Comments: 1-15, 16-20
Engine imploded at 55,000 miles. Cost of this repair $9,000.00. The car has never been the same. Eight months later the transmission needed to be replaced, at a cost of $7,000. Brakes have been replaced 6 times over the 5 years I have owned the car. Many of the recurring problems were diagnosed and repaired under warranty. To repair simple things is costly, for example to replace the generator the entire front of the engine has to be removed.
Never buy an Audi A4 out of warranty.
My sentiments exactly, never buy an Audi out of warranty, unless you live in Germany, The cars are not well made, and the local service outlets are just not up to scratch with trying to manage such a badly designed and put together vehicle.
Omg your engine imploded, oh man that sucks, but I am curious to see what that looks like... but If I were in your situation I would just buy a new car instead of repairing it.
First of all, I am so sorry of the problems you have faced. I have bought an A4 2.8 quattro 1998 last year and had no problems except some light bulb going off and a small radiator problem. It is correct that a Japanese car breaks less, but I never found the quality and handling of a German car in a Japanese or American made. Looks, handling, inside comfort and especially 4x4 all time quattro safety makes this car almost the leader of its class. And not to forget, this is a great fast toy to have...
I think you need to go try out a Subaru WRX.
Better quality (as far as reliability), better handling than an Audi, and significantly cheaper.
Granted Audi has much better interiors, but that's about it.
Are you a Honda salesman or something? For this or any car to need brakes 5 times in as many years, one must begin to question either your mechanic or your driving habits or both. I have had my '99 A4 2.8 Quattro brakes just replaced at 115,000 miles for the second time in the life of the vehicle - a reasonable and normal "wear and tear" figure. I drive fairly aggressively, and will say from experience that these cars hold up and drive far better than most Japanese or, sadly, American cars over the long haul. I have owned 3 VWs ('84 Sciricco that lasted 15 years and 250k+ miles and stilled looked almost new, '90 Corrado - sweet, '98 Passat that I sold to buy my A4) several American cars including a Cadillac Seville STS that was falling apart and had become a total rattle box at 5 yrs. old. I also currently own a '97 BMW 740iL (ultimate cruiser with power and sportiness for a large sled). The German cars drive better and look like new well into the 200k mile range if cared for - with no rattles (a pet peeve of mine) and paint that still shines like new with frequent washes. The overall superior driving experience, not to mention more highly refined interior quality are well worth the relatively higher price of replacement parts (which seem to last considerably longer than domestic vehicles). The trick is to find a qualified mechanic who will work with you at reasonable rates - most of them really stick it to you (stay away from dealerships for service). I keep test driving all the new Japanese vehicles when the new models come out after reading all the praise for their reliability, but invariably am disappointed in their driving characteristics and go back to finding clean, used vehicles of my liking and let someone else take the depreciation hit. To summarize, I would definitely buy another clean, well cared for A4 when mine finally wears out in another 100k -150k miles and drive the wheels off that one too.
My girlfriend drives a 2004 Acura TSX. Great Car. I just purchased a 1999 Audi a4 2.8 with 70k on it. Also, a very nice car, but not comparable. Previously, I owned two VW's a 1986 Jetta Carat and 1997 Jetta GT. Both Excellent, well built, solid cars and they kept their styling. As a result of these attributes, I decided to upgrade in the VW family and bought the Audi. The 1997 GT WAS the most reliable car I have every come across with 175k. The 1986 was good for its time with 250k it ran like new. To date I HAVE not found a Japanese car that has same level of curb appeal, driving performance to weight ratio, owner satisfaction, and build quality of the VW/Audi group of vehicles.
However, that may be changing now with Toyota. They have had vast improvements over the past two years in design and interior and exterior finishing.
Repairs to Audi's are expensive at the Dealer, but so are Acura's. However, if you have a private Mechanic you are in the green. The best years for Audi's A4 are 1999-2001 and 2006. Stay away from anything in-between as cost cutting measures were used.
