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Audi A4 Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • sdazzsdazz Member Posts: 2
    I have had my '97 Audi A4 for almost 5 years now and have paid about 50% of the purchase price in repairs over the years. The car is at about 95k and is in need of a timing belt. About 4 months ago I looked into a trade-in and found that I would pretty much get the cost of the timing belt for the car. Finances are tight and I currently have no loan payments on the car. Should I pay the $1400 for the timing belt or trade in the car? What other options might I have? thank you in advance for your suggestions! :(
  • rowlandjrowlandj Member Posts: 254
    Where did you get that quote for the timing belt? If it's at the dealer then perhaps finding a good independent specialist in your area could save you about $600. I have heard from other forums that the price for this job at a good independent with quality parts should be about $800.

    Others have found the parts on-line and have paid about $350 for labor to do the job.

    Perhaps one of these options would work and keep you going for a while longer?
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Find a good independent European mechanic, I'm thinking that you should be able to have the timing belt done for well under $1,000 by going that route. The other option is to do it yourself. True there's probably lots of detail work (hoses, belts, coolant...) in doing a job like that, but even with the tools that you'd need to buy you should be able to do the job for well under $500.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • davida2davida2 Member Posts: 16
    anars,
    Take a look at your trunk light. The switch that closes and turns it off maybe faulty. I had this happen on my old BMW 745i

    D :)
  • jaydee0501jaydee0501 Member Posts: 1
    my 97 A4 front right wheel makes this knocking sound everytime i hit a bump or pot hole, i was told it was the ball joint so i replaced both upper and lower control arms and it still makes the noise, someone else said it may be the shocks are loose somewhere, no one can give me a 100% diagnosis of the problem though. Has anybody had a similar problem,any suggestions, pls help!!!
  • richn2richn2 Member Posts: 44
    Daughters front right side "parking" lights assembly and socket was stolen. Brought an after market front headlight assembly but it did not come with the 'socket". Trying to find out a part name / number for the socket so I can try to order one online but I am unable to locate any information on this part.
    Tried locating info on the net, even paid to join on-line manuals but no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
  • logan46logan46 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 A4 2.8 quattro manual trans. I am running at 4000 in 5th gear going 60 miles per hour. I have just had my instrument cluster fixed. The dealership says the new tach is working correctly but the car does not sound like it is running at 4000 rpms. If anybody has this same car and transmission, does your car run like this? My cluster was not working for about 6 months before I got it fixed. I don't remember how the rpm's to mph used to run, but this seems high. If i were to go 100 mph I will be hitting the 6500 rpm redline. This just does not seem right.
  • dunlapjimdunlapjim Member Posts: 2
    A follow up to my previous message. I did have my Audi A4 towed to the Chicago dealer (Fletcher Jones). They partially tore down the engine and said it was oil sludge. I produced copies of the oil changes per the manual and they spent a few days cleaning and removinig the sludge and replacing some parts an it now runs as good as new. It was all covered by the extended warranty and my only cost was the towing and the inconvenience of no car for a week. My experience, I would say, was very positive and Audi did not give me any problems.
  • lpierrelpierre Member Posts: 1
    I have a Audi A4 1.6 I find sometimes when I am driving it will go out of gear for a few seconds and the slip back in.
    Can any body help me.

