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Audi A4 Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • kristyloukristylou Member Posts: 6
    thanks ill have to check into that

    Kristy
  • kristyloukristylou Member Posts: 6
    Jim,

    I know i should have checked the light when it came on but with the hours i work i just didnt have time.. and i keep putting and putting it off. . now im renting a vehicle and i cant stand it... :( but neways thanks for the information, ill just have to get my dealer to fix it. Yeah it does seem A little expensive but its going to have to be fixed.. How much did you have to pay to get your vehicle fixed jim?

    Kristy.
  • jimmjohnjimmjohn Member Posts: 4
    I actually didnt have my dealer fix my vehicle.. I had a local shop fix it.. I didnt pay the dealer price. I paid 997.00 to get my car re fixed. But i didnt fix the air.. I went with a conversion kit and eliminated all the air out of my vehicle. I went to Strutmasters.com ; a friend had told me about them and i decided to check them out. Not only did I fix my vehicle i dont have to worry about my air system failing on me again. It came with a lifetime warranty. SO im set.

    Jimm
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    It appears that "brand legacy" can also be COSTLY on the repair side also.
  • kristyloukristylou Member Posts: 6
    Wow.. but its not the air tho... hmm well how does it actually ride... i mean is it the same??? So you paid 997 just to fix the rear? I like the lifetime warranty thing about them because i know with the air system it can just fail again eventually. .

    Kristy
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited December 2010
    Not that I know, but these (cheaper) replacement kits, can take huge costs and add reliability at the same time. A apples to oranges example, Lexus and Toyota offered their versions of the Toyota Landcruiser. (Germane to this discussion) Lexus had the so called adaptive shocks ( suspension )and Toyota offered the time honored shocks. Now I liked the shocks as all you had to do was R/R top/bottom bolts, change the shocks (less than $300 for a premium aftermarket set of 4) and you were good to go. Long story short, my BIL had his Lexus shocks go out (less than 50k miles) and it was going to cost $2,400 to replace. He settled for the adaptation kit (be able to put the much cheaper shocks on) @ $900. FF to the 94 Toyota Landcruiser ( 17 years old now-that I have). It has 185,000 miles and is still far from needed "new" shocks (@ $300 per set of 4)
  • kristyloukristylou Member Posts: 6
    so you think I should go with the conversion kit?
  • jimmjohnjimmjohn Member Posts: 4
    yes the ride is just as great.. i paid 997 for the kit itself with Strutmasters had it shipped to me and then I paid my local shop to fix it. It was way better than paying 6 thousand to fix the vehicle.. My ride is just as smooth as before.. I definitely had to think about what i was going to do because i know the air system can always fail in the future and i didnt want to pay 6 thousand again later on to get it fixed again,. So i think i made the best choice.
  • kristyloukristylou Member Posts: 6
    well thanks.. i will have to give them a call and find out more information. You said Strutmasters.com right?
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    Yes. +1 here.
  • jimmjohnjimmjohn Member Posts: 4
    no problem let me know how it works out for you

    have a good one.

    Jimm
  • sdautotechsdautotech Member Posts: 2
    that coil pack oem should of cost u no more than 45$ thats the real price
  • sdautotechsdautotech Member Posts: 2
    also i have had the same issue with A 3.Ol engine in my opinion install oem coil which is about 45$ and replace the spark plug install irridium plugs or the problem will be persistent
  • needhelpsoonneedhelpsoon Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1996 A4 Quattro with a 2.8 V6 with an automatic tiptronic trans and it will not drive under its own power. We flushed the transmission and replaced the drive axles but it still won't drive. When we jacked the front end up, we could get one of the tires to turn on its own. It was wrecked recently and the front end was totalled. We replaced the radiator, condenser, and radiator support. I need help as this is the car that is supposed to get me to college and last me a while if at all possible.
  • audidaveaudidave Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    I just got an 06 A3 and I am having a problem playing songs in the SD card slots. I put 4 songs on just to see if they would work and 2 did, 2 did not.

