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So how can you say that all Audi's are crap, and fall apart after 40K if mine (both over 40K) are working just fine. I don't know maybe I'm lucky, I am just trying to say that you cant judge a company by a dealership, or a few people complaining.
Anyway, it is how the manufacturer stands behind their product that matters. I have a 2007 A4 that thankfully falls into the bulletproof category, thus far; however, I fear the day I would have to pursue Audi for any warranty related problems. My theory is the weak dollar is hurting them so much they are pretty tight about their warranty claims and just overall cost containment. Interestingly, I have owned two BMW's in my life and I find BMW does a much better job at satisfying "damaged" owners and keeping them in the co. fold.
Dealers seem incapable to fix the problem or just flat out tell you to take it somewhere else. Sure Audi of America folks are friendly, but only until they actually have to do something. Too many apologies, too little action and too many smoke screens - those of you who have experienced it know what I mean. Of course I know German cars can be problematic, I will not go into detail on what my issues were, but the Hubble telescope, on a bad day, was far more reliable. Here is just one example - each time I used my headlamp washers fuses blew, winter or summer. 4 dealers and a real Audi tech produced shrugged shoulders - Audi's final answer; I'm having a unique experience - ever fixed; no
I've had reliability issues with another brand of German car but that company supported me and my issues were not nearly as severe and I did not even have to ask.
How did it end up, well we ended up in court and Audi's lawyer convinced them to pay me, yes their own lawyer. What does that tell you?
Anyway - I'll continue to read the Audi forums to see if Audi ever 'gets' it. Bitter, maybe...disappointed, most definitly
Lexus gives it's dealerships a huge profit margin and wads of cash to give customers everythign they want. They don't have to worry about the rest of the world.
Lexus sells service more than cars, and people buy into it. It's not wright or wrong, it's just what they do.
I understand your point; however, there ARE a few satisfied Audi owners (i.e. happy with the car AND happy with the service). Yes, if my engine inexplicably blew I would rather be driving the Lexus if given the choice; but, I would not base my buying decision on that.
Your 4th Audi? Must have had something horrible with some of the earlier ones. :P
My wife has been driving an Audi since 1990. She's still on just her second one.
Her job takes her to downtown Newark NJ (#22 on the Morgan Quit no Press's list of most dangerous cities in the USA) on a daily basis, so she does not tolerate any vehicle that's an inch less than rock solid reliable.
She is shopping for a new vehicle right now, as her 8.5 year old 2000 A4 1.8T Quattro will need a new set snow tires for this winter. Currently, she's trying to decide between picking up a leftover 2008 Audi A3 within the next month, or to custom-order a 2009 A3 and probably having to wait until January for it, because the color she wants is on 'delayed introduction', which mucks up the idea of replacing the car before it needs $500 for new tires. If she doesn't get what she wants, I expect that she'll keep the A4 for another year or three, which may be a disappointment to three friends who are interested in buying it from us.
-hh
Car runs great, is supremely comfortable, handles well, has more than ample acceleration once it is rolling... My biggest surprise (and most pleasant surpriseO is that it gets 24-28 mpg city & 32-36 highway -- on mid grade gas no less.
Have had a couple of minor problems (40K whining noise from back of car - replaced fuel filter at NC, 44K broken mirror toggle switch intially said not under warranty, but after reconsideration, replaced NC). Had 1 accident where I was not paying attention & rear ended a stopped car at about 10-15 mph. Broke transmission mount & caused minor radiator leak but I was able to drive it for 2 weeks till the parts were in. Our Bellingham dealer & service department has always been cordial & cooperative.
We are more than very pleased! with this car! Honestly, reading these forums make nervous & I had real reservations about reliablity when we bought our A4. Now we plan to keep current A4 till 2011 & then will likely replace it with another A4 or possibly an A3.
Thanks.
I'm writing this now because I will soon be in the market for a new vehicle and the new A4 caught my attention. I will likely test drive one when they come out and I will get that "itch" again, just like I do almost every new car season. But all I need to do is look at the 29 service tickets from my allroad (that's how many times the vehicle went to the dealer in 3 years) to remind me why I drive a Lexus today and probably will still be in a Lexus at this time next year. I loved my Audi, but I also hated my Audi.
