine parts had to be removed and those to be replaced were covered by the extended warranty. Now check engine light is on so maybe more fun. Love the car. Drives like a dream. Plenty of power and that’s good because I got it to pull my boat. Your video scares me but has given me things to look for. The road awaits!
You need to delete it. its expensive even dyi. The fuel pump went out in my jetta tdi. i have it in my garage tearing it down. removing the dpf, egr, swirl flaps in the intake a cp3 fuel pump and a tune. Reading other posts on forums people get 52-52mpg afterward. im looking into a tdi q7 now.
If you're going to buy a used Q7 and already know it's a horrible idea, you might as well go balls-deep and get one with the V12 TDI.
LOL@ horrible idea. There's V12 on carsales for $80k - just need another $80k sinking fund to maintain it.
Have a v12 tdi parked in the garage with 60 000ks and I absolutely love the thing. It's kept mainly as the long distance holiday vehicle.
On the open road sticking to 120kph it easily returns 9.5 L per 100km and then when you get further out into the country side where the chances of encountering law enforcement is slim to none and you plant your right foot it is absolutely astonishing. It really is a marvel to drive and that motor adds so much character.
Now that’s the kind of attitude I needed to hear
Hahahahaha
@@jjbrown396 i have one too and i love it to death. Pulls like crazy yet gets good fuel economy, relatively speaking
Currently have 2 Q7 TDI's, a 2013 Prestige and a 2015 Premium Plus. Both from new. No problems with either. The 2013 is at 135k miles and the 2015 is at 100K miles. The arm rest creeping was annoying. I put silicone grease on the rubber stops and that seemed to solve the squeek for a while. Then I replaced the rubber bumpers with felt tabs off of Amazon. Noise is gone. Just make sure to clean the mounting surface with alcohol before applying the round felt tabs. Both of these have a Bose sound system with sub woofer, the 2015 has a JBL sub that fit's into the same space as the smaller Bose sub.
Be sure to clean the AC condensor drains every couple of years and your golden.
The 2013 did have a wiper blade launch into space. The replacement looks to be an improvement.
BTW, not sure why your OZ interior is so bad, both of our interiors are still very nice with no issues or wear.
The honesty in these videos is so refreshing. You guys are doing amazing work and a great service to car enthusiasts everywhere!
Thanks so much mate! Stoked you’re enjoying the vids
We have one it's done 450,000kms. Service it every 10,000kms. No major issues. Just don't go to Audi for servicing.
It's actually had less issues than my husband's land cruiser and much cheaper to run averaging 7 to 10l of Diesel per 100k.
I have owned my 2011 Q7 for close to 8 years now. I have the V8 diesel, just on the second set of tyres after 100,000km in my ownership. 1 set of brakes, 1 battery and a service once a year at my local mechanic, nothing broken, nothing wrong. Averages around 10 litres per hundred k's. Like any car if you look after it, you will usually get a good ownership experience in return. These cars are not meant for a city runabout, use it for a country tourer and get a small hatchback for the city.
Any problems with your Ad Blue system?
@@dubson461 lol going thru that right now
I would have to say that any car which is 7-17 years old can have issues especially as you are looking at cars over such a huge age gap. A 17 year old Lexus or land cruiser will definitely also have issues. I would have appreciated a review of perhaps up to 10 years old and then 10 to 17 years old as being more appropriate and informative to me as someone looking to buy a car . Another thing is purchase price, on a previous comment you said a Lexus or land cruiser were a good alternative. Really??? $30 000 for a 2014 Q7 compared to $75 000 + for a land cruiser very big difference in price! If comparing cars of the same vintage, prices should also be a factor. Thanks
My friend who is a diesel mechanic, he has a Q7 Diesel from 2010, he told me that only the Q7 or Q5 3.0 Diesel up to 2010 are good and reliable vehicles because the engine it has is excellent, but all of them are from 2011 onwards. top Audi made a change and began to implement many plastic parts in the vehicle and that is the reason for many problems it has.
I'd thata the only problem I'm buying one and I love smoking all this is an anti ad for me
In case you didn;t know, the glove box actually also doubles as a small fridge. Most owners miss that detail...
What do you mean exactly? Like drinks stay cool if you have the ac on? Or what did you mean thanks 🙏
I had opened mine the other day and felt the cold breeze from within.....I just thought a spirit had come out!
Common knowledge
This is quickly becoming one of my favourite car channels.
Thanks so much!
just wrote the same under their other video haha
i love this. i see alot of Q7 and i dont know why they allways are broken down i love their shape and id like to own one.
Consider the Q7 as a three row Touareg. The Touareg was a two row only SUV. Also because both the Touareg and the Q7 got some very torquey diesels. Painful that they discontinued the V8, it was one of their most reliable engines, that's not saying much.
So… Q7 owner here, bought used 2015 last of the 4L range and as long as you buy with that in mind, you’ll likely have limited issues. The engines were well upgraded from an injector POV, making them infinitely reliable (refer to the multiple Facebook groups) . Repairs have become quite cheap, with front tyres and brakes being a typical issue with any large SUV. Have used it as a large Ute, towing, cement in the boot, 700kg of tiles etc and it’s handled it like a beast (on air suspension even). This drives, pulls , and handles waaay better than our other big SUV (2017 disco 4). These engines have been seen to go over 500kkm (over 700k in one I’ve seen),with just gooood servicing. I’m Now getting an aftermarket warranty (@ 135kkm) and looking forward to many more miles. But crikey it’s hideous, any angle, without 21” wheels it is just a hefelump of note, just get in and with black leather no issues noted with stretching, but the sunroof creak is the only one I’ve noticed which is inconsistent with the brand.