    lpierre
  • cumleymcumleym Member Posts: 1
    From a fellow A4 owner I hope this helps and that the cheapest solution is the right one. For a draining battery first consider that the trunk light switch might be broken. remove ALL bulbs from their fixtures. wait as many days as it would normally take to drain battery. If the battery is still draining, it likely the vacuum pump that controls the door locks or the electronic control unit for the lock/alarm/motion sensor system is malfunctioning. I had the same problem and it turned out to be the vacuum pump was short circuiting and draining the battery overnight. good luck.
  • laneysemonslaneysemons Member Posts: 1
    Although I can offer no solution to your car problems, I just recently purchased a 6 spd a4 and am encountering the same exact problems that you describe. Although my clutch pedal also happen to get suck when I went to shift into neutral, which I had to pry out and since then have been experiencing a vibrating clutch pedal and extremely hard shifting from gear to gear. Dealership seems to offer little help with diagnosing the problem besides a worn clutch, which I somewhat am doubtful it is worn. Did you ever receive any responses from your post or maybe have some useful information on the problem. I would greatly appreciate any help you might be able to offer as I can not find anyone else in any forum or consumer reviews concerning a problem even similar to ours. Thanks for your time, looking forward to hearing for you.
  • samaudisamaudi Member Posts: 10
    Hi, I have a 2005.5 audi a4 2.0t all wheel drive and whenever I fill up the gas tank I have to hold the pump down because the gas tank stops accepting the gas as if it is full. Does anybody have any suggestions? I brought it to my dealer today and they said that there were no probs with it, but when i filled it up...IT HAPPENED AGAIN!

    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks
  • rjorge3rjorge3 Member Posts: 144
    Hi gang, I posted this on Audi reliabilty but I also wanted to share with you guys on this forum.

    This past Saturday I went to my dealer to clear a check engine light on my 2005 A4, Quattro 1.8L (5 times already yeeepeeeeey, I think that by now, I am an expert in clearing the "code"). Since I was the last car they service that day, I got to talk to the mechanics for quite a while and they shared with me something that I don't know if some of you guys have hear before. He indicated that the 3.0 and the 3.2 (06 and 07) are virtually trouble free or at least have far less problems than the 1.8 or 2.0. He went as far as to tell me that he would have bought a used 3.0/3.2 than a new 1.8 (at the time I had bought mine in 05) or a 2.0.

    Have any of you heard this before? and for those of you that are 3.0 or 3.2 owners, have you have a good experience with your car aside from the regular maintance?

    R :confuse:
  • caspian_7caspian_7 Member Posts: 1
    That is identical to my issue, except i had 71k on my car, and it is an 03 1.8T A4, i was told by a mechanic that worked on a Sunday that it would break down entirely if I kept driving, I had to have it towed 2 hrs back home since it was Sunday...they replaced my engine, but stuck me with a $400 tow
  • rwolffrwolff Member Posts: 19
    R,
    I'm afraid to tell you that the turbo (1.8 or 2.0) has a problem with the oil sludging, meaning it stays in the oil pan and creates a situation where the engine siezes and you have to get a new engine. It happened to me on the last and only turbo I will ever get. I now have a used 2000 2.8 and it is a much better car than the turbo. Definitely no problem with the oil. Only thing I can tell you is to change the oil more frequently, not what Audi tells you. good luck
  • conallconall Member Posts: 91
    "...the 3.0 and the 3.2 (06 and 07) are virtually trouble free."

    This is why my next Audi will be the A5.
    I've been wanting a coupe anyway, ever since I sold that Urq.
    The A5 is also only available with AWD!! :)
  • rjorge3rjorge3 Member Posts: 144
    Thanks rwolff for your response. I thought the the 2.8, the 3.0 and the 3.2 were turbo? I guess I have not pay close attention to the specs of those cars. And yes, I have heard horror stories about the oil sludge and in digging deeper in the forums, I do see that the 1.8 (in my case) is the one with far more problems than the 3.0 or 3.2, thus those mechanics were probably saying something that made sense.

    As I mentioned on my other post, I went over my allowed mileages for my lease and even though my lease ends on april next year, I decided not to drive it. The question now is, would the car act weird if I don't drive it as often. I have not moved the car for almost a month. I do turn the engine on and let it idle for a couple of minutes every weekend. Call me paranoid, but the last thing I need is for the engine or transmition to go and then I'd be stuck with a huge bill.

