2001 Audi A4 Quatro from North America - Comments

Within a week of owning the car I discovered that the rear seat belt was broken. Of course this type of service can never be done on a Saturday so it involved me dropping the car after work and needing a rental and picking it up after work the next day. This is a hassle.

Within the first year of ownership the clutch pedal broke. I was coming home on a major highway late at night and was stuck in third gear. When I got home I had to force it into neutral to stop and park. The next morning I could not start the car because I could not engage the pedal to put it in gear. I missed a morning at work becuase I had to wait for the tow truck and then get a rental.

Within the first year my wiper fluid container developed a crack and leaked constantly. I was told it was cracked when I went in for routine servicing. When I instructed the dealer to order a new one and make arrangements to install it all of a sudden it was not cracked. I believe he must have just patched it. That's OK because they couldn't replace it on Saturday and I would have had to drop it in the evening and get a rental and then pick it up the next day!

At 55,000 miles, without warning, my oil light beeped and was blinking red. I got off the nearest exit and attempted to make it to the nearest service station. As I was at a red light the car stopped. It turned out it was a defective part that connected to the timing belt. The part broke, the timing belt slipped and the engine seized! I was 5,000 miles out of warranty. I had to pay $200 to be towed to the nearest Audi dealer, which was not my dealer, $800 for the rental car for 2 weeks and 25% of the $5000 bill to replace the engine even though they admitted it was not my fault and there was nothing I could have done to prevent it from happening.

The new engine has 7,000 miles on it. The other day I was coming home from a long trip and the oil light beeped and started blinking. I drove the Audi to the nearest Hyundai dealer and traded it in on a Santa Fe! Not only will I never buy another Audi, but I will tell everyone and anyone who will listen not to as well.

Numerous bent rims and flat tires. The low profile tires and rims may look pretty, but cannot withstand the most minor road imperfections.

The car was comfortable and shifted well. It was excellent in the snow. It was a nice looking car. However, my life is too hectic to own something so unreliable especially at that price.

I notice you mention twice driving the car some distance after the oil light came on. This suggests a degree of naivety with things mechanical. Indication of the loss of oil pressure demands immediate shutoff of an engine, as every revolution will add to the internal damage.

I agree with most of the Audi owner's comments : get rid of this crap before the warranty ends. It is nothing, but a nightmare. These cars are rigged to break down shortly after the warranty expires. DON"T BUY IT!!!

Warning - Do not under any circumstances buy an Audi!

I am on my second Audi A8. The first car was an L version I purchased new when they first were introduced in 2000. In 2001 I won a lawsuit and Lemon Law buyback by the dealership. The car had 7000 miles on it and had three ongoing problems the dealership could not fix: a rattle in the front doors, malfunctioning transmission, and windshield washers that continually broke.

I was a fool and purchased a 1998 A8 from another Audi dealer that was pre-certified thinking it would rule out the possibility of buying another lemon. I was wrong. In the past three years the car has been in the shop about 20 times for everything from a broken oil cooler (took the dealership a month and three visits to figure out the problem and fix it), ongoing brake failures, a timing belt/water pump failure - and a week after this service an oil pump failure that cost just as much as the timing belt and the car was in the shop for a MONTH! Then there was a recall for the gas tank, a recall for the lower control arms, a malfunction with the steering column. The remote door locks have broken so many times I just use the key. Then at 60,000 I am told the entire front suspension was worn and in need of replacement - $6000! This is from an independent shop since my warranty had ended and the dealership was so incompetent I didn't want them to touch my car. I take it to another dealer in another city (big hassle) for a second opinion and they say nothing is wrong with the front end. So, I take it back to the independent shop and they put it up on the lift and show me how all the control arms are loose and can be moved by hand and have broken seals etc.

My car has 63,000 on it and the amount of trouble it has had is completely unbelievable. For the past ten years I have owned Mercedes, BMWs and Audis. Based on my experience, I can definitely say Audi cars are of poor quality, dealership mechanics are consistently incompetent, and I will never, ever buy another Audi.

My next car will be a Japanese one. Absolutely no question about it.

I agree with everyone, AUDI's are very poor made and I want to buy an Audi as may as well buy an old car.

I'm trying to sell my audi, gives me a lot of trouble and it has cost me too much money, my has only 40k and yet it runs like an old car.never buy an Audi

I guess it depends on your luck. My A4 has 107,000 miles on it and have not had one problem since the warranty expired at 50K. When I take it in for service the dealership will drive me to work and pick me up, or give me an Audi to drive. The guy above should get AAA like the rest of the world. If the oil light is on and FLASHING RED, you probably shouldn't be driving your car. No wonder the engine blew up, hello? And you probably shouldn't be driving low profile rims and tires in the snow, were you really surprised they had to be replaced? And to the other guy, why would you buy another A8 if you had such problems with your first one... just to complain? I love my Audi, it's such a great looking car.

I will never own another Audi again. I have a a4 the door latches are crap. the sensor that controls the locking mechanism does not work so every time I go to park and lock the car the alarm goes off. The turbo won't kick in. The dealer said if I don't use the premium gas then the turbo won't work. Never heard of that, By the way I use mid grade and I live in Denver which I have been told that is OK to do. Warning lights come on all the time. Rotors have to be replaced when you have a break job done.. what kind of crap is that? Nissan is where I am going the minute I get this one sold.

Turbo Sport Sedan = 90 octane. Duh.

Hmmm. A lot going on here! I believe if you're going to drive a luxery sport sedan such as the Audi A4, one has to exercise something called preventative maintenance! I don't care what brand of car or it's origin. Things go up and down, all around, side to side etc, etc, In other words, parts eventually wear out! That's why it's called PREVENTATIVE maintenance!! If you can afford to drive one, you should be able to afford to maintain it properly. The problem is that there are too many people that want the prestige of driving a German Sport sedan, but they can't really afford one! You have to allow expenditures for preventative maintenance. If you don't like the higher than normal costs of maintaining your Audi, then buy a Chrysler Neon, or something just as boring! My A4 has 260K kilometers on it and the darn thing is reliable as any japanese car, if not better! Do Your homework. A car's longevity is as good as the person who maintains them PROPERLY! Drive on!

Here is something that might help you, is regarding a 1.8t liter engine from a Passat, but since VW owns Audi it's the same engine. There have been a few Audi's and VW's with the same oil problem, most of them because of sludge, and most people ask how could this happen if I take the car to the dealer. Well there is your first problem; it is very hard to get a decent service from the dealer (now there are always exceptions)

The reason for this to happen is that the turbo engine needs a "heavy" oil. Here is a link that might help.

http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/cartalk/posts/list/228619.page

If this does not help, I know of several people that have had the same problem, and after fighting with VW and Audi, they have fixed the problem at no charge, even though the the warranty has expired. It will be easier if you have the receipts of the oil changes that you have made, it will speed up the process.