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Audi A4 Reliability

99 messages,  Last post on Nov 13, 2009 at 7:04 PM

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#66 of 99 Won't Buy an Audi by roblaw Jun 14, 2008 (2:05 pm)
The new A4 seems to be a great vehicle from a driving standpoint. I was strongly considering it for the all around driving appeal and practicality. I won't. I have read too many horror stories on these websites. However, I may have considered one if I believed Audi of America or the dealers will stand behind the cars. Most postings indicated that in addition to poor reliability, neither the manufacturer nor the dealer understand that when someone pays big $ for a vehicle they are entitled to be treated a certain way. My 07' Lexus is far from exciting and does not have the ride/handling balance of an Audi (although it would seem Audi could make the ride a bit more comfortable without ruining the handling). However, the vehicle is basically trouble free and the dealer gives me a free Lexus loaner and picks up and drops off the vehicle for free for service. When I mentioned a very slight pulsing in the brake pedal on a 5000 mile service the car was returned to me with 4 new rotors and sets of pads, far more than I expected. This is why Lexus, despite having somewhat boring vehicles sells very well. Audi should take a lesson since the entire ownership experience matters. Replies to this message: rjlaero (Jun 16, 2008 6:23 am) rascal99 (Jun 16, 2008 6:41 am) rascal99 (Jun 16, 2008 6:29 am)
#67 of 99 Re: Won't Buy an Audi [roblaw] by rjlaero Jun 16, 2008 (6:23 am)
Replying to: roblaw (Jun 14, 2008 2:05 pm) Lexus was created for the US market. Audi has a lot bigger picture to look at world wide. It's incredibly expensive to build cars in Germany and ship to the US.   Lexus gives it's dealerships a huge profit margin and wads of cash to give customers everythign they want. They don't have to worry about the rest of the world.   Lexus sells service more than cars, and people buy into it. It's not wright or wrong, it's just what they do. Replies to this message: rascal99 (Jun 16, 2008 6:41 am)
#68 of 99 Re: Won't Buy an Audi [roblaw] by rascal99 Jun 16, 2008 (6:29 am)
Replying to: roblaw (Jun 14, 2008 2:05 pm) That's funny since I have had absolutely NO problems with my A4. Every time I take the A4 in for scheduled service I also get a loaner, the last one being a fairly new A4. The local Audi dealership treats me very well. So, I am nervously waiting for the engine to self destruct and Audi to turn their back on me. After all a couple people posting on an internet message board told me so.   I understand your point; however, there ARE a few satisfied Audi owners (i.e. happy with the car AND happy with the service). Yes, if my engine inexplicably blew I would rather be driving the Lexus if given the choice; but, I would not base my buying decision on that.
#69 of 99 Re: Won't Buy an Audi [rjlaero] by rascal99 Jun 16, 2008 (6:41 am)
Replying to: rjlaero (Jun 16, 2008 6:23 am) I think it also may be a cultural issue. The Germans do not approach customer service in the same manner as the Japanese and North Americans. Their philosophy is the producer is always right, as in "We build cars for a living, you do not. You will accept what we deliver and you will like it". I provide BMW I-Drive as an example. After owning four German cars and spending time in Germany I can attest to this. They have always produced great quality products, but reliability has always taken a back seat. I think the market has been changing their attitude regarding reliability and service for the better.
#70 of 99 Re: *Yawn* [carfan65] by huntzinger Jun 17, 2008 (1:32 pm)
Replying to: carfan65 (Dec 02, 2007 1:29 pm) It is never surprising on these post sites to hear horror stories. Our family is on our 4th Audi, and getting ready to look at a new A5 once they are available   Your 4th Audi? Must have had something horrible with some of the earlier ones.   My wife has been driving an Audi since 1990. She's still on just her second one.   Her job takes her to downtown Newark NJ (#22 on the Morgan Quit no Press's list of most dangerous cities in the USA) on a daily basis, so she does not tolerate any vehicle that's an inch less than rock solid reliable.   She is shopping for a new vehicle right now, as her 8.5 year old 2000 A4 1.8T Quattro will need a new set snow tires for this winter. Currently, she's trying to decide between picking up a leftover 2008 Audi A3 within the next month, or to custom-order a 2009 A3 and probably having to wait until January for it, because the color she wants is on 'delayed introduction', which mucks up the idea of replacing the car before it needs $500 for new tires. If she doesn't get what she wants, I expect that she'll keep the A4 for another year or three, which may be a disappointment to three friends who are interested in buying it from us.   -hh Replies to this message: rablaw (Jun 23, 2008 6:40 pm) huntzinger (Jul 01, 2008 10:22 am)
#71 of 99 Happy with our A4 by 204meca Jun 21, 2008 (3:52 pm)
2004 A4 1.8T CVT; 48k.   Car runs great, is supremely comfortable, handles well, has more than ample acceleration once it is rolling... My biggest surprise (and most pleasant surpriseO is that it gets 24-28 mpg city & 32-36 highway -- on mid grade gas no less.   Have had a couple of minor problems (40K whining noise from back of car - replaced fuel filter at NC, 44K broken mirror toggle switch intially said not under warranty, but after reconsideration, replaced NC). Had 1 accident where I was not paying attention & rear ended a stopped car at about 10-15 mph. Broke transmission mount & caused minor radiator leak but I was able to drive it for 2 weeks till the parts were in. Our Bellingham dealer & service department has always been cordial & cooperative.   We are more than very pleased! with this car! Honestly, reading these forums make nervous & I had real reservations about reliablity when we bought our A4. Now we plan to keep current A4 till 2011 & then will likely replace it with another A4 or possibly an A3.
#72 of 99 Re: *Yawn* [huntzinger] by rablaw Jun 23, 2008 (6:40 pm)