    I still want to hear from those 3.0 and 3.2 owners and their experiences.
  • jcallan2000jcallan2000 Member Posts: 4
    I just got my first Audi, a 2006 A4 with only 14000 miles last week and filled her up today with regular gas. I drove for 3 miles, parked, and when I restarted the engine it was shuddering/knocking like crazy. The check engine light was flashing as I drove about 400 yards, then it stopped (and the shuddering stopped) but the engine light stayed on (and is still on, 10 miles later). Question is: can putting in 87 octane fuel really be the cause of this? Do I now need to go to the Audi dealer to get the check engine light turned off?
    Other than this, I absolutely love driving this vehicle!
  • 1lotlizard1lotlizard Member Posts: 14
    I have read a fair amount of negative comments about these cars, but most relate to older models. What problems have you had with 2006-08 models? Is the 2.0 better or worse than the 6 cylinder? I would be replacing a 2001 Saab convertible. That car has been good, albeit with a few more problems than I would have liked -- but nothing like the horror stories some have related about the A4. I need a reliable daily driver convertible with enough trunk room for golf clubs, beach stuff, etc. The A4 appears to be one of the best available for my space requirements, but I believe a modern car should easily go to 100K miles with little or no unscheduled maintenance. Can I expect that a new Audi to do that? Are there issues specific to the convertible?
  • rowlandjrowlandj Member Posts: 254
    The car calls for 91 at the least and it will run on regular but at reduced performance and mileage. Any savings realized by using the lesser octane is lost in reduced mileage so your not really saving anything.

    Assuming the car is now running well and rough idle is gone you can expect that engine light to go off after a few start/stop cycles. If not then you need to pull the codes.

    I recommend that you use the gas this vehicle calls for to realize the full potential of that engine. it will has knock sensors to compensate for lower grade gas but it's really a false economy as I have said above.
  • jcallan2000jcallan2000 Member Posts: 4
    Disaster: drove the car about 50 miles today to burn off some of the regular gas. Stopped, grabbed a coffee and went for a 10 minute walk. When I got back to the car and tried to start it, it wouldn't start! Tried starting 4 times, nothing. Ended up getting it towed to my local Audi dealer. Hopefully nothing too serious is wrong (they reopen tomorrow), but a new car with only 14,000 miles shouldn't just NOT work because regular gas was put in the tank?? Beginning to have some serious doubts already about purchasing this Audi 2 weeks ago....
  • conallconall Member Posts: 91
    I've heard of fuel filters clogging within 15k miles.
    If that turns out to be the problem, I'd be careful where I buy gas.
  • jcallan2000jcallan2000 Member Posts: 4
    Interesting....so this could be a cascade-type problem: lower octane fuel means I get the misfire and then also the fact that it could be crappy gas in the first place means the filter gets clogged, causing the car to not start anymore.

    If this turns out the be the case then I will be VERY careful about where I get my gas!
  • nrocknrock Member Posts: 1
    I have a 96 audi a4 quattro and the headlights are not working. Its not the fuse and its not the bulbs i think it might be a relay switch some where. When i turn the lights on the running lights come on but the headlights do not. Just wondering if any one had any advice on this situation.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Could be your headlight switch. Is it a stalk type? You might be able to sneak it out of the steering column (or dash if that's where it is) and bypass it to see if that lights up the headlights.
  • leejameskleejamesk Member Posts: 5
    I had this similar problem and it is the little spring-flap inside the Audi fill-pipe that blocks the gas from going-in. You need to really push the gas filler deep into the pipe so as to ensure the little spring-flap is held open and not blocking any gas flow.

    Good luck - james
  • 204meca204meca Member Posts: 369
    Happy to say that I called the dealer back & asked that the mirror switch be replaced under warranty. He complied with no fuss. :D
  • gavthorntongavthornton Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1996 N Audi A4 Quattro and there is a bearing/diff noise coming from the back of the car. Afriend has also got this, he changed his diff with no luck.
    I'm hoping somebody knows of a common fault?? My suspicions were wheel bearing, however the previous owner changed them only 2 years ago.
  • gavthorntongavthornton Member Posts: 2
    Hi.
    I own an A4 Quattro and there is a rumbling bearing/diff noise comin from the rear of the car. Afriend also hea the same noise, he changed the diff with no luck.

