AWD Cars and Wheels question

[Keahistight]

Not trying to pursuade you one way or another but I was in this boat less than 2 years ago. I test drove the IS250AWD, G35x, 335x and A4.
G35x won for me because of the powertrain and price. I would highly recommend driving all of them and checking out the differences for yourself.

 

[Sumeronthechain]

Eh... Audi having better build quality than lexus? Come on, you can't really believe that. Does the 2.0 that they put in all VW / Audi's still have a plastic water pump housing? AWD maybe, handling maybe, but if you think build quality you are just drinking the cool aid.

Umm no. Sit in comparable models. The interior workings of the Audi are best in class for all models. The fit and finish of the panels, interior and exterior is near flawless as well as the choice of materials. I don't know much about the 2.0 engine, since it is really only available on the A4 and the TT? Hardly "all" Audis as you described.

I like Lexus. I think they make some great vehicles. But when its time to buy my new DD, and am going to go with an A8 over an LS. Without thinking twice. :wink:

 

[swerve2007]

i barely convinced my girl to forego a suv in lieu of a 3.0 a4 avant- now i can't even wrestle the keys away from her, lol.
the handling did surpass my expectations although it does have factory sport susp, sways and wheels (18s).

 

[SilverStone05]

Umm no. Sit in comparable models. The interior workings of the Audi are best in class for all models. The fit and finish of the panels, interior and exterior is near flawless as well as the choice of materials. I don't know much about the 2.0 engine, since it is really only available on the A4 and the TT? Hardly "all" Audis as you described.

I like Lexus. I think they make some great vehicles. But when its time to buy my new DD, and am going to go with an A8 over an LS. Without thinking twice. :wink:

I dunno sir. I've never seen Audi win accolodes for its build quality.

Seems the folks at JD Powers agree. I see (2) best in class for Lexus. Strangely or not so strangely enough, I don't see audi anywhere in there.

 

[SilverStone05]

Not trying to pursuade you one way or another but I was in this boat less than 2 years ago. I test drove the IS250AWD, G35x, 335x and A4.
G35x won for me because of the powertrain and price. I would highly recommend driving all of them and checking out the differences for yourself.

I've had a G35 in the past and my buddy and my sister in law have had A4's. My buddy's A4 kept losing wheel bearings, and the comical turbo would glow bright red after hard runs. Sister in law bagged hers after a year and half.

Moot point now. I picked up an IS350 AWD last night.

Time to mod!

 

[Zishan]

I too had an Audi A4 3.0 sport AWD. What a piece of junk!!! It had numerous problems. The gas sensor when out and always showed empty. The stereo head unit went out. Every month, the same brake light would go out. The door handles had a light film of rubber or something that would easily scratch off if you nicked it with your nails. Lastly, it started leaking coolant. I had just sold the car and the new buyer discovered this. I had it for 3 months....

Currently, I have a GS430 with 175k miles....and runs pretty flawlessly.

About to take delivery of a VW Phaeton W12 with 4k miles! :biggrin:

 

[Sumeronthechain]

I dunno sir. I've never seen Audi win accolodes for its build quality.

Seems the folks at JD Powers agree. I see (2) best in class for Lexus. Strangely or not so strangely enough, I don't see audi anywhere in there.

I couldn't explain that to you as I don't pay attention much to media awards and other's opinions of cars. I like to develop my own opinion

Every Lexus I have ever sat in, aside from the LS, just had a cheaper generic feeling that I didn't care for in a DD. A lot of plastic, fake wood, and chintzy feeling materials. To some people they don't notice and/or don't care and thats great.

Just my .02. Enjoy your new car!

About to take delivery of a VW Phaeton W12 with 4k miles!

Wow all those problems and yet you bought another VAG product? I am a fan of the Phaeton, not sure I would buy one over an A8, but I like them never the less. You are going to love that W12.

 

[Zishan]

Wow all those problems and yet you bought another VAG product? I am a fan of the Phaeton, not sure I would buy one over an A8, but I like them never the less. You are going to love that W12.

Who said buy? :smile: I'm kind of inheriting it from my boss as my "company" car. He was a huge Bentley fan....so picked up the Phaeton back in 2004. It currently has 4000 miles.

W12....hopefully they don't realize I also have a company gas card! :biggrin:

I agree, I would prefer an A8 W12 or S8, or even Bentley GT coupe with the W12. But I had little say in it and I'm extremely grateful for anything during these hard times.


ALSO....part of the reason this thread caught my eye, I'm planning on putting some wheels on the AWD Phaeton.

 

[Zishan]

Moot point now. I picked up an IS350 AWD last night.

Time to mod!

Congrats! I've always like the IS350's. My little sister had one when they first came out and that engine definitely had some go. I loved the keyless, backup cam, cooled/heated seats, etc.

She now has a C63...no keyless, backup cam, cooled seats. Mercedes FAIL.

 

[Hapa88]

The fit and finish of the panels, interior and exterior is near flawless as well as the choice of materials.

I agree about the initial quality of these items is top notch. After a few years, however, the parts begin to age and the surfaces begin to flake. Overall quality goes down dramatically.

I don't know much about the 2.0 engine, since it is really only available on the A4 and the TT? Hardly "all" Audis as you described.

The VW/Audi 2.0 TFSI is in the following vehicles across the world:
Audi: A3, A4, A5, A6, S3, TT, TTS, Q5
VW: CC, Passat, Jetta, GTI, Golf, Golf R, Tiguan, Scirocco
SEAT: Leon, Altea, Toledo, Exeo
Škoda: Octavia

 

[SilverStone05]

What you guys think about these wheels?

19x9's.

Gonna do 235/35/19 and 275/30/19. This is the same color combo as the car I bought.

 

[Sumeronthechain]

The VW/Audi 2.0 TFSI is in the following vehicles across the world:

Right, but here in the US, it is the in the A4, A5(2 door A4) and TT. O I guess A3 as well.

I agree about the initial quality of these items is top notch. After a few years, however, the parts begin to age and the surfaces begin to flake. Overall quality goes down dramatically.

See I disagree. And maybe thats because my experience lies with the A8 and S8 I have owned vs a lower model. I find the real wood, leather, soft touch plastics, switches, and so on to be in very good shape for a 217,000 mile car. No rattles, no noises, everything works well.

ALSO....part of the reason this thread caught my eye, I'm planning on putting some wheels on the AWD Phaeton.

OEM or replica Gallardo wheels. Looks beautiful on the A8 and Phaeton.

 

[Zishan]

What you guys think about these wheels?

19x9's.

Gonna do 235/35/19 and 275/30/19. This is the same color combo as the car I bought.

I would definitely get those! Look kinda like the stock wheels on steroids! What are they?

 

[Hapa88]

I like those wheels too. What are they?

 

[Hapa88]

See I disagree. And maybe thats because my experience lies with the A8 and S8 I have owned vs a lower model.

The A8 and S8 are quite a bit different than the Audi A4 we discussed. . . about $45,000 different. . . I sure hope that the quality would be better when spending that kind of money. .

 

[swerve2007]

I too had an Audi A4 3.0 sport AWD. What a piece of junk!!! It had numerous problems. The gas sensor when out and always showed empty. The stereo head unit went out. Every month, the same brake light would go out. The door handles had a light film of rubber or something that would easily scratch off if you nicked it with your nails. Lastly, it started leaking coolant. I had just sold the car and the new buyer discovered this. I had it for 3 months....

Currently, I have a GS430 with 175k miles....and runs pretty flawlessly.

About to take delivery of a VW Phaeton W12 with 4k miles! :biggrin:

sorry to hear you had issues- were you the original owner?
i have to agree on the 'soft-touch' coatings on the radio and hvac controls which tend to wear off after 5 years or so- shouldn't be an issue on a car like this.
the fuel sender is a common issue as it is an open-type rheostat which gets dirty after several years. it takes 30 min to remove it through an access panel under the rear seat and clean it.
my 3.0 has 110k trouble-free miles (35k under our ownership) and is as clean and dry under the hood as a new car. as a matter of fact only repairs i had to perform were age related like cv boots and regular maintenance (timing belt, water pump etc). the car drives like a new vehicle and is rattle and noise-free. maybe i have a 'good one'.

 

[Zishan]

sorry to hear you had issues- were you the original owner?
i have to agree on the 'soft-touch' coatings on the radio and hvac controls which tend to wear off after 5 years or so- shouldn't be an issue on a car like this.
the fuel sender is a common issue as it is an open-type rheostat which gets dirty after several years. it takes 30 min to remove it through an access panel under the rear seat and clean it.
my 3.0 has 110k trouble-free miles (35k under our ownership) and is as clean and dry under the hood as a new car. as a matter of fact only repairs i had to perform were age related like cv boots and regular maintenance (timing belt, water pump etc). the car drives like a new vehicle and is rattle and noise-free. maybe i have a 'good one'.

Nope, it was a lease return with 27-28k miles. When I got it, it was clean as can be, just mint. I had it looked over by my buddy who worked at the Audi dealership and he also confirmed all maintenance and records were on point. Seemed like the ideal situation....but shortly after purchase, became a nightmare, so I decided to get rid of it.

Ironically, I then bought a used 2002 GS430 with 100k + miles and it's been pretty stout, now with 175k miles. This was back to back...so Lexus reliability far exceeds Audi's....again, from my personal experience.

Having said that, I do love the Audi interior and the S5, S8, etc. are amazing looking. :smile:

 

[Sumeronthechain]

The A8 and S8 are quite a bit different than the Audi A4 we discussed. . . about $45,000 different. . . I sure hope that the quality would be better when spending that kind of money. .

\

Of course, but I was comparing them in-class. Where the A4 would line up against the IS and the A8 would line up against the LS.

 

[SilverStone05]

I couldn't explain that to you as I don't pay attention much to media awards and other's opinions of cars. I like to develop my own opinion

Well that's interesting- since JD Powers relies on consumer feedback as its primary (read ONLY) source of ratings information. :wink:

Every Lexus I have ever sat in, aside from the LS, just had a cheaper generic feeling that I didn't care for in a DD. A lot of plastic, fake wood, and chintzy feeling materials. To some people they don't notice and/or don't care and thats great.

Just my .02. Enjoy your new car!

There is no fake wood on ANY Lexus model. Never has been. :wink:

Also, there is no plastic to be seen save for the nav/stereo face and the buttons.



I'm not sure what "Lexus" you have sat in. Are you sure it wasn't an Avalon? :tongue:

 

[SilverStone05]

I would definitely get those! Look kinda like the stock wheels on steroids! What are they?

You will not believe it if I told you.

(hint) They are stock wheels for a Korean car. :biggrin:

edit: here's a better view of them:

 

[Sumeronthechain]

Well that's interesting- since JD Powers relies on consumer feedback as its primary (read ONLY) source of ratings information. :wink:

Right. So other consumer's opinions are what creates the ratings and therefore the awards. I like to deal with cars in 1st person before drawing those conclusions because, well lets face it, the average consumer(source of these ratings/awards) is dumb and knows next to nothing about cars. Not really the kind of person I would want making my buying decisions for me.

There is no fake wood on ANY Lexus model. Never has been. :wink:

Also, there is no plastic to be seen save for the nav/stereo face and the buttons.



I'm not sure what "Lexus" you have sat in. Are you sure it wasn't an Avalon? :tongue:

If the wood in the Rx330 is real, they did a damn good job making it look like it isn't.

 

[TripleL]

Congratulations on your IS350AWD I think your going to luv it.

BTW those wheels look very nice on that color IS no matter what car they are off of. Is that the same color as your IS?

 

[SilverStone05]

Right. So other consumer's opinions are what creates the ratings and therefore the awards.

No. Sir - JD Powers Initial Quality surveys aren't "opinions." They are a summation of the number of flaws, defects or repairs reported by consumers after a brief period of owning and driving their new vehicle. This isn't emotional or non tangible evidence. It's a simple count of complaints about repairs or things breaking.

It's not a matter of intelligence. It doesn't take much to know that the paint is rubbing off the door handle of your audi, or that your cd changer has jammed. :wink:

Lexus won in two categories because they had the fewest complaints.

I like to deal with cars in 1st person before drawing those conclusions because, well lets face it, the average consumer(source of these ratings/awards) is dumb and knows next to nothing about cars. Not really the kind of person I would want making my buying decisions for me.

Kinda like the "average consumers" who think that the wood in Lexus's is fake? :tongue:

This is my 5th Lexus. My buying decision was made on my success with the brand in the past. Unfortunately i've never had the pleasure of participating in a JD Powers survey because (knock on real wood) i've never had any problems.

 

[Sumeronthechain]

No. Sir - JD Powers Initial Quality surveys aren't "opinions." They are a summation of the number of flaws, defects or repairs reported by consumers after a brief period of owning and driving their new vehicle. This isn't emotional or non tangible evidence. It's a simple count of complaints about repairs or things breaking.

I see what you are saying, however what might be a complaint for you, might not be fore me. What breaks on my car might be because of the way I use it or maintain it.

For example, if I take my NSX to 7 track days in the first year of ownership, and I wear through a set of brake pads, clutch, tires, and boil the brake fluid. That is 4 issues the car has that would show up as negative marks in your "surveys." Should that be held against the car and give it less than stellar ratings? I don't think so.

Now thats an extreme example, of course. But automobiles that are exactly identical can have much different lives depending on the user who operates and maintains them.

Not to mention some of the cars are sold in such small quantities, plus the small % of owners that respond to surveys, makes me think the data on some of the vehicles is much too small a sample to create a solid conclusion from.

Unfortunately i've never had the pleasure of participating in a JD Powers survey because (knock on real wood) i've never had any problems.

I think this sums up my point pretty well. Without a broad sample of owners, the surveys are unreliable.

 

[SilverStone05]

Congratulations on your IS350AWD I think your going to luv it.

BTW those wheels look very nice on that color IS no matter what car they are off of. Is that the same color as your IS?

Thank you sir. This is my 2nd IS...had an IS300 back in '03. I know i'll enjoy this one just as much.

Yes, the color i finally picked was Smoky Granite. I ultimately passed on the Glacier Frost because I didn't want to wait a few weeks for delivery and because I was able to negotiate a better deal on this model.