Tire noise dilemma
 

So here's the situation.

I would like to buy a pre-owned A3.

The car has 70k kms on it.

On a test drive, there was a LOT of road noise. Definitely something was wrong. However, thinking it was solvable, I put a refundable deposit down on the premise they repair the issue.

The service dept looked at it, did an inspection, replaced rear brakes, replaced a couple wheel bearings, among a few other things, and then called me to come for another test drive.

Still the same noise.

Today they notify me that the noise is related to tires, but they are refusing to replace the tires. The inspection report says there is still 5mm tread remaining all around. They only replace if the tread drops below 3.9mm.

Seems odd to me that tires with 5mm tread would make so much noise. Especially at 80km/h it's brutal.

So, my dilemma is, do I buy the car, replace the tires (knowing they are 70k kms so probably need replacing soon anyways) and trust them that the noise will go away once I replace them? Or I'll be stuck back at the dealership (there is still a couple months of factory warranty left).

Or do I walk away from it....?

Hmmm. I wouldn't completely trust the service dept. staff at an Audi dealership.
Is it possible that they did not do a complete inspection of the A3?

Have you tried buying a Carfax report on this A3? Perhaps the history of the car can give you a more detailed background of whether this Audi had other damage from previous accidents.

I think that you need more detailed history about this car before you make a decision about whether you want to buy this A3.

Something is not adding up in terms of what the service department staff are telling you about the cause of the road noise.

if there's original warranty i'd assume factory tires?

i'd go try another similar year a3, that should tell you if it's tires or something sinister

might consider it on the condition they deduct a big portion of tire replacement cost

if no deal, walk

Some tires are just really noisy, but being an Audi dealer I'm surprised they don't have another car they could borrow the wheels/tires from for a test drive or a spare set of winters from a trade in or something. Either way it might be worth the cost of a third party inspection.

You looking at this one?

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/bnc...788312542.html

Tell them you will pay for the new tires if the noise goes away.
If the noise is still there, walk away

this is a great point.

I called the dealership and asked if they could do that. Turns out they did just that. They swapped a spare set of used winter tires and rims on the car, drove it, and the noise went away.

So knowing that, it gives me more confidence that is the issue.

The tires have 70k kms on them so I am not too stressed about buying the car and then having to buy tires because I will have to replace them soon anyways.

I will ask if the dealer can cut me a deal for tires at cost, at least then I can take delivery with new tires installed.

I have carfax. Single owner, no accidents, it was a lease. CPO.

https://www.audi.ca/ca/web/en/invent...DVBMDU0NjM3UA=

So you're looking at the ProContact TX tires on the A3 at Richmond Audi?
Sounds like they're telling the truth about the tires based on the customer reviews.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...Premium%20Plus

I'm sure there's a lot of decisions that landed you on that A3 (esp the red seats) but a couple other deals:

Black on Black A7 with 80k KM listed for 34k in Richmond. Not a salvage title.
https://www.autotrader.ca/a/audi/a7/...E+5N1&sprx=100

OR a CPO A4: https://www.audidowntownvancouver.ca...aa88263548.htm
OR even new gen A3 with mild hybrid: https://www.capilanoaudi.com/certifi...fac1ad1e5a.htm

wow good find. that almost feels too cheap, no?

Prices should generally be pretty low since anything "luxury" under 40k is up against a brand new Model 3.

Looks like this one was crashed once (10k dec), curbed one or two wheels, 6second 0-60 compared to 5.5 on the one you posted, ~20% better fuel economy.
Don't think this one has adaptive cruise, folding mirrors, upgraded audio, etc.

It's not a slam dunk, the Black on Red on that 2017 is a really good look.

Let's get to the important stuff which is: You're going to put Crossclimate2s on there right?

Seems like you've solved it already, but it's true some tires are louder when they are worn out. The Michelin PSS on my M3 got really loud as they got older.

The question is what makes you want a a3, a CO worker who had s3 says it was unusable small

Isn’t the a3 built on the same mQB platform as my Hitler box ?

Just buy the hilter box and save some money.

Road noise / tire noise on the hitlerbox is bad too. Not even sure if changing the tires will fix it. It’s just not good insulation.

If you want a quiet car drive a Lexus. The ES is a tomb and cost nothing for a slightly used one.

Sell me your ES

yeah so I was considering those, they are extremely pragmatic.

but am I the only one who thinks they are kind of ugly? the tread pattern is super aggressive, even when viewed from the side. maybe that's just me though.

wow rude that's someone's eyebrows you're talking about

What did you say about my wife’s eyebrows ?!?!!?!?

Nein ! I gotta save you from yourself. Otherwise all your 2 garage full of cars will just be full of junkers.

If you landed on the A3, you prob looked at Audi S3, is there a reason why you decided against the S3?

Or, if staying in the A family and not the S ... A5 Sportback?

Yeah they are kinda ugly but some people will marry those kind of tires. I'd actually get the Pirelli Weatheractive if I was in the market - performs similarly and isn't ugly.

How old are the tires? They harden as they age and that makes them more noisy.

My last set of Michelin Super Sports on the Mazda got really noisy by the end of their life, they had 9 years on them (well 9 summer seasons) and probably ~40-45,000kms on them, well before minimum tread. When I put on the new PS4S's I was like "wow, I can't believe how quiet the car is again"

Imagine not moisturising your tires regularly.

"moist"

Picked up my A3 from Richmond Audi, went straight to Aria for new DWS06+ (thanks Billy, great guy, good price, highly recommend) and noise is more or less gone!

Thanks for everyone's advice.