Numerous things since I purchased. I will try to list all below.
1.) Camshaft Seals leaking oil. $450.00
2.) Coolant pipe cracked leaking orange coolant on driveway.
3.) Instrument cluster had to be replaced, gauges just didn't work one day. $600.00
4.) Timing Belt tensioner, and the main timing belt gear was sheared off about 15 degrees causing the engine to idle funny. About $1000.00 to fix all that. I still have the old part, looks like metal fatigue?
5.) Turbo went at about 58,000 miles $1200.00 to fix. Found out that audi keeps this part in stock at the dealer. I wonder why?
6.) Oil Pump failed which is ridiculous. $680.00
7.) Alarm goes off by itself.
8.) Rack and pinion making some weird noise.
9.) Lower Front bumper fell off in parking lot. Had to put in trunk till I fixed it with some machine screws.
10.) Drivers side power window making some strange noises.
I will start off saying I really liked this car when I bought it. It is a 1999 Black AUDI A4 1.8T 5-speed. I payed $12,900 for it used with 48,000 miles. I do enjoy driving this car when it runs. It has good acceleration, handles the twisties pretty well and is a great highway car. You can take this car on trips and you don't get the fatigued feeling and you back dose not hurt you after a 150 mile trip. It is the kind of car where you try to find a excuse to go somewhere just to drive it. The interior is layed out well and everything is pretty much simple to use. The larger size spedo and tach is a plus as is the red lit gauges, radio, climate controls, and window/sunroof swiches. Everything inside feels solid.
Well, that is the way it is until stuff starts to break and you have to get the check book/credit card out. The first prob. I had with this car was the valve cover gasket leaking oil. I had that fixed under warranty. Then the instruments broke and you had to guess your speed/temp/rpms/fuel/ect. The dealer had to replace the whole instrument cluster. A black plastic cooling pipe off the back of the engine started to leak red anti-freeze and I replaced it my self which was a real pain to get to. I couldn't understand why AUDI didn't make this vital cooling part out of metal. The plastic was real brittle and I noticed a crack in the old one. The part was only $6.00 at the dealer which I could not believe. For about 6 months I didn't have any problems.
I decided to play it safe and have the timing belt changed this month at 62,000 miles due to a faulty timing belt tensioner problem on other people's A4s. I really didn't want to risk it and have my engine seize. I am glad I had it done because when the mechanics were putting the belt on they noticed one of the cam gears was sheared off almost completely and the timing was off about 15 degrees. I don't know how that could of broke. Total cost of timing belt job with new seals, tensioner and cam gear=$920.00. I then had a problem with excess boost and I thought the factory blow off valve went bad. So I had that replaced with a new one ($40.00) but the problem was still the same. Not to long after that the Turbo went bad and was replaced. It was a $1200.00 job. So now at 64,000 miles, no warranty and the oil light came on. Took it to the dealer this week and the oil pump went bad. I have to ask how does that break since it is in oil all the time? Estimated repair cost $600.00. I am now driving my friend's truck and having to make payments on a car that is broken again. This car only has 64,000 miles on it not 264,000 miles. I have decided to trade this car in on another Acura or Toyota since my last Acura Integra had 155,000 miles on it and gave my no problems at all. I have to wonder if all Audi/VW 1.8T engines have the same problems. By reading reviews it looks that way. In my overall opinion of this car I have to say that it is a lemon and would not recommend it to anyone even if they were rich. Its just too aggravating dealing with crappy Audi overpriced service and wondering if you are going to make it to work.
A real shame, sounds like that Audi has been abused & most probably thrashed by the previous owner to give you that amount of problem - the mileage is extremely low also...
Trade it in for a 2002+ A6 if possible - you won't be disappointed.
I have a 1999 A4 1.8T 5 speed which I bought used for about $7,500 with 136,000 miles. Always wanted an Audi and took a chance. It was in mint condition and bought it at the NJ auto auction. no warranty. no nothing. now at ~ 180,000 miles I only experience my first real hassle: oil pump. to replace: about $1,000.
Other repairs have been what I would consider normal: brake pads/rotors, oil changes, tune-up. New Bridge stone RE 950's all around (nice tires).
I drive the car very hard. Only real complaint is the electrical system which just sometimes appears to have gremlins. For example the sunroof starts to open for no apparent reason. I turn the switch on and then off and it closes. Like I said: gremlins.
Next move could be a used A6 but I can find a > 2001 model with a 5 speed.
