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BTW, I don't have 2004 A4 manual but a S4 one. Do they have same maintenance? What else should I do to maintain it except following the computer reminder?
Thanks, folks
Also, the center console ashtray cover is broken and won't stay in the closed position.
We got the A4 sedan, 1.8T for comfort, expected to be able to equal or slightly exceed EPA numbers. Big surprise is how Audi has managed to get both plenty of punch & economy in this package. I am a self confessing fuel economy junkie, I am especially pleased with its gas mileage.
2004 A4, non-quattro, 1.8, CVT.
Last urban driving tank by wife w moderately heavy foot: 70% in town, trips less than 10 miles got 23.8 mpg Have gotten up to 28 mpg in urban driving.
Last trip, 423 miles; 5% forest service roads, 15% freeway, 80% two lane blacktop, top speed 80 mph, driven with light foot (only a couple of WOT runs), minimal AC use, average speed overall 49mph (car's computer) got 34.4 mpg. Best was 37 mpg mostly freeway average speed of 65 mph.
Considering the best I ever got with 92 Honda Civic Si & 97 Del Sol Si was just under 40, the A4 is bit of a surprise. That plus the fact that it is supremely comfortable & had no mechanical problems for 29,000 miles makes us feel like we have a terrific car in the A4!
I have a 2005 A4 Avant 6 speed with 33,000 miles and about 6 months ago I began having problems . My " check engine " light would come on , each time I brought it in to the dealer ( 7 times ) they tried to trouble shoot the problem , from changing the spark plugs, cleaning the fuel rods , cleaning out gas deposits and more . They kept the car for 2 + weeks , only for me to pick it up and three days later have the light come back on . The computer would come back everytime and say the was having mis-fires .
The last time I had it in there, they told me the problem was cause by bad fuel ? And told me to stop putting premium and use regular unleaded . I have done that, and although the light has not come on, it still mis-fires and has an uneven idle . The Audi dealer w/o the light coming on , they won't do anything .
I had one of the mechanics pull me aside and told me off the record , that the fuel is not the problem , but they don't know what the problem is .
Sorry for the long post .
Mark
This is my first car with a climate control system, and I'm not fluent with it even after two years. I do miss just having air flow through the vents like in my old BMW, without having to turn something on and adjust it.
I love my Audi, but is quite pricey. I actually have nicknamed it "Pricey" just for that reason. Oil changes usually run about $75 at the dealer, and I do suggest going to the dealer for any maintenance - even minor things. I took mine for an oil change at a chain oil change place and the filter (because it was not Audi but aftermarket) caused the oil to "leak" at times. Not so much that there was a problem, but under the car where the oil plug is was a mess and I had to have the Audi garage scrub it clean. The cars are fun to drive and very attractive (I think) but it will be a bit of a headache. I have three dealerships in my area (Pittsburgh, PA) and the one where I bought the car has turned out to be real jerks. I paid over $600 to have a $200 part replaced because, basically, they took their time doing it AND I was without a car for a week!!! One other dealership is not much better. A friend has a TT and I've taken it for maintence (normal stuff-oil changes, etc.) and they are just not nice. And the third dealership is just SO pretentous. I will not take it there. Just make sure the service people at your Audi garage are very accomodating because you WILL get to know them very well. If you have a choice, I'd look for a used Acura or even BMW (no that I'll ever buy another German car). And, BTW, my Audi started having problems at 5,000 miles. It's not just older ones with high mileage.
Good luck.
Aside from warranty work I advise you to find a good independent, they are more reasonable than dealers. I'd avoid the lube chains as well. I was quite successful with my '98 A4 in getting maintenance done by a good local Audi-VW specialist at reasonable cost not withstanding the excessively high cost of parts which they must buy thru the dealer network.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
If you are still looking for an Audi, I would like to put my two sense in. All cars have problems or will need to fixed or maintained, but Audi's are known to be expensive when it comes to genuine parts. What it really comes down to is how well the car has been treated and maintained, and they way you choose to maintain your audi. Audi's are awesome and I am definetly a fan, I love them. What is truly appealing is the way it is built, how it drives, and the quality of the product that is impressive. For your situation, the best thing to do is not trust carfax. The idea behind it is good, but in my experience it is never accurate and cannot be trusted. Having an experienced body shop check it over is better as they can see things that you would not be able to. If you are looking to purchase this car through a bank, see if they offer extended warranties. They might not on this car because of it's title status. I have owned two audi's so far, an A4 2.8 sedan and a S4 V8. The warranty's pay for themselves. For example I paid $1500 for a 7 yr/100K extended warranty and it has paid for itself 3 times over so far because all that I am responsible for the diagnosis. Find an independent shop that is audi certified and reputable. Definetly maintain it and get oil changes regularly (I suggest synthetic), and if something starts going wrong- get it checked out ASAP before it gets worse because it is not going to go away by ignoring it. Lastly, drive and enjoy it- it's a drivers car. Good Luck.
