148 messages,
Last post on Feb 21, 2013 at 1:49 AM
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Audi A4 Forum.
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Audi A4, Auto Repair, Sedan
#100 of 148 Re: Audi A4 Reliability Post 2007-Current? [smarty666]
by bjacobs
Dec 04, 2009 (1:44 pm)
I currently own an audi a4 2000, and my father owned an a4 2001, which he was happy to get rid of. We both liked the cars, but frankly, the reliability of audi and vw is scary. The cars will not leave you stranded, but they will empty your checkbook very fast. There is a reason you don't see older audi's on the road.
My experience with the audi a4 is:
1) engine seals replaced 2 x
2) diff seals replaced 2 x
3) dash display replaced
4) entire throttle body replaced (sensors, valves, etc)
5) fuel injectors replaced 2 x
6) driver's airbag replaced
7) abs module replaced
8) driver's and passenger window lifters replaced
9) drive shaft boots replaced
10) various sensors (temp sensors, oxygen sensors, etc)
11) hoses, pipes, etc.
This is a 10 year car which started breaking after 2.5 years. Thank god I had a full coverage warranty. The warranty paid out $12k in repairs, and from speaking with the audi/vw shop, this is typical of audi's.
Have they gotten better? I hope so, but I can guarantee you that their reliability is still poor. By the way, consumer reports gave the a4 a good reliability rating in 2000 and 2001. We'll see what happens in a couple of years to the 07's.
In comparison:
1) 2002 subaru- no problems with anything
2) 2003 camry- 1 engine mount went bad
3) 1995 maxima- 2 starters
In my mind, audi's are great driving cars, but horrible transportation cars. They are not reliable, expensive to fix, and expensive to own.
There is simply no justification for getting one. Do yourself a favor and get something else. If you want performance and have to get a german car, get a bmw. They seem to be the most reliable of the german makes, although they are not close to the japanese cars.
#102 of 148 Can you really break an Audi A4 in 6 miles?
by anitasan
Jan 07, 2010 (11:34 pm)
I drove my 2008 A4 about 6 miles in the cold the other night not ever getting over 35 miles per hour. At a stop light the clutch developed an issue out of nowhere and would not allow me to go into 1st gear. I finally had to drive it home in 3rd gear but after getting it into my garage, could not get it into gear again.
Upon driving it to the dealer, my clutch was burned out completely. This surprised me because I saw no smoke or heard no grinding noises whatesoever when I was driving it.
Has anybody ever had this issue? I cannot believe that I "broke" my Audi A4 in a matter of 35 miles per hour for 6 miles.
*confused......
#103 of 148 2006 A4 3.2
by r34
Jan 15, 2010 (10:16 pm)
My wife is driving a 2006 A4 3.2 auto - no issue. We were surprised it's more reliable than our Saabs (although we still missed them).
#104 of 148 Re: 2000 A4 1.8T breaks down a lot [fkuciapa]
by durank
Feb 13, 2010 (3:54 pm)
Unfortunately, I have had very similar problems with my now former 2005 A4 3.0 Quatrro. After the warranty expired the costs piled up. Within a year of the warranty expiring the car was towed twice and I spent over $2000 on new tires and brake pads. The first time the car was towed the car needed a very costly new fuel pump. The second time the car was towed the dealer informed me it needed a new $13,000 engine, worth almost as much as the car if not more!!! At 4 years old and 62,000 miles a car should not need a new engine. No one in the dealership could tell me exactly what went wrong except that I had an excellent service record and all my fluids were fine. The dealership tried to offer me $2,000 for the car, which I just shelled out for the tires to the dealership. They would also not make any deal towards a trade in for a new Audi, which I was willing to try again with Audi. Audi obviously does not stand behind their vehicles or their customers.
#105 of 148 buying advice
by rrrx
May 01, 2010 (7:28 pm)
I'm hearing all these bad reviews for the A4 1.8T. I am about to buy a 2002 A4 1.8T that has 84,000 miles on it, it was owned by a female bank worker, the seems to be in great shape. It's a local dealer who has it for sale, they are not an Audi dealership. Should I stay away from this car? they have it priced
10,900.
Any help would be greatly welcomed!!!
#106 of 148 Re: buying advice [rrrx]
by kirstie_h HOST
May 03, 2010 (12:33 pm)
This is a really difficult question for anyone else to answer. The plus side is that it's really fun to drive. The minus side is that there will be times when you can't drive it at all, and it will require more than the average amount in repair bills to make it drive again.
You should do a forums search here on the terms A4 problems. Then, assume that you will experience at least some of the problems mentioned by others. Can your budget handle that? If so, can you also handle your car being out-of-commission for those periods of time/frequency?
I have owned two vehicles in my life with poor reliability histories. The first one, I was spending $800/month in repairs for about the last 5 months of ownership. The second one, I beat the odds and experienced almost no problems at all. It's up to you to decide whether you can afford the risks. Personally, if I were spending $11K on a used vehicle, I'd be looking at something less exciting, but with a better likelihood of lower impact on my future & ongoing budget.
#108 of 148 Neet opinion about buying a 07 A4
by gatillo21
May 12, 2010 (8:29 pm)
I saw a cheap 07 A4 Quattro manual transmission with 100,000 and I'm thinking about buying it. What are your suggestions??? Tell me fast please I don't want to make an expensive mistake.
#109 of 148 Re: Neet opinion about buying a 07 A4 [gatillo21]
by jayrider
May 13, 2010 (6:29 am)
You didn' mention price or condition. Get it checked out thoroughly by a qualified indy mechanic. 1-150 bucks. Does it have a complete service record?