I have a 2001 Audi a4. I bought it used at 58000 miles. Beautiful car in beautiful condition. I have never had a bit of problems with it. Runs like it is brand new off the lot! The previous owner of your car must have reamed on it so bad! I love Audi's and wouldn't trade them for anything.
Hi Everyone.
Owner of car from this article here, I was reading though your comments, you guys had good luck with your cars. I wish I did. This car wasnt beaten. It was owned by a 50 year old guy that worked at chase Manhattan bank in Florida previously. I had all the records of prior work...ect, done at the audi dealer. I did like the car, but I wasnt used to the repairs every other week. If it was just my car then why does audi have in stock at the dealer, like 8 to 10 turbos and oil pumps? Do these parts need to be replaced on a regular basis by other a4,vw 1.8t owners too? Also, there are a lot of other people on this site that have had their cars since new and experienced the same problems I did. Well thanks for the comments and best of luck to other A4 owners.
David.
Just because it came with service records doesn't mean the previous owner or leasee didn't peg the tach past redline every day on the way to work. It's easy to blow a turbo by abusing it. And you have to change the oil in a turbocharged engine more frequently than recommended.
I've noticed that most of the negative audi reviews on this site are from people whose previous car was a toyota, honda, etc. and most of the others either owned an american car, or a volvo bmw or benz. people who are used to taking GOOD care of their cars are going to love an audi. anyone used to a toyota which are mechanically indestructible isn't going to like actually having to have oil and filters changed regularly. in my opinion, for the performance, audis are better-built than anything from japan. you just have to have to take care of them or they become the car described in this post.
Greetings, I am the unfortunate owner of a 2001 Audi A4 1.8T. It is in perfect condition, premium package, etc..etc..
Well, that is until it hit 90K. I have taken excellent care of this car, getting is serviced, maintenanced as it should. Well now it is in the shop again the third time in one year, at a cost of around 3k. Friday of last week, the car, as I was merging into traffic on the beltway in Washington, DC at rush hour.. it died, just died, stopped... I thought I was going to get crushed by all the oncoming traffic. no warning lights, no nothing. The car JUST came out of the shop/dealer 4 weeks ago!, I hate this car. I want to get rid of it, but not have a car payment.. I still owe 7K on it..BTW, the issues with the car have been the timing belts, the camshaft tensioners (whatever) TWICE in 4 weeks... and a slew of other mess. any ideas? should I trade it, get something used? thanks!!!
Wow, most of these cars sound like Ebay nightmares. I've seen some bad ones in my search also. A suggestion would be take someone who knows cars! Take a mechanic or someone who's familiar with Audi's. You can tell right away if the car has been taken car of or hit. (do the panels line up, has it been painted?), etc... Stay away from shady or small used car (only) dealerships if you can. I came upon one with the lower panel ripped clean off and the guy tried to tell me it happens with all A4's this year and he'd glue it back on! If you've had all these problems YOU HAVE A LEMON! It might not have been beat on, but was neglected which is just as bad! You need to maintain these cars. Also remember where you live makes a difference. If you live in the city you will go through brakes and a clutch faster. I have 56k on mine and not a problem outside of regular maintenance. It took me 4 months to find one this nice. Some of you should go back to Toyota or something that doesn't need as much attention. A final note to the lady who said the 1.8-liter is for people who have just got to have it no matter what. You just don’t know what you are talking about. That salesman saw you coming a mile away. The 2.8-liter is a dog. With a stage 1 chip my car has 200 hp and 243 lbs of torque. Add my neuspeed exhaust system and increase that by 15% Well, good luck and hope this helps the rest of you. Cheers.
This website is for consumer reports and not for some Audi salesman or Audi die-hard to try and prove that Audi problems are all due to owners thrashing their cars and not product quality. People like that are just too stubborn to see the car for what they really are—Expensive problems. Just understand that there is more that enough empirical evidence that Audi’s are high maintenance and often have costly repair—at times leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere. I too have maintained my car better that suggested by both the manufacturer and my mechanic and I still have problems. I suggest that whoever wants to buy an Audi read all the consumer reports, this website, and the class action lawsuit against Audi.
Hello guys.
I just bought one of these and the warning lights aren't showing, can you guys help me out by telling me whats wrong with it? I've shown it to the dealer and they can't find a problem with it.
Thanks
FR.
If someone could please post more information about the class-action lawsuit against Audi it would be greatly appreciated.
I have a 2001 Audi A4 with 109K miles. Recently, the Cam Tensioner blew apart as the result of a bad oil pump. My mechanic has recommended buying a new vehicle as the repairs will be well above $4,000.00. The problems with this car run deep and he has no confidence in the Turbo lasting much longer either. This car is six years old and at this point is no better than scrap metal. I have spent considerable amounts of money performing all necessary and some preventative maintenance. Audi must assume financial accountability for the poor quality and inferiority of this vehicle. They are have been robbing consumers for a long time.