How it holding up?
I have a 3.0 T 2014 with 130k no problems at besides oil changes, & brake pads the only thing that needed to be replaced was the blower motor and I replaced that myself. Overall good car for me…
Me too my friend, no issues, and just minor replacements which is nice!
Got a 2013, had it 7 years and that's had zero problems too, in fact i'm currently saving for a 2020 model, if you need a 7 seater it doesn't get much better than an Audi Q7
Yea, I have a Q7 and it's a beast. Mine is way back 2006, and I have had the engine knock once, my air condition fails every year. 😂 . I still love and drive it!
Plan on buying a 2014 and the comments are conflicting from the video lol. I think I’ll move forward and grab it
LOL i honestly think that to review something you need to own it and he has no clue what his talking about. I own one and love it. If the TDI injectors mess around, all it needs is a good clean. People generally dont drive this cars as long as they should (open road).
This guy has no idea. They are great
😂😂😂 me too, looking at the comments and my guy here. Im f... confused, but i love this car. Im getting one soon ❤
8 months later and I *LOVE* this truck
@EchoRhythmMusic i dont think i have to tell u that you made a brilliant choice 😂🤣😂. Glad you are happy and made the right choice despite the conflicting reviews.
Interesting story. My uncle was one of the first people in South Africa to get a Q7 when they launched. He hardly had it and noticed that the dashboard was starting to melt. Took it back to Audi whereby they ended up giving him a different Q7. Later found out that Audi had send engineers from Germany to investigate this problem. Still don't know what caused it to this day
my uncle had a issue with his first one.
Maybe the sun causerd it! 😮
Maybe the heat from the electricity or the heat from the engine caused it to melt
My 2014 Q7 TDI has been rock solid.
I spent 15K on service over 4 years with my 2008 Audi Q7 4.2 I recommend getting the 3.0T version 2012 or newer
doing what?
Replacing the entire drive train.. twice?
Had 2006 3.0TDI facelift 5 seater, s-line saloon, ordinary suspension back in 2015 with 160k kilometres, right before MK2 release. It was something extra, everybody thought that this was a new car, till this day I love facelift design. Long story short: Had it for 2 years, then my parents used it for 4 years (sold it last year with 230k km). For 2 years it didn't have any major issues despite driving pretty hard (nobody expected me to go hard into a corner with this 2.3 ton elephant, rip front tyres sidewalls, also experienced that legendary Audi understeer even more in this car :D), luckily it passed MOT on it's own. 14l/100km (10l at best if you drive slower than granny) in town doesn't seem economical, especially in these days. In those 6 years there was probably 2000 eur invested in this car for various small repairs (starter, passenger door lock, electrical problems). We were very lucky, because there was no engine, transmission repairs. After those years Q7 depreciated 50% and next owner had 1500Eur, probably injector repair job instantly, I believe transmission was counting it's last days also. So yeah, despite all that I still love that car, but I would never recommend to buy Q7 today (especially old Q7 with high mileage, 171 kw engine), it is VERY expensive to run, various electronic problems after winter could make you go crazy, just buy universal or hatchback, especially if you drive alone most of the time :). Q7 today are 20-30% more expensive so it's really not worth to buy it, but if you really want it, probably choose engine with 180kw, cheaper to run, lower mileage, so it should last longer (even better if previous owner changed timing chain, transmission). P.S. Glad I found this channel last year, absolutely fantastic content, definitely one of the very few car review channels that I actually enjoy watching. The value of knowledge that you put out for us for free is priceless. Thank you! Greetings from Lithuania, Europe. :)
Have a 2009 3.6 l Q7 and runs great only had a water leak which I manage to fix and purchased a new Bose board amplifier and it’s been working great since 2017. Still have it and very reliable.
Buying this exact car this week and was having second thoughts. This video is the only negative review I’ve seen on this car yet! I’m happy you still had good things to say about it it. I’ve fallen in love already 😂
I might be a bit biased as an Audi Q7 owner but here is some of our experience with the car.
Model 2007 with the 3.0 diesel 233 HP. Bought in 2018.
1. No lose Seat back. All is as from factory (and we have 3 children kicking etc. on the seats.
2. Multimedia works 100%
3. Adaptive Cruise control works 100% (is being used 2-3 times a week and for about 2000 km every year going on holiday)
4. Holiday gets me to the driving experience.
On longer journeys the car is fantastic for a 15 old car. Adaptive Cruise control combined with the driving comfort and height of the passenger seats is making our 2000 km trip each year to an easy peacy.
On these trips we use the third row which is perfect for our children. (All are currently below the age of 6)
5. Repairs
Of major repairs after 4 years we have replaced some pipes for the Air conditioning and regulators for the suspension. These two fixes amounts to about 4K USD with Air conditioning being the worst with a cost of nearly 3K. In total I believe we have spend about 7K USD on repairs. Maybe a bit less. It has to be said that the Air condition problem was there when we bought the car and therefore also got a discount. Notable.
