Audi A4 Maintenance and Repair

goral · June 2002

I own a '98 1.8TQMS w/ 61K and also experience(d) the suspension problems. The first occurrence turned out to be a faulty sway bar link. Part costs about $40 and it took me about 1hr to replace (w/o any special tools). Nowadays, my front upper passenger side control arms are shot (well, one is, but the other one is close). Cost to fix? ~$160 for both arms + labor, which hopefully won't be too much. The A4s have notoriously bad control arms. It's a shame Audi can't design them right.
Any other problems? You bet!!! The headlight switch has gone bad - can't turn on headlights when it's cold... Gotta wait and warm up my car before they turn on!!!
Also, one of my Blose speakers blew as well. Unfortunately, it cannot be replaced by anything else because of Bose's ingenious design - the speaker's impedance is 1 ohm - which nobody else (as far as I know) makes.

applecrumble · June 2002

I got my car checked the other day about the clicking sound whenever I drive off from Park everytime I turn the ignition back on. The senior mechanic drove the car with me to re-create that sound and heard it. The first thing he said was "I'm hoping you are not referring to that sound" and I told him that is precisely the sound I want you to look over. Well...it turns out that the sound is normal. He explained to me that because the new Audi uses "drive by wire" technology, it is the motor that was going off and doing its work. There is nothing to worry about and it is perfectly fine. I wish they would have told me when I first took delivery of my car and not waste my time to bring it twice to have something considered 'normal' to be looked at. By the way, my salesman didn't understand what that sound was either when he drove it to the service lot...go figure.

bgerard · June 2002

I'm wondering if anyone else out there has had their new Audi "bought back" by Audi because of engine failure (well, in my case, engine fire). If so, may I ask what Audi offered? It seems they're barely offering what the California Lemon Law requires, and it would really help my negotiations if I knew what others had settled for....Thanks in advance!

harlequin1971 · June 2002

Goral,

I hear your pain and it may get a bit more painful, so hold on. Yes, Bose is one of the best marketing stories in audio history. Truly, no other manufacturer has been as successful at placing their products into the public as Bose.

One problem with Bose is the significantly different ways they accomplish sound as compared to most other audio companies out there. The advantage of this approach is that when a Bose speaker goes down, it can not be easily replaced by anything but a Bose speaker. Brilliant strategy, wouldn't you agree?

That all said, I read into your post that you are not overly satisfied with your Bose system. If that is the case, I might suggest a trip down to the local Car Audio specialist retailer. I might suggest avoiding the big box retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City and instead refer you to a smaller, more competent shop that makes its living selling car audio, not big screen TVs and refridgerators.

Replacing your Bose speaker with another Bose speaker may be the cheapest way out of this pickle, but you may find an alternative solution to your problem to be more palatable long term. Finding a "full-range" speaker with a nominal impedance of 1 ohm that isn't Bose would be akin to finding the holy grail. Besides, if you replace a single speaker in a pair or a set of separates (four total speakers making up the full-range output), you will be even less happy with the sound output you will get. Using unmatched speakers is audio fidelity death.

Happy motoring and let us know what you do.

the Harlequin

goral · June 2002

Let's not even get into Bose and its strategies... Gotta admire a company that's able to sell such junk at such high prices.
Regarding replacement speaker - I have a friend w/ bunch of junked Audis... He's bound to have the one I need.
And yes, I am very dissatisfied with the sound quality of the premium Concert system. The lows response is laughable - very overboosted (at lower output levels) and at least half a beat behind the mids/highs.
My wife's Acura 3.5RL also has a Bose system, but it's live apples and oranges - infinitely better!

harlequin1971 · June 2002

This is out of place, but within the thread, so here we go.

The bad sound you are getting from your car may have less to do with the actual speakers and more to do with placement and baffling. I am not a big fan of Bose in general, but they usually produce "good" sounding speakers, so let's assume the equipment is ok and look at another culprit in the car environment that can have the biggest effect on sound quality - speaker placement.

