B6 1.8t Audi A4's, any good?

[Redlyne_mr2]

I know there are some Audi guys on the board so I wanted to ask the questions, are the 1.8T 2004- 2005 b6 a4's any good? I have a an mk4 jetta wagon 1.8t that I've been thinking of replacing but I'm not sure if it's worth giving up for the Audi.

[zipdoa]

Similar motor, the later 1.8T's aren't ideal for modding (weaker internals). 99.5 has the best 1.8T block.

I have a 2002 A4 1.8T Avant 5SPD that needs some work but could make a great beater. $2k and it's yours!

B6 common issues:

Foggy headlights
1.8T can get sludging issues if proper spec oil and intervals aren't used
Fair fuel economy for a heavy AWD (9-10l/100km city, 7l/100km hwy)
Acceptable power with chip and downpipe
More convenient than a sedan, but really look at C5/C6 Avants if you want cargo space
AWD is bulletproof, but keep in mind 4 axles to services cv boots on instead of 2.
Common high mileage issues:
leaky diff seals, cracking cv boots, worn and tired bushings, exhaust leaks, door blade rust, worn inner fender liners.
Last of the 5V/Cyl motors!

[sillysod]

Mine's been fantastic but I've owned it since new. If the car hasn't been well maintained I wouldn't even consider it.

That being said no matter what you do if you look at one have George at TuneDub take a look at it before you spend any cash.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by sillysod
Mine's been fantastic but I've owned it since new. If the car hasn't been well maintained I wouldn't even consider it.

That being said no matter what you do if you look at one have George at TuneDub take a look at it before you spend any cash.

that's awesome thank you've had it since new, post some pics!

zipdoa, you have pm!

[thinmyster]

haha I was going to post a similar thread for a friend.

[BavarianBeast]

Originally posted by zipdoa
Similar motor, the later 1.8T's aren't ideal for modding (weaker internals). 99.5 has the best 1.8T block.

I have a 2002 A4 1.8T Avant 5SPD that needs some work but could make a great beater. $2k and it's yours!

B6 common issues:

Foggy headlights
1.8T can get sludging issues if proper spec oil and intervals aren't used
Fair fuel economy for a heavy AWD (9-10l/100km city, 7l/100km hwy)
Acceptable power with chip and downpipe
More convenient than a sedan, but really look at C5/C6 Avants if you want cargo space
AWD is bulletproof, but keep in mind 4 axles to services cv boots on instead of 2.
Common high mileage issues:
leaky diff seals, cracking cv boots, worn and tired bushings, exhaust leaks, door blade rust, worn inner fender liners.
Last of the 5V/Cyl motors!

I really want to do a big turbo on one of these...

$1500?

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by BavarianBeast


I really want to do a big turbo on one of these...

$1500?

Lowballs accepted in person only PM me.

[colinxx235]

I know over the years I have read how much sillysod liked his. My brother had totally different luck and one wonders why he owned three (2002/2003/2004). He bought and had them all in the range of about 80-120k kms. 1.8T automatics also.

2 of 3 - steering column went 100k and 110k ($3k repair).

3 of 3 - timing belt went between 105-115k

2 of 3 - transmission went 100k and 115k

2 of 3 - a front heated seat malfunctioned, he didn't replace cause of the cost audi quoted

1 of 3 - headlights malfunctioned and had to be replaced - 110k

On the flip side an Engg friend had a 2004 manual with 230k kms and his repair bill was insanely low.

It is frustrating because it was a nice solid car to drive. Good pep stock, decent fuel efficiency and all around nice car. His 03 was chipped and that was a noticeable kick in speed which was fun.

Just make sure any car you buy if you're going to spend much take it to tunedub to check some of the above issues out. They can be quite scary if you're unlucky

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by colinxx235

2 of 3 - steering column went 100k and 110k ($3k repair).

3 of 3 - timing belt went between 105-115k

Curious about these two incidents. What happened with the steering column? It wasn't the steering rack that failed, was it?

Timing belts - Did his fail and ruin the head?

[colinxx235]

Zip.

For the steering column the one had a leak that wasn't detected and went super fast. He was driving home from Quarry Park and could barely steer so pulled into glenmore. Told him column/rack went. Bill was $3300.

Second time he was aware after the first bill. His steering got stiff so I grabbed him fluid to fill up. Was fine for a few weeks then one morning went to start his car and couldn't steer. The fluid wasn't properly going to the rack and had seized up. Same nasty bill.

All three timing belts he could hear because he was driving and it was slipping/making a super loud noise. The first time he asked me to check what the noise would be and I had a feeling thats what it was. So drove to Audi and sure enough had to replace so thankfully no damage but the bill IIRC was between 2500-3000. So after that on the 2nd/3rd cars he knew the sound and immediately stopped driving car and took to Audi to prevent any disasters.

But like I said, he had some pretty bad luck with all three of his. He currently has an 08 A4 2.0T it is sitting at just under 140K without any issues since purchase at 60K.

[relyt92]

Originally posted by colinxx235
Zip.

For the steering column the one had a leak that wasn't detected and went super fast. He was driving home from Quarry Park and could barely steer so pulled into glenmore. Told him column/rack went. Bill was $3300.

Second time he was aware after the first bill. His steering got stiff so I grabbed him fluid to fill up. Was fine for a few weeks then one morning went to start his car and couldn't steer. The fluid wasn't properly going to the rack and had seized up. Same nasty bill.

All three timing belts he could hear because he was driving and it was slipping/making a super loud noise. The first time he asked me to check what the noise would be and I had a feeling thats what it was. So drove to Audi and sure enough had to replace so thankfully no damage but the bill IIRC was between 2500-3000. So after that on the 2nd/3rd cars he knew the sound and immediately stopped driving car and took to Audi to prevent any disasters.

But like I said, he had some pretty bad luck with all three of his. He currently has an 08 A4 2.0T it is sitting at just under 140K without any issues since purchase at 60K.

I've gotta ask, after 3 experiences like that why did he buy another A4?

[colinxx235]

Originally posted by relyt92
I've gotta ask, after 3 experiences like that why did he buy another A4?

Didn't say he was very bright, he loved how the car drived and wanted an A4 really bad. Only reason he turned out not bad was they all got written off for a large chunk more than he paid to offset bills.

But I know it prevented both my parents from buying Audi products the last 2 vehicles. They went with BMW/Benz to avoid.

[dennisaur]

I had a 2004 B6 A4 sedan with Unitronic stage 1+ and downpipe. I loved that car until someone rear ended it and was totaled.

Problems I had with it:
-Had a coolant leak and needed one of the flanges replaced.
-Heater stopped working. Heater core needed to be flushed.
-Kept getting error codes about the MAF, needed to be replaced.

Tunedub took care of all issues and also my maintenance. Great shop.

Also like zipdoa said above, mine also started having rust on the door blades and the fender liners were starting to wear out. Both were easily remedied but I never bothered as I considered them cosmetic and the car still ran great.

[ExtremeSi]

I just picked up a B7 A4 and while I know it's not exactly the same car, it is pretty similar to the B6. I went from an MR2 to this and I love it! I got it chipped right away at Tunedub with a Unitronic Stage 1+ and it really woke it up. Pulls about the same or harder than my MR2 did. And way smoother both in power delivery and overall driving experience.

The build quality is great, but I guess you'll already have some pretty decent quality in your Jetta. And if you're happy with your Jetta, you may not find it a big upgrade going to the A4. Although the AWD is definitely nice to have.