MD
We used Peter Wendell at Paul Miller Audi in Parsippany, NJ. Based on him making good on an error and giving us an $858 refund out of his own pocket, I'd definitely trust him to buy a car from him again. We've known Peter since before he was a salesman (he came from the Service Dept).
For service...well, we had not been particularly happy with Paul Miller circa ~2004, but this is a dated experience. Peter has said that they've gotten better; we will see, at the car's 5K checkup in ~6 months.
For genuine OEM Dealership, I've heard very good things from a coworker advocating Audi of Mendham, NJ, but I haven't tried them yet myself to verify how they do. I expect that we'll give Paul Miller a chance (5K service) and if it isn't stellar, perhaps go try Mendham the next time we absolutely must have a dealership touch the car.
Otherwise, the place we've been going for Audi service for the past ~5 years has been Foreign Aid in Mendham; the owner "Kenny" has implicitly earned our trust.
For Mercedes, I didn't care for the salesman at MB of Morristown, nor that he lied to me about document processing (claimed that a buyer couldn't go to DMV to get his own plates). So I went to MB of Newton, NJ; the salesman was Reid [something] ... Ried was easy to deal with. Unfortunately, this is probably a very long haul for you from Bargain/Passaic/Essex.
For MB service, Newton has been good, although a bit inconvenient and of course MB Expensive. As such, I've been trying a local independent garage (Felipe at Precision Auto Center; Rt 46 West, Rockaway NJ). So far, he's done well enough for fairly routine work and has done a "make it good at my expense" on one item, so I'll continue to go there for now...it helps that he's only 5 minutes from home.
Finally, for all "wheels" stuff, I've been using Eurotire in Fairfield, NJ (on Rt 46 East) for 20+ years. I've known the current owner Bill Bloomfield since he was an employee there, which is more than just a few years ago now. Eurotire used to mostly do just tires, rims, balancing, allignments and shocks/struts, but now also does brakes, CV/drive axles, 4-corner weight balancing, etc, etc.
Bill is a significant supporter of the local Porsche Club (PCA) chapter of Northern NJ and he often volunteers/donates his shop for Tech Inspections, etc. He's a genuine enthusiast worth supporting who does high quality work, is always honest with you, a good value, and is very flexibile in working with your needs.
<a href="http://www.eurotire.com/"
-hh
Anyhow, it’s only fair to Audi that I follow-up with this posting. Since the traumatic experience in 2006 our Audi, which now has 55k miles, has been very reliable. More importantly, I just came back from the Smokey Mountains without incident. Yes, I gave the car another chance and dared the trip once again. You can imagine the fear when I pulled into the same spot where it left me stranded, fortunately the car started this time and continued to perform throughout the trip. I thought for sure the water pump or the radiator would blow considering it was 100 degrees in the hot sun with the air on climbing steep road ways to boot. But, to my surprise, it hung in there.
So my Audi has redeemed itself and may even go into another when the tires fall off this one. Hopefully, that will be some time from now.
Thanks
MD
However, if you had some clown who owned the car before you who was casual about the oil changes (frequency) or used regular oil (not synth), then watch out !!
So... that would make me leery about buying a used 4 cyl turbo...
Im new to this site adn the other forums are unresponsive. im currently in the market for a new 2009 bmw 335i or the audi A5. from what i've been reading, I'm really starting to question the Audi. Seems like people have major problems or no problems at all. My family's had a few Audis before and steer far away from it these days. but the new A5 looks are stunning. And with the bad economy there are many on the lot, at least in the DC area. Our family's had bmws as well and had some problems there too, but Consumer Reports seem to favor Audis more and more these days. Any problems with Audi's technology? since im opting for the premium tech and nav package. (both cars)
Any advice? :confuse:
Thanks
cneff, no you weren't unlucky. My dad bought a two year old Audi with low mileage and had numerous faults and a real 'ding dong' with Audi dealership.