6. Reliability
We have had some problems with power. The no touch door handles had an issue which stole power when the car was turned off. This was captured by Audi after an extensive research. So this definitely has been annoying.
Other than that we have had no problems with the car regarding daily reliability. It just works, drives and does its job.
I hope this helps future buyers. Feel free to ask in comments and I will try to answer.
Bought a 2014 Q7 TDI with 133k miles. The car is pristine inside and out besides for some weathering on the exterior plastics. Within the first 1k miles, oil cooler started pouring oil all down my driveway. Towed to shop, $3k. A couple months later, DEF sensor failure, fixed myself, part was $300. Couple months later started going into limp mode if you accelerated too hard. Bad injector on cylinder 1, replaced myself, $220 part. Hood wouldn't keep itself open and slammed on my head, replaced both struts myself, $50. Developed small oil leak, likely the rear main seal on the engine, several large drops on driveway every morning. Several thousand dollar repair to fix so now I park it in the grass. Few days after fixing the injector, car started using coolant like crazy but no leaks. Did some troubleshooting, blown head gasket. I've had the car for 20k miles. What a total piece of garbage and I completely regret buying. If anyone is interested in taking it off my hands it's yours for what I still owe on it, $13k. I see a lot of you in the comments saying what great cars they are, I'll even knock the price down to $10K.
I love my 4.2 V8 2008 never had any problem keep
Your parts and service on time I promise you’ll
Be happy
looking to get a 4.2 Q7 but scared from the timing chain issues.
@@Seriesxnationdon’t need to be scared Mine is 08. And runs beautifully
Love my TDI Q7! Yup it’s somewhat expensive to maintain. Thankfully the recall covers the EGR etc for free. So far the oil sensor and oil control valve has broken ($800 repair) but it seems rock solid minus that
I’ve been having problems with the Ad Blue system.
About to replace second system.
Enjoyed your video mate, but it looks like I have bought a UNICORN (your words), I purchased my Q7 3.0Tdi 7 years ago for $18k, she (Bertha) had 175000k's on her, well 7 years later she now has 450000k's (mainly highway / country running) on her and is still kicking arse , the biggest problems have been 1. windscreen wiper snapped, alternator, a/c but these were all replaced , she has now done the big lap twice and heaps of interstate trips, so yes we love our big girl.
I just bought an 2017 Audi Q7 at 70k miles. Got a really good deal and she’s been checked out and everything came back good. As a previous Acura MDX owner (255,000 miles) your review makes me feel better about my purchase 🙏🏾😆
One thing that I reckon would really add value to this video would be to recommend an alternative *if* you don’t recommend this car
Great idea mate! - AK
Ok, only my Mum's and my experience with our own Q7.
Mine is now at 268k
My Mums - 350k plus
Things that go wrong, yep, theres a few.
Do your own maintenance and repair, what I have done so far is a couple of sensors, go to supercheap, they use bosch obd II readers, then google/youtube.
Tyres, eats them!
Brakes, eats them!
Had washing bearing failure, easy fix.
The one that does annoy me, is the door handles/actuators fail- f'n hard to fix!
Offroad, it has surprised a lot of ppl.
All in all, great car to own, I brought it as a daily for the kids to trash, hence door handle issues.
Q7 3.0 TDI 2007 with 421000 km, bought it with 3100000 km 😁😁😁,
Reapairs :
Injector Seals
Brake pads
Tires
Oil
Thats it.
I use it to tow a car Trailer.
Even with Trailer attached, it accelerates fast💪
شكلك فى الخليج يا عم هانى
العربية جميلة بس تحسها مش ل جو الخليج ...
انا بأه عملتها معايا ف حاجة تانيه خالص
الموتور كله 😁 !!
Very accurate video! Love my Q7 and it always puts a smile on your face. Get black interior as it feels much more modern, beige is horrendous!
I think brown/beige is more modern. Black is meh.
@@sobc2737 The beige is awful, mostly because it wears so badly
I bought a SQ7 2018 this year - best car I have EVER owned - way better than my EClass or 7 Series - simply beautiful and I am getting MORE MPG than either of the other two
currently looking to trade my jeep in for one, I'm scared to make the jump 😭
@@michelleblanco3320 do not be - amazing car and wonderful to drive 👍👍
That is a very Oldman one, I purchased a 4 years old sq7 and it has been perfect so far
MY 2011 USA model has 346,000 MILES AND HAS NEVER GIVEN ME A PROBLEM BESIDES AC COMPRESSOR FAILED AT 300 k ,Normal maintenance still runs and drives like new, v6 model,never uses a drop of oil, I love mine,
In my q7 2011 I Needed only to replace injector washer. Quality is really good and everything is working fine so far. Car has 140k kilometers. Users says tires lasts for approx 20-30k kilometers only as this car is 2.5 tons!
wat engine you have
You said the car is Slovakian and not German. Well, yes. But, to be fair, Bratislava is literally across the street from Austria, sooo, how different could it be? I have a 2013 3.0 TDI and LOVE IT! zero problems in almost 10 years.