    I would like to know if anyone has had the same problem at all? I would prefer to know before untightening the purse strings.
  • bobwashbobwash Member Posts: 7
  • bobwashbobwash Member Posts: 7
    I bought the wife the A4 wagon without doing my homework by checking this message board. Today the oil light came on at 2,000 miles and sure enough it needs a couple quarts of oil. Called service and of course it is Sat so no help there called sales and of course they don't want to hear it.
    I gearing up for the stone walling that I assume will start. Will some one confirm that this consumption is NOT NORMAL because I assume this is the dance I am about to have.
  • ajg33ajg33 Member Posts: 13
    I have an '02 A4. Two weeks ago while driving the interior lights would come intermittently, then the fan for the hot air/ac stopped working, and then by the end of the week the battery died. I took the car to a local mechanic, he couldn't find any issues so he replaced the battery. A week later the fan for hot air is still not working and the new battery died. Took the car to the Audi dealer and they couldn't find anything. Something is draining the battery and must be related to the other problems. Anybody have similar issues?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Checking for a drain on a battery is a fairly simple diagnostic procedure. Are you sure this dealer didn't just give your car the 'sunshine treatment" as they say in the trade---that is, parked it outside for the day?

    If they did indeed do a battery drain test (you just hook up a voltmeter or ammeter) and nothing showed up, then they should test the charging system at full load.

    it's pretty much got to be one or the other.
  • ajg33ajg33 Member Posts: 13
    I definitely got "hosed" by the dealer as I went to pick up the car from them and the fan for the hot air still wasn't working...almost as if they never checked it. So I left the car with them and hopefully they can figure it out. I think the comfort control module and or climate module is short circuiting cause a drain on the battery.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Could be. They should be able to ascertain a battery drain and then, going fuse by fuse, isolate the circuit, and then, component by component within that fused circuit, find the culprit. This is the Hollywood version of how it turns out, but we wish you luck with it. Now that THEY know that YOU know, they may try harder.
  • richn2richn2 Member Posts: 44
    1999 A4 Quarttro, the brake lights have been replaced 5 times to-date, The last time was the first week of December. Yesterday (12/12/07) the right brake light went out. Before I return it to the shop to yet again have another light installed does anybody have any suggestions. Thanks
  • davidyoungdavidyoung Member Posts: 1
    I went to the dealership the last week because my battery died and for an oil change for my 2000A4quattro 1.8T.
    day later driving on the highway my check engine light goes! Damnit

    After the usual process of cooling down I check the oil level and its almost a third of an inch above full level!

    The dealer said that that wouldn't cause the check engine light to go on.

    No visible sign of whitish oil sludge. Bought used but maintained with synthetic oil since. currently 111K miles. What is the deal???
  • davida2davida2 Member Posts: 16
    I have the same problem. An independent shop told me it was the tires. He swapped the front to the rear and the noise went with it.

    Best of luck

    d
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    you gotta scan it and see what codes are thrown first off. Otherwise you are groping in the dark here. As for the oil level, check it a few more times in a few different locations (different types of ground) to make sure you are getting a good reading.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Overfilling the oil CAN lead to an oil light. Why? Because if the oil is too full then the crank throws and rod ends will start splashing down into the oil, introducing lots air bubbles into the oil. If/when that happens, then your oil pressure will drop and at low engine speeds, and a light can be the result.

    That said, a third of an inch isn't very much, and some engines allow for that much of a margin of error, others don't, and I'm not sure which camp the 1.8T falls into.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I thought of that and decided that no, that's not enough of an overfill. But no harm in draining that out if indeed there's too much in there. To cavitate the oil there has to be a lot of extra oil in there.

    Having said all that, sure, drain it out, reset the light and see what happens.

