Audi A4 2004 and earlier

davking

A few observations from a lurker. I spent a week and a half driving around Norway. Even after taking into account a psychological tendency to identify with the four rings, the ratios of Audi's to Volvo's and to SAAB's were very high, perhaps greater than one. Bimmers were scarce.

Had the ignition coils replaced in my 01.5 1.8T A4 yesterday. My first chance to see the current A4 up close. Black plastic? Cruise control still on a stalk? I'm happy with what I have, thank you.

andys120

popular in Norway? They're the best all-weather cars in the world, have been since Dr. P invented the Quattro.

Cruise on a stalk works fine for me. I had it on the wheel in my Fords, big deal.

davking

Everytime I could get a good look at an Audi it didn't have quattro. The real answer is not in casual observation, but in the registration data.

Anyvay, cruise control an a stalk works fine for me too, but the control on the wheel of my '87 Integra worked even finer.

sk8surfr

I have an 01 A4 with the single in dash Cd player. My player has trouble reading and loading certain CD's And sometimes when the end of a track is reached it goes to either half way back to that track or cant play the next track. This happens about 70% of the time. The dealer found no prob!! Surprise Surprise! Could this be because they are CD-R? Any one else have this prob. I think Audi should replace the player!!

cyberpmg

It could be the brand of CD-R you use to burn the songs. Do you have any problems with regular CDs? The dealer probably tested it with a regular CD instead of a CD-R.

You might want to try a different brand of CD-R to see if that makes any difference. You also might want to check the software you use to burn the songs to the CD-R.

markcincinnati

My Audis will play CD-R's but will NOT play CD-RW's, I use brand name CD-R's with the MUSIC logo on them and have a Pioneer burner. I can even play copies of copies in my Audi just so long as they are "finalized" (w TOC) CD-R's not CD-RW's.

davidzee1

hi - hope someone has some insight - have a '99 A4 turbo wagon 5-speed, which i love. trouble is, when engine cold, the car makes a loud "propellor" sound, coming from underneath, at the back of the engine. dealer tells me this is a standard thing all Audis do when cold (and this los angeles, so cold is 62 degrees). are they giving me the runaround? i reported the prob once b4, and they replaced the exhaust manifold *and* the catalytic converter. kinda overkill if you ask me, but the sound has returned and now the dealer tells me it's standard. anyone thoughts? thanks!!

markcincinnati

My 1999 A6 2.8 had the buzzing sound, the dealer corrected it, under warranty. It is NOT normal, cold or not.

Crapola "why yes, Mrs. Smith, that sound is, uh, er, normal for cars of this make and model. . . and, if you buy that, I've got some prime swampland for sale, too -- interested?"

davidzee1

i didn't think a pretty new audi should sound like a biplane. do you remember what the specific problem that was repaired? my dealer shop is having a hard time diagnosing it.

thanks!

markcincinnati

. . .the engine cover and "fiddle" (very technical term, sorry) with the manifold and the buzz when away.

andys120

Those stupid covers are dumb.

sk8surfr

I was interested in purchasing the H7 super white lights. Have a 2001 A4 quattro 1.8T. Any pros or cons with these. I also have seen them with 100W ratings, and i was informed that the stock bulbs are 55W. Won't this 100 burn the wires? Is 55 the correct wattage? Thanks

sdradioguy

I've called the dealer for instructions on how to activate the XM radio included in the Infotainment package, but I haven't heard back. What can I do on my own to get this done?

I'm starting to warm up to the Bose. I gotta do a lot of fiddling with the bass, mid, and treble, but it's worth it. I also like having a tape deck again (for the first time in 8 years). The tape playback is pretty darn good.

My co-workers were stunned when they saw this car sitting in my parking space this morning. I invited some of them to sit inside, and they were duly impressed.

I'm at 230 miles now in 4 days of ownership. I put my first gas in it today. It's only getting in the low 20's, but I'm sure that'll improve a great deal once it's broken in. I love playing with the trip computer to see my instant and average mpg.

cyberpmg

I've heard that a lot of cars that were ordered with XM do not have the XM unit installed (problem at the port since it is a port installed option). If XM is not activated, then the dealer should be contacting you when they get the XM unit to install in your A4.

sdradioguy

Well, I'm pretty sure my XM is already installed. The display seems to indicate it's there, but not activated. On the day I picked up my car, the salesman said that it IS there, but not "automatically" activated. I have to call and register, etc. Have any other A4 owners with XM walked through this?

lauk0dg

I'd assume yes you need to register for it. I don't know how they package the Info pkg, but sometime sooner or later you need to make monthly payments to XM. I put in an aftermarket system and XM charges $29.97 for 3 months.