Years ago, I considered getting a 2nd hand Q7 TDI when looking for a 7-seater. Did a ton of research and went with a Benz R320 CDI instead (would've gotten a GL but wife found it too big) - at 200,000km now and only did the usual: tire, oil, brake and filter changes. Was scared of all the issues being reported by the Q7 owners.
Nothing against Audi, I've been driving an A6 for a few years now with no issues.
My wife and I both own our own Q7 Tdi's. Mine is the S line prestige with every option including adaptive suspension and b&o sound package. Hers is a prestige with the tech package. Mine is also modified(Malone stage 2+ with Def and egr delete) and 140k miles on it now. Hers is bone stock with 88k miles on it. Both of them had the same issue that I fixed on my own at the total repair cost of $390 and 20 minutes each to replace. It was the high pressure boost hose that cracked. I also had an issue about a year ago with the passenger wiper arm breaking off that I again, repaired on my own at the total cost of $39 and 15 minutes to replace.. Never had a single other issue with them and we drive the batsh*t out of them including towing loads of rock and huge tree limbs between different properties that we own. I always use the recommended oil for them at the required intervals along with filter(all of them), changes. I just love whenever people say "nice truck" and ask "if it's reliable?" I always reply with well we bought 2 of them and in the past 10 years of traveling up to 5x a month between Baton Rouge and Dallas/Fort Worth, have yet to come across one onside of the road if that helps any. Seen plenty of Expeditions and Tahoes tho.
@@montystevens1949hi
I want to buy it Audi 2014 3.0 tdi 7 seater. What is your experience is expensive to own one. Have 4 children oldest 12 year. How is the space . Have a nice time
Sorry for to many questions 😂😂😂
I bought a 2004 Toyota Sienna 6 years ago for $5900, with 130,000 miles on it.
I've changed fluids as needed, & this weekend I'll change the brakes & rotors, its at 205,000 miles now, ZERO PROBLEMS.
I've looked at flashy Audi's, then I look at my bland Toyota, and FULL Wallet !
I just bought a gently used 2015 tdi 3.0 Q7. I deliver home infusion medicine and medical supplies to homes everyday. I had a 2018 hybrid Rav 4 . I had an accident and was looking for a hybrid highlander used . They ran still $32,000 used. They got the same gas mileage like 28 to 32 hwy per gal. However when you looked at the gas tank the tank in the Q7 holds close to 640 miles to the tank of gas. The highlander still had a gas tank of 435 miles. Hybrids you had to change oil at every 5,000 miles the tdi q7 I am changing oil at every 10,000 miles. Yes i may need to get a gas filter eventually to help my tdi milage and hurry up and throw a delete kit on my car. But so far the car has been awesome to drive. My husband has a 2012 q7 he been maintaining his for over a year now. They are not that bad to own. I have put more money in my fords and dodges then on these cars. If you can do most of the maintenance yourself you save alot of money right there. We have the computer to set the sensors onces we work on the stuff. And we are doing great. Looking forward to having a car for many more years.
The unedited folding of the rear cupholders-priceless!
So, you went and got the most run down q7 you could find and started hanging shit on the whole brand!
I've had to get the missus a second hand car due to her riding off her 5yo Lancer and with the money we got back from the insurance we were lucky to find a 2009 audi A3 from an old fella who hardly drove it. Still had the original tyres on it. For the first time, after 18 years in Oz, I felt like I'm in a car again. I've had commodores, falcons, Hyundais and currently I drive a d90. They all feel like you are sitting in a plank of wood with 4 wheels and no suspension. That 14yo A3 though drives as if it was made yesterday! Definitely getting a q7 first chance I get. If you know how to look after a car you will get the longevity out of it
Drove 2.0 3.0 tfsi 50i bmw 2008 quatroporte with 4.3 Ferrari engine.. the whole TH-cam tells me not to buy it.. yet i do.
The secret is.. do your homework on the car, know it's flaws.. take care of them upon purchase.. change oil 3-7k km, depending on harshness of use, pray for transmission to stay in tact and have 5k stored in case shit happens. Never had to use that 5k stash in the end. Shopping for 2013- 2015 q7. Thank you so much for the info! All i needed to make up my mind!
owner for more than 7 years of a Q7 4.2 V8 TDI, I live in a very rainy region (puerto varas, chile), mine has already 170,000km, never had a issue, super fast, very safe in icy conditions, very nice stereo too. it's great family car, it even have courtins for the baby in the back. very reliable and safe car
I've got 2014 q7, so comfortable and spacious to drive and yet fuel economical love it for the family, only thing we done do it was change the injector seals
I've got a hilux d4d diesel and I've had more problems with the hilux then the audi, just luck of the draw sometimes
@@anislicina3065 so wat engine you have and ay want to buy a audi q7 2014. is more good tfsi or tdi
@@hookah- I have the turbo diesel 3 litre v6
I have had two of these TDI. 2013 and then traded up to a 2015. THe first had a problem with the panoramic window but was resolved. The second has not had much mechanical. Had the TDI upgrade, lowered mpg but cruises down the turnpike and is fun to drive. Had to replace one door handle but the other three work well. Now at 98800 and due for service. The dealer will provide AdBlue but is available at local auto stores and easy to refill. Best car on the mountain here in my development, we watch the BMW's get ditched at the bottom of our hill.