In my BMW, I junked the stock radio and replaced everything with a high quality setup using ADS speakers/amps and a Sony ES head unit and changer. It was the most expensive install I have done in a car yet and the results are mixed. Yes, it is loud. Yes, the bass response is powerful. Yes, it sounds better than the stock system did...but...the speaker placement has prevented what should be a great system from sounding great.

The mid-range speakers (lower half of the separates) are located along the foot well, far back into the well and fire directly into the drive shaft "hump" in the cockpit. The sound must bounce off the carpeted floors and radiate into the main listening area, a full two and a half feet away from them. Meanwhile, the tweeters are inside the door panel and fire into the dashboard in the direction of the steering wheel. The tweeters are about 4 inches from the listening area. Add in the fact that the subwoofer is planted in the trunk, four feet away from the listening area and the fact that the rear fill speakers fire into the roof via the a-pillar.

What we are left with is typically difficult speaker placement issues. With all the speakers firing from different positions within the car, the muffling effect of the carpeting on midrange notes and even the length of cables used to connect them...the sound stage is quite broken by delays and delay distortion. None of the speakers actually point at the listener, instead relying on radiation effects to spread the sound waves.

Overall, the system is decent, the sound is reproduced cleanly and at first contact is decent enough, but once it makes it into the main listening area, it is already weakened and distorted. I had a much better sound in my old Saab 900 with equipment that was half as expensive. The Saab sounded better because the speakers placements were better. There are some audio voodoo treatments available to correct for poor sonic clarity due to speaker placement, but these get expensive and usually provide only minimal gains (IMO).

The point? Don't need to love Bose, but it may not be entirely their fault. A little more attention to the sonic environment during a car's design normally yields much better overall sound.

From what I have heard, the Mark Levinson/Lexus project is just one such example. ML worked closely with the engineers of Lexus to reverse engineer more ideal placements and to correct wave arrival and time delay issues in the car environment. They have produced what should be the best quality OEM system available in a car today. Too often, the car manufacturer will just cut the sound issues out of the design process...seen as not essential.

Maybe they are right, until you spend 2 hours a day in rush hour traffic, counting on your CD collection to keep you sane...then the music inside your car counts more than hps and mpg ratings combined.

sorry...that was quite a rant.

mstokkers · June 2002

I have a 2002 Audi A4 3.0L Quattro. Nice car but one thing that really bugs me is the amount of wind noise from the driver's side door/mirror once the car's speed gets above 50mph. I have had several dealers look at it and all told it's been back to the dealer 4 times for this specific problem. I have seen some marginal improvement after the later visits (they "thickened" the moulding which has the unfortunate side effect of making the door harder to close) but in my opinion it is still "pretty noisy" - annoyingly so up at speeds around 65mph. Any body else observed a similar problem?

stevenjh · June 2002

Following the thread of Mess. No. 52 by Goral, I have a 1999 A-4, 2.8 Quattro with 38,000 miles on it. My dealer service department estimated $1,400 to fix/replace noisy/squeaky control arms at the front driver and passenger side.

The darn things are so noisy at slow speeds/braking and accelerating that it's embarrassing! The service manager says there is nothing wrong with the control arms, they aren't faulty - just noisy.

This sort of trouble at 38,000 miles, on an auto of this caliber, seems unacceptable to me. Anyone else having the trouble or have a solution?

JBaumgart · June 2002

We have a '98.5 with close to 50,000 miles. Mine required replacement of both front control arms, swaybar links and guide links at 45,769 miles. Total cost to repair including tax: $1,224.53! I think what your dealer meant to say is that the condition of the front suspension does not pose a safety hazard, but the noise will get so bad that you won't be able to live with it any longer - it SOUNDS like there is something terribly wrong, which there is, but it won't cause you any loss of control or affect drivability (except if it makes you go nuts from the noise). I agree that these components should be made to last longer on a car of this quality - or ANY car for that matter.