I personally know of a friend of the family who is a barrister. She bought a brand new Audi and had so many problems with the car and received such poor service from Audi, that she sued them in court and won. In the end she returned the car and received a full refund after further legal proceedings. I think they picked on the wrong cookie on this occasion.
Funny really, because lots of consumer reviews rate Audi's highly. This is probably due to consumer satisfaction with the product i.e., people turn a blind eye to problems because they love the brand. People are always more discerning if they're not so caught up in the image and brand.
Note, if your Audi is out of warranty, go see an independant specialist to get better service and 30-40% off your labour bills. If your still in warranty, you can always say a little prayer.
I'm an Audi FanBoi. Here's my take... Audis have improved considerably over the last few years. Now Audis are almost as reliable as Korean cars.
I'm on my third A4, a modified '06 bought in August of '05, and in that entire time the only issue that I've had is one check engiine light. And I'm not particularly easy on my car. Modded it puts out > 250 hp and I wore out my OEM tires in around 11,000 miles (rough housing in corners).
The apparent secret for Audi ownership is dumb luck and hope that you get a good one (you probably will). Next is having a good dealership to work with when something unexpected does spring up.
Now about that A5 vs 335i... Both cars look great but the A5 wins out over the 335i. But OTOH, have you driven either car much? The 335i is a hot rod and will knock the socks off the A5. The best reason for the A5 is the quattro system, which works nicely with the Audi. The BMW X drive option on the 335i just doesn't cope with the Bimmer's torque too well... just stamp the gas and feel the torque steer.
However, if you don't need the awd, then that's a mote point.
Next month I should be in my next A4, an Avant with my first auto tranny ever
Thanks
Thanks
The day after I bought it, I had to take it back to the dealer for a check engine light. They said it was the fuel sensor and replaced it. 2 weeks later, I got another check engine light. They cleared the fault and sent me on my way. 2 weeks after that, I took it in for another check engine light. When I pulled into the dealership, they said they knew it was the fuel pump that needed replacing. According to the dealership, the Audi manufacturer had "compared it to another new car and decided it was the fuel pump." They replaced it and sent me on my way. It's been about a week and everything's running fine so far, but I hope that this isn't going to be a reoccuring problem. I'm thinking I may have just had bad luck with that one part. Sometimes new cars are like that I guess.
Otherwise, my experience with Audi is pleasant. The dealership puts up with my histrionics when something goes wrong. They fix it under warranty for free and offer me a free rental car (usually a Mercedes) when they fix my car so at least I get to try other cars out. Overall, my Audi is beautiful and has every amenity offered. I hope it doesn't have more problems, though, because I think it looks really cute and it's fun to drive.
I had very similar experience to yours. Yes, the dealer fixes the check engine light free when car is under warranty...the warranty will eventually run out unless you purchased extended one from the get go...when it does, you will be out luck. They will give you a loaner while they fix the issue but the issues will keep coming back....ok when car is under warranty but still you will worry and waste time visiting the dealer. True, most of these issues will be classified as "leaking hose", "loose gas cap" etc but each one will result in dreadfull check engine light and will require a trip to the dealer. Unless you have tons of time and enjoy spending it at the dealership ....
I had so many of these little but requiring a day off from work in order to visit the dealer to drop off the car issues that I finally gave up selling the car for a lousy trade in value .... and started sharing the issues with the general public on this forum.
Audi is a very sexy agile car. It is notorious for tons of small issues all cuasing check engine light...
It is not good for a brand new car to have a gas pump issue....and regardless, all dealer repairs are good for 12 months. I had my air pump repaired once by dealer for $600 and going bad 14 months later....naturally 2 months after the dealer service warranty had expired
Good luck with it....enjoy but be prepared for lots of ridiculous stories about what was wrong with your car next time the check engine light comes on and you're forced to pay the dealer another visit.
I now drive an Acura...had not had a SINGLE issue for 2 years.
I used to drive a Japanese car. It was so easy to maintain and I had zero problems. Absolutely nothing happened on that car. I changed tires, brakes, and got oil changes and that was enough to make it last. I traded it in at 75k to get the Audi, though, because 4.5 years seemed a long time to own a car. However, I am confident that my old car would've kept going and going and going. That thing drove like a dream. It's just not as sexy as the Audi and it's not the powerhouse that the Audi is.
