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Just sold car to my best friend. He needed something reliable, safe, fun, and something that didn't leak oil. It was a 2009 loaded Ford Focus with sunroof (car was fun to me). I do all repair work for him and know its a good car, and didn't want to risk finding him something that turned out to be a lemon.
Anyways, planning on purchasing something else, and was thinking about an A/S4 from 2002-2008. I really like the 2005/6 model years for some reason, but worried about reliability.
Anything to look out for? Most have around 80-150k miles (Alaska), and don't mind a vehicle with miles if it is well taken care of, or mostly highway miles.
I have the exact same question! Audis historically never had a good reputation, but things seem to have changed in the past few years. I personally am looking at A3s from 2007-2009 (or newer if the price is right). Which years in general are good?
I think a lot of these things are in regards to how the owners take care of things.
My sister bought a used A4. She sank $2500 in repair bills within the past year. It's an '09 and she is about to get rid of it because the turbo is going out. at 79K miles.
I think it probably has more to do with how this particular car was treated before she got it than Audi itself.
A little late to the party, but I owned a 2003 Audi A4 for about a year before getting rid of it. I wanted one of those cars for ten years before buying one. I was warned from my friend that they could be potential money pits but I ignored him.
2003 Audi A4 1.8 turbo
Bought it with about 83k miles and sold it with just over 105k miles on it.
Third owner
Here's how it went for me. (Your mileage may vary)
85k miles - Timing belt replaced. Engine was sludged up despite all oil changes being performed on schedule so had to have it cleaned. (All oil changes were done by the previous owners by the local Audi dealer)
95k miles - Drains plugged behind the battery (on the firewall) allowing water to cascade into the driver compartment. Took me some time to figure out why my floorboards were 2" deep in water any time it rained.
100k miles - Coolant flange on the back of the engine cracked from heat (brittle plastic) and dumped coolant all over the back of the engine. Turbo prop shaft had enough play that the turbo fins would contact the housing. Oil dipstick tube snapped off in my hand when attempting to check the oil (brittle plastic).
105k miles - Engine developed a rough idle. Replaced the fuel filter and all the coils and plugs and repaired the harness to one coil where it melted. Still had a rough idle, so I ended up figuring out that a lot of the plastic fittings had dryrotted. Ended up bypassing most of the vacuum system to straighten it out. Also had to install a new snub mount at the same time.
A few things that I don't recall the mileage on:
Replaced all 4 window motors twice.
Message center display would blank out on hot days. Had to wait for the interior to cool down before you could read it.
Sunroof switch malfunctioned and would randomly open the sunroof if I hit a bump in the road.
Armrest latch broke off.
Paint on all of the switches and buttons wore off, making it difficult to tell which button did what.
Tail light harness melted and would routinely blow the passenger light. I had to replace the harness.
CD player worked sporadically.
Clear coat peeled off and prev owner had to get the entire car repainted.
The body was in great shape and the interior looked like brand new. Was a shame that it wasn't a better car because to this day it is still one of my favorites to look at. When it ran ok, it was my favorite car to drive. But sadly those days were few and far between. I sure hope their newer lines are of better quality.
A little late to the party, but I owned a 2003 Audi A4 for about a year before getting rid of it. I wanted one of those cars for ten years before buying one. I was warned from my friend that they could be potential money pits but I ignored him.
2003 Audi A4 1.8 turbo
Bought it with about 83k miles and sold it with just over 105k miles on it.
Third owner
Here's how it went for me. (Your mileage may vary)
85k miles - Timing belt replaced. Engine was sludged up despite all oil changes being performed on schedule so had to have it cleaned. (All oil changes were done by the previous owners by the local Audi dealer)
I'll bet anything that the Audi dealership used conventional oil instead of synthetic, and that's the reason for the sludge problem.
This has been a well-known problem for Audi A4s and VW Passats from that era. I'm surprised you didn't know about before you bought the car.
Glad I came over to this thread. Getting ready to research A4's for my daughters first car. Maybe I will head over to BMW or Mercedez
Audi A4's are very nice cars. It was that particular 1.8-liter engine in that particular car (and in the VW Passats during those same years) that had the problem. The engine was fine in the Golfs, Jettas, and New Beetles; but when mounted inline instead of transversely, they reconfigured the oil sump so it would fit around the front differential/axles, and this reduced the capacity or efficiency of the lubrication. I think there was a special notice to dealerships to only use synthetic oil, but a lot of owners must not have gotten the information.
I have two VW TDIs from the same time period; both have had only synthetic oil since new, and I've never had any problems. And I know people with VW GTIs with that 1.8-liter engine, and they've never had problems. Newer Audis have different engines and are not subject to sludging problems. (But I would still never use conventional oil in any of them.)
I'll bet anything that the Audi dealership used conventional oil instead of synthetic, and that's the reason for the sludge problem.
This has been a well-known problem for Audi A4s and VW Passats from that era. I'm surprised you didn't know about before you bought the car.
Yep. I put Castrol full synthetic in my '05 A4 and it was clean as a whistle and had about 155K on it when I sold it. One of the best cars if not the best car I ever owned, but I do take care of my cars. Love my new Audi and treat it great as well.
Just like Steve, I am also looking for a nice 'n fun (and reliable, of course!) car for my daughter. My 16-year old son will learn on it. He WILL NOT be allowed to get behind the wheels on my Mercedes or wife's Infiniti.
I do not have a bottom-less money-pit! So, really want to be careful here.
Is it safe if I could:
* find a quattro 3.2
* no more than 90,000 miles
* have it thoroughly checked
* make sure to use synthetic oil
* check all fluids frequently
Anything else should be on my checklist? What to do about the potential issue with timing belt? If it hasn't been done, should I set aside $1,200-1,500 for that job? Or pay more for a car that has had it done?
Or should I just go in for a BMW or Saab??? Please help!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve40th
Glad I came over to this thread. Getting ready to research A4's for my daughters first car. Maybe I will head over to BMW or Mercedez
Unlike BMW or Mercedes-Benz, Audi still offers cast-iron engine block in its most-popular 2.0L I4 turbocharged engine. Better than aluminum-block.
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Really want to buy an Audi. 2007-09. Convertible
So, really want to be careful here.