Billy

sdradioguy

I finally got a hold of my salesman today, and he explained that many A4s with the "Infotainment" package somehow ended up WITHOUT the XM or Sirius module.

Many of the underequipped cars had a $300 or $350 credit on their window stickers. Mine didn't, so I assumed that I indeed had an XM module, like the window sticker indicated. Nope.

This afternoon, I made a trip to the dealership. The salesman made a copy of the window sticker to prove that I was NOT credited for a missing module. He said he'd get in touch with me when the module arrives. He told me he didn't know how long it would take for it to arrive, because I'm the first case of its kind at this dealership. But, once it gets here, the salesman assured me it would take not long at all to install.

While I'm getting that taken care of, I'm going to have the techs reprogram the car so the key fob will raise and lower windows with a touch of a button (instead of having to insert the key into the door). I'll also have the auto-lock (at 8 mph) enabled (I know it bugs the living crap out of some people, but I like it).. and I'll get the alignment checked. It seems to be pulling to the right.

In 270 miles, that's all that has come up. More later, I'm sure.

sdradioguy

I had an experience today that I don't think would have happened had I not been behind the wheel of my 6-day-old A4.

I was on the 805 this afternoon, racing to complete an errand in the South Bay before traffic got too thick. As I was making my way across four lanes of traffic to the left lane, I noticed this E class Mercedes behind me. The driver, a woman in her late 30's to mid 40's, hopped into the left lane, and then waved me to scoot over in front of her.

I could almost instantly tell she was being extra courteous because I was also in a German car. Where in southern California (or anywhere else, for that matter) are you going to find someone so nice for no apparent reason?

We ran in tandem for about 4 or 5 miles, until I came up to the Bonita Road exit. I started gliding back across 4 lanes to take the ramp, and I noticed she was matching my moves. I thought "hmm, this is interesting. She's even taking the same exit. She must live in Bonita or something"

I pulled up to the light at the end of the off ramp. She stopped beside me and pointed to my dealer plate and the temp. DMV tag on the car. She started smiling and waving wildly, and making all these congratulatory gestures, and blowing kisses to my car (and me, I think). And all I could do was smile back and match her gestures. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to roll down a window and say "thanks". But we were both too busy in our little mime act to even think about an actual verbal exchange.

Did I mention she had three kids in the car with her? They were probably between the ages of 7-10. One of the older sons in the back seat was very interested in my ride. The other two looked at her as if she were nuts. I could tell by watching her talk that she was trying to explain to them why she was so enthusiastic about my car.

Anyway, this kept up for about a minute or so. The light turned green. I made a left to my destination, and she hopped back on the freeway.

That's right. She didn't need to get off at that exit. She made a special trip just to say "attaboy" and share the joy that comes with a factory fresh German car. Her gesture moved me almost to tears (the good kind), and was a refreshing break from all the road rage we've been forced to swallow for the last several years.

It's funny how one of the most enthusiastic displays of "nice choice" came from some random woman in an MB. This gives me hope that maybe one of these days, I'll actually get a wave back when I wave to a fellow 2002-2004 A4 driver.

sdradioguy

I was going to make the point that in the 8 years I've driven my Honda, no other driver (Honda or otherwise) has ever acted like the woman in the MB did yesterday. So, you're right, this experience probably would have never happened had I bought the TSX over the A4.

As far as the big head goes -- I'm not so concerned about the reactions I get on behalf of the A4 than I am about the kind of driving this machine encourages.

Over the last few days, I've found myself saying "why is everyone driving so slow?" Then I'd realize I'm going 90 -- which feels like 60 in most other cars. That's why it really struck me when the MB lady eagerly waved me into left lane yesterday. She knows what it's like to have a car that, frankly, deserves to be in the left lane.

