Is the Audi A3 reliable?
Considering the A3 is a refined and well-made family hatchback from a long-standing and highly established brand, it should serve you well from a reliability standpoint. In the What Car? reliability survey, it finished 15th out of 29 cars in the family car class. It achieved a reliability score of 91%, making it more robust than the Mercedes A-Class.
Sat-navs and infotainment systems are the main points of concern for reliability issues, while bodywork and engine problems are reportedly less common.
Engine: When starting any of the petrol engines from cold, listen for squeaks or especially prominent rattles. Even if the noise disappears after a short period, it is indicative of two potential issues: auxiliary drive belt wear or timing belt wear. To find out which it is, remove the auxiliary drive belt and start the engine.
If the squeak has disappeared, the belt must be replaced. If the squeak remains, then the timing belt is about to let go, so you will need to replace this as well as the timing belt tensioner.
Some owners of cars with the most powerful petrols, such as the S3 and RS3, have reported higher than normal oil consumption. Quiz the seller about the frequency of any past top-ups and check the service records for potential evidence of this, as well as, of course, inspecting the current oil level on the dipstick.
Gearbox: Some owners have complained that the gearchange on the six-speed manual ’box can become stiff to use, with a pervading grinding or thumping noise, or also transmission fluid oil leaks.