Good for you. I had horrible experience with Accord and TL with 0 issues when cars had warranty and LOTS of issues when warranty expired. I wouldn't touch Honda any more, only German cars. 0 issues with my BMW, girlfriend's parents have 0 issues with VW.
I recommend this interesting site to you, pehaps this will help you expand your horizons juust a bit further beyond the windshield of your own car ... blah blah
:surprise:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/audi.htm
Most recently (last 2 weeks), my friends drove a brand new VW JETTA from Germany to France - the manual transmission broke down in southern France on their way back forcing them to return by train. Now this is what I call PERFECT turn of events.
BTW, on my brand new Accord, transmission broke down on 8K miles first time.
Reason I ask is, having been a Japanese luxury owner.lessor for a few years and not really caring for German styling, I have taken notice and really like the styling, LED DRLs, of the new Audi lineup and might consider leasing one in a year and half when my current lease is up?
Consumer reports and JD Power have listed poor reliability of the A4 pre 2006 and do not recommend it as a used vehicle but both sites have shown great improvement in reliability starting in 2007 to the current one; I wanted to know if this is true based on current Audi A4 owners/lessors and do you recommend leasing this vehicle or at the very least give it consideration?
I really like the direction Audi has taken in the styling and interior department over the last few years but they aren't exactly known for impeccable reliability but I don't hold problems of the past against improvements in the companies current models, a good example of this is Nissan, so I would love some insightful criticism and opinions!!! both good or bad!!
I find the car reliable and I think many people on this site do report on their car problems, but people satisfied with the car don't bother to report that fact. It's my opinion that Audi has more problem cars, but that doesn't mean the average car buyer will have more problems with their cars than buyers of American cars.
My experience with the audi a4 is:
1) engine seals replaced 2 x
2) diff seals replaced 2 x
3) dash display replaced
4) entire throttle body replaced (sensors, valves, etc)
5) fuel injectors replaced 2 x
6) driver's airbag replaced
7) abs module replaced
8) driver's and passenger window lifters replaced
9) drive shaft boots replaced
10) various sensors (temp sensors, oxygen sensors, etc)
11) hoses, pipes, etc.
This is a 10 year car which started breaking after 2.5 years. Thank god I had a full coverage warranty. The warranty paid out $12k in repairs, and from speaking with the audi/vw shop, this is typical of audi's.
Have they gotten better? I hope so, but I can guarantee you that their reliability is still poor. By the way, consumer reports gave the a4 a good reliability rating in 2000 and 2001. We'll see what happens in a couple of years to the 07's.
In comparison:
1) 2002 subaru- no problems with anything
2) 2003 camry- 1 engine mount went bad
3) 1995 maxima- 2 starters
In my mind, audi's are great driving cars, but horrible transportation cars. They are not reliable, expensive to fix, and expensive to own.
There is simply no justification for getting one. Do yourself a favor and get something else. If you want performance and have to get a german car, get a bmw. They seem to be the most reliable of the german makes, although they are not close to the japanese cars.
Upon driving it to the dealer, my clutch was burned out completely. This surprised me because I saw no smoke or heard no grinding noises whatesoever when I was driving it.
Has anybody ever had this issue? I cannot believe that I "broke" my Audi A4 in a matter of 35 miles per hour for 6 miles.
*confused......
Any help would be greatly welcomed!!!
You should do a forums search here on the terms A4 problems. Then, assume that you will experience at least some of the problems mentioned by others. Can your budget handle that? If so, can you also handle your car being out-of-commission for those periods of time/frequency?
I have owned two vehicles in my life with poor reliability histories. The first one, I was spending $800/month in repairs for about the last 5 months of ownership. The second one, I beat the odds and experienced almost no problems at all. It's up to you to decide whether you can afford the risks. Personally, if I were spending $11K on a used vehicle, I'd be looking at something less exciting, but with a better likelihood of lower impact on my future & ongoing budget.
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