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Sedans Audi S4 Audi S4 vs BMW M3
275 messages, Last post on Nov 17, 2008 at 12:27 PM
You are in the Audi S4 Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: kdshapiro (Apr 20, 2005 9:41 am) M |
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Replying to: esf (Apr 20, 2005 7:20 pm) A link to this survey please! Oh and please don't tell us about Germany because we all know that Audi is seen in a much better light over there, but we don't live in Germany and here Audis are no better than any other German brand and in most cases they're much worse than BMW, and usually in the same place with Mercedes in any survey I've seen. M
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Replying to: merc1 (Apr 21, 2005 12:50 am)
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“With every new car they release, Audi keeps inching closer and closer to MB and BMW, here in the USA.” That's the first line of the autospies.com page referenced; not exactly gushing. It’s also interesting to note that on the same page Audi is advertised three times, as is the case for all the features pages. |
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Replying to: esf (May 07, 2005 8:20 pm) M
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Replying to: merc1 (May 11, 2005 4:46 am) |
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Replying to: merc1 (May 11, 2005 4:46 am) |
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I have owned an E36 M3 since 1995 and just this month traded in an Audi A4 owned since 1996. I have/had been ecstatic and happy respectively with the BMW and Audi. **RELIABILITY** The BMW has been more reliable than the Audi and less expensive to maintain. Known reliability issues with the E36 3-series include the cooling system and rear shock mounts. My second thermostat was installed at ~60k miles (the car now has 72k). I will be replacing the plastic-impeller water pump and possibly the radiator as preventative measures at my next service (soon). Rear shock mounts also have been changed twice. I don't know if these issue had been addressed for the E46 generation. There have been a few other non-routine repairs, but overall I have had good reliability over the 10 years. The Audi has had a bit more of the non-routine stuff happening, including radio, antenna and speaker problems that were never completely fixed after at least 4 tries, power window glitches, water pump, thermostat, intermittent instrument fritz (water temp, fuel guage, odometer display), un-turnable rotors at 50k, temp sender, a couple of leaks (gasket replacements), CV boots twice, random alarms, windshield washer system and probably a few other items I am not remembering. Despite all this, I still think the A4 has been one of the best cars of the past decade. But I did trade it in this month fearing future repair and maintenance costs. Although individual experiences vary, I would not believe any surveys that rank Audi or BMW as having near the reliability of Toyota and Honda. **SERVICE** There are quite a few independent service shops that specialize in BMWs here in the SF Bay Area. Although they must exist, I do not know of any independent Audi-only shops in my area. New Dimensions is the closest thing, advertising themselves as a VW/Audi shop. However, I am sure that 90% or more of their business is VW; I had a mediocre service experience there. So, there are more service options for BMW along with somewhat lower service costs vs. Audi. |
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| One major difference between the S4 and M3 is the variety of aftermarket stuff available. There are a few Audi suppliers for performance enhancement, but there are many more for BMW. (I am fortunate enough to live near the Dinan headquarters!) If you are not into modifying your car, this is a moot issue. But if you like to have several chip, cold air intake, short-throw shift kit, etc. suppliers to choose from, then you will probably be happier with a BMW. Also, the local BMW Car Club is very active, with several driving school, track and other events in the SF Bay Area each year. I don't know what the Audi Club (I assume there is one) does. In my mind, BMW owners have a higher tendency to be "car people" than Audi owners. | |
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Replying to: merc1 (May 11, 2005 4:46 am) |
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