    I am using a small 256 SD cards as its all I have in the house which is not SDHC....however before I buy bigger cards im wondering will I be able to do something that will make all my songs play from it? Of those 4 songs they are all the same .mp3 format and have that at the end of the name...

    Any help would be fantastic?

    Dave
  • awesomebrotha1awesomebrotha1 Member Posts: 1
    I have an Audi A4 Quattro that sometimes has a problem starting when I turn it off. It turns over and I have to keep patting the gas for it to catch and then it will start. I don't know why I have to push the gas to get it to start seeing that its fuel injected. The problem is it doesn't do it all the time just when its inconvenient. Has anyone had a similar problem with there Audi. I took it to the Audi dealership and the car didnt do it not one time.
  • rowlandjrowlandj Member Posts: 254
    When was the last time you had your fuel filter changed? A clogged filter will lead to starting issues and they should be change at about 50,000 miles as a general rule.
  • shopdog97shopdog97 Member Posts: 160
    A friend of mine runs a local rapair shop and has been in business for over 30 years, servicing all makes of vehicles. I stopped in to see him today about a problem I was having with my car(not an Audi) and he said to me, "I'll fix your car for free if you can tell me what's wrong with this late model(not sure of the year, but it looks fairly new) Audi A4. He said when the owner comes to a stop the car starts idling rough and nearly dies. He told me that when they put it up on their lift and started it and put it into gear, it idles fine and doesn't stumble at all! He claims he's never heard of this. I'm no Audi owner or specialist but said I'd post the question on here and see what happens. I only know it's an Audi A4 2.8 motor and I'm not really sure if it's an A4 Quattro(it may well be. I said to him could it be a software issue, and he said he was waiting for a return call from someone who he said was more familiar with Audi's. So I just thought I'd post this on here and see if any of you may have experienced this issue with this Audi model. Thanks and have a wonderful day.
  • mrsjjjonesmrsjjjones Member Posts: 4
    I had similar issues (though not bad enough to die). I have had some sensors go bad and have replaced the catalytic converter. My check engine light comes up though and gives the errors indicating that these needed to be replaced. You didn't mention anything about the check engine light so I assumed it wasn't coming up. Oddly after doing this by check engine light is still coming on so maybe it is just a computer thing. I wonder how the fuel mileage is on this car. Mine got noticably worse and improved when making these repairs. It runs real smooth now and I am not really worried about the check engine light on mine unless it shows signs of other problems. Don't know if this helps but good luck.
  • shopdog97shopdog97 Member Posts: 160
    I found out earlier when I went back to this garage with our Saturn Vue, this A4 Audi is a '99. Sure looked newer than that, and the lead mechanic that I knew had his head under it. He clarified that it DID NOT stall or attempt to stall, but that the idle had just become erratic and he still didn't know why it was happening. Since a catalytic converter can become clogged on any vehicle, I'd like to believe that Tom ruled this out rather quickly. I'm not sure whether this car's check engine light was on or not. Like everything else, he says that every once in a while, a "stumper" comes into his shop and caused everyone to scratch their heads. He was going to consult with someone he knows who takes care of these high end cars like Audi, MB, Jaguar, Lexus and so on. They WILL get to the bottom of this eventually, although the owner may be somewhat lighter in the wallet when all is said and done!!
  • slainte1slainte1 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 A4 Cabriolet 3.0 with around 105,000 miles on it. I have this problem periodically that will go away after I put some highway miles on it. The problem usually starts when I am in traffic. I will pull up to a light, the engine will start idling wildly, between 500 and 2500 rpm. Then the Electronic Stabilization Program light will come on. When I start to accelerate from the light, it is as though the transmission won't engage for moment or two and then slams into gear. As I pull up to the next light, as soon as the car goes below 2500 rpm, it stalls and the MIL light comes on. The car starts right up but runs real rough. Replaced the oxygen sensor but not change. Any ideas?
  • mboylanmboylan Member Posts: 1
    06 rooftop satellite radio cone, snapped off. in one peice , how to fix, will silicone hold?
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Please tell us the end of this story.
  • jwdlemjwdlem Member Posts: 7
    I have a 2006 A4 Cabriolet with slightly less than 25,000 miles on it since new. At a recent oil and filter change my Audi dealer indicated I should consider having my rear brake pads changed. Their estimates of pad thickness were: fronts 10mm, rears 3mm. I have never had a car where the rear pads wore out before the fronts. This car is driven 'calmly/gently' by primarily my wife and not to my knowledge ever hard braked. Other possibly relevant information on the car: it has its original tires all with excellent tread remaining and uniform across each tire face; no indication of brake drag based on feeling temperature of the wheels and consistently good mpg; brake fluid has been changed per Audi recommendations by Audi; no brake squeal and brake pedal feels normal and stops normally.

