pdd01

I'm about to get my A7 with innovation etc and was concerned about electronics reliability. Any comments on new owners experiences and frequency of trips to service would be appreciated. Hopefully this won't be an issue.

fkaufman

Traditionally, electronics per say is not a high failure rate component group. If the circuitry is designed right (and you can trust the Germans in that respect) electronic components either fail immediately (and that is cought by manufacturer's test procedures) or very early in actual use. Once past that, they practically live forever. We have not seen any major early component failures.

The above isn't exactly true for electromechanical components, such as motors and relays. Once again, there have not been any reports of early component failures.

There can be design shortcomings or flaws, such as the issues owners experienced with the remote access key system in the early days of the A7. These are monitored by the manufacturer, the affected components revised and a new (improved, better) revision is made available.

I wouldn't worry about this if I were you. Audi has been in the forefront of using innovative, new automotive electronics for a long time with an excellent track record.

Phantom68

I agree, I wouldn't worry about this for now, I expect when the car gets over ten years old then a few glitches might start to set in, for example failed components caused by overheating etc.

I think this must be one of the most technologically advanced cars on the market and I think Audi has been brave cramming so much tech into the car. Time will tell I guess, I certainly have had no issues with mine.

It is really forums such as this where we can all learn from each other so if you spot anything unusual post it on here....probably get a quicker response than from Audi LOL

uberwgn

PD, it's not an issue today. Maybe 15 or 20 years ago it was. I can say this across the board for European cars sent to the USA: it's no longer a weak spot

In general, the overall reliability of the Audi product has shown vast improvement over the past one or two decades. The diagnostic capabilities have vastly improved, too, when there is a problem.

Welcome aboard!

fkaufman

AS a matter of fact, the owner of the dealership I work with, who has been a friend for over 30 years said to me that the reliability of the Audi products is impacting their service revenue. That should tell you something!

uberwgn

You mean that far fewer cars are coming in for non-routine service work, right?

fkaufman

Yes, exactly. And the service intervals are also much longer, so they are hit on both scheduled maintenance and actual defects. Good for owners, not so good for the service centers.

uberwgn

I hear ya. And I think it partially explains why dealers are charging MSRP ++ for part when you walk in

bmcds4

A bit over 6 months and 5,000 miles - no gremlins or glitches so far. Just had the 5K service done and the ECU flash performed per Audi Service. I bought one of the first new style MB E500s in 2003. Four electronic issues in the first year. So the Germans don't always hit it out of the park in that regard. You should be fine. Have fun!

fkaufman

They have come a long long way in 8 years!