I have a diferent opinion about it i purchased my audi q7 2015 4 years ago with 60k miles and now is 210k i wich that i could take a picture of my dash and the best of it is that looks amazing, so in based to my experience i think that the mos important is where you buy it and the conditions on how you buy it and the maintenance thats all
I had a 2014 Q7 prestige and it’s was amazing, no issues.
May be I've been lucky but all my Audi's are extremely reliable and lowest cost to own compared to all my friends other makes. My 2008 Q7 3.6L bought new, it has 65k miles and I haven't spent a dime in fixing it. Yes, the left mirror motor went out. Other than that original battery and everything, 1 set of brakes at 61k miles, 2 sets of tires. It's all about how you keep your car, it's complex and most technicians don't have a clue to diagnose or fix them, hence breaking the car in the process.
I have that same motor, 2009, 140k miles. Worst problems I've had are the panoramic roof leaked because the drain tubes deformed a little. Also had issues with a coil pack melting.
Is yours really loud when you accelerate? I've always noticed that and it doesn't have an exhaust leak. It sounds like there's no sound proofing between the motor and cabin. It's always been like that too
@@rilethomp yes, it’s roaring very nicely LOL since new
@@3dogs1monkey lol okay, yea I've checked with others online, I guess they just thought we were all nascar fans and would like the noise. Enjoy yours, I like mine, seems to age well
BMW owner here who needs a Q7 for towing and three rows of seats. Great info from ReDrive here, the variants and timings of upgrades I’ve always been a bit confused by.
I know I’m in for dramas, but it’s a 4.2TDI with three rows of seats, or a mega buck Land Cruiser. I’m a frustrated amateur engine builder, and electronics technician by trade, so think I’ll just be able to keep my head above water.
I have the '15, 3.0 TDI.
Positives: Ride and handling are great for a large-ish SUV. It wasn't terribly expensive to buy used. Fuel economy is decent for a large-ish SUV.
Negatives: Center console is stupid. Cupholder makes stupid noises when you put a cup in it. Programmed throttle response delay is annoying and dangerous. DPF, EGR and Adblue system burn extra fuel and cause reliability problems. Audi dealer repairs are stupid expensive (I just paid $2,000 USD to replace a thermostat). It's not "luxurious", but costs luxury money to maintain. GPS maps are out of date and Audi wants a bunch of money to update them. My wife hates it.
I remember from the 80's to early 2000's when Audi really did make nice quality long lived and reliable cars. Audi never even made SUVs then, they had the Audi 80 and100 in saloon, estate and cabrio forms and Quattro. Then the golf based A3 came along with the name changes to A4, A6 etc and after that the range started to really expand and reliability started to reduced at the same time. To be honest Hyundai and Kia have caught up to such an extent that their vehicles are just as attractive, more relaible and better built. Just like Re-driven said if you want an Audi Q7, BMW X5, Range Rover or Mercedes ML for the image of looking rich then go ahead and fool yourself out of a lot of your own hard earned cash.
Hyundai and Kia are not looking too flash with their huge Class Actions for failing engines and their propensity to catch fire.
@@davidperry3531 yea, I heard about that especially in America. Although not heard so much about that in the UK, I do recall that Hyundai had a batch of weak clutch plates that wore out too quickly. But you have to put things into perspective, remember Audi price point is much higher, they also had issues with TSI engines blowing up and in the UK ignored helping owners repair just out of warranty. At least Hyundai and Kia have generous warranties, and in general Hyundai and Kia have been quite reliable compared to those premium brands. Audi have gone right down hill for reliability along with all the European marques in my opinion. I am from Europe and would prefer to buy a local Euro box but hear some real horror stories about DSG gear box failures and all sorts of other expensive issues. Jaguar, Merc, Audi, Land Rover and the rest make beautiful cars that drive with class leading dynamics etc, but they go wrong too often, are too expensive to fix and become such a money pit in the end nobody wants to touch them. Technically they are good looking over priced, over engineered junk, and by junk I mean the material choices used for high stress components is junk and the cost of those components turn them into junk.
You probably got bad maintained exemplar. I have Q7 for 2 years. Can say, if you have some knowledge it is easy to fix, pretty cheap (expensive only at dealership), very much info in forums about common diseases and tips how to fix it. With air suspension it is pleasure to drive, difficult to compare with any other car. Fuel consumption? If you looking for economy you buying toyota yaris or public transport ticket. If you looking for comfort, safety and pleasure you taking Q7. I everyday enjoying my travel with this car. Also recommend to buy S-line, with Alcantara seats. 4,2tdi the most optimal between consumption, acceleration and maintenance. But 3.0tdi also powerful enough for everyday ride.
I have a 2009, in the states, with the 3.6 vr6. 140k miles. Probably the worse problem I had was the panoramic roof leaked and I had to drop the headliner and re squeeze the drain tubes. Also had an issue with coil packs melting and burning the spark wires, which had to be spliced to replace. I like it though.
I can’t stop watching reviews of the luxury cars that I really really really want to own one day ONLY to stop myself ever making that mistake in future 😂 BTW love your work guys 👌
Thanks so much mate!