I know it sounds arrogant, but it's true. And that's why I'm keeping these messages in the A4 board, and not in any of the "A4 versus ___ " boards. If I dared to get into the comparison boards, I'd take a lot of heat for pointing out the simple (and obvious) fact that German cars, in general, are built for better high-speed cruising than anything else out there.

speedracer3

in my case, but I've seen other folks in Audis pull up to my car to check it out. Certainly not the kind of response you would get with a Japanese car.

andys120

"nice car". My A4 Avant is 5-years old and has 103,000+ on it. Try that with a Hionda.

lauk0dg

Good story. Nice M-B driver. Around here in Chicago there are way too many Audi's and unless the other driver is an enthusiast, trying to get a wave back from a fellow Audi owner is difficult. I had tried that a few times when I first got the A4 and I got maybe one wave back.

Billy

tturedraider

Yeah. What's up with all those high-end cars in Chicago? You people must me making too much money. :-) Walking down Michigan Ave. you see Audis, MBs, BMWs, Lexi, etc. like you see Ford Tauruses and Honda Accords in other places. Chicago - it's my kinda town.

tiredofmanual

A friend of mine that I grew up with was infatuated with Porsche Boxsters and wanted to own one one day. Then he moved up here to Chicago and within months he sort of lost interest. I guess seeing dozens of them a day does that to you.

lauk0dg

Well I didn't mean that though....I meant there are significantly higher % of Audi's among German cars here.....

But yeah you are right, there are a lot of nice cars up and down Michigan Ave. Next time if you are in town, go to Rush Ave. THey have a new Bentley dealership there and that place must have 2 million dollar worth of cars inside PLUS another 1 mil parked on the street.

But again, if you go to Beverly Hills, you see a lot more nicer cars there. Audi's are just like Tauruses and Accords in their eyes.

Billy

lauk0dg

Haha I guess he's moved up to the ranks of Lambo's and Ferrari's :-)

Billy

sdradioguy

I've had mine for 2 weeks now, and I'm wondering when should I wax it? I've washed it twice at one of those high-pressure wand self-service places, and the water beads up pretty well. So that tells me there's already "some" kind of wax on it. (I haven't asked the dealer if protectant was applied before delivery. I'm sure the salesman would have told/charged me if it had been).

This weekend, I visited some friends in Hollywood. I had no choice but to leave the car on the street (near Cahuenga and Franklin, for those familiar). Someone splattered something caramel-like all over the back of it. I was able to get the goo off before it set in, but, unfortuneately, the "rag" my friend gave me to do the job was actually the end of an old sleeve with the buttons still attached. I scratched the trunklid before I realized what I was doing. I didn't scratch through the finish, just the clear coat (I think). What's the best way to make the scratch go away?

Also, some careless person scraped the hell out of the non-body-color portion of the rear bumper (the lower strip), as he/she pulled out of the space behind mine. How can scratched lower panels be fixed? I'm grateful these things aren't painted.

I realize petty vandalism and a parallel parking scrape are very minor annoyances in the big scheme of things. But it's very disheartening to have these things happen to a two-week-old car. I guess it's good to just go ahead and get the dreaded "first ding on a new car" the hell over with. At least it doesn't affect the way it drives, which is the important thing.

On the good side of my LA trip -- I saw a lot of other Audis:

A red A4 3.0 convertible on the 5 in San Clemente. She waved back as I passed her, then kept up with me until her exit (J-Serra road).

A Silver All-Road on the 101 near Vermont. She wasn't into waving back, apparently.

Lots of A4s and Avants going eastbound on Mulholland. None waved back, but then I guess we should keep both hands on the wheel on such a challenging road.

Another A4 on the 15 near the Riverside-San Diego County line. The woman in the passenger seat looked at me as if I had held a gun to the window instead of a friendly waving hand. People are strange.

I'm now up to about 1100 miles on the clock. I'm averaging only 22 miles a gallon. I hope that goes up now that I'm more-or-less done with its break-in period. It seems to be more responsive and even more fun to drive today. It made quick work of both Mulholland and Topanga Canyon. I think I'll keep it.

tturedraider

Hey. Regarding the trunk lid scratch - there is very fine polishing compound on the market that is specifically for use on the clearcoat. If the scratch is not too deep, a little of that and some elbow-grease should do the trick. Sorry, not familiar with the lower trim, so no ideas for that. Just my personal opinion, but I don't think I'd worry about waxing until the beading starts to diminish.