    My questions are:
    -have others had their rear pads go well before the fronts?
    -is this possibly an apportionment issue in terms of front to back braking from the master cylinder?

    Thanks! :confuse:
  • hals99hals99 Member Posts: 1
    I have less than 60,000 miles on the car.

    Most of the time, when the engine is started (after idle overnite) the yellow ABS light (and the flashing red BRAKE light) does not comes on ! I can drive a good many miles with no problem. When passing on a 'bump', the ABS light may come on but sometimes it will go off by itself soon after that.

    Usually when light has not been on, when I turn off the engine and restart it, ABS/BRAKE lights comes on.

    I took it to a mechanic who specializes in German cars. The error message on the computer was P1602 (intermittent power supply voltage low). He removed the necessary items to gain access to the controller. He found that the voltage coming into it was a proper 13.7 V.

    He confirmed that the brakes were in excellent shape. When he test drove the car (with the ABS light on) , he found the braking performance to be excellent.

    How serious is this problem from a safety standpoint ?
  • my2boyzmy2boyz Member Posts: 1
    On Father's day my audi rumbled (I thought it was a flat tire) and died. I had to restart it several times to pull into a nearby parking lot. It was towed in, "fixed" and returned. A week later, same thing, but this time the dealer wanted to drive the car overnight to make sure it was fixed.
    The next morning I received a call that they didn't get as far the driveway before it happened yet again. As of right now, they are offering to let me out of the lease and into a new audi.
    Any suggestions regarding which ones to avoid?
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    edited July 2011
    Your message couldn't have been more timely. My wife has a '07 A4 Quattro 2.0T automatic with about 53,600 miles on the odometer. Two days ago the yellow warning light for worn brake pads appeared on the instrument panel. According to the Owner's Manual (page 35) it says, "if the (worn brake pads) symbol illuminates, contact your authorized Audi dealer to have the front brake pads inspected (on that occasion have the rear brake pads inspected as well to be safe)."

    This supports the notion that the front brake pads normally wear out faster than the rear ones, so the wear exhibited by your brakes is indeed unusual.

    I'm sorry I can't explain why your rear brakes wore out so prematurely. Did the mechanic offer any possible explanation for this phenomenon? If not, and if it were me, I'd seek another opinion.