But other than this, our car's been about perfect since new, so we plan to keep it for a while.

stevenjh · June 2002

JBaumgart - Thanks for the info. It's nice to know I'm not the only one out here with the problem. And I may already be at the "nuts" stage from the noise. Did you have your A-4 repaired at the dealer, or another shop? I know the owner of a local brake/muffle/suspension franchise shop that I'm thinking of taking mine to to save some money.

goral · June 2002

Is your car still under warranty? $1400 is WAY too much to pay, even if all 8 control arms needed replacement. I would DEFINITELY get a second opinion... My guess is that only couple of them REALLY need replacement. You can buy parts on your own (www.sasponline.com, www.germanautoparts.com, etc... just do a search for OEM Audi parts) and find a mechanic willing to put them on for you. It's easily a DIY project. You should save yourself several hundred $$$. And what's with the "nothing wrong with the control arms, they aren't faulty - just noisy". Yes, they ARE faulty - that's why they are noisy!!! That kind of attitude just pisses me off!!! Too bad Audi doesn't acknowledge the problem... It's things like that that will cause me to never ever buy a VW/Audi product.

khana · June 2002

My 96 A4 Quattro has 59000 miles. It is in perfect condition, however, I have noticed the following (a) When I am stopped and then turn either left or right with my wheel completely turned at very low speeds, I notice this extreme vibration in the steering wheel. This immediately goes away once I straighten my wheel or reduce the turning angle. (b) On and Off, I get thins creaking noise from my right front end. It is not continous but comes on and off. Any ideas whats causing the two problems?? Are they problems??

goral · June 2002

I don't know what the first problem is, but the second one is most likely the ever so popular control arm(s).

JBaumgart · June 2002

I had our A4 repaired at the dealer - expensive but this dealer has a great service department and I have a lot of confidence in them. As I mentioned this was the only unscheduled maintenance that we've had to do in 50,000 miles, so I don't mind spending what amounts to about 2 1/2 months of lease payments if it was a new one. Other than things I've purchased for it, like extra wheels/snow tires, floor mats, etc, this was our only out-of-pocket expense since paying cash for it in Feb. '98.

stevenjh · July 2002

The service department at my dealer had built great confidence in me also, until I brought the car in for an inspection that I asked and paid for. I am in between two long driving trips this summer and wanted to be sure the car was in good shape. The report came back good (except for the control arms) and I should have had peace of mind. A day later the motor stuttered revs at a stop and the check engine light came on. Another trip back to the dealer and another $95 for a diagnostic and a small, loose vacuum hose was found. They swear up and down that this wouldn't have been found until the hose worked itself loose - but you sure have to wonder why I had to pay for 2 diagnostics in 3 days.

To Khana - my A-4 has the same vibration from the front wheels when turning, maybe not as extreme as you describe, but I wonder if it's a side effect of the control arms.

bendyline · July 2002

I just bought a 98 Audi A4 and the Child Safety door lock on the rear Passenger Door is broken. You cannot open the door from the Inside , no matter if the switch is turned on or off.
Just wondering if anyones run accross this before , and how difficult tearing apart the door is. I plan on doing the work myself.

Thanks much.

genzo · July 2002

in response to thread 58

I just acquired an '02 A4 3.0 and also experience some wind noise at higher speeds from the driver's window. the noise isn't terribly obvious and is more of a slight rumble than a loud whistling, so i'm still not sure if it's natural to hear it or if you're not supposed to hear any road noise at all.

i've only had the car for a week though and none of my passengers could hear the noise. so i've decided to give it a little more time before having the service center look at it. i'll let you know if i do.

if anyone has the same problem it would be nice to hear if/how you've fixed it/dealt with it/etc.