So I was hoping someone out there could take a stab at a couple questions I had. Basically, am I setting myself up for a reliability disaster if I buy a '98/'99 Avant with 80+k miles on it? What sorts of things can I identify from a test drive that foreshadow huge problems? Thanks for any help anyone can provide!!
Maybe, maybe not. I'd still have my '98 Avant if my wife hadn't insisted on keeping her blasted Saab. I had a great experience with
Bronzehilde for five years.
Have it checked out by an Audi specialist, (it'll be the best $100 you ever spent) maintain it religiously and you'll be alright at least for 2-3 years IMO.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I'm curious - what is the best way to go about finding a mechanic to work on it? My local place where I took an old car would say yes, they work on Audi's. I think everyone will say they work on them to get the business.
Any thoughts?
For anyone in the Northern Virginia area with a specific shop in mind, do let me know!
I live near a small city of 35,000 that has such a specialist, I'm sure there are many in the DC area.
It doesn't hurt to ask around either.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Again, I've had a couple of the major chains out here say they do work on Audi's, but I don't think thay make's them experts in them.
Thanks for the quick reply, by the way.
The difference is so stunning I was almost depressed. The car handles like a completely different car. Now I understand why I was getting passed by SUVs on the twisties. Before, the car always felt vague and wandery when driving; it took work to keep it pointed straight on the freeway, and more effort to track properly in hard turns. Now, it handles so well I'm speechless. Easy and solid on the freeway, and practically defies the laws of physics when you push it. Now I see why people rave about the A4 so much. The new tires are also quieter and soak up rough pavement better (important here in the San Francisco bay area). No snow here, so they'll be fine all year round I think.
I wish I'd replaced all four of those damn tires the first day I bought the car! That's why I said I was almost depressed, thinking about wasting the first 3 years of my car's life. If you're going to spend $25K to $35K on a car, it's well worth a few extra hundreds to get tires that let it perform like it was meant to. I'm not big on upgrading my car, pretty much keep my cars stock, but this is one upgrade that is well worth considering.
Dave
I`ve got a topic for you: I want to decide between 2 A4's but I can`t actually point one. Here it goes: the first A4 has 170k Km (110k miles) on it, but its sold by a Audi Dealer; the second one has 130k KM (80k miles) on it and its sold by a Used Car Dealer (which i don`t really trust generally). They`re both manuals, 1.8T Quattro, 2002, and the price dif is just $1K for the one with less mileage, they even have the same packs. The Audi Dealer also has the car with 18pics on the net and it really looks nice and the interior looks new (even when zooming). So my question is: Should I buy the one from the Audi Dealer or from the Used Car Dealer?
Btw, the prices are $15.995 (first-170k) and $16.900 (second-130k). One is blue and the other is silver, both with 17" rims, if that'll make a dif.
Thanks.
I am trying to determine whether or not it makes financial sense to purchase my Audi at the end of my lease. It's an '04 that I leased in '03 for 39 months/10k miles a year. I only have 20.5k miles on it and the buyout price is almost $20k (including tax). It has leather and sunroof which I think is the premium package but doesn't have the sports package. The market seems to indicate this is a good price but I am still unsure.
Thank you in advance for any feedback.
Just wondering what I should tell the dealer I think may be going wrong so they fix it for free now rather then me paying for after warranty is up...since dealer just bills Audi Canada/USA for the repairs anyway I thought I might take advantage of this and have them fix stuff that may be on its way to being in need of repair after the warranty is up and on my dollar..