To all of you Audi owners, this is a letter that I wrote to my lawyer, I have changed some names to just say dealer so I won't get sued. But if your wanting to buy an Audi, read my nightmare. I have owned 4 Audi's, 2 Volkswagens, 3 Audi Hats and 2 Audi T-Shirts. Big supporter, but not anymore. I hope you enjoy my nightmare... Please note: I own an 2001 A4 that the Oil Pump failed only months after being told about Audi's oil sludge problem and an 2000 A6 that the check engine light has been on for 3 years straight. Audi of America's customer no service will not lift a finger to help with the dealer, nor will they admit any problems with there cars.
I own an Audi A6 2.7 and an Audi A4 1.8. The cars were purchased with a 100,000 mile warranties and serviced by one dealer; however since November of 2004 they have been serviced buy a new Audi Dealer that purchased the franchise. For over 3 years and over 18 months combined my A6 has been serviced for the same issue (Check Engine Light). The computer has sent many codes saying what is wrong, however the dealer has not been able to fix the car for over 3 years. The main code is the secondary air intake and most recently a Catalytic Converter codes. Audi of America has sent in Master Techs to work on the car many times with no luck. In February the car went out of warranty and Audi in a last ditched effort sent in a Master Tech and took the Heads off of the engine in an attempt to finally clear the codes. Unfortunately, the check engine light reappeared after 75 miles and Audi refused to warranty the car any further and essentially washed there hands of my issues, telling me that it was a dealer issue and the Dealers Mechanics did some bad work on the car and I needed to take it up with them…
Since the car has been service by one dealer over the past 18 months, while under warranty. I trusted that the Dealers Master Mechanics were doing what they were trained to do. However, since recently losing my 4 and 5 gear and only after I took the car to a different mechanic, we found that the dealer has been doing less than professional work on the car such as epoxy gluing parts back together and installing vacuum hoses up to the wrong parts causing codes to appear and possibly costing unnecessary money. In-addition, the Mechanics stripped out important bolts and left them in place without fixing them; these bolts hold the engine together and in-place, possibly causing my transmission to fail without any warning? Furthermore, bolts connecting the Transmission to the Engine were replaced with mix-maxing bolts, not something you do with a $55,000.00 car that was under warranty. After careful inspection we have found that parts that were supposable cleaned and re-machined were not. Giving the fact this car was worked on so many times over the past 12 months, I believe attempts to fix the car has led to more problems that the so called Master Mechanics have cause by not taking care of the automobile and doing careless work in order to save money. The Dealers Director of Services, informed me that it was not standard practice to fix striped out bolts or parts that were not being worked on, Audi of America would not cover it under warranty. I do not understand why the dealer never brought this to my attention and gave me a choice to fix the parts? By fixing the parts and doing it right, I might not be in the position I am in now.
Please note: I have had other issues with the dealer concerning my other car, an Audi A4 and missing records that would have helped with a warranty claim with my A 4’s oil pump. The pump failed only 5 months after being told by the Dealer that the A 4’s were having Oil Sludge Build Up, causing the Oil Pumps to fail and costing me $2,700.00 in repairs. The dealer required me to change the oil to a Synthetic Oil, instead of the standard oil that I had been using from this time I bought the car from the dealer, on recommendations from Audi of America. The dealer did the oil change, but did not check for Slug Build Up. Only after my Oil Pump Failure, The Dealer informed me that Audi would not cover the inspection under warranty and they did not check for the Build Up when the car was in for the standard Oil Change, costing me unnecessary money that could have been checked for and cleaned. Note: The Dealer did not offer to look for the Build-Up and did not tell me about the problem until I picked up the car.
The bottom line is Audi and The Dealer refuses to warranty my cars any further. However, it is a FACT that POOR work was done on the car and someone needs to be responsible. I have parts and over 70 pages of claims for my A6, that proves and backs up my statements. I took the car to The Dealers Factory Trained Audi Mechanic and trusted what was told to me and work that was done to my car. Furthermore, I trusted in the dealership. Since February of 2006 The Dealer and Audi have cost me over $8,000.00 and I have called everyone from the top of The Dealer to the top of Audi, with little to no response. I would like to recoup at least half my money on grounds of poor workmanship, car rentals, broken parts and if nothing else the headaches caused by the Dealer over the past 12 months. I have tried in vein to sell my car for 2 1/2 years, however since Audi or The Dealer cannot fix my car, I have been unable to sell it because of the check engine light, forcing me to continue to take my car to the Dealer, until I could get the Check Engine Light to turn off. My new mechanic is willing to talk to anyone that will listen and explain there findings... I am also willing to compromise, but I want someone to give me a viable offer. I have tried to handle this as professionally and as low key as possible, but no one has giving me any choices in the matter, but to pursue legal help.Thanks for your time and interest!