Dude [(a little Cali for ya) ooh, I made a pun ], sounds like this car may get you a girl!!

Happy A4ing.

pat

There are a lot of exterior care fana.., er, enthusiasts hanging out over on the Maintenance & Repair board. There is a Zaino discussion and also a "no-Zaino posts" discussion - both would be worth investigating and there may be others on exterior care.

Good luck - that's a shame. Let us know what happens.

merc1

What? There is a Bentley dealership on Rush Street now?? I haven't been on the near North side in a quite a while it seems.

M

merc1

Well I'll be darned:

Bentley Gold Coast (Chicago) at 834 North Rush St....in Chi-town.

Talk about putting a prestige, mega-buck car dealer in the most congested, but trendy place in Chicago!

M

sdradioguy

...for the references. I glanced through some of the zaino and non-zaino posts. I'm still not really sure what to do, or which product to use. I'll figure that out after I get back from seeing my folks in a couple of weeks (having to fly to Dallas without the A4, 'cause it won't fit in the overhead compartment -- total bummer. stupid lack of spaces for cars on planes.)

markcincinnati

. . .a product called "Get Ready" for minor scratches and even "stains in the paint." It worked well on a clearcoated white Audi I had a few years back.

Dealer gave me the product since I didn't need much. Again "Get Ready" is the product.

lauk0dg

Yup that's it. It's amazing. Go there when they're opened during the day.....especially on Saturdays. Every car buff will have his/her jaws dropped. They put so many high-end cars in the showroom, it's unreal. And when they're opened during the day, you see at least a million dollar worth of cars sitting on the sidewalk.

To make this Audi related, it made my A4 like some piece of junk driving by there.

Billy

sdradioguy

Did the dealer give you any clue on where to look for this "Get Ready" stuff?

sdradioguy

I checked my tires last week (for the first time since picking up my car on 9/26), and learned they were all up to 37-38 psi. I knocked them down to 33 psi. I have 17" wheels with the Dunlop performance tires that came with the sports suspension. The highway ride is so much nicer at 33 psi. Am I taking any chances at that pressure? I'm too lazy right now to walk all the way down to my car (trust me, it's a hike) and look at the door pilar to see what it says. For as long as I've been driving, every tire I've had seemed to do fine in the low 30 psi range.

andys120

but you should be alright with it if you don't indulge in vigorous cornering. Check tires at least weekly for signs of wear on outer tread (i.e. under inflation).

If you can't find the stuff Mark recommended any good compound designed for use on clearcoats (read the label) should do the job.

gearhead10

Took the LONG 15 yd trek out to my car to check for you, says 30-38 psi is recommended. So you're okay. Obviously, lower range will ride better and higher pressures will handle better.

And you could drive to Dallas

merc1

Yeah......I'll have to check it out. I'm just wondering where they found the space for a car dealer there.

M

sdradioguy

Thanks for the information. I wish I could drive to Dallas, but it's a 2,600 mile round-trip which would eat up at least four days and at least $400 in gas, food, and lodging. I lucked out and found a $200 round trip from SAN to DFW on Delta. I leave later this morning (11:50 PDT), so I'm not going to be posting/reading much for the next two weeks.

markcincinnati

36 front, 34 rear will probably give you a good compromise of comfort and handling. If you want to lean even more toward comfort subtract a pound from each.

The front at +2psi over the rears' pressure will make the car handle a little better -- this compensates for the fact that the Audi has a heavier nose and will improve the turn in.

I keep mine at 38 front and 36 rear (both my allroad and my wife's TT are kept thus).

Wear is not an issue nor is comfort.

I tried 36 front and 34 rear for a while and did not notice a substantial degredation of ride quality with the extra psi, but the handling on my favorite twisty roads improved somewhat -- it was worth it.

Of course, if possible always do the pressure checking and changing on cold tires.

rodgers3

Hi - I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. 2 weeks ago I bought a new 2004 A4 1.8 and each time I start the car and drive about 10 feet, I get a strange vibration and noise from somewhere around the gas pedal. It's consistent every time and only lasts a few seconds then it's fine. I don't know if it's something normal (maybe it's the ABS clicking on??) or if I need to take it in. This only happens when I start the car, not when I have been stopped at a light or otherwise.

sdradioguy

Thanks for the front/rear suggestion. As soon as I get back, I'll try the 36/34 split, and see how it works.

markcincinnati

Unless I missed your explanation, this buzzing vibration is the "auto on" feature of the ABS+brake assist+ESP system. I read the technical explanation of what happens but I couldn't find it in time to respond. The car is started and when it is moved the bzzzznnnnn sound/vibration is heard and felt -- I suspect all Bosch equipped cars do this (Bosch is the source for Audi's ESP, etc.)

