2017 major tire issues

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wenzel44

Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Messages
9
Purchased a 2017 with sport package, hit small very small pothole going 20 mph, tire blew pump system doesn't work, roadside service tow to Audi.

Car was in the shop four weeks.

Car out two weeks pothole going 12-15 mph tire blow out with dog, 5 yr old, wife in the car.

Three hours waiting for a tow and two hours for the taxi to get my family home.

Placing low profile tires that blow out at low speeds with no spare tire and no functioning pump system is a major design flaw and dangerous to drivers.

Unfortunately seeing what I can do to give the car back to Audi as I see this as a weekly occurrence, any others have issues yet?

Also Apple Car Play is not loaded on MMI and I have never received my codes for the app.

Nice car but major design flaw.
 
I had a similar experience yesterday. I swiped the curb going about 5 mph and the tire just shredded. Of course the run-flat didn't work for me so (like you) I needed a tow. My car has all of 700 miles on it. This is a HUGE problem - such a low-impact stress on the tire is bound to happen again. I feel like I need to buy an extra spare to keep in the trunk just to have peace of mind while I'm driving!

To make matters worse the dealer tells me that this damage isn't covered under the tire manufacturers warranty (since it isn't a "wear" item) so I have to pay for the new tire ...
 
I was just on the phone with Audi America for one hour and told them either new car or new tire set they are supposed to get back to me in the next day.


I would call them, it's just a matter of time before this happens to others, also expect it to happen again.

Tires don't work with the rims and if they go they blow out so you are stranded since their is not a spare just poor poor design.

This is the 17" wheels with Pirelli Cintuaro in the Sport Package, if you have these please be aware, also do not purchase this option if you plan on purchasing an e-tron.


1-800-823-2834 is the Audi of America number.
 
Sorry, I don't buy this as an Audi problem. There are plenty of new cars sold today with low profile tires and no spare. This is not unique to these cars.

If you can't avoid potholes where you drive, put a set of run-flat tires on it and be done.
 
They are run flat genius and yes it will be a major problem for Audi.

The tires and the solution are crap.
 
one correction they are 18" rims with the 255/40 tires they don't work period, this is part of the sport package.

Waiting two plus hours for a tow truck when you get flats on a $49k car is not solution.
 
I have them (18") on my 2017 w/sport pkg. No issues and I've driven on many bumpy roads.

One clarification, these are NOT runflat tires. They are conventional tires and they come with sealant and a air pump in case of a puncture (this will not fix a blowout or major damage), just like a Porsche sports car, which uses a much lower profile than the A3.
 
My 6 month old 2016 A3 e-tron with 3,000 miles has the Sport package with factory supplied 18" Continental tires. I have already had one completely flat tire and one slow leak (both from nails picked up on the streets of SF). Audi service center comped me for the ruined flat tire (apparently the first one is free at the discretion of the service manager). Audi service refused to patch the tire with slow leak and wanted to charge me $230 for a new tire. I went to Firestone and had it successfully patched for $26. Feel uncomfortable with no spare because with the flat it took over three hours for the Audi roadside assistance to arrive and the sealant/pump system wouldn't have worked on a completely flat tire with sidewall damage. Wonder if I need to invest in a set of run flat tires for peace of mind.
 
sorry to hear I knew it wasn't just me.

Pump system doesn't work with the tires and they blow easily.

$259.00 for the P7 on the 18" rims, call Audi.

Buying new tires to replace a premium feature on a car is beyond ridiculous.

I am sure there are many more, your basically stranded, out 3 hours and $300 bucks due to their poor tire selection, lack of spare, and no working pump/repair situation.

Also they don't stock the tires so this happened Saturday and maybe tomorrow for the car back.

That's 3,250 miles two flat front tires $600 bucks and five weeks without the car (first one took for weeks), this is since October 14.
 
So it's now the norm to blame a car company for the tires blowing because of debris or bad roads?
I've driven my e-tron almost a year and about 28,000 kms without any issues. Over all sorts of road conditions (roads in Toronto are full of potholes) and I have the sports pkg on my car (18" wheels). I've been very happy with the way the tires perform and how quiet they can be. Most of the road noise is because of the bad roads (should I blame Audi for that??).
If you feel the tires are not to your liking, that's a comment/review for the tire manufacturer. Isn't it?
Or just buy different tires when it comes time to change them.
 
It's a major design flaw and yes it's an Audi issue.

The tires do not take air with their pump system, no spare = drivers stranded.

They even switched from Conti to Pirelli for 2017, if you look on line hundreds of complaints about blown tires at low speeds on all A3 cars.

Bottom line yes it's an Audi issue.

Furthermore I have had nine Audi's driven them all around the country and world for that matter with zero tire issues.
 
Major design flaw? I don't think so. A nail in a tire is no fault of the car.

As far as a solution, where do you expect them to put a spare? And runflats have a host of negatives. Google "BMW runflat issues" and see all the complaints.
 
Thank you for the valuable input.

I must confess I drove my hybrid station wagon through a bed of nails at a high rate of speed which resulted in blow outs and wanted to blame the car manufacturer online and see what everyone else thought about it.
 
Was concerned about no spare and drive the Etron to work each day. Ended up buying a space saver wheel for the piece of mind. Don't want to be hanging around for 3hrs waiting for it to be towed. Life's too short. :cool:
 
It's funny (not ha-ha) my wife took my car out on day 3 of owning it, pulled around a car turning left and hit a pothole on the join of the asphalt and shoulder. Blown passenger front tire. $280 I think it was, and killed a half day on me (after I picked her up and swapped cars to deal with the fallout). My car is now the butt of pothole jokes with everyone I know. Ha ha...
It sucks, but now we are very careful about how we drive (oh, and I got winter tires).

Ian
 
It's crap, tires shouldn't blow from that, mine were small at low speeds, just waiting for it to happen again.

If you are lucky dealership has the tire, I live in Marin took five days to get the tire and yes $280.00 x 2 (second flat), three total flats in 26 years of driving.

One shouldn't have to live in fear of every bump on the road, car is nice but far from worth the hassle especially at $48k.

Best part dealer was willing to help with run flats but they are not manufactured in the size of the 18" wheels with the sport package.

So yes Audi picked a tire vulnerable to punctures/flats as a premium option with towing as the only way to repair.

I am supposed to hear this week from Audi about returning the car to them.
 
Does it make sense to go to a book store to buy sunglasses? You might find them, but you would not expect much selection or the best prices. So why on earth would anyone, ever, for any reason, go to a stealership to buy tires?

Check out tirerack dot com (no affiliation). As of today, the 18" OEM Pirellis are 175 bucks shipped to your neighborhood installer. I live in CA and have bought from tirerack for over a decade. Never had to wait more than a day for shipping from Tirerack's Nevada warehouse. If blowouts are a big concern, don't use low rolling resistance tires. They are thinner to reduce weight and also have stiffer sidewalls - good for MPG, bad for resilience. I agree with others about BMW runflats and runflats in general. It has long been the mantra of enthusiasts to replace runflats immediately. They. Suck.

I ordered lighter wheels with lower offsets wrapped in regular Pirelli Zero rubber to replace the stock 18s. (Now all I need is the e-tron to go with them - ETA, Saturday!)
 
So are people having the trouble with the tires using 'low rolling resistance' tires or a specific brand? 17" or 18"?
 
2500Km's on my 17 Technik with 18" tires and I have a golf ball size lump on the sidewall of my drivers side front wheel. I don't even recall hitting any potholes.
I brought this to Audi's attention, suggesting that it is a defective tire and they refused to provide any assistance!
 
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