    Good luck, and please let us know the outcome on this problem.
  • jwdlemjwdlem Member Posts: 7
    Thanks. I did not think to check the Owner's Manual. Good point. I am in fact checking around with others, especially some Indies this weekend who have experience with foreign car brake systems. I will post what I find.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Good. I think you're following the right procedure.
  • jwdlemjwdlem Member Posts: 7
    Thanks. So far what I have learned from some Indies is that (a) it is unusual the way the car has been driven for the rears to be showing advanced ware at 25,000 miles (b) it is possible that traction systems have had a play in heavier use of the rears (c) not to worry until the brake ware indicator comes on. To date the brake ware indicator has never illuminated and as mentioned earlier, there is no unusual squeal, shudder, or braking attributes. When I looked at the rear pads I can still see 'reasonable' pad remaining and (at least visually) uniform amounts on both right and left sides. Still interested to see if anyone else has experienced similar ware on the rears but not the fronts.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Yeah, I wouldn't worry, then, until the brake wear indicator comes on. Like you, however, I'd be curious to know why the rear pad are wearing out before the front ones. Could it be that there's some drag on the rear brakes?
  • jwdlemjwdlem Member Posts: 7
    I am still leaning towards an apportionment issue, but don't think that it is from drag since the rear wheels are not unusually hot when I think to check them and the cars mpg has not shown any drop.
  • mercopsmercops Member Posts: 34
    Welcome to the world of Audi. Typically, common sense tells you the front pads will wear out long before or about the same time as the rear pads. This is due to the front pads performing a large majority of the braking. I have a 2002 A4 Quattro with 75k on the odometer and it is on its 3rd set of rear brake pads. Still have the originals on the front and they still have lots of "meat" on them. Only thing that I have been able to find out is that because the rear brakes are so "tiny" in relation to the front pads that they tend to wear out faster than the front pads as they are providing for a share of the braking but are "undersized" to last very long. Change out is not to bad as long as the rotors still look good and can be done in any home shop in about 1-2 hours including coffee time for about $35-$45 US.
  • jwdlemjwdlem Member Posts: 7
    Thanks. Appreciate hearing of your experience.
  • amkmeco90amkmeco90 Member Posts: 17
    i have A4 quattro 3.0L 2002 and while i was driving home my front windshield got cracked and it was unreparable. the insurance won't pay for that as the deductable is more than the price of the windshield. my question here is that i can't choose between the original one and the aftermarket so what are the differences between the original and the aftermarket? thanks
  • mercopsmercops Member Posts: 34
    There are significant quality differences between original equipment manufactured windshields and aftermarket auto glass.
    Main issue is this: Non-OEM auto glass manufacturers make copies of OEM auto glass parts. These copies have to vary slightly from the OEM part due to the fact that OEM parts are patented and the designs are protected and trademarked.

    Check out the facts at:

    http://www.glassusa.com/News.asp?nid=11
  • theone4utheone4u Member Posts: 2
    hi guys, i need some advice before buying an old Audi A4 B5 1999 with 163,683kms

    what are the issues am i going to face or already facing?
    what sort of problems would it have at most with the year of the and considering the kms over the 12yrs?
    the car is going for $6800, obviously i will negotiate on that.

    one other problem is the car is interstate atm, so i can't my self check it physically and see what the major problems are on it, but i have asked for the seller to send me more pictures on most angles and all receipts done in recent times.

    any warnings and advice would be appreciated.
    cheers =)
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    An old Audi A4 you can't see in person? I already don't like the sound of this one.
  • vwdawgvwdawg Member Posts: 162
    Hello: My opinion? NO WAY! Too many miles, price is out of line, and unless you are a DIY mechanic, you'll end up blowing more money on repairs than you would buying a newer car. The worst part...if you can't actually SEE the car, you're looking for big trouble. If it was super clean, well maintained, repair documentation available, and you could see it, I might consider $4,000 or so for purchase price, but as I said, just my opinion. Good luck! vwdawg
  • amkmeco90amkmeco90 Member Posts: 17
    I have A4 3.0L 2002. I live in Altoona PA. 5 weeks ago someone hits me in the rear bumper and was looking for an auto body shop who are really good. Money isn't an issue as long as the insurance will pay. So could any one help me in this? Thank you
  • theone4utheone4u Member Posts: 2
    so far the guy have sent me receipts of the services his done to the car and any repairs done, so far

    -right cv joint replace
    -control arm upper LHF x2
    -dipstick tube
    -both wiper blades
    -wheel alignment front/rear
    -bobs bucket 8pcs
    -2 new front tires
    -change muffler

    there's a few wear and tear within the car it self but also a key scratch on the right hand side front panel, which would cost $150-$200 for a respray?
    the miles is reasonably high but for its year its not too bad.
    i might consider dropping the price to $5000 and see if he will take it straight off. i work on my own cars in the past n always have service them my self but major work of course at the mechanic as i dont have proper tools for it. but other then that i do hope its no more of a headache then it is buying a second hand car lol

    cheers guys
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited October 2011
    I still say forget it. The car is way overpriced. It's a $3,500 car all day long, if that. And you can't respray a door panel for $200, at least not competently.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    edited October 2011
    I agree with you on this particular car, Shifty. However, this is an opportune time to ask you a question, which is why do A4s maintain their value as well as they do, considering their high maintenance factor? Their residual values seem to be in the ballpark with their competitors.
  • jj813jj813 Member Posts: 1
    My 2008 A4 3.2 automatic s-line just got a major coolant leak... it literally leaked most of the fluid out of the reservoir within 30 minutes!