Replying to: huntzinger (Jun 17, 2008 1:32 pm) I am shopping for a new car and deciding betw. an Audi A4 and Mercedes C-300. Can you recommend an Audi dealer in the northern NJ area? Dealers to avoid also. Bergen/Passaic/Essex counties are closest. Thanks. Replies to this message: huntzinger (Jul 01, 2008 10:22 am)
#73 of 99 Re: not a great experience [cneff] by md_outback Jul 01, 2008 (8:44 am)
Replying to: cneff (May 24, 2008 6:47 pm) I too am a former Audi owner (leasee actually) who comes to these forums to see if Audi's reliability has improved. I had a 2001 allroad (true "allroad" owners type it in all lower case letters) with which I had a love-hate relationship. It was a great vehicle, quick, comfortable, great in bad weather and stylish. However, there was not one day in the 49,532 miles while in my hands that there was not at least one thing wrong with it (I gave it back to Audi before the warranty ran out). It never left me stranded anywhere, but I never felt entirely comfortable when on a long trip. And that uncertainty sticks with you for a long, long time. The vehicle leaked oil (just a little) every day of its life. The brake rotors warped every 10,000 miles like clockwork. The Steptronic auto trans began to slip at 20,000 miles and had to be replaced. The headlights would periodically decide they didn't want to work until you re-booted the engine 3 times (seriously, this happened all the time!). The wheels were nearly impossible to keep balanced - always had to use expensive Hunter 9700 equipment - even then they were out of balance within 1000 miles. Seat heater would not turn off (that was a painful experience). Dashboard warning lights would come and go for no particular reason (again, not great for your confidence). So while none of these problems ever left me stranded by the roadside on a dark, gloomy night, I found that I simply wasn't going to chance driving on a dark gloomy night, just in case. I'm writing this now because I will soon be in the market for a new vehicle and the new A4 caught my attention. I will likely test drive one when they come out and I will get that "itch" again, just like I do almost every new car season. But all I need to do is look at the 29 service tickets from my allroad (that's how many times the vehicle went to the dealer in 3 years) to remind me why I drive a Lexus today and probably will still be in a Lexus at this time next year. I loved my Audi, but I also hated my Audi.   MD
#74 of 99 Re: *Yawn* [rablaw] by huntzinger Jul 01, 2008 (10:22 am)
Replying to: rablaw (Jun 23, 2008 6:40 pm) Rablaw,   We used Peter Wendell at Paul Miller Audi in Parsippany, NJ. Based on him making good on an error and giving us an $858 refund out of his own pocket, I'd definitely trust him to buy a car from him again. We've known Peter since before he was a salesman (he came from the Service Dept).   For service...well, we had not been particularly happy with Paul Miller circa ~2004, but this is a dated experience. Peter has said that they've gotten better; we will see, at the car's 5K checkup in ~6 months.   For genuine OEM Dealership, I've heard very good things from a coworker advocating Audi of Mendham, NJ, but I haven't tried them yet myself to verify how they do. I expect that we'll give Paul Miller a chance (5K service) and if it isn't stellar, perhaps go try Mendham the next time we absolutely must have a dealership touch the car.   Otherwise, the place we've been going for Audi service for the past ~5 years has been Foreign Aid in Mendham; the owner "Kenny" has implicitly earned our trust.   For Mercedes, I didn't care for the salesman at MB of Morristown, nor that he lied to me about document processing (claimed that a buyer couldn't go to DMV to get his own plates). So I went to MB of Newton, NJ; the salesman was Reid [something] ... Ried was easy to deal with. Unfortunately, this is probably a very long haul for you from Bargain/Passaic/Essex.   For MB service, Newton has been good, although a bit inconvenient and of course MB Expensive. As such, I've been trying a local independent garage (Felipe at Precision Auto Center; Rt 46 West, Rockaway NJ). So far, he's done well enough for fairly routine work and has done a "make it good at my expense" on one item, so I'll continue to go there for now...it helps that he's only 5 minutes from home.   Finally, for all "wheels" stuff, I've been using Eurotire in Fairfield, NJ (on Rt 46 East) for 20+ years. I've known the current owner Bill Bloomfield since he was an employee there, which is more than just a few years ago now. Eurotire used to mostly do just tires, rims, balancing, allignments and shocks/struts, but now also does brakes, CV/drive axles, 4-corner weight balancing, etc, etc.   Bill is a significant supporter of the local Porsche Club (PCA) chapter of Northern NJ and he often volunteers/donates his shop for Tech Inspections, etc. He's a genuine enthusiast worth supporting who does high quality work, is always honest with you, a good value, and is very flexibile in working with your needs.
#75 of 99 Smokey Mountains by pacifier Aug 24, 2008 (12:34 pm)
2 years ago around the same time of year my new 2006 Audi A4 Quattro left me stranded in the Smokey Mountains (alleged faulty starter). I was very upset to say the least and vented on this site. I’m sure you can find the posting if you went back and searched for it.   Anyhow, it’s only fair to Audi that I follow-up with this posting. Since the traumatic experience in 2006 our Audi, which now has 55k miles, has been very reliable. More importantly, I just came back from the Smokey Mountains without incident. Yes, I gave the car another chance and dared the trip once again. You can imagine the fear when I pulled into the same spot where it left me stranded, fortunately the car started this time and continued to perform throughout the trip. I thought for sure the water pump or the radiator would blow considering it was 100 degrees in the hot sun with the air on climbing steep road ways to boot. But, to my surprise, it hung in there.   So my Audi has redeemed itself and may even go into another when the tires fall off this one. Hopefully, that will be some time from now.

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