Nicole

I recently purchased an A4 1.8TM front drive and the day after taking delivery I drought it to the service dept and explained that the car is drifting to the right. The service manager took the car for a ride and stated that the drift was undetectable. I since have driven the car to FL and at the 5000 mile service I again complained about the drift. We again took the car out and also took out another A4 from the lot. The other car drifted even worse than mine. He is now telling me that it is inherent to the vechicle and that I am comparing it to my Acura (a vastly differnt japanese vechicle)which may more play in the steering wheel. I feel that the car is in need of an alignment but he does not. I am not satisfied and he said we could drive another car to compare also. He will spend hours driving cars but cannot put mine on a lift to fix MY problem. So I guess my question is, Has anyone else had this problem and will an alignment fix it? Should Audi be responsible for the fix? or is this truely a inherent trait? Thanks for listening. Nicole

Jason

That doesn't sound right to me... I don't know what that service manager's problem is. I would go to another dealer. What dealer have you been going to? Maybe someone here can recommend another dealer with better customer service!!! <br>Jason<br>98.5 1.8T pearlscent

paulb

that is not right, take the car to another dealer get it fixed and then bring the results to the first manager and stick it up his nose......not really but let him know that his dealership is wrong and call audi of america and complain. good luck with the fix.....<br>

BDW

<br>Nicole -- My '99 1.8Tqms does not drift at all. Straight down the road. Now if your are on a two-lane with a lot of drainage pitch to the side, any car will move a little bit to the right. Try this. Get on a three-lane interstate and drive in the MIDDLE lane. Then see if it still drifts to the right. If it does, I'd say your dealer is full of it and should align your car. If it doesn't, it's OK and it's just the pitch of the road. <p>Your dealer is right in saying your A4 has less play and more direct steering than your Acura, but I don't think this has anything to do with "drifting."<p>Good luck ...<br>BDW

Cris

like... right across the Audi rings. Go with the service tech for a drive on a straight, flat road. Tell him/her to steer the car so that the line is level across... If you are really bold, tell that person not to adjust steering and go REALLY fast. <br>Then ask... "is this car steering straight?" <p>Oh, make sure the tape comes off w/o a problem. <p>Cris<br>

CRS

I, too, thought I had an alignment problem upon pick-up of my new 1.8T. The car would drift slightly to the right. After speaking with the service manager at my dealership, he informed me Audi builds into the cars a slight pull to the right as a safety feature in case you fall asleep behind the wheel. The car is designed to slowly sway to the right and off the road. At first, it sounded like a bunch of crap, but I have spoke with several other owners who had heard the same thing. The dealer still did check the alignment at my request, but we found the car to be within specs. I feel your dealer should check the alignment as well. After all, customers service should come first.<p>CRS, 1.8T Tip

amro

Mine feels more like a pull to the right. I've brought it in twice, and have been told its normal. They tried alignment and tire rotation to no avail. After getting a new set of 17" wheels and tires, the car still exhibits the same problem. I finally got the service rep to ride with me in my car and a new car. Boy what a difference. The new car tracked straight and true. Mine, I can cross three lanes of interstate in about 2 seconds.<p>Something is wrong and neither you or I should accept it. Go elsewhere. I'm going back to my dealer one more time before I try the other dealer (only 2 in Dallas).<p>Good luck :-)<br>Amro

Drew S.

FWD cars are more likely to "pull" to one side during acceleration, but when coasting I would expect it to track straight. My quattro pulls straight regardless of what I'm doing (accelerating, coasting, braking, drinking, talking on cell phone, reading, sleeping, etc).<p>Have you checked your tire pressures? If you don't have all of your tires properly inflated, then this can influence the handling of the car. I suggest checking your tire pressures when they are cold, and adjusting all tires to their recommended PSI. Then you will have eliminated one more factor in the puzzle.<p>Another thing it could be is a stuck caliper on your right front brake, but your car is too new to be experiencing this. I'd say the chances of this are extremely low. It's probably the alignment.<br>

SandyK

Try checking tire pressure first.

Jeff J

CRS, Your dealer told you a TOTAL bunch of baloney. This is absolutely untrue!