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I also have a window noise from the driver and front pax window just at ear level that occurs at LOW speed. It sounds like the window is rattling in the door frame and drives me crazy. I have had the car in at least 3 times for it, taken the service managers for drives, and although they admit to hearing it they say there is nothing that they can do except lube the door seals. That usually stops the rattle for a little while but it always comes back. VERY frustrating. I was also told that adjusting the door was a no no. I've got to believe that they can adjust the window in the tacks or something to tighten up the window but I just get blank stares. I'm actually ready to sell the car because the noise is bothering me so much. A couple other issues that they can't seem to fix: the airbag light stays on and flashes for about 2-3 minutes after I start the car and the rear brakes groan when you turn while backing up even though I'm not on the brakes. Again, both items I've been told to live with. Very disappointing for a quasi luxury car. Anyone else had any luck with these type of problems. Thanks.
R T 2003 compared 11 sport sedans.
Below is what they wrote about Audi A4 3.0 Quattro with sport package(sport suspension and 135/45R 17 tires).
It handles well enough and has a superb highway ride, but accomplishes these goals in a rather soft and rubbery style of suspension tuning and steering. One staffer noted, "The Audi allows a lot of lateral movement followed by tenacious grip--even on bad surfaces. Once I get used to the lateral softness, I like its payoff in ride comfort."
In short, the Audi is missing that firm, rallly-car edge and sense of fully connected steering precision that makes the BMW, for instance, so delightful to drive. It's a car that can keep up with other sports sedans, but doesnt' feel very sporty doing it, despite our car's having the optional sport suspension for $750, a package that includes hihg-performance tires and 17-in. cast alloy wheels, as well as the usual spring/shock valving changes.
We noticed in some of the whoop-de-dos and curves of our desert highway that the Audi produced "considerable excitement," as one driver put it, and was simply more floaty and loose than the others. And again, "this is where you pay for that great highway ride," one driver noted. .
As far as Quattro or No Quattro here in our area, consider resale value. A Quattro equipped car will be much easier to get rid of down the road (especially since many in the tri-state area are obsessed with AWD as a must have) if you plan to buy.
If you plan to lease, the Quattro equipped car will have a higher sticker price, but also a higher residual value compared to the FWD A4. The AWD A4 will be cheaper to lease.
Availability. I'd be willing to bet that very few dealers in our area have a FWD A4 in stock.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Ming Blue/Beige Interior
Premium Package
Sport Package
Xenons
I wasn't planning to pull the trigger, but they had exactly the car I wanted. Now the wife wants to borrow it. Here's a pic:
1) How much of an acceleration hit do you take with the Quattro assuming 1.8T (5-speed), and
2) Does it make sense if you're also ordering the sport package with the high performance summer tires?
Thanks.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
1.8T 5spd front trac: 7.8
1.8T 5spd quattro: 7.9
Go with the sport suspension, if you don't have snow, you can use the tires year round.
The high perf tires, no matter what they're on, have shorter tread life than, say, all-season tire.
You get in one area -- performance, you give in another -- wear.
Fair trade, I'd say.
At my dealership, the cars with the sport suspension are equipped with Continental tires (not sure what model)--any thoughts?
I have a 3.0 Quattro A4 w/o sport - and I love the way it rides *and* handles.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I was told that all the shaking, wobbling and crappy throttle response was a result of a leak in my vacuum lines, which in turn was causing the engine's pistons to misfire. From how I understood it, my engine was basically suffocating-- since it wasn't aspirating normally, the pistons weren't firing in sequence, and thus, all the noises, shaking and lousy performance... That's the story I got from the service guy, anyway, and I have no reason to doubt it. The good news is, in my case it only took them a day to fix the lines, and it was fully covered by the warranty. The dealer gave me a loaner, diagnosed the problem quickly, fixed it quickly, and returned the car to me squeaky-clean and running like a top. All things considered, I was totally happy with how they handled it, and I was very reassured with my Audi purchase... Haven't had a problem with it since, and I LOVE driving it. In fact, a little too much-- just got a speeding ticket last week.
Anyhow, I wish your friend luck with his car, and I hope he has a similar experience to mine, regarding the ease of the repair and things of that nature. Let him know that if his A4 does indeed wind up up having the same problem mine did, it should be no big deal to fix it up right, and he won't have to pay a penny. Woo-Hoo!
Nice of you to inquire about this for your buddy, by the way. Your pal's lucky to have someone looking out for him like that.
Good luck to both of ya'.
I've encountered the same thing (rough idle, flashing CEL, no power, etc.). This is a known defect that has been the subject of many heated and lengthy conversations. The coils have a design flaw and is affecting many Audis and VW cars. No "official" recall has been made, but they will replace the blown coil (and all the others if this is the second coil blown).
I bought my Audi 3.0 CVT black/black, w/ sports package, xenon and sunroof in October of 2002. Unfortunately, I can no longer afford this car. It has about 8500 miles on it. Anyhow, a friend of mine is in a business where they raffle stuff and suggested that I raffle it off, which I'm thinking of doing. The cost will be between $50-$100 per ticket with a total of 500-1000 tickets.
I haven't made a final decision yet, but seriously thinking about it. I love this car, but Bush is killing the economy.
Any thoughts on this will be greatly appreciated.
My buddy didn't call roadside assistance, he just drove the car back to Connecticut from NYC and had it serviced today. He says the car drives great again.
His car is leased so he's mot concerned with long term reliability.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Now, back to Audis!
Let's don't go there.
We are talking about vehicles, not our theories of the causes of political and economic factors contributing to the state of our economy.
That's dangerous territory and very much off-topic.
