1998 Audi A4 Quattro from North America - Comments

The display/info screen has faded beyond recognition. A common Audi problem.

The alternator pulley sheared off at 55,000 miles. An easy fix, but not acceptable. The part was made in France!!

The coolant temperature sensor went at 60,000 miles. An easy fix. Acceptable.

The secondary air intake system went at 75,000 miles. This is does not have to be fixed. The car will run properly. You just have to live with a perpetual check engine light.

Multiple suspension parts went at around 85,000 miles. Acceptable, but the many parts are expensive and really add up. Acceptable.

Both rear wheel bearings went at 92,000 miles. Acceptable. Because it is a quattro, the repair is difficult and can't be done by the home mechanic. $450 each side if done by Audi.

The moon-roof opens upward by itself occasionally due to a short. I can live with this if it's not raining.

Great fit and finish.

The quattro is a superior handling car.

The Bose stereo system is excellent.

Stay away from the dealer as much as possible for repairs.

Get a repair manual and order discount parts on-line. I've done 95% of the repairs myself and I'm no mechanic.

I've put a lot of hard miles and have been fairly pleased with the car.

Basically it is an excellent car, but you must pay for this excellence. It's a trade off.

Just came upon the site the site while surfing to try to find out what exactly a 'control arm' is and why its so darned expensive.

Bought the car (1998 2.8 A4 Q) for a very reasonable 11,000 USD last year with just under 40,000 miles on it... family who owned it had outgrown it. Car has run great until this week (76k), a major ruckus (sp?) started coming out of the right front...squeaking, grinding, and clangning... apparently this is a control arm... my mechanic said he didn't want to dig into the quatro, which was understandable... brought it to the dealer.. new control arms are 800 each side (apparently must be replaced in tandem) and then would need to be aligned (which they charged another 150 for the alignment) for a grand total of 1800 bucks.

I still feel like I ahead of the game, but if I'd paid the 16k the blue book said, I'd be pretty ripped.

This comment seems to be pretty consistent with what I've been reading, so keep an eye on the control arms around 80k.

Hey, its not a Honda, but I've also never driven a Honda that could handle the snow like my A4 did this winter..it's a trade off, I suppose...

PS: Anyone had an issue with the timing chain?

Replace the timing belt and tensioner NOW!! Mine broke at

80K and scrapped the head.

I bought a 1998 Audi 2.8 Quattro with 36,000 miles on it for $13,500 from a broker who bought it at an auction. As soon as I get it home I hear a squeeking on the left front side plus the brakes are making noise plus I'm only getting 19 miles to a gallon. I took it to the Audio dealer and he advised me to immediately sell it as it is a maintence nightmare and very expensive to operate. Also they said there is nothing they can do to increase the gas mileage. I like to looks and ride of the car, but now I'm scared to drive it. I sure would appreciate any thoughts or comments. My email address is stan.shaver@wolc.com

Thanks.

I totally agree with your review. STAY AWAY from the dealer!!Buy some metric tools and get some grease under your fingernails. I have a 98 A4 1.8T that I drive over 100 miles a day. There is 125,000 miles on the clock and the cars has proven to be more reliable than my bosses Lexus ES300.Your control arms will go bad. The whole suspension seems under-designed.Proper maintenence is the key to these cars. The parts are expensive, but what upscale nameplate has cheap parts?You will actually be a little further ahead because VW parts will sometimes work in place of an Audi dealer part.

You see I just got myself a 1998 A4 2.8 30v Quattro, I got it used and for a cheap price, with the trade-off being the mileage of 97k. All the problems people talk about on these cars are just below this range, my car runs great and is completely rock solid, except for a slight oil leak, but is an easy enough fix. Great looks, great engine, great handling, fast. I really have no complaints and having friends going to school for automotive design I am set for doing work on parts. Not a bad car.

I just bought my first Audi an I must say It was worth every penny. I don't understand people who say its expensive to fix... It's a high end vehicle... If you want cheap mechanic build then buy a ford Taurus. Great in the corners, plenty of pop off the line, and an interior that makes me feel like a P.I.M.P.