Same. It seems like all the luxury cars are mistakes for some reason
Me too, but it's a bit depressing 😅😅
No bro if you like something and 1st if you can afford it then get it you have 1 little life so buy 1 with warranty sell it before it runs out of warranty easy
7:48
My '10 TDI does fantastic off-road. Especially now that they are much cheaper, off-roading/overlanding these is quite popular. More so with the Cayenne & T-reg but the Q7 is definitely capable so it's worth checking for the damage (missing/damaged underbody plastic is a good sign it's been romped)
Overall after 5 years with our '10 TDI as our daily driver in the states, we absolutely love it. We paid around $13k for ours & you get so much for so little. It's great for road trips, towing campers/trailers, hauling kids & dogs, & even mid-level off-roading with just adding AT tires. I will say it is rather inexpensive to repair IF you are doing the work yourself. I'm a hobbyist mechanic/car builder (by no means a pro) & the issues that have come up have been easily fixed in a few hours on a Saturday. I did buy an aftermarket powertrain warranty just to cover the major stuff that's out of my depth.
The bad: interior quality is disappointing to say the least. The center console hinges easily break when dealing with AZ heat. Due to the heat, a lot of interior adhesives have weakened or failed. All of those have been easily fixed & improved in my driveway though (including the seat back issue he showed). Same for the leaking washer fluid jets & wiper arm disconnect at the bearing. Aside from upgrades I've done, in 5 years I'd say we have around $1500-2,000 into repairs & maintenance (plus about 6-7 days of work) which is almost as cheap as my Subaru.
Thankyou for the comment and info. As someone who DOESN'T do work on my own cars, if I owned the car you describe it would have cost me a lot more, or I would have had to put up with a lot of frustrations that you've been able to fix yourself. I applaud your abilities as a hobbyist mechanic, but I still see this as something of a warning for more mechanically useless folk like me!
@@TopherField you are absolutely correct! They are an amazing value IF you can do the work yourself or have a trusted VW group mechanic. When we first bought it, we took it to Audi for an inspection & was told the brake job would be almost $6k... $550 to upgrade the brakes & do it myself lol
Kyle did you have any issue with the injector pump imploding and grenading turbo and injectors ?
From the TDI forums it’s seems like a recurring issue . I’ve had the TDI Passat in the past and have taken a hiatus from diesel . The Q7 may get me back. Like yourself I do a lot of my own tooling but as I get older I’d rather enjoy the view from the top than underneath. Even with Vag com lol.
What exactly was the Dieselgate warranty and when does it expire ?
Thanks
@@chrisdoe6890 I did have the high pressure fuel pump fail at 130k miles. I was going to do the repair myself & it was going to be able $4k in parts (pump, injectors, regulator, etc). I had already ordered the parts when a friend of mine said to take it to Audi & see if they will cover it. I was over the 120k warranty on the pump but it ended up being covered under one of the diesel gate catch-all warranties. Following the TSB they replaced every from fuel tank forward but turbos were not affected. The bill would have been about $11k but I just had to pay for gas in the loaner car (got to drive a new A5 for 2 weeks).
I can't speak for the other TDI's but this CATA 3.0 engine is amazing. I've towed 8,000lbs at 85mph on the freeways with relative ease. It gets 25-28mpg on all-terrains on the highway (despite being a 7k lb tank). Definitely one of the most well-balanced vehicles I've owned (had around 30).
I don't know the details of the dieselgate warranties other than it saved me from a few weeks of work & my vehicle is covered until 160k miles. I do know that VAG cares a lot about PR & impressions of owners (I know a few have gotten non-warranty work covered just because they asked & made a case) so my guess is this one is a result of the trouble they got in & that customer focus
Just purchased 2011 Q7 S line 3.0 Diesel. Just thought I would add that there is a compartment under drivers seat with an Audi branded first aid kit. Also in rear well where spare is there is a small portable air compressor on the left hand side to inflate your tyres. Again Audi branded. The fuel economy is amazing for such a big vehicle. I was driving a Mitsi Pagero Sport on lease previously which is thirstier than the Audi with a smaller engine.
I’ve owned a 2007 3.0tdi BUG engined sline Q7 since it was 1 yr old. I’ve had 14years of reliability and solid performance catering as the family “battle bus” and trackday towing machine. I’ve done most of the mechanical servicing and repairs myself and honestly in that 14 years I’d say I’ve only spent @ €3000 on parts that are not normal service consumables (wishbones, injector seals, one injector leak off pipe, powersteering pump, rear wiper motor, MMI board for the infotainment, and blower motor).
I’ve never kept a car so long, it’s reliability and comfort meant it was hard to justify changing it. I felt that the newer q7 just offered a nicer cabin environment. BMW 5 series were unreliable engine wise and my wife didn’t like XC90’s 😂
Unfortunately the most difficult part of ownership these days is the fuel consumption and high road tax (@€1600 PA in Ireland). So a change is finally coming!
"738 lb-ft for those of you using a stupid unit of measurement."
"Enough torque to alter the rotation of the globe."
"50 shades of beige."
"You've got a spot for life's filth and history, and your secrets down here. And which in this car, there are quite a few."
"..verging into motoring journalist wanker speak with you know, steering nuance and all that sort of bullshit."
"... when you're driving something the size of a decent two-bedroom home in Sydney..."