Someone else also had a concern about tire replacement cost last week. Lower profile tires will cost more to replace and won't last as long but there are a lot of excellent choices in the 235/45/17 size and one doesn't have to get exactly the same brand of tire to get the same (or even better) performance when replacing. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't make a decision based on tire replacement cost--it will be only marginally more.
Overall, after having driven them back to back, I would say the SP is worth every penny. Sure, you may bounce around a little more from the potholes, but I think the added grip and increased handling capabilities of SP in the turns-- or emergency situations --far exceeds any loss of ride comfort. I dunno... I suppose I'd rather feel "connected" to the road, rather than "cushioned" from it. I've always been somewhat turned off by overly luxurious cars with big, fat, pillowy suspensions... it makes me feel like I'm taking my living room couch out for a spin or something... which is sadly kind of what I felt like in that loaner A4.
To me the point of getting an Audi or a BMW instead of something like a Lincoln Towncar is the performance edge they offer, and the non-SP A4's just don't seem to have that same bite, y'know?
I'd just rather have my car encourage me to drive it faster, rather than lull me into some hypnotic state of relaxation like a Calgone commercial or something.
So there's my $.02... snooty and ill-adivised as it may be for those wishing to avoid speeding tickets.
And lastly... I gotta say, as superficial as it is, there's something to be said for having a big, mean set of wheels on a sleek little car.
I have to agree with those guys again-- the 17" rims seem to fit the car better. They do give it a bit more aggressive esthetic, if that's your thing. The SP shoes are large enough to give the car a litle bit of menace, but they don't reduce your brilliantly minimalist German car into some pimped-out Civic, either. No one's going to wonder where your giant Neuspeed sticker and three foot whale-tale spoiler are. Thank Gawd.
So anyway... I like the SP.
Can ya tell?
Either way, you'll get an AMAZING car....
one's just a little more fiesty than the other.
Just get something with rings on the grill, and you'll be a happy camper.
I'd like some advice. I have a '99 A4 1.8T quattro, 51K miles. It's had a bad AC fan and I've had to have the rear brakes replaced twice and the front once. The dealer is telling me that german cars are making harder (metallic) brakes and softer roters so the brakes go bad faster but they brake better. This pretty much sounds like a crock to me, but I would like your opinion. I have also always had other small nagging problems, so I have just about had it with the car. There are certain things that i love about the car which is why I've kept it so long (awd, nice finish, fold down seats, etc.)...
I'm considering trading it in for an Acura TSX
Thanks for the adivce.
Sanjay
As I've said over on the Focus forum, if you are disappointed with brake wear, don't keep buying the OEM brake pads and rotors from the dealer. Higher quality aftermarket brake equipment that is made specifically for your vehicle can be had for the same price or maybe just a little more.
Since I have no clue as to the costs of these kind of things when purchased in quantities, I can only assume that it is less money to replace and replace and replace rotors under warranty than it is to upgrade the rotors and pads and call it "standard equipment."
My internal reasoning -- no proof -- suspects that it IS more expensive to replace and replace and replace than it is to put a higher quality and more durable rotor and pad on in the first place.
But evened out over thousands of users perhaps I am wrong -- certainly Audi has the data from which to come to this conclusion. I mean why would you pay to replace over and over, under warranty, when you could improve the brake and the lifespan for, Oh Say a couple of bucks per wheel?
Maybe the replacements are truly in the minority -- not so according to my dealer service folks, though.
Brembo forever, stock rotors never!
Thanks
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I brought the car in the dealer for a check up, and they didn't correct the problem at all. I am planning to bring it to the dealer again, is esp. annoying during quiet morning commute!!! Need Help correcting the problem...
I am driving a 03 A4 will 6300 kms on it, the steering is the 4 spoke version with multifunction controls.
The dealer told me that in some of the cars it was an "airbag" problem. What?
Anyway, it was really really really expensive (around $2K -- I saw the internal invoice) and the Audi advantage, of course picked up the entire charge, car was out of serive one day for diagnosis and one day for replacement. Never came back (happend pretty early on).
This year though, they had the brand new 2004 A8L with the revised 4.2L V8 available for us to test drive. FOr the lucky ones with great patience, they actually got to drive it in the high speed lapping exercise. (I was the majority "unlucky" ones so gotta test the Allroad and the A4 1.8T on the 1-mi loop at Chicago Motor Speedway.) For the rest of us, they set up a little road course with an A8L for us to test drive.
My first impression was, wow, this thing is great looking. It looks MUCH better than the MB S class and MUCH MUCH MUCH better looking than the BMW 7 series. THey had 3 cars there which had the 18", 19" and 20" rims on. Gotta go with the 20" rims. Interior is classy and loaded with features. I tried the MMI and it's much easier to use than the BMW i-drive. The suspension can also be rasied and lowered for different driving situations and the suspension hardness can also be stiffened for dynamic driving and softened for comfort. Other creature features like the ventilated seats also worked great.
Although it's big on the outside and spacious inside, the driving dynamics will make you think you are driving something in between an A4 and and A6, that is until you look outside the mirrors and realize how close you get to the cones because of the actual size of the A8L. It also feels nimble and the brakes stop the car this size in a very short distance. The one for this exercise has the 18" rims on, and although I would LOVE to test the one with the 20" rims on, this one handled great right off the box.
This car is definitely poised to take away market share from MB and BMW. No doubt.
They also brought along the 04 S4 and S4 Avant, and of course the RS6. Just take my breath away after seeing the RS6. Too bad we don't get to drive these three cars. Oh, and they confirmed that the America bound 04 S4's will have the lower side skirt color keyed, instead of just black plastic. Yay!
No new A4 news there though. (Just to make this posting A4 related, LOL.)
Billy
I talked to one of the guys that was lucky enough to drive the A8. He said they had the speed governors removed and that he hit 172 mph on the Speedway. I don't know if he was exaggerating or not.