Bought 98 A4 Quattro 4 years ago with 70K miles, now 152,000 miles Nov.'06, no mechanical or electrical problems. Routine oil/filter changes and service intervals (non-dealer), garaged and reasonably hard driving for sport sedan-presents no costly repairs. Solid car driven daily, but not parked outside all day. Time for first timing belt this week and all components surrounding the service. Most service has been easy and I like the German design mentality although more complicated at times for this American mechanical engineer. I like the full instrumentation of my high end A4. Have hit 2 deer, replacing one fender, hood and lights each time. Rugged construction and will keep car with routine maintenance intervals (any car owner's responsibility), until used Acura TL prices reach affordable value (<$12K). New A4 with snozzle front end is hot and in the running also, but will take longer to reach good value (<$12K).

The A4 2.8Q is a solid runner, but the A4 1.8T needs a lot of upkeep. Also do the 1.8t's need that 70 thousand mile turbo service like vw's?

I am looking at buying either a 1998 Audi A4 2.8L or a 1999 Audi A4 2.8L, they both have around 90,000 miles on them, and according to the dealer have had no major problems. I have a friend who had an Audi, and then wrecked it, but got a BMW instead, his only complaint was that the service engine light came on, and by the time he wrecked the car they hadnt figured out what was going on with it. Basically I just want to know if the Audi A4 is a good buy or not, I live in PA, so I really need a car that is All Wheel Drive, and Audi is the only one that I know of. Thank-you please let me know.

I brought my 1998 Audi a4 at 150,00 miles 6 months ago in jan 07. since then I have put 16,000 miles on it. I had to replace a tensioner and a wheel barring bur Thats it. it is running fine, but lately I've been getting bad mileage. usually on a full tank of 93 octane I would get around 310 miles total, but now its been going down. I get like 250. sometimes more sometimes less. I go to a good gas station, the same one all the time and I haven't had problems with the gas. any ideas? if anybody knows what could be causing this please let me know. I'm sure it is a part or something that is making this happnen, but I drive about 75-100 miles a day mostly highway, but even if I drive just local I would still get about 300 miles total in the past. so please email me if you have input. email is, aldgonzalez@gmail.com thanks for your help. the car is great I would suggest buying one.

I have an 99 audi a4 recently painted. before I putted to the body shop it run fine nothing wrong with the car.. after sitting in the shop for 3 4 weeks the car finally done. but the car start with a idle problem and it would die out in couple min.. i would have to keep my foot on the gas.. mile gauge don't work... losing lot of battery power... even when I replace brand new one... would it be a alternator? do any one have any clue of the problem thank!

For the person in PA who wants an all-wheel drive car: Have you considered a Subaru? For several years now, all Subarus have all-wheel drive.

I have a '98 A4 quattro, now with 135,000 miles., which I bought new. I also have a 2004 A4. The older one has given me its share of troubles, although I have maintained it superbly -- doing more than the manufacturer recommends.

I love Audis (why else would I have two?) -- I bought my first (1986 5000) many years ago. But I should think that a Subaru that has been well cared for should be a more reliable car.

To the posting on 30th May 2007, 21:52 regarding bad idle. I just got my 98 A4 Q out of the shop having entered for the same reason. Many checks, airflow/fuelflow/etc. were great, but ended up finding the throttle body needed replacement. Since exit the car still idles low - which is normal from what I've read & been told by the Audi Mechanic - but it has not stalled in the last month. Used to stall pretty much once a day.

I just bought a 98 Audi A4 1.8t Quattro, and the driver information display is really dim. I was wondering if anyone knew if the faded display is an easy fix, that could be done at home, or if it is something that only a dealer could fix... and how much $ is it?

I have a 2002 1.8T Avant which I have owned for the past 3 years. Bought it at 22k miles and now it has 57k miles. All the work done so far have been covered by warranty, recall, and extended warranty. Extended warranty is expiring this month, sept 2007. I'm trying to estimate how much it would cost to maintain this car for the next 60k. I know the 60k is the next major expense plus I need to replace timing belt and brake pads. Anyone can share problems that came up between 60k to 120k? My husband is convincing me to replace it with a Japanese car(our budget is 22k), but based on my calculation, it might still be cheaper to keep my Audi until 120k and just deal with the maintenance. Any comments?