    Sure would be good to scan it though.
  • roxywinkroxywink Member Posts: 1
    Hi all,
    Just wondering if someone can shine some light into my car drama. I have a 2003 A4 3.0 currently with 98,000 miles which I purchased new. At 11,000 miles my car stopped in the middle of the parkway - recall - fuel injection replaced. Starting around 65,000 miles or so, I started running out of oil 1,000-1,500 miles before my schedules appointment. After this happened several times regardless of checking the oil, I automatically get my oil changed every 3,500 miles and I stopped taking it to the dealer for oil changes. The jiffy lube type place usually uses 6 quarts of oil and it is synthetic. My question is my left catalytic converter went around 78,000 miles which was covered. Now, my right catalytic converter went which was costly (extended warrenty didn't cover it) I was told that it ws rare for catalytic converters to go in these types of cars. Can my oil problems (running out of oil, possibly using to much oil, not using Audi filter) causing my catalytic converters to go or is the fuel pump / engine issues with these types of cars the cause.
    Thanks.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Sure excessive oil burning can wipe out a catalytic converter. You should have a cylinder leakdown test performed on your engine.
  • 65tuxedopark65tuxedopark Member Posts: 2
    I have a '07 2.0T Avant I purchased last month from an Audi dealer which had approximately 4,500 miles on it at time of purchase. Got the 5k service a few weeks ago and everything checked out fine. The other day, though, I noticed that the tail pipes are coated with a pretty thick black soot. At start up and on heavy acceleration I haven't seen any blue smoke, and I haven't seen an oil level drop. But, the soot accumulation is way more than I've noticed on any of my other cars before. Before I run back to Audi and get it checked, has anyone else noticed this?
  • rascal99rascal99 Member Posts: 54
    I have basically the same car and I notice this too. I believe this is caused by this engine running rather "rich" at startup, possibly due to the direct injection. This is a common complaint and is discussed some at Audiworld.com. You can get something called NEVR-DULL at Wal-Mart for about $4 that will clean the pipes easily. It is a cotton wadding polish and a can of it will last a long time. At any rate there is nothing wrong with your car.
  • davida2davida2 Member Posts: 16
    check your tires. have them rotated and see if the sound comes from the front now.
  • 65tuxedopark65tuxedopark Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the tip. There is some discoloration and deposits on the chrome exhaust tips, so I'll try that polish for them. What really caught my attention was just how much soot was inside the pipes...glad others have seen this too.
  • jweaver1jweaver1 Member Posts: 25
    I had a problem with my ex- 2003 A4-3.0 in that the gas pump would also shut off. I pulled the nozzle out and stuck a pencil into the filler tube, and could feel (and smell) the fuel vapors escaping from my fuel tank. After the pressure was relieved, I could continue to fill the tank. It finally happened when the dealer had the car (to fix other problems) so they replaced the fuel tank! Apparently in order to change the tank vent, they had to replace the tank itself. That seemed to solve the problem for about one year, then it started to happen again. It became a real pain to try to fill my gas tank. Check to see if your tank is pressurized. I traded the car in for a 2005 Acura Rl a few months later, and I'm glad I did. I've had a couple of minor problems with my Acura, but they are nothing compared with my A4. Good luck!
  • tgai69tgai69 Member Posts: 7
    Hi my '98 A41.8T quattro :lemon: engine temp gauge is dead anybody know of a DIY way to fix this caused i just spotted wrecked A4 i can easily pull parts off.......ohh what is it with audi sensors! check engine light came on; replaced mass air flow sensor,knock sensor and catalytic converter and the sucker just came on again ...drives fine though :D
  • kellycan1kellycan1 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 A4. When I purchased the car the black plastic face that covers the change drawer in the console (next to the hazard symbol) was missing. The drawer functions fine -- when you press on it it releases without incident. It is just missing the smooth plastic face with the drawer symbol on it. So, clearly just cosmetic, but this is a "new" car to me and I want it to look the way it is supposed to.

    The dealer sent me a replacement piece. I expected it to be just the plastic piece, but it is the entire component -- the drawer, mechanics and all. It looks as if I need to take the entire console apart, remove the drawer and refit it with the new drawer. Is this really the case? Or is there a way I can somehow snap off the face from the new piece they sent and snap it on the existing drawer?

    The piece looks as if it could snap off, but I am a little afraid of attempting that and winding up breaking the new piece. I'm also, to be honest, a little wary of how much it might cost to have the console taken apart and refitted.

    Any thoughts? Thanks for your time.
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