The wit, candid Aussie humour, and definitely Aussie unfiltered opinion, is something that draws me back like a magnet. You've nailed the script and it gets better with every video!
All the praise aside though, this channel ought to be a mandatory watch for anyone going to buy a used car. I don't think I've commented as much on YT but I cannot recommend your content enough.
Ah Pavit thank you so so much mate. You are too too kind and we appreciate this so much.
Honestly, it's comments like your that keep us striving forward. - AK
I love q7....am audi fanatic...i have audi 2005 audi a4 3.2...it has 356 thousands miles and still running.
Older Audi's were more reliable
@@mertcalc3259 now it's 365 k
Currently have a 2017 Q7 3.0tdi in bits, oil cooler gasket, assorted plastic coolant fittings all leaking coolant, only done 100,000km.
It also has rh rocker cover leak and rear main leak.
1 headlight is about $3500 - $4000 not including the labor involved.
This is TV quality. Slightly astounded that this is on TH-cam. Funny, entertaining and informative. Superb!
Mate, thank you so much. That’s high praise!! Glad you enjoy it
Just purchased a 2013 Q7 Premium Plus 3.0 TFSI. 53.000 miles. Like the drive, now will see how expensive it will be to maintain. My other option was a MB GLS 450 but price was $20k more for similar year and mileage.
How was it been? Q7
My 2013 tdi had some injector issues and needed some rotor work done. Right now it is having dpf issue, but it is at 140k miles and we did a lot of short trips around town last 2 years. No issue on this car so far made it undriveable and it is quite a tank all things considered. It's a gen 2.1 3.0 tdi.
I have a 2015 Q7 3.0 TFSI with 190 000 miles. With no issues, I do my own maintenance. I'm pretty happy with it.
My 2013 Q7 is still running fine, no problems what so ever. maintenance is expensive though
I couldn't help but notice that the tone of your voice is as you are scolding the car, not presenting it. That (and the comments below) make me wonna buy a Q7
I ended up buying a 2015 x5 rather than one of these and I’m so glad I did.
The x5 has its issues but no where near as bad as this. The motor has been perfect.
Smart move going BMW👍👍
VAG products generally CRAP
2015 X5 is the most reliablecar on it's class after Lexus RX
I have owned the top of the line Premium Plus. I know of many professionals that own them. I don't know where the cars that have those problems are made, but the ones that are completely trouble free are the vast majority of them. Of course, your channel wouldn't be popular if you couldn't dig up problems, so the conflict is huge.
Im a mechanic who hates to work on my own cars...was given an 07 q7 3.6 120k miles...
4 years later its great
I can see 30 down votes, who on earth down voted this video? It's probably one of the best car reviews I've seen on the Q7. I've got a 10 year old Merc E class with over 105k miles and it's had a couple of faults in the 7 years I've owned it costing me £2k over the years (other than usual servicing and consumables). Nothing rattles or squeaks, and the interior still looks like new, despite 2 kids and numerous 1000 mile road trips across Europe.
Really surprised at the interior trim issues on that Q7. Very disappointing and unless Audi have massively improved the quality on the newer model I'll be giving it a miss.
In case anyone wanted to know what went wrong with the Merc, blower motor and regulator, rear subframe rusted out from the inside (yeah, I was surprised at that one, apparently the new one has been redesigned with better drain holes and will last forever, which is nice).
Probably because it's lies maybe? 🙄 ..i've owned a Q7 for 7 years, it's very reliable, need nothing but normal maintenance, hasn't broken down once
1) what’s the deal with VAG cars in Australia? They’re very reliable here in Europe.
2) who the hell buys a 7 seat SUV and doesn’t option in rear seat pockets behind the front?
I think the issue is they’re built for European climates - not Australian ones. So they fall apart much easier here.
I have a 2008 q7 3.6 quatro and it drives smooth , it’s my second Audi I also have a 2011 a3 s line 2 t that does give me a bit of problems but wear n tears .
Love my Q7- been way more reliable than my land rover was.
Gees, comparing the reliability to LRs, that says a lot 😂
@@ColdSplash yes, that’s not much of a comparison but it was my other car!
I suppose if I’d been around earlier I’d have driven a Pinto as we’ll
LR(s) unfortunately always reserve the bottom of the list when it comes to reliability, such a shame for a beautiful car with heritage. I hope someday they manage to at least jack it up to above average.
I love the smoking pedestal you hop on whenever there's an ashtray in a car, bless you
Thanks mate, shame others don't share your opinion! - AK
That wasn’t a compliment LOL
This is much too harsh - you run the risk of scaring people off what are some of the most practical, capable, comfortable and reliable used cars out there. I’ve owned 3 mark 1 Q7s, a 2006, 2011 & 2015, all 3.0 TDi V6s. Some of the issues you report I’ve experienced namely the blower fan however generally speaking they have been trouble free and lovely cars to drive. If you buy a well looked after Q7 with a full Audi service history you’ll be rewarded with many many trouble free miles (or kilometres for the Aussies)!
Definitely get a black interior one with the plus or premium interior. Look for the climate control for that back. Then it gets MUCH nicer. Base is bland for sure.
Only thing you missed was the tow capacity. 7000lbs for my American one.
Great video though! In the US minus Honda and Toyota all cars are terrible for reliability so it’s actually average lol.
