AUDI Q7 4X4 REVIEW

My car

I have the 4.2 v8 TDI in an s-line and I can honestly say it's the best car I've ever owned. Build quality, comfort and equipment is exceptional. And the engine - wow the thing is over 5m long, 2m wide, 2.5 tonnes and will do 0-62 in a silly 6.2 seconds!!!!!!! - that's quicker that most hot hatches...

Interior cabin space is great and the rear most seats can fit a couple of adults for short trips and kids with ease. Running costs however at hefty as is insurance for this model, but it you want luxury, power, space, quality and comfort - look no further.

My car

I also have experienced excessive tyre wear problems with My Q7. I purchased the car new in April 2008. By December 2008 the front tyres had both worn on the rims, after 11,000 miles.

Stockport Audi had the car for 3 days to replace the tyres under warranty and sort out the wheel alignment.

Fast forward 7,500 miles and once again the front tyres were scrubbed on the ouside edge.

This time, I was told no warranty claim, and quoted £ 368 per tyre and £120 for the wheel alignment (despite this being done in December).

After a quick ring around, Protyre supplied and fitted two new tyres to the same spec as originally fitted (Continental 275/Z45R20), and sorted the wheel alignment our for £ 526.07, a massive saving of £ 329.93 !

I have owned many large vehicles (Audi A8, BMW 7 series etc) and cannot accept this tyre wear is normal.

The worst thing is the customer service, or lack of it. Stockport Audi - you have just lost a customer who buys £50-60K cars every 2 years.

Back to BMW for me !

My car

The main purpose of this review is to share my (positive) experience re tyres in the hope it will assist other owners. I purchased the car new in May 08, and having read the horror stories re tyre wear made two key decisions. Firstly I spec'd the TPM system, and secondly asked the dealer to pump up all four tyres to max PSI during PDI.

After 12,000 miles of very mixed driving, all four (Continental) tyres are still in great shape with over 5mm of consistent tread depth. I put this down to three factors:

1) Assiduous monitoring of tyre pressure. It was surprising - particularly when the vhicle was new - how much PSI could drop over a short space of time;

2) Running at high PSI (45-50). Let's face it, with the weight of the car and the air suspension, ride comfort isn't likely to be materially compromised;

3) Adjusting my driving style. I've owned 911s, S4 etc and post kids I've just had to accept that I need a big old bus that can't (and shouldn't) be thrown around like a sports car.

I will confess to being an Audi fan and so I love the build, interior quality etc. It isn't as big as it should be on the inside given exterior dimensions (noticeably less space than wife's Galaxy), but comfort is exceptional. Running costs for a £50k car are excellent, and like others I can get 30+mpg on the motorway. I looked at the usual suspects - Discovery, XC90, X5 - before purchasing and don't regret the decison for a minute.

My car

I Have had this car now for 10 months 08 plate after 6ooo miles i needed 2 new front tyres (outside wear)and was told the same thing (im going round too many roundabouts)Rubbish. I had to pay for one of them and audi paid for the other,the dealer had my car for 5 days to do the realinement of the wheels?,i thought problem over,after another 4ooo miles 10,000 miles in total in a new car i need 2 more tyres for the front again, and at £200 per tyre that is if you buy them privatley and not from audi Was quoted up to £350.00 each. i dont care how nice this car is, i will be looking for a different make if audi do not put this problem right,Next stop Solicitor/then WATCHDOG, Watch this space