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Audi Q7 Maintenance and Repair

414 messages,  Last post on Oct 25, 2009 at 5:31 AM

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#406 of 414 Re: Intrigued from Switzerland [kymgatti] by arrie Oct 23, 2009 (8:31 am)
Replying to: kymgatti (Oct 23, 2009 5:12 am) Just to add to this very interesting topic about how sensitive the MMI seems to be.   I have my Q7 3 weeks old now and have been very interested to read all the horror writing about MMI shorting out from just a small water or other drink spill on it. This all seems to be a result of very poor design and I think there is an understandable yet not acceptable explanation for this.   In Germany where I have driven a lot of different rental cars it is not normal to find cup holders at all. It is not customary on German (or Swiss, Austrian, French,Spanish...) roads to see driver to eat or drink while he is driving. This is why most cars don't even come with cup holders. If you want one you need to special order your car with it. 4 weeks ago I rented a MB S350 in Dusseldorf and it did not have one cup holder in it but I'm quite sure you can get one if you order your car with one. Not sure with MB though...   From everything in Q7 cup holder design you can see that it is a poor adaptation for people who insist having one, i.e. mostly for N.A. market. What makes it poor is that the front edge of the middle arm rest that holder is built in to must be kept low so that the MMI can be used without overly bending your wrist. There is no room to make holder deeper because of the room AMI takes underneath it. Obviously normally so superior German car engineering missed important point here, the MMI moisture sensitivity. They would have been better not to supply cup holder at all for the front middle console.   Now, someone with a lot of money or other vice thinking people are stupid if they spill coffee or other drinks in their car and get mad when $1000 damage is easily caused when they are not warned about it should think about it a little bit. If Audi would have a big sticker inside the car warning people of the danger with spilling something it would be a different story but they do not have a sticker. Wonder why? Is it that some people would not buy the car if there was one? Perhaps.   Personally I do not know any other vehicle that has so expensive component positioned in such jeopardized location as MMI in this Q7 is. Audi should have made a better design for this as cup holder really is in very stupid position and when there is a cup holder spills can be expected. It is not if it will spill, it is only when.   Would be interesting to see some poor victim of the spill take Audi in a court over this. And I think Audi would loose. If they had a big sticker warning or some other way informed potential buyer of it before buying the car then they would be covered.   I have also seen posts that Audi repair says something was spilled on the MMI that shorted it out when people say they did not spill anything on it. How can you prove you did not spill as this now is an easy way for Audi to avoid paying repair under warranty by just claiming there was a spill.   How about moisture from condensation? I live in Louisiana and during some winter time months there can be very severe condensation moisture inside the car. Does warranty cover if this shorts out the MMI? This clearly would be poor design damage again.   For the cup holder need in U.S. is a good reason. We, or some of us anyway, are used to drive very long distances (or times). Personally I travel sometimes driving 10 hours straight (yesterday 6 hour drive) only stopping for gas and for that drink that I need to be able to keep going. I have never stopped at any gas station and drink or eat at location. In that easily lasting half hours drinking/eating time you loose 35 miles of travel so I choose to drive and drink my coffee or soda in my car while driving. This is very normal in the U.S. and this is why cupholders are found in every U.S. made (and most U.S. sold) cars.   If you want to get in the game then do it correctly, i.e. if you "half ass" add cup holders in the vehicle in location where they should not be to be able to sell cars in this market area then at least inform / warn your customers about it. Audi did a very poor job with this.   Even knowing about the sensitivity of the MMI to moisture I still love this vehicle. It drives by far better than anything I drove before, including the MB 350S and Audi A6 Avant S-line. This vehicle is something else. Of course I have not driven my Q7 at 155 MPH as I did with the A6, which probably would change my opinion but for the 80 MPH and lower speeds this is the best so far.   Arrie Replies to this message: jayrider (Oct 23, 2009 2:43 pm) kerryjth (Oct 23, 2009 3:54 pm)
#407 of 414 Re: Intrigued from Switzerland [arrie] by jayrider Oct 23, 2009 (2:43 pm)
Replying to: arrie (Oct 23, 2009 8:31 am) Here's a thought -- go to waldomart and buy one of those cupholders that fits into the window/door seam. Get one to match the interior. Then get a piece of plastic wrap and cover the problem area. It's clear and no one will ever notice. Good to go.
#409 of 414 Re: Intrigued from Switzerland [arrie] by kerryjth Oct 23, 2009 (3:54 pm)
Replying to: arrie (Oct 23, 2009 8:31 am) Well PUT ...
#410 of 414 Re: Intrigued from Switzerland [kymgatti] by Mr_Shiftright HOST Oct 24, 2009 (10:47 am)
Replying to: kymgatti (Oct 23, 2009 5:12 am) I'm with the Europeans on this one. A modern car is like a modern computer, and all it takes is one drop of coffee to fry a keyboard on a laptop (been there, done that)---this is why laptops don't have cupholders.   The modern car's environment is by definition *hostile* to electronics as it is, even in areas where the driver cannot reach. Replies to this message: steve_ (Oct 24, 2009 12:20 pm) Mr_Shiftright (Oct 24, 2009 2:58 pm) jayrider (Oct 25, 2009 5:31 am)
#411 of 414 Re: Intrigued from Switzerland [Mr_Shiftright] by steve_ HOST Oct 24, 2009 (12:20 pm)
Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Oct 24, 2009 10:47 am) My ThinkPad has a built in drain in case of spills. You can't immerse it but it's spill resistant. Minor accidents won't necessarily kill the $1,000 shiny object.   High tech plus good engineering. Replies to this message: Mr_Shiftright (Oct 24, 2009 2:58 pm) jayrider (Oct 25, 2009 5:31 am)
#412 of 414 Re: Intrigued from Switzerland [steve_] by Mr_Shiftright HOST Oct 24, 2009 (2:58 pm)
Replying to: steve_ (Oct 24, 2009 12:20 pm) That's the THEORY anyway
#413 of 414 Re: Intrigued from Switzerland [steve_] by jayrider Oct 25, 2009 (5:31 am)
Replying to: steve_ (Oct 24, 2009 12:20 pm) The pay must be plenty good at edmunds if you can afford 1k on a Think Pad. I get mine for a buck at the dollar store. It's not shiny unless you count the spirily wire thingy that holds the pages together.

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