Had one, 10 years old with 80,000 miles,lovely drive, but constant battery drain, air suspension issues, rattle trim pieces, Eats tyres for fun,had to go after 18 months of ownership.
I got a q7 with low miles, other than maintenance I have not had any issues! And it’s old.
I bought my 3.o TDI S-Line 18 years ago in 2006 and its a dream.
Its is as good today as the day i got it. The exhsust is still as clean as day 1. Probsbly because I drive the shite out of it all the time.
Now iys not perfect it keeps sinking on the front right air unit. I pulled it out and couldnt find sny fault. I replaced the air retention valve but its still the same.
I have had swirl flap wear issue so i replaced the control link arms. I took the intake manifold off to see if it was clogged up or about to explode but it was surprisingly clean... so i put it back.
I chsnge the oil e wry 2 or three years if it starts to look dark so that is about 3ok intervsls and meantime it drinks about half a liter.
Thr biggest problem i have had is the brake master cylinder needs replacing as pedal not always biting in the same spot and it feels like more braking goes to the back if not used for a few mins.
Ironically, Audi have refused to do it as they want to replace the discs pads fluid tyres at the same time.
It has new tyres but not stsmped Audi. They did the fluid change recently and broke a bleed nipple at the time so they also want to change the whole calliper but a pair not just one side. The discs and pads are 90% but they didn't supply them so they say they can't guarantee any work on master cylinder on its own. Its not losing fluid but i dont like knowing it's bypassing one of the intwrnal seals. When i paid 101400 Euro for this car i never would have expected this would be my problem.
Vut its a fa tastic car, van, towing beast ( oh yes i also got the full towing package so it has double transmission coolers)
PS i haven't changed the serpentine belt or transmission fluid yet... don't want to jinx it.
What on earth will i buy next?
Our 2006 4.2 petrol is great. Serviced regularly, sounds great. No troubles apart from I want to change the MMI to a model touch screen system. Ours has limo blacked out windows all round on silver car. Love these cars, luxury to drive. Took a while to work out how to sort the lights out when towing. Needed resisters on the cables to the trailer.
how many miles? looking to get a 4.2 q7
@@Seriesxnation hi, it has 141,000km. It has the button start/stop and key if you want to use a key. I’m going to put a roof rack on and draws in the huge boot.
@@auswidemarine8980 nice 👌
As an Audi Owner, the front ashtray on that car didn't appear to be broken. It needs to be 'clicked' in for it to stay open, hence why it was closing on you.
It wouldn't click mate, we tried multiple times but no luck. - AK
@@ReDriven oh no worries, very strange. keep up the great content guy!
Dirt likes to accumulate in there. They can be disassembled and cleaned and work like new again
The ‘old man neck thing’ is such a great description! 👍👍
I just bought this exact model a month ago. I love it. 2oo k miles runs great
How do these German car makers build things that look and feel so indestructible when new, yet explode like an origami swan filled with C4 when they rack up a few miles? It astonishes me.
“Kids can be utter bastards”! 🤣. Best car channel on TH-cam 👌
Cheers mate! - AK
I drive an Audi or VW because I'm tall. A VW is the first car in my life I pushed the seat all the way back and it was too far. AMAZING!
OMG!!! I'm on the floor...LOL!!!!! This is the most informative and truthful car review ever! Thank you!!! Drop the Mic!
UK Q7 2012 V8 Tdi 4.2 66000 miles FASH owner here - Leather and plastics seem better in mine (UK so less heat/sunshine I expect), tires last for ages, 1 failed blower motor (noisy bearings), failed rear wiper motor (twice)(washer fluid leaks and corrodes slip rings inside the gearbox), ride is choppy always has been, you can see every space in the car park but won't fit in any of them. Use mine 7-up with kids and grandkids so they can leave their car at home when we have a family day out. Amusingly quick at the traffic light races, 20mpg fast fun day out, 25mpg sensible driving, 30mpg best careful driving long-distance. Might have a V12 if I could find a bargain - you only live once.
My brother in law had 2013 q7 3l supercharged for 196k miles no problems at all.just regular fluid changes.
Have in the States, Honda and Toyota are the only two brands that I know of where the build quality of their cars made outside the US (here or in Canada) are as good as the Hondas and Toyotas built in Japan. The quality control is just amazing ❤.
Yes correct. + transmission wiring loom 3k and wiper motor $20 after market the power winds ( fixed myself free) and all the trim issues and door sag( fixed with shims) and the left hand side clunky noise when turning and the broken speaker..... very nice family car. Payed 23k for a 2012 in 2021. Not totally disappointed. New what I was getting into......... so fare......😅
Good content but a bit overly critical for a 15 year old car that can be had for 90% less than MSRP 😆
If you could end up spending the car’s value in maintenance over a short period it’s worth being critical
I have had some expenses on my Audi Q7 tdi to maintain it and it’s a have a car and rotors brake pads and tires go fast , I bought it new 2015 I had minor stuff to fix I love it I won’t change it with other cars it’s not the best but it it’s decent
Excellent AK! It's as if most reviewers are Car Experts right up until the point of ownership...
Cheers for the balls in saying it like it is.
Actually purchasing a car… the one part of the equation most ‘experts’ never experience