Ask the Car People.SM


Audi A4 Reliability

148 messages,  Last post on Feb 21, 2013 at 1:49 AM

You are in the Audi A4 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Audi A4, Auto Repair, Sedan

Messages Page 13 of 16

#115 of 148 Re: A4 reliability [gforaker] by spencerpoole

Feb 19, 2011 (7:28 pm)

Replying to: gforaker (Jan 13, 2011 6:11 pm)
To anyone who either owns an A4 or is considering getting one, some quick words of advice:
 
I currently drive a 2002 Audi A4 3.0 quattro; as many others on this forum have posted, the vehicle drives great and has considerable pick up. I love the way it looks and the interior; that said, I have some serious issues with both the reliability and the care provided by Audi dealerships.
 
When I purchased my Audi, it was eight years old with 88k miles on it; it drove fine in the test drive and for the first several months afterwards. Since then, I have nearly bought it again in repairs. I had to get my power steering pump and front bushels replaced, twice; my A/C unit had to be replaced. I cannot stress enough the costs associated with owning this vehicle. To make matters worse, the primary motivation of ALL employees I have come into contact with at the Audi dealership seems to be getting my car in there once a month. As previously mentioned in this forum, Audi is very hesitant to stand by their product and quality of repair/maintenance. If you or anyone you know is considering purchasing this vehicle, drop the money to get it checked out by a mechanic you trust; in addition, I hope you have a good bit of disposable income because chances are you will get hit with a hefty repair bill at some point.
 
For all you a4 owners out there, if any of you live in the Atlanta area and know a good mechanic who specializes in german vehicles and is trustworthy and affordable, please let me know.

#116 of 148 Audi A4 Reliability by ragtop53

Feb 25, 2011 (1:54 am)

Thought I would share my experiences with my 2005 Audi A4 Cabriolet. Loved the looks of the car, and the Dolphin gray color with light leather interior was very sharp. Bought the car with just under 40,000 miles and it had been well cared for, with hardly a scratch on it, and a pristine interior with an engine compartment you could eat off of. It handled great and got excellent gas mileage of 30 plus on a 1000 mile driving vacation.
As for the reliability, it began having issues as soon as that trip ended. A coolant puddle appeared in the garage under the car and came with a repair bill of several hundred dollars. The windshield washer reservoir and pump failed within another month and another few hundred to repair. Tail lamp bulbs burned out along with center brake light strip for another three hundred. It was at this point where I became frustrated, cause I would have liked to replace the bulbs myself, but this required removing panels inside the trunk. Even changing the air filter required major disassembling of intake, which I found out after purchasing a K&N filter replacement. I was told by the service manager that repair work was where Audi makes the money, so it is not designed for much owner upkeep.
The check engine light problems finally put me over the edge, and prompted me to buy my own hand held code reader rather than pay the dealer $69 to reset. My A4 had the CVT type transmission, and one of the codes Audi determined would require a new valve body at $2000. It was at this point I started looking to the internet to see if this issue was common with A4's having so few miles on them. Sure enough there are problems with the CVT transmissions and even though it is not recommended in the owners manual, the CVT fluid should probably be changed out every 25,000 miles. Failure to do so will cost money, since when the fluid ages it creates a variety of problems with seals and hydraulic pressure. I opted to give changing out the fluid for a couple of hundred, to see if this might help the hydraulic pressure and possibly reset the code. At this point I had no shifting issues or indications of transmission problems, the car had only 40,000 miles, and the code stayed reset for a week and then came back. After reading more horror stories about CVT transmission issues and $6000 replacement costs, I had some decisions to make. I had spent well over a thousand in repairs for the 3,000 miles we had driven the car, and still had a check engine light and code that would not reset. So I decided to fold my hand and limit my losses, and part with this car after less than a year. A 40K automobile should have better reliability!
Still think the A4 Cabrio is a beautiful car, but to much wallet liability for me to worry about.
If you ar thinking of purchasing an Audi A4, stay away from the CVT, and purchase an extended warranty to limit your liability. These cars seem to do well for the warranty period, but then require deep pockets to keep up.

