thoughts on audi a4

[black13]

hey guys, I'm looking to jump into the euro scene for the first time and the Audi A4 B6 2000-2005 model has caught my eye and fits my budget which is $10k max.

Specifically I want the 3.0 V6 so I still have decent power for a DD.

Anybody have experience with these cars? what to look out for?
common problems? i know timing belt, wiper motor and coil packs are common problems which I will be looking for one that has them replaced with paperwork.

How is the maintenance on these?

thanks in advance.

[R-Audi]

To start out, I'd skip the 3.0 and go 1.8T and spend 5-800 on a chip. You'll be faster and get better mileage out of it. Only issue there is that some of the interior also changes with the motor.. I dont know the specifics, so you'll have to look around.

You'll have people chime in about electrical gremlins that dont really exist... but the 1.8T engine is pretty damn resilient. (I had near 300hp with my 98)
As you mentioned coilpacks are an issue that was taken care of via recall, and there hasnt been that many other problems that follow these cars around. Whatever you do, spend the money and take the car to get a good inspection by someone who does a LOT of work on them... (Tunedub would be my suggestion)
Other major wear and tear items are the suspension parts, (control arms, tie rod ends etc) which you definitely want looked at as they can add up quickly.

[colinxx235]

^

His experience is definitely not the same as my brother...

He's owned an 02/03/04 A4 1.8T all Auto's.

He's picked most of them up between 78-85 K km's on them.

All of them have had issues with the wiper blade motor (very pricey bill) time belt on all of them. terrible gas mileage (granted stick would be different)
he's had to replace the cam shaft on the 04.
the 02/04 needed a new steering column on both, constantly have issues with the fluid leaking but audi can never fix it.
it seems like in many of them the washer fluid itself always leaks.

Other problems that have come up on the cars have been:
04 - passenger heated seat stopped working, audi wanted $1000+
02 - credit card spring broke and was stuck on the out position, $600 repair
04 - drivers window motor failed, $800
03 - intercooler line (i beleve) was leaking, can't remember cost

All I know is that if you buy this car with a tight budget, I would be very careful... my brother has had to borrow money from parents at time to pay for his maintenance. They have no been nice to him.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Nothing wrong with a well maintained A4. Keep up with maintenance, and like any car, it will be perfectly reliable. It has trouble spots, just like every other car (coil packs, already mentioned).

Make sure it's been turbo timed (if the 1.8T), and not beat on. Again, like any car, if it's beat or has super high km, it will probably be less reliable than average.

A manual 1.8 T that has been chipped will be way more fun than the V6, but there is a little more to go wrong with all the turbo plumbing.

I owned a 2000 Audi S4 (2.7 TT) which has a reputation for being less than reliable, and didn't have a single problem with it outside routine maintenance for the 2-3 years I owned it. I spent $100 on a couple preventative maintenance parts (F-hose and TBB) which were common trouble spots. I turbo timed it, and never got on the gas until I had OIL temperature. Not one single problem with that car, and the turbos were being worked extra hard because it was chipped. It was my daily driver/commuter and I owned it from about 70,000km to 115,000 Km without issue.

Get an inspection at Tune Dub, George is the best Audi/VW guy in town and very honest.

Don't let anyone scare you away from such a nice car, but at the same time, make sure you find a good sample that hasn't been beat on and one that has been well maintained.

[Xtrema]

Friend had a B5 and currently driving a B7 A4.

B5 gave him some minor electronic troubles (DIS died, airbag sensor went) but car ran really good for 80K that he put on it.

He recently got coilpack issue on the B7 and it's common on the V6 pre 2006. He's going to take it to TuneDub to get that fixed.

Both cars had been very solid for him which is why I decided to get an Audi. But like colinxx235 said, if you have a tight budget and it's your only car, do your homework on the car and get inspection done. If they do have problems, they are not cheap to fix.

[Tik-Tok]

Aren't the coilpacks covered under a recall? I got my 2003 2.7t ones replaced free of charge last year because of it.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
Aren't the coilpacks covered under a recall? I got my 2003 2.7t ones replaced free of charge last year because of it.

Don't know if his 2006 is covered under recall and he bought it used. I'll ask him to check it out.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Xtrema


Don't know if his 2006 is covered under recall and he bought it used. I'll ask him to check it out.

I bought mine used as well (in 2007), recall just came out last year... just so happens it came out a week before one of mine shit the bed, and 2 weeks before I went on a 9000km roadtrip :rofl:

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


I bought mine used as well (in 2007), recall just came out last year... just so happens it came out a week before one of mine shit the bed, and 2 weeks before I went on a 9000km roadtrip :rofl:

Do you have that TSB link?

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Xtrema


Do you have that TSB link?

I don't. I called Audi to get an estimate on the coilpack replacement when the one failed (usually it'd be a DIY for me, but didn't have time to wait for parts in the mail when the road trip was coming up quick), and the service-guy said a recall JUST came out for it (June of last year)

Just tell him to call Audi and find out. It may be a voluntary recall, and therefore won't be on the any official lists.

[sillysod]

R-Audi has got it right. Skip the 3.0 and get an 1.8T, you will be much much happier. We have the V6 in my wifes car and it is really shazzy on gas compaired to my 1.8T.

Coilpacks are cheap now anyways (I think $25.00 or something) even if not covered by recall.

The wiper linkage does go on them, but you have to be semi-retarded to take it to Audi. All you need to do is dissassemble it and clean/lubricate all linkage when you notice it starting to slow down.

There are DIY's for all this stuff on the Audizine forums. Credit card holder broke in my car too (compliments of my 2 yr old) I bought one off eBay and replaced it for $10.00.

Vacuum lines need to be replaced normally around this age, but nothing expensive and easy DIY.

Only thing to really look for is to make sure it has ALWAYS run synthetic. Dino oil causes sludge problems in the A4's 1.8T.

George at Tune Dub can take a look at it for you and you will know exactly what you are getting into.


Mine has been fantastic and I've had it since new in '04. Still original pistons, head etc and I've been running a big turbo/fueling kit on mine for the last 80,000kms with out any issues.

[black13]

oook thanks alot guys.
Im convinced, 1.8L it is. I love modding and it seems pretty easy on these and they are more common than the 3.0's.
But I totally forgot to mention, I'll be going for the automatic transmission, is that a deal breaker on the 1.8 vs 3.0?

R-audi, can't find much info on the interior differences but I think the cold weather package with the heated seats is all I'm really looking for.

As for inspection, forgot to ask about a place so thanks for the recommendations. Sounds like Tunedub's the best place. Will definitely be going there for the inspection.

sillysod, thanks yea synthetic oil, and turbo timing. Will add those to the check list as well. And I'm definitely a DIY on not overly complicated things so wiper motor and stuff like that don't bother me too much as long as the engine is good.

Thanks guys, and if anybody knows one for sale in my price range and in good condition then let me know.

[wintonyk]

I don't have a ton of experience with these. I bought a 2000 A4 2.8 in January. I have put about 12 000 km on it so far bringing it to 135000.

Only problem I have had thus far was the MAF sensor. That and then some vac lines cracked. And the damn lower body mouldings are notorious for rusting but thats minor.

The owner before me had all work done at concept1 or glenmore audi. The entire car you could eat off of. For a 10 year old car she has been fantastic.

[colinxx235]

Are you really sure you want to purchase a 1.8T AUTO...?

The mileage on the 1.8 auto is pretty bad. and if your transmission goes... $5K for a new one fyi. And I believe the auto tranny does not have a good track record with audi. Especially if you are going to start modding it

[Mitsu3000gt]

Avoid the auto if you can, the manual will be so much better.

Also depending on how much you plan on modding, the manual transmission will handle it better.

[btimbit]

The automatic transmissions really aren't that good, they're very unreliable. Stick with a manual.

[Calgaryrocky]

I would definitely stick with the manual trans and the 1.8T.

I've got a 2004 A4 with the 1.8T but an automatic trans.

Its a bit sluggish compared to the manual (mine is stock though, no mods)

Only problem i've had so far is that the transmission multifunction switch acts up, this is what tells the car what position the shifter is in. It goes into safe mode some times so you have to turn the car off and turn it back on in order to reset it, otherwise it stays in 4th gear.

Other then that it is an amazing car and Quattro AWD in winter is awesome!

I don't know about the interior on others but mine is nice, black leather front and rear heated seats :)

[J-hop]

yea avoid the auto for sure. If you decide to modify the 1.8T you'll blow it for sure, they can barely handle the stock power output.

definitely look to see if the car you buy has updated ignition coils, they are one of the first things to go, if you aren't covered under a recall purchase the ignition coils from ECS, about $200 will get you a set of 4 ignition coils.

[sillysod]

If you just do a chip the auto is fine.

People bitch about it, but there is nothing wrong with the auto's as long as you don't get the CVT (only available in FWD A4's).

Every 100,000kms take it to TuneDub for a flush and the tranny will last a long long time. We have the auto in our V6 passat and it has been fantastic - George at TuneDub told me that with just a flush they are very reliable.

It is substantially worse on gas then the 6spd and it will be slower but they are reliable provided you get it properly flushed every 100k

However if you plan on upgrading to a bigger turbo/fueling system then you will most definitely destroy the auto. It is only good for about 275hp safely at the crank before it starts to slip.

[black13]

rather disappointing to hear. if I end up really liking the car, I know I would want to mod it.
But for a rather luxury car, I prefer to get automatic since I will be daily driving in traffic and well the girl doesn't want a manual either.

Maybe I will just sell it if I end up modding more than a certain amount which would be a chip and an exhaust.

[frizzlefry]

For chipping a turbo....general rule is that it WILL shorten the life of the engine. How much depends on how often you drive it hard and how well it's maintained. If you chip it you should have maintenance performed AT LEAST 5,000km BEFORE the normal intervals. Most guys I know with chips have it done 10,000km before the normal intervals. Also, I have heard of less people with blown turbos when they use APR tuning chips. Less power than GIAC and others but far less likely to kill the turbo. APR is known for designing their chips to function within OEM stress limits.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


I don't. I called Audi to get an estimate on the coilpack replacement when the one failed (usually it'd be a DIY for me, but didn't have time to wait for parts in the mail when the road trip was coming up quick), and the service-guy said a recall JUST came out for it (June of last year)

Just tell him to call Audi and find out. It may be a voluntary recall, and therefore won't be on the any official lists.

Thanks Tik-Tok. He got them fixed free of charge.

It's a service advisory. Where certain model of coilpack get replaced free of charge and his was covered.