Audi A6 runs great when it runs. Maintenance on this car is very expensive. Any minor electronic glitch can cost your hundreds of dollars. Drive it as long as it is covered under warranty, as soon as warranty is over! get rid of it.
Allways, buy a used Toyota or Honda, never buy a used Audi.
Would anyone like to take my 1999 Audi A4 Avant off of my hands!! It has 95,000 miles and financially, I cannot continue to fix the endless problems I have had with this car. Two weeks after purchasing the vehicle, we spent $500 to fix the brakes.. new pads and rear rotors. One month and $1200 later, we replaced the timing belt and water pump. After one year of owning the car, the air conditioner went out. $600 to replace the condenser. Now there is a problem with the fuel injection system and the car continuously stalls...mid-driving. We replaced a sensor on one of the cams..$200. Not to mention the recall and replacement of the tie-rods. We just want to get rid of the car at this point. We love the way it handles on the road...but, cannot afford the repairs going at this rate.
I was an audi mechanic for quite a while and yes audi's are not cheap cars to fix. Don't buy a luxury car if you cannot afford luxury expenses. All cars have their problems, but the 2.8 is by far the most reliable engine out there and the a4 in the 1999-2002 range are the best value and most reliable. If you know how to properly fix an audi the cost of owning one is minimal, but then again most people aren't trained to fix cars let alone german ones. I guess it comes down to if you have the money for the upkeep or the know how then this car is a fantastic deal, if you don't possess either of the two then I would steer clear as you will find yourself with a constant migraine.
Keep in mind this guy said he payed $7,000 to replace the transmission, hmm... I was in the market for an A4 or 6 and have heard of the various issues with the timing belt tensioner etc. but this is just ridiculous, what kind of person is gullible enough to pay $7,000 for a transmission, it's an Audi not a Lamborghini...
You know what... I'm 18 years old and a picked up a flawless a4 quatrro at an auction for 4,200 bucks. It had 103k on it. I owned a Honda civic ex before this car with the same mileage. What a joke. Clearly, you took extremely poor care of your car. All this talk of japanese cars running forever may be true... but you might as well be driving around an RC car. Audis are the real deal. Just change the oil.
Why would my brother who has 133000 miles on the car put 5w 50 oil in it since hes had it so he says, and I will be getting it next week.
Maintenance is absolutely essential on these cars. If you can find one that has been well-maintained (and that history is documented), the car won't let you down. Timing belt failures are a major concern and if the previous owner can't prove that it's been done about every 80k miles, plan on spending another $700 on top of the asking price to get it done. In fact, it's not a bad idea to budget in such a way that you have about $1000 ready to spend on any unexpected repairs within the first year or so of ownership. I think that that is good advice for ANY used car, though. Parts can be expensive and so can labor, but you can always buy parts cheaper online and save some at an independent mechanic. Of course, if you're even moderately mechanically inclined, you can save even more by doing the work yourself and there are lots of great DIY guides around for common problems on the A4.
Having said that, if you're really strapped for cash and will be for the foreseeable future, don't buy an Audi or ANY other luxury car. Every part and repair will come at a premium.
I love my A4 Quattro Avant.
I have a '99 A4 2.8 with 220,000 miles. Timing belt change is written as standard maintenance. I have owned and driven many cars. Nothing has compared to the overall performance of the Audi, especially in the snow. Tire quality and balancing is important, but even a wheel bering is simple to replace unless if you like giving money to a dealer mechanic. Sound systems perform better in an Audi. Also makes for a useful work truck.
I have just purchased an 1999 audi A4 2.8. It runs great and is very clean. The car has 89000 miles on it and the records show that it has been maintained... My problem is it didn't come with a warranty because of a private seller. can anyone tell me who I can get a good warranty off of for around a thousand may b fifteen hundred dollars. thormotocross@yahoo.com