thanks

genzo · August 2002

so i've had the car serviced and checked for wind noise. they say its wind noise is at "normal levels", however the service technician did say that they were getting more complaints about higher wind noise levels in the '02 a4 models. apparently there is a lot of turbulence around the side mirrors that can be lessened by folding the mirrors in (what a wonderful idea while driving =P).

regardless, the noise isn't anything terribly high and it's still a wonderful car to drive. just thought i'd follow up on my previous post.

chai2 · August 2002

First, to say hello, then to reply to some of the previous posts, and lastly, to ask a question... I am the owner of a four month old A4 3.0 Quattro, already with over 7,000 miles. I have not noticed any excessive wind noise coming from the driver's side, but have experienced excessive noise coming from the a/c during hot weather. Has anyone else heard this? The dealer says its normal, but its quite annoying. I didn't buy a $36,000 car to hear the whine of an a/c. Has anyone been able to reduce the sound when the a/c kicks in at high temperatures?

greggsa4 · August 2002

I HAD TO HAVE THE CONTROL ARMS ($900) ON MY CAR REPLACED, 97 A4 38000 MILES. THIS WAS ON TOP OF A NEW TURBO ($1700) AND A BOX ($650) THAT SENDS THE SIGNAL TO THE COIL INDICATING WHEN TO FIRE (AS PER THE AUDI DEALER) THIS ALL HAPPENED WITHIN A SIX WEEK PERIOD (THREE OF WHICH WERE IN THE SHOP ). I NO LONGER OWN AN AUDI AND WILL NEVER PURCHASE ONE AGAIN. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE AND BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE A4 WAS THE WORST CAR I,I'VE EVER OWNED.

csurams85 · August 2002

I have been thinking about purchasing an A4 or A6, but some of these posts have me worried. Why, well my 1989 Ford Probe LX just got totaled this spring and I am looking for a new car. It had 190K miles on it and I had very few problems with it. I was VERY hard on the car, going fast on dirt mountain roads here in Colorado (altitudes to 12k feet), taking in on 4x4 trails and playing Joe Racer going into corners too hot sometimes. No major repairs out of the ordinary ware items except a few small annoying ones (because of teething problems being first year model). Maybe I should just buy Yugo, at least then I know it?s going to be a piece of #*$(.

marleybarr · August 2002

On my 2.7T Audi I have the same loud noise coming from the engine compartment on hot days w/air on. I don't hear much from inside the cabin, but outside it really does howl at times!

Audi has an extra cooling fan (atleast on the 2.7T) and chai2's Audi model may also have this extra fan. I checked w/ dealer and they claim this excessive "howling" is normal w/air on because of the reserve fan running continuously.

greggsa4 · August 2002

IF YOU BUY THE A4 YOU'LL BE SORRRRRRY! IT WAS THE WORST CAR I'VE OWNED. I MIGHT HAVE MENTIONED THAT BEFORE.

andreaeanthony · September 2002

Is this what I should expect for 67,000 miles on A4 Avant 2.8? All was fine during warranty. Had 60,000 mile checkup (at 62,000 actually). It came out with same little problem it went in with: engine running slightly rough. 3,000 miles later it was stalling completely. Is this to be expected? Here's the dealer fix: new airflow clamp, replace broken crankcase vent, clean throttle body and clean injectors.($600). DO YOU THINK DEALER LEFT THE BATTERY PARTICALLY DISCONNECTED ON PRIOR VISIT? Disconnected battery can cause the stalling thing I read in Consumers.

Also, dealer says: soon I'll need new engine temperature gauge ($160), new rear brakes and probably rotors ($400 total) and leaking oil from valve cover gaskets ($?). I didn't have this kind of expense with my Volvo until 140,000!!

Also, dealer says DON'T USE HI TEST GAS - USE REGULAR BECAUSE HI HAS MORE CARBON BUILDUP. MANUAL SAYS THE OPPOSITE! DEALER SAYS IN OHIO THE ADDITIVES ARE DIFFERENT ??!!

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE ADVISE: ISN'T THIS TOO MUCH REPAIR FOR A 3.5 YEAR OLD VEHICLE AT 67,000 MI.?
SLEEPLESS IN OHIO,
Thanks...

larryk1000 · September 2002

I have 1000 miles on my A4 Quattro. I noticed several people are experiencing the same thing as me. My ONLY complaint about my new car is what I believe is very loud wind noise in both front doors.

I thought it was because I just came from a 2000 BMW 528i. But, seeing other people's posts, I am clearly not alone.

Has anyone come up with a fix yet? In my 1992 Mercedes S-Class, they sprayed Silicon Lubricant on the door seals to "fatten" them up a little. That helped a bit, but finally they put in thicker door seals. That helped a lot.

I'd appreciate your thoughts and would like to know what your Service writers have told you.

Thanks.

Larry

LanceL99 · September 2002

Are people having significant problems with their '02 A4's? Engine problems? What about the reliability thusfar of the CVT; does anyone have any experience with it? I had a horrible A4 (2001) that after a whole slew of problems I traded for a new Infiniti. Anyway, I thought mine might have just been the big lemon of the bunch. I know a woman who might want to buy one and I'm not sure what to tell her.

Thanks!

majortho · September 2002

I have an opportunity to purchase an used 2000 A4 with a very low mileage vehicle at a very reasonable price. Having read some of your posting, I am scared stiff to proceed with this purchase.

I always wanted to switch to something more fun and I had my eyes on the Audi A4. I am driving a very competent Honda Accord but it is a boring car. Between my wife and I, we have had VW GTI, Mazda and Legend cars before but was sick and tired of repairs especially the VW. The Honda gave me 5 years trouble-free motoring and tough to give it up. The A4 I am interested in is 5-spd manual and front drive but upgraded with a sport package, a very very lively and lovely car.

The car still has one year free service contract left and its odometer is under 18K mileage. Do I take the chance to enjoy the driving and worry about the repairs later?

All previous services done were carried by Audi dealers as the car is still under warranty, do you think I should still have someone to check it out to ensure a clean bill of health or it is a waste of time?

I know the decision is ultimately mind but I would welcome any feedback, advise etc etc.

JBaumgart · September 2002

Reliability seems to be the most important thing for you. I would ask myself is this tied more to the expense of incurring repairs, or the time and hassle of having to bring the car into the dealer, even if they are done at no cost to you. I doubt that the Audi will be as reliable and trouble-free as the Accord, but I guarantee that it will be more fun to drive everytime you start it up. You still have one year of free service left, and you could always buy an extended warranty beyond that, if you should get nervous as the end of the first year approaches. Again I would ask myself that question above, and decide from there - good luck!

P.S. Our '98 A4 2.8Q has been nearly trouble free since buying it new in February 1998. It's got about 53,000 miles on it and still looks and runs like new, so I can tell you it is possible to have reliability as good as an Accord, and in some cases better (as I'm sure there have been many Accords of similar vintage to mine that have had more problems) but if you go by the averages, the typical Accord will be more reliable than the A4. But as I said it will NOT be as enjoyable to drive, which TO ME anyway is more important.

majortho · September 2002

Thanks for the feedback. Expensive repair is one thing but the hassle of having to bring the car to the shop is another concern. My wife's new Toyota Van is less than one year old and I have been back to the dealer three times (due to wrong part was ordered) to change a light fixture under its warranty. It's just a pain dealing with dealers.

Going back to the 2000 A4, I will probably make a decision tomorrow. Should I take the car to a Audi dealer to check it out before this private purchase deal and also would they fix it for free if they found something wrong or it's just a waste of time?