It is normal.

rodgers3

Thanks. That makes me feel better. Sounds like a reasonable explanation. I was worried that I started out with a lemon!

jweaver1

This has probably been brought up before, but it really irks me. Is anyone else upset with the so-called free scheduled maintenance on the 2003 Audi? First of all, nothing in this world is free, so the cost for the 4 year 50K mile maintenance was basically paid for up front, factored into the price of the vehicle. I just brought my A-4 in for its 10K maintenance, and keep thinking that I (we) am being ripped off by AOA. My Pirelli book that came with my car states that tires should be rotated every 3K to 4K miles. This sounds like scheduled maintenance to me. Apparently, AOA doesn’t think so because they failed to include the rotation in THEIR scheduled maintenance book. Since it is not in THEIR book, the Audi dealer won’t do it (unless you pay them). Audi scheduled maintenance should include at least one rotation every 10K miles!

According to AOA, the car originally was delivered with synthetic 0W-30 motor oil, but the free scheduled maintenance only covers mineral oil. One would think that if mineral oil was acceptable to use in the car, Audi could have saved a LOT of money buy putting mineral oil in at the factory. I don’t know of any body that would try to run mineral oil in any vehicle for 10K miles. So we have three choices: 1-Let the dealer use mineral oil at the recommended 10K mile interval. 2- Use mineral oil, but change it more frequently, say at 5K-mile intervals. The owner must pay for this oil change since it is not in the recommended maintenance schedule. 3- Bring your own synthetic oil to the dealer, and have him put it in during the scheduled 10K-mile scheduled maintenance. The owner doesn’t get any credit for using his own oil. I feel that all three of these options are unacceptable. The vehicle should be maintained as per the manufacturers requirements with the same quality fluids that the vehicle originally came with.

I e-mailed Audi customer service about this concern, and I think that I got the same response from my Labrador Retriever, namely an attentive blank stare and probably a tilt of the head before they both walked away and forgot what I just told them. It just doesn’t make me feel that I purchased a luxury car with luxury service. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the car, but the misleading (and lack of) service is frustrating. Oh yea, I’ve been waiting for a bottle of touch up paint for 11 months now. How is that for luxury car service?

andys120

You have a great car, better than 95% of the rest you see on the road. Why [non-permissible content removed]? Of course the free maintenance is built into the price, it's a marketing gimmick.

Rotation every 3-4k is extreme but IMO Audi ought to include rotations every 5k because going longer is extreme (in the other direction) on a Quattro equipped car.

I wouldn't fret to much about the oil situation. If you're going to go 10k between changes a Syn is a must IMO. It's that simple.

FYI the 2.8 in my '98 burns about 1/2 qt between 5k changes @ 105k miles.

They're great cars :^)

nyccarguy

I have no problem bringing my own synthetic oil to my Honda dealership for them to change. It does cost more but is worth it to me. I'd stay with the synthetic especially with 10K change intervals. ALthough I used to drive a turbo Saab and did 10K changes with dino juice.

I have tire rotations and alignments done probably more often than necessary. I'm sure some SP equipped Quattro Audis eat tires quicker if you DON'T rotate.

jweaver1

I wouldn't have a problem if AOA didn't market it as "all scheduled maintenance for 4 years, 50 K miles is included". I wouldn't expect Honda, Toyota, VW or Nissan to supply synthetic oil even if they had "free service" included in the purchase price, but I would expect Acura, Lexus,Audi, or Infinity to provide synthetic especially if the factory recommended change interval is 10 K miles. AOA should try to go the extra mile not try to pinch pennies, at the owner's expense. I did bring 7 quarts M1 0W-30 with me, but I shouldn't have had to.

nyccarguy

I understand your point, but an extra $30-$36 (at Target) every 10K miles doesn't seen like much to keep a well engineered $30K+ German sport sedan like the A4 running. Driving the A4 after the oil change should make you forget the little extra dough you just spent.