#117 of 148 Re: Audi A4 Reliability [ragtop53] by slee_stack

Feb 25, 2011 (7:18 pm)

Replying to: ragtop53 (Feb 25, 2011 1:54 am)
You could argue the same for many makes. And used cars are always a gamble. Cars can look spotless and have a steady service history and be owned by a little old lady. But some little old ladies don't drive like the stereotype might suggest. And some have relatives who beat the snot out of their car when they borrow it. Point is, don't judge a book (or car) by its cover.
 
I owned a Saab which had its share of CELs and fixes, but I was good with doing repair work myself and hunting for reasonably priced parts instead of buying retail from a dealer. Overall the car was fantastic, but its the kind of vehicle that really requires an owner with mechanical aptitude AND genuine interest. I had a similar coolant leak and took care of it myself in <2 hours and with $15 worth of parts (or less). The most expensive repair I ever had to make was a new DIC which set me back $150 buying one online. An owner that doesn't know any better would have forked over $500 to a dealer to install one (a 10 minute job by the way). In your case with the A4 you probably made the right decision to get out from it. If working on cars was a hobby you enjoyed, it might have been worth holding onto.

#118 of 148 Re: Audi A4 Reliability [slee_stack] by hpmctorque

Feb 25, 2011 (10:07 pm)

Replying to: slee_stack (Feb 25, 2011 7:18 pm)
What's CELs and DIC?

#119 of 148 Re: Audi A4 Reliability [hpmctorque] by gforaker

Feb 26, 2011 (6:42 am)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Feb 25, 2011 10:07 pm)
CEL is "Check Engine Light".

#120 of 148 Re: Audi A4 Reliability [gforaker] by hpmctorque

Feb 27, 2011 (8:44 pm)

Replying to: gforaker (Feb 26, 2011 6:42 am)
Thanks.

#121 of 148 Re: A4 reliability [spencerpoole] by jtran2012

Apr 02, 2011 (9:04 pm)

Replying to: spencerpoole (Feb 19, 2011 7:28 pm)
Hey gforaker,
 
I have heard good things from my dad who takes our 2006 525i and 2006 325i (also 1998 Honda Prelude too, but you wanted to know about German cars) to Summit Auto in Decatur, GA.
 
You can check them out on yelp and find more info about them on Google. They specialize in imports (European and Japanese Cars).
 
It's a bit far out from where I am from (Alpharetta) but my dad says it's worth it.

#122 of 148 Re: A4 reliability [jtran2012] by wireless

Apr 19, 2011 (6:00 pm)

Replying to: jtran2012 (Apr 02, 2011 9:04 pm)
I used to drive from Alpharetta to Stone Mountain for Dwight Harrison VW. Well worth it and the best dealership I ever had the experience of visiting. For a good dealership a 30 or even 40 minute drive is well worth it.

#123 of 148 Re: Audi A4 Reliability Post 2007-Current? [eddie650] by 3boysmom1

Apr 22, 2011 (10:52 pm)

Replying to: eddie650 (Nov 13, 2009 8:04 pm)
Eddie,
I'm getting ready to purchase a 2005 A4 convertible with only 32k miles on it. It has been garage kept and is beautiful.
Wondering if you are still pleased with yours and if you have had any problems? This forum does cause me some concern and I've never owned an import. I know, American only but have been blessed. Husband's Lumina has over 241k miles and he changes the oil when the light comes on! Crazy!
Thanks

#124 of 148 Re: Audi A4 Reliability Post 2007-Current? [3boysmom1] by eddie650

Apr 23, 2011 (11:53 am)

Replying to: 3boysmom1 (Apr 22, 2011 10:52 pm)
Yes, I have the 2005+ 4 cylinder A4 convertible, and I have no regrets with my purchase. Mine has about 69,000 miles. I was glad that my original warranty lasted 50,000 miles (I think that was the figure) since I needed some repairs and they were covered. I think Audi has more problem cars on the road than normal, but I seem to have bought one of the OK ones. I bought the car because I liked this convertible rather than the others out there. So far, I'd say that my repair record has been average. I drive the car more carefully than I did my Honda Accord since I'm anxious to avoid expensive repairs.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Eddie

Messages Page 13 of 16

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement