2006 Audi A4 2.0 turbo from North America

Summary:

I absolutely hated this vehicle, it had cost me way too much to buy and maintain

Faults:

Within the first month of ownership, the engine light came on, a message (a very unclear message) was indicated that the engine was suffering from under/over boost. I was advised that it could be a sensor of some sort, that was changed, and the light came off.

Approximately five (5) months later, I exited the freeway and the exhausted began emitting a lot of white smoke with a very high metallic burning smell. I had the car towed (at MY expense) to the dealer, only to find out that the turbine was destroyed. My warranty only covered partial of the cost to repair. Out of a $5000 repair I paid $2300 out of pocket. A poor experience all round so far.

The funny thing is, the dealer said to me that my lack of care was the cause of all these problems, so the voided my warranty. They claimed that I was not idling the engine before my drives, and that I should idle for at least 5 minutes before I shut the ignition off. Some very odd requests I would say, it's not a high performance race car, and is sold to be driven everyday. What was even more odd was the fact that with my previous car it was a habit to run it before I drove. I exercised the practices with the Audi. I only used 94 octane and Audi recommended synthetic oils.

After the turbine replacement (they did not replace my intercooler, odd I would say with a turbine job) and oil pump.

About 3 months later, the turbine went again. I was very upset, I went back to the dealer and of course, they said it was my fault. I had an argument with the service manager and they agreed to replace the turbine at no cost to me. Finally, some help.

About 8 months have passed and the turbine is acting up again, the car also either runs too cold or too hot, and I'm also burning oil now too. withing 2 months of my last oil change, I burnt off 1 LITRE of oil. It's been nothing but problems, and I've decided to sell the vehicle, a complete loss on the money side of things because I have to sell at well below resale value due to the problems.

As of this point, I will NEVER purchase another VW/Audi product again.

General Comments:

- Poor service experience.

- Ongoing turbine issues, which were never resolved.

- Burning oil.

- Horrible rear seat space.

- Despite all the problems, it was a fun car to drive with the 6 speed transmission, just not worth the headache of maintaining it.

- Hope this was just my car, good luck to all you Audi owners out there.

- Cheers.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st March, 2010

1st Mar 2010, 12:28

Why is it that almost all the complaints about Audis are from North America? Just based on your experience, you've got terrible dealers, I mean, trying to blame you 3 months after the turbine failed. And anyone can tell you that with modern turbos you don't need to (but it would be good to) idle the car for 5 minutes before stopping. It isn't even in the manual.

Sorry for your bitter experience -- I've had 5 Audis, nothing more than a water pump or a hose.

2006 Audi A4 Quattro 2.0 turbo from North America

Summary:

Worst car ever

Faults:

Car died the same night I picked it up, had to tow it back to dealer, they said coil packs needed to be replaced. I demanded a full refund as it was highly unacceptable for it to die in the middle of the road same day it was purchased, Dealer refused.

30 days later engine light comes on - changed both O2 sensors.

Engine light came back 2 days after - changed diverter valve.

Light still on - now needs catalytic converter @ 90000kms; it's nothing but a nightmare..

General Comments:

Stay away from Audi unless it's under warranty, parts are super expensive and labour is even worse. This is my last VW product.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 2nd December, 2009

1st Nov 2011, 08:48

I have had nothing but bad experiences with my 2006 A4. Cost a fortune, and still not running properly. Very rough idle and noisy, engine light still on after $5,000 + dollars spent on engine. What can I say??

2nd Nov 2011, 07:23

If you read the earlier comments from when the car just came out, the majority of reviewers admit to loving the driving experience the vehicle provides. Well 5 years later, and those cars have probably long been traded in, and people buying this car now used are paying for the abuse and neglect.

What makes these cases more troubling, is that people choose to go back to the dealer for service and parts. Some parts can be bought aftermarket, but to exactly OEM spec. Service can be done at a reputable garage.

These cars are not luxury sedans, they are VW products rebadged as Audi's. They may offer some nice options and features that maybe different, but the powertrain is the same. I encourage the readers to check out the 2006 VW Jetta reviews, and see how similar the reviews and complaints are.