JBaumgart · September 2002

If you have the opportunity I would definitely take the car into the dealer assuming they can make time for you on such short notice. Provided that the car hasn't been abused in some way and the previous owner has followed the Audi maintenance schedule, the dealer will fix any problems that are covered under the very comprehensive warranty, as well as do further scheduled maintenance such as oil changes, wiper blades, etc at no cost to you. You can discuss this with the dealer when you take it in, when you can also find out when the next scheduled mainenance is due and inquire about an extended warranty if that interests you. Good luck.

audi5000 · September 2002

I am looking at buying a beautiful '00 A4 2.8 Quattro (43k) at a FANTASTIC price. The only issue is that it was made for Canada and I live in the US. Does anyone see any potential problems? The title is clean, it was imported correctly, the local dealer has been servicing the car under warranty. It just seems to good to be true.

w210 · September 2002

No problem with Canadian models, in fact, they have stronger bumpers!

adranger · September 2002

I have noticed this problem at highway speeds when the windows or the sunroof is open-it seems to be a vibration sounding or something, but usually cracking open the front windows when I just have the sunroof open or I will crack the rear windows if I hear the noise when just the front windows are open. I suspect that this is just the airflow over the vehicle interacting with the openings and that no amoung of dealer tweaking will ever "solve" this problem. Other than this, my Audi seems to be well-designed and I love it. No mechanical problems or complaints with over 9000 miles on my 1.8 Quattro Sedan.

leadenham · October 2002

I have a 2001 A4 2.8Q with just under 30K miles. Over the past 15K miles, I've had to replace each headlight twice! The trips to the dealer are getting a little frustrating, even though it's still under warranty. Has anyone else had problems with this? The dealer keeps telling me it depends on the amount of use, but I can't believe that's the case when I only use them at night or in the rain. Please let me know if anyone has had similar problems.

Separately, I've also had the radio/CD display problem with the frequency display cutting out on the dashboard. I mentioned it to the dealer and they had been instructed by Audi to replace the radio if a customer complains, not the dashboard. They replaced the radio and I've had no problems since.

Thanks for any help with the headlights.

JBaumgart · October 2002

On our '98 2.8Q with over 53,000 miles we've had to replace just one headlight so far. And this just happened a couple of months ago - no burnouts until then. And this is the first "electrical" type of issue we've ever had with the car - not really a problem because you expect headlights, taillights, etc to start to go our after 4+ years and 50,000 miles. But I think in your case having to replace each headlight twice, in just 15,000 miles, is excessive. Sounds to me like it could be an electrical problem of some kind, but I suppose too that it could just be the luck of the draw (as in bad luck). If it were to happen again anytime soon I would definitely press the dealer (or a different dealer?) really hard to look at this more closely. You certainly don't want this to continue to happen regularly, especially when your car goes out of warranty (although in our case our dealer replaced our headlight for no charge, well after the warranty had expired).

leadenham · October 2002

Thanks, JBaumgart. It looks like a new dealer who can actually answer my questions may be the answer.

vtskier · October 2002

vtskier · October 2002

I plan to order an A4 Avant soon and am considering an extended warranty. I plan to keep the car at least 10 years. Can anyone help me with things like the type warranty I should get, what they cover, the cost, and what price I should expect to pay. I've heard there is a huge markup on extended warranties but I haven't been able to find out how much. By the way, the best price on the car I have gotten so far is $1400 over invoice. How's that sound?

JBaumgart · October 2002

I don't know if I would purchase an extended warranty at the time of purchase. You will be 100% protected for 4 years/50,000 miles, and can buy an extended warranty at any time up until then. During this time it's possible that you could change your mind about keeping the car beyond the normal warranty period, and if so you wouldn't be getting your money's worth on the extension. Maybe some other folks have some good reasons for buying it right away, but I can't think of any right now...

Your price seems real good, especially on the Avant which others have said is in short supply.

dbradioman · October 2002

ve a vibration/harmonic/noise problem. It starts at about 2200 rpm. Are you sure you vibration is from wind? Anyone else have a similar problem?

mindy973 · October 2002

Hi. I have a 2002 Audi A4 with approximately 30000 mi. I was wondering if anyone has experienced any loss of power brakes, specifically when putting the car in reverse. This is a completely sporadic occurance and this will be the 5th time to the dealer for the issue. Along with it we have been noticing, the fuel gauge & electric readout on dash (ex. 50 mi left) incorrectly stating the amount of gas left in the car. When we filled the car up the gauge only adjusted to 3/4 of a tank. The date also changes itself. I'm guessing this is an electrical issue but would like to know if anyone has experienced any similar problems or has any suggestions. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

hmpls · November 2002

I bought a used 2001 Audi A4 AWD, 2.8 Eng. 5Spd with under 20K miles. The car dirves nicely but using oil...about a quart every 2K miles. The dealer says it's normal! Is it true? Does anyone have the same problem? My old 95 Honda Civic never uses even a drop of oil!

Thanks for your help.

JBaumgart · November 2002

hmpls, that seems excessive. Our '98.5 2.8 uses some oil, but I've never had to add a full quart - maybe a half quart in between oil changes. I've stuck to a 3000 mile interval since buying new...did your car have a service record so you know how often the previous owner changed his or her oil?

hmpls · November 2002

Thanks, JBaumgart! It was a company car from another state and I have no history on the car. Apparently a lot of VWs and Audis have the same problem (I searched prior discussions on oil consumption).

lecram777 · November 2002

Just got my brakes changed at a non audi shop. I bought the pads without sensors by accident. they still work though however I get this all the time now (0). Assuming that's the brake light symbol. Is there any way to get rid of that brake light?

terry76 · November 2002

Has anybody else had a problem with their A4 digital radio display? I have a 1999 1.8 and had the radio replaced twice while still under warranty. No one could tell me why the garbled display was happening. They would simply throw in another radio. Now I'm out of the warranty period and wondering how to fix this. It sounds fine, the display simply has missing pixels as well as pixels that shouldn't even be there.

weijietang · November 2002

Audi A4, the model with memory seats and mirrors has a malfunction. As a selling point, the two remote keys can be assigned to two different seat and mirror positions, so if husband or wife open the car with their keys, the seat and mirror can restore to his/hers position. The bug is the right mirror can not be restored.

The bug makes this big selling point useless since you need to push the button to restore the position anyway. And it is a potancial danger since you are easily ignore the right mirror until you are on the road. Then try to push the button on the door.

I struggled with this problem for my new 2002 A4 3.0 for nearly 1 year, talk to dealer, AudiUSA and AudiUSA field rep many times. About half year ago, the field rep let me stop complaining and tell me it will be fixed in 2003 model. But now, it turned out it still not functional in 2003 model and I was told they just does not want to fix it and put it as work per design.

It is horrible for Audi not to fix such an apparent problem for such a long time, and looks like there is no way certain level of decision-maker can hear customers voice.

weijietang · November 2002

The latest info I got is the fix will be finally come in at the beginning of next year. Let us wait and see. And it is still very very unpleasant experience that it took Audi more than 1 year to fix a problem.

peterpan223 · November 2002

I am interested in buying '03 A4 3.0 quattro. Thanks for posting all the problems that you guys have experienced so far such as the wind noise, AC noise, and the problems with the memory seats.
I was wondering if there are any other potential problems that I should be aware of. I come from a Japanese car background and have not had ANY problems with them, especially my Lexus that I'm driving now. The sterotype is that German cars have a lot more small problems, such as electrical, than the Japanese cars do.

Thanks in advance~!

neaudi · November 2002

"sunroof is open-it seems to be a vibration sounding or something"

I had the same question on my A6. Turns out I only got the vibration when I opened the sunroof all the way. There is a line on the sunroof control that you should not go past. It leaves the sunroof about 80% open and there is no vibration. Basically, with the sunroof open all the way, it allow air in the car with no way of exiting the car. Same thing will happen if you open just 1 window. Hope this helps.

Audi A4 Maintenance and Repair

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