Faults:

Steering rack failed at 100,00 miles after drinking power steering fluid for three months.

Suspension arms have been changed repeatedly, but still knock, a design flaw in the car.

CV joint has failed and no 2 is on the way out.

Drive shaft gaiters have split twice.

Strange groaning noise occasionally when going round right hand bends and no one can figure out why this happens.

Interior seat trim getting a bit tatty.

General Comments:

The A4 has serious front suspension issues, make no mistake, if you buy a high mileage one around about 100,000 miles be prepared to pay through the nose in repairs.

The 2.6 V6 is a peach, a bucket load of torque and strong acceleration, hills don't exists anymore, overtaking is too easy, good Q car.

Body is very solid.

Interior build quality is superb, after owning a Saxo VTS it's a different world, a very strong car.

It under-steers like most Audi's too.

On the whole though, for £2500 it was a bit of a bargain for the power and luxury you get, getting a bit expensive in suspension bits though.

Faults:

Rear brake caliper failed.

Electric windows don't always close; instead they close, then reopen.

Sunroof opens in tilt mode whenever it feels like it.

Bonnet cable broke.

CV boots split every MoT.

Nasty creaking from the front bushes.

Ventilation selector knob slips; same as the Audi 80.

Dodgy cup holders.

Rear arm rest lid came off.

Rear ash tray lid came adrift.

Front ash tray sticks in or out.

General Comments:

I owned an Audi 80 before my A4, and I loved its build quality and reliability. This encouraged me to buy the A4.

But the A4 is unreliable, and costly to both run and maintain.

Having said all this, and in-spite of all the niggly bits, I really do love the drive.

Faults:

Within a week of purchase the car lost all power steering fluid. This was traced to a defective power steering rack seal. A new replacement rack from Audi costs £600, a local chap got a rack from Europarts at a total cost fitted of £300.

Driver's window jammed. This was traced to a green plastic clip securing the glass to the runner. Guess what, you can't buy this separately and Audi want £170 for a complete regulator assembly. I am saving up to buy a runner assembly from Europarts for £58.

Climate control is no longer cold. Probably needs a recharge at £85.

Bad engine oil leaks came from oil cooler or filter housing. Took two attempts to fix (glad I didn't replace the undertray!) and with a coolant leak, due to a faulty hose, cost £180 to fix.

Suspension arms knocked badly over rough roads. These were replaced at £150 by non Audi dealer. Audi dealer wanted double this amount. Previous owner told me he sold the car after spending £2,000 on suspension over his ownership of 60,000 miles! The knocking has now returned...

Automatic gearbox is now starting to play up. After braking, there is occasionally a delay of one or two seconds before it kicks into gear. This is quite disconcerting at roundabouts.

The alarm is also playing up. Sometimes it goes days with no problems, then activates several times in one day.

General Comments:

Despite the running costs I love this car. When it is running right it is the best car in the world. Even after 155,000 miles the interior is like new, the exterior rust free and everything feels solid.

The fuel consumption is frightening. The engine is too peaky for automatic transmission. However, the car has been converted to liquid petroleum gas and now averages 60 miles per gallon equivalent.

I once bought a 1995 A4 TDi new. That car did 70,000 miles fault free and lost £7,000 in value.

My current A4 has covered 35,000 miles, cost £1,300 in repairs, and lost £1,500 in value. I think I'll buy a new one next time!