I owned a 2002 Audi A6 Avant with approximately 55,000 miles. This car was in excellent condition, had been well maintained and serviced regularly. After a night of moderate to heavy rain, the engine and interior of my car were flooded. There was no standing water near the vehicle. The flooding occurred due to a design defect which allowed drain holes under the hood, and not visible without removing the battery, to become clogged. A portion of the area under the hood then filled with water. When that water reached four or five inches in depth it ran into the passenger compartment and flooded the interior. All of the water came from the rain. The car was parked on a level paved lot. There was no flood or standing water near the car. The car was totaled by the insurance company. Neither Audi, nor the dealer that had serviced the car for four years would take responsibility or offer assistance. I then incurred the significant expense of purchasing a new car, which, of course, was not an Audi.
I bought an 97 Audi A4T Quattro with 120,000 Kms. I bought it because I considered it the best 'all-round' car for my price range. In short the maintenance costs are high, but no higher than most other European cars (I've owned several Japanese cars, Fords and a BMW in the past). I see these higher costs as the premium you pay to drive a quality car. It looks like a few of you have had some really bad experiences with your A4's, but I don't think this is the majority of cases. I've driven my A4 daily for 2 years and have not had any problems, but I have had to replace parts due to wear and tear (shocks + bushes, radiator hoses etc). I always enjoy driving my A4 and don't have any regrets. My advice if you are considering buying a second hand A4 - get low mileage and make sure it's been extremely well looked after. This includes a mechanic who knows and cares about Audis (don't trust dealers). Cheers.
If you look at consumer reports for most models made by audi in 1998 through 2000 the reliability is horrible. I have experience this with my 1999 a4 1.8 turbo. Also car and driver released a list of worst used cars to buy and any a4 in that range was considered 5th worst used car to purchase over the last ten years. I would stear anyone looking at audis to avoid the years I have listed. I bought my car for 12,999 with 70,000 miles and I have paid over 3000 dollars over the past 3 months on repairs and continue to have problems with it to this day. Such repair costs include the exhaust rusting through at the fles joint and falling off, the ecu dieing resulting in a failing of two of the cylinders, the brake calipers and discs all needing replacement multiple latches and springs breaking ont he interior and so on. The interior and exterior of my car look amazing, but the reliability make the car unapealing to me. I would never buy an audi again I have multiple frineds in my car club with similiar problems. BMW is the overall best brand to buy if you are looking to buy a used car and they have better performance in general.
I also have a 1999 A4 1.8t, and I have had many of the same problems - cam shaft, seals, timing belt and tensioner system, water pump, turbo, you name it. Audi, both dealerships and corporate, has been an absolute terror to work with. Several times, while the car was still under warranty, they denied the existence of said warranty, and charged me full price. I finally, after months of wrangling with corporate, was able to get a pittance reimbursed to me. This car (make, model and year) is a complete lemon, and the company's service policies are no better.
Just this month, the tensioner came off the timing belt. Now, I've had regular service, and I'd replaced the belt fairly recently (and had my scheduled inspections done), so this came as a bit of a shock. I dug through my service records, and came across the letter from Audi regarding the class action suit arising from the tensioner, and which said that they'd fix the problem. Having had serious trouble getting Audi to stand by their promises before, I didn't have the best expectations going into this... and my doubts turned out to be warranted. They claim that I'm several days outside of their coverage range, and that there is nothing they will do.
In essence, what they're saying is - "yes, we built a car with faulty parts, and yours broke like we knew it would, but no, we won't fix it because our arbitrary deadline has passed." This deadline is not in the letter that they sent out, and my car is within the mileage limits that are clearly stated in that letter.
I've heard of people actually getting this problem taken care of by Audi corporate, but they had to go to the State Legal System first. Is there any other way? Must I resort to suing a negligent car manufacturer with poor policies and support, just to get my car fixed?
My timing belt failure happened at low speed, but I've read of many instances where people were driving fast when failure occurred... which is a very very dangerous situation. Can this company not fully own up to its mistakes?
I will never buy an Audi again, and I STRONGLY recommend against anyone purchasing one of their vehicles.