1999 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro from North America - Comments

I have a '99 Audi A4 2.8 with only 74k miles. It's a fabulous car! Luckily, I bought it from my dad, who bought it new and took extremely good care of it. I can only agree with previous comments that as long as you take care of it well, it will run perfect for you. (That's why it's risky to buy used Audi's, unless you know it's history like I did). It is German though, so repairs won't come cheap; but if you didn't know that before you bought it, you're extremely naive!

I just bought an Audi 1999 A4 2.8 with 134K miles on it and after one week (300 miles) it started "smoking from the engine" from the passenger side. I look under the car an it is WET from oil. I saw the mechanic and he just saw the smoking and he said the car needs to change a set of gaskets (pressure gaskets), but at the same time we need to change the water pump, the timing belt and the pressure gaskets of course to fix the problem of linkage. This job will cost me $1,500. Can anyone make a comment with similar problems you might had with this Audi. (what should I do after this.. should I keep my Audi or I need to get rid of it)

Thanks.

Sounds like you didn't do your research on the car. A little research can go a long way. A bit more research will go even longer.

I bought my 2001 Audi A4 2.8 over a year ago and I made sure to read all documentation, had mechanic look it over, checked car-fax and several test drives.

The car had also just finished its final under warranty service. Had 78k and now has 93k.

Only problem thus far is oil consumption. I have driven this car hard and fast. Hitting 122 on a back country road and it was pulling hard as I ran out of road. Handling is awesome as I have the sport suspension with quattro.

Anyways, find a local mechanic that specializes in VW/Audi's and you might save $500. If you got a deal just eat the repairs. The car should last you for quite some time.

This is a high maintenance car in my opinion. I have a 99 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro and went through a lot of repairs.

The timing belt went at around 80k. I had no idea until the car started overheating. That was $1100.

Luckily I had a good friend who was an Audi mechanic DIY type and he taught me how to work on my car. Since then I changed the tie rods, crankshaft breather hose, brakes, transmission oil, and also do my own oil changes. I had the rear bearings changed by a mechanic. The car runs well, but I would not go so far as to say it is a well designed and reliable car. There are a few weak points where the car is not well engineered. Everyone knows what they are (bearings, tie rods, timing belt) since the same problems keep recurring.