Audi Q7 4L facelift 3.0 TDI, 245 PS, 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive (2011–2015)

Research for this car

• Generation guide Audi Q7 4L (2005-2015): known problems and buying guide

  Buy only after checks of the 3.0 TDI timing chain, the air suspension and the 8-speed shifts. Repairs can be costly.

Known issues for this car

Before you buy this car

From the generation guide

1. Start the engine cold and listen for a rattle in the first seconds. A rattle means a stretched chain or a worn tensioner. Ask for proof of chain work.
2. If the car has air suspension, check that the body keeps its height after the car has stood overnight. A sagging car means a fault in the bellows or the compressor.
3. On a test drive, check for smooth shifts from 4th to 5th and back down. Jerks or kicks are a warning. Ask whether a software update was done.
4. On a cold start, listen for knocking, and look for smoke from the exhaust. Diesel in the engine oil is a serious warning. Ask for injector records.
5. Look for water traces in the footwell and the boot, and for cracked paint at the glue seams of the roof and windscreen. Ask whether the roof drains were cleaned.
6. Test the keyless entry from both front doors, with the key and with the handle. Dead antennas are a known fault.
7. Run the wipers on a test drive. Both arms should sweep fully and not stop or jerk. A seized wiper linkage is a known fault.
8. Check every recall campaign by VIN, including the 3.0 TDI brake servo (2014) and the 3.0 TFSI fuel rail (2015). Ask for the dealer's record of each repair.

Running costs

ADAC figures for 15,000 km a year over 60 months

ADAC versions