    Prior to the leak, my car was running fine and was parked for a few hours. When I started her back up the coolant light immediately went on; I didn't see any puddles under the car. My car is due for its 55K mile service, so I thought the coolant level was just low due to normal driving usage. I was only driving 4 miles back home so I went on the road. Nothing abnormal happened and the temp gage was at its usual place right in the middle of the range. When I pulled in my garage and got out of the car, I saw drip lines on the floor, and smelled a sweet burn of liquid. Within a few minutes, fluid was dripping quickly onto the floor, and a wee bit of smoke was coming from the front of the car. Oh sh**t! I popped the hood for a visual inspection. I didn't see any leaks in the hose, but I really couldn't see alot looking at it with just the hood open and a flashlight. Got down on the floor and it appeared the leak was coming from the passenger side of the engine about half way in (almost next to the wheel on the passenger side of the car). I think the smoke was from the coolant dripping onto the hot metal near the front of the engine (behind the grill).

    Any ideas what it could be? Car has 55K miles on it (just out of warranty of course). I hope it is nothing major and won't cost a fortune to fix. Thanks in advance.....
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Interesting. Please let us know what caused the leak, and how much it cost to repair it.

    My wife has a '07 A4 2.0T Quattro automatic with 56,000 miles, which is why I'm interested in owner experiences after the factory warranty expires.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well the residual values are set by leasing companies and are sometimes set high in order to push cars out of the showroom.

    My feeling/intuition is that once out of warranty, the resale value of Audis does not match that of its competitors, BMW and Benz, but I haven't thoroughly researched this pricing pattern. Perhaps other have and can contribute?

    Interesting you mentioned this...I just saw a very clean, but very miled up, Audi A8 that recently lost its transmission---the owner just gave the car away for free, since the parts + labor costs are formidable. ($6200 parts, 20 hours labor).

    Fortunately the A4 is not so maintenance intensive as an A8, but even so, on that '99 A4, a transmission overhaul would be $3200 + 10 hours labor, so that car would be totaled.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
  • rogersgrrogersgr Member Posts: 1
    My son has a 1996 Audi A4 Quattro - 2.8L V-6 with over 160K on the clock. He bought it thinking that is was a solid car and still had several miles left in it. Wrong decision - it has been a money pit. Anything with much over 100K on it is prone to be a maintenance nightmare. Audi's are difficult for the typical DIY's and parts on the older models are hard to find.

    The rear drive shaft was just removed from my sons car with bad rag joints and a shot carrier bearing. The repair is going to cost more than the car is worth. Does anyone know if we can just leave the drive shaft out and drive the car on front wheel drive only?? It is still a fairly solid car but is on its last leg.
  • amkmeco90amkmeco90 Member Posts: 17
    how many owners did that car have before your son? as i think these cars should be treated like babies, whenever something goes wrong you should fix it at once and don't wait because it will be more. that's my opinion about these cars.
  • fitrider82fitrider82 Member Posts: 2
    Trust me do not buy that Audi, I have had mine for close to 5 years and I don't even want to begin to tell you the MASSIVE list of parts I've replaced (5 wheel bearings, all control arms, half shafts, tie rod ends, and the list goes on.) I'm a 21 year old college student who bought a 96 A4 Quattro 2.8L 12v 5 speed thinking it would be great for the Michigan winters, which it has, but realistically this is not the car you want for your kid unless he's got a great job and has the DIY knowhow to tear things apart and rebuild them. I've learned everything I know about cars tearing mine apart countless times. Maintenance is so difficult on these vehicles that just to change the fuel filter (my RPMs were bouncing everywhere and the car would randomly stall, in fact after changing it, it still happens) you need to drop the entire gas tank down just to get the filter out of the bracket because there's no access door under the rear seat like most cars. If you buy that car you will deeply regret it, LISTEN TO ME & LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES.
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