Thanks for any help!!!
(used) dealer and if the 30k less miles are worth it to you, go for the more expensive one...and also tell the used car salesmen to let you take it to your local mechanic before you buy it...otherwise no deal. Then you'll know hes not selling you a flooded or damaged car...
In order for the dealer to determmine that the caliper is defective, you may want to leave the car overnight with them.
Cheers,
Ron
Sincerely,
Teresa Peterson
As for your engine, my bet is that your dealership didn't use the proper oil (many Audi dealerships refused to adhere to the VW 502.00 oil standard for several years after it was published, some still don't), preferring instead to buy cheap bulk conventional oil. Said another way, I have yet to see a single case where a properly maintained (i.e. 502.00 oil or better every 8,000 kilometers) 1.8T failed or sludged.
Assuming your dealership cheated on the quality of the oil for your car, is that Audi's fault?
Best Regards,
Shipo
I've contacted the dealership twice and they have no idea. They are unwilling to ask the regional rep if he knows what it is, and unwilling to investigate further if they don't hear the beeps.
On a different forum for a different car with the same problem, I saw a post that suggested the alarm system battery may be failing and need to be replaced. I found this info on Carguide's site regarding the "B6" model A4 introduced in late 2001/early 2002:
"an alarm system with its own dedicated battery - if a thief cuts the electrical wiring the alarm still operates - and it also has built-in tilt sensors to help prevent tow-away theft." (quoted from http://www.carguidemagazine.com/archive/dec2001/roadTests/audi4.php)
I am at a loss here. I've been researching how to place a fair price on my car which I have to sell. It is paid for and i hate to do it - but alas - as fun as this car has been - you just cannot put two 300 VariKennels into it for my two dogs !
I have seen pricing from as low as 25,000 up to 32,000 for the car I have with the mileage and condition. How do I know what to ask? People have internet access and challenge everything.
I also know that ppl tend to think that their car/house/whatever is worth so much more than the next guys is (tongue in cheek here) but my car is still under warranty, has under 16,000 miles on it, has always been detailed, maintained for regular service, not wrecked, one non-smoking owner and garage parked. I plan to have it detailed next week after I take it for a service to have everything checked out.
I love this car and have not had any trouble with it but I want to price it fairly. Any ideas? I've been to all the online pricing sites and thats where the confusion came in - all were very diff!
TIA
Lynnie
Seconds question, what's wrong with the ABS module that indicates it needs to be replaced?
Third question, what kind of shape is the rest of the car in?
Forth question, who is giving you your quotes for work, a dealer or a good independent?
Last year I was faced with a similar dilemma as you. I was then driving about 100 miles per day and my transmission went out at 109,000 miles (exactly). When I say "went out", I mean "grind, screech, full stop, ain't moving again" kind of went out. I decided that it was a whole lot cheaper to put a tranny in the old gal as I was racking up so many miles as opposed to buying a new(er) car and doing the same thing. I'm glad I did as the new tranny cost me $2,600, roughly the cost of five monthly payments on a new car.
Regarding how long your car should last. Assuming that your engine has been cared for with good high quality oil and been treated to frequent (enough) oil changes, there is no reason why your A4 shouldn't last for a quarter of a million miles. True, you will have to spend a bit on maintenance and repairs to reach the mileage, but I seriously doubt said repairs would match what a car loan would cost you on a monthly basis.
Now, if you want a new(er) car, that's an entirely different discussion. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
-ricardo :confuse:
Has anybody else experienced this and if so what was fixed to correct this problem? Thanks.
so that when/if something breaks you'll be out some big bucks.
E.g. Power steering racks may fail prematurely, IIRC it's over $2k to replace one.
Having said all that I put 123K on a '92 A4 Avant without a failure worse than the auxiliary fan going out (about $600)
but if I were living on a student's budget I'd recommend a Subaru. For the record I didn't have a car when I was in college.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
great audi photos !
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Overall so far I really like the car. It has some turbo lag at the early speeds but that's normal. I had a VW Jetta that did the same thing. Any other information anyone can give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Steve(Jeepster53@aol.com)
Are Audi A4 Parts a lot more expensive than Toyota parts,etc if something happens with the car?
Thanks