Anyone put big miles on an Audi?

[Nicad]

I was at the ski hill parking lot today and saw a guy I had seen over the years beside his idling 2004 6 speed Audi Allroad.I had a chat with him. It was quite modified. Bigger Turbos, injectors, software…etc. He said it was putting out 400HP. He also said he had about 250,000 Km on it if I recall correctly.
Mentioned the quirky and problematic air suspension, but said he liked the air spring system.
Ontario is getting an absolutely stellar winter. I shovelled 3.5 feet of snow off our steps today. My RWD 3 Series Wagon is almost a danger to take into crazy rural weather, but so far I like it too.

I have always thought of Audis as having very sub standard electrical VW type stuff, but has anyone had a long and satisfying relationship without crazy expenses?

I really do love the looks of the all road. I think it is pretty timeless.

 

[kasbatts]

I don't own one ( don't think I could afford the upkeep! They and most euro cars are very pricy to fix and service here in NZ ) but I know a few people who have owned 4-6 year old ones and have spent a bomb on repairs.
I do like them, I think they are very nice cars, but i think if I was to buy one I would only buy new and get out of it at the end of the factory warranty.

I guess if you really want one and if you can afford it an aftermarket warranty would be a safe option

Or buy a Toyota

 

[Polariscsl]

I do 25k miles a year in an e60 550i and find the support from the BMW extended warranty excellent. I pay £42 per month and it covers the car for any failures. It removes the risk of being fleeced by main dealers which is the only reason I buzz around in a car like this - there is no way I would have bought it originally without it!

VW/ Audi are famous for high warranty claims here and my friend who works at Audi said that 70% of their workshop time was warranty work. Audi don't offer a system like BMW so god knows what people do once the normal 3 years is up.

 

[rsporsche]

my wife drives an audi q5 - 2010 model, luckily i bought it with all of the maintenance covered for the first 50k. there are a ton of sensors on the car. we had a check engine light come on, so we had them scan the code ... and there was some carbon build up. they were going to spend 2.5 days taking it apart to clean it. i had a different idea, take it for a nice long highway drive to louisiana and back. amazing, when i got home, the engine light was off. no need for 2.5 days of service.

i am not sure i want to own one that is not under warranty or extended warranty.

 

[CSteve]

A recent Tech Q&A in the Roundel said essentially the same thing. When your new BMW is approaching the end of the warranty - unload it.

 

[Sven]

Bob,

I think it is a bit hit and miss with these cars. It also depends on wether you plan on doing your own work. I presently have 3 Audi A4's (b5 chassis from 2000/2001). I bought the first one new. It now has 125k miles on it. Major work over the years, clutch change, timing belt change, and front suspension replacement. All of which would be expensive if done by the dealer. The cars are fairly easy to work on. The only electrical issue I have had on the three (and it exists on all) is that some of the pixels are starting to fail on the center display screen. The VAG com software makes it fairly easy to diagnose problems. In the snow and ice the quattros are great. The Allroad is probably even better because of the road clearance. The four wheel drive is always on so it does not wait until the rears slip before engaging them (like my Volvo).

Having said all that, my '01's thermostat just failed (stuck open). Now to replace the thermo, you have to remove the bumper and front carrier (basically the front end of the car), then the belts, including timing and finally the water pump to get to the thermostat. So while I am in there - replace hoses, belts, timing belt and water pump. About $560 in parts. and 1-2 days labor.

The third A4Q is an avant that has 174k on it and runs well. It has an almost perfect body and is being converted to a 2.5 TDI 6 speed.

So which obsession is cheaper? Coupes or A4's? So far the combined dollars spent on three A4's (including purchase) easily less than one coupe.

 

[deQuincey]

i own a 2002 audi a4 avant, 290.000 kms, no issues, will keep it for my oldest son

 

[vince]

We recently added a car to the household for my daughter/wife to drive. Everything we have (with the exception of my company SUV - that only my wife and I can drive) has a stick. We have all kinds of hills around here so we thought an automatic was the best choice for my daughter. My first choice was an Allroad, I've lusted after them ever since they came out. We had budgeted 6K with a stretch to 7 for the right car. The prices are low enough now on the Allroads that I thought for sure I could find nice one for that money.

Boy, was I wrong. Sure, you can find them all day long for 6 to 7K but there's a reason there so many are on the market. Nobody maintains them properly after the warranty is up. After doing some research, I found that 3 things will fail - not maybe but for sure. Timing belt, transmission, and the airbag suspension. If any of those have not been previously addressed, your looking at huge repair costs.

I looked at 5 of them and all were beautiful cars but each had at least one of these issues. I finally gave up and went with my second choice - our first BMW with an auto.

We love it.

 

[Nicad]

Thanks for all the replies. As I slept I was greeted by another reason to switch vehicles. When I awoke, I was snowed in by an overnight deluge. I had my Wife's Acura MDX which is on new Blizzaks and will go through anything, but not this morning. The dog and I were stranded till Duane came and freed us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_6JW8EiN7Y

Sven, that TDI conversion sounds very neat. Wish we had some of the bigger Euro diesels here.

DQ, I would expect an Audi of any type would last forever with you as the owner.
Love the E39 wagon, but probably not enough traction for me.

 

[Luis A.]

Bob, I had a '98 A6 (C5 platform same as the '04 Allroad) which owned from new until 2008 and put 18X,XXX miles on it. No electrical issues except the lost pixels as Sven indicated but there is an ftermarket fix for that. It was a good vehicle but rust was starting to show ono the bottom edge of the front doors.

Big deal for me was the VAG-COM software Sven mentioned. It's like having the factory computer with all manner of detailed diagnostics and reprogramming ability. Such a capable and affordable aftermarket solution doesn't exist for BMW, and it was that reason that ulitmately had me sell my E60 535Xi (plus after 2 years I still hadn't fallen in love w the styling) and get into another A6, a 2008. I keep my daily drivers long term and the availability of service support in the form of software, manuals, etc from the factory is huge for me. And as we know BMW sucks at that.

Removing the front "carrier" becomes a <15 minute operation after you've done it once. I did all service myself, timing belt/pump/thermostat being the most involved that it required. Front suspension 're-do' and AT filter (drop the pan) was not overly difficult either.

 

[dang]

My angle on this topic is that I buy a lot of different cars for work, including Allroads for parts. They're good "fluff" cars for us, meaning we sell a lot of little stuff off of them that adds up to good money, but I don't expect to sell the 2.7L engines. They seem to be very bullet prove as far as the long block goes so they sit in the warehouse. We never sell carriers or manual transmission but we do sell the auto transmissions. I usually base my "reliability" of vehicles by looking at how the used parts sell (or don't sell).

Overall, my opinion is that there is a BIG fan base out there for Audis but since I've never owned one I haven't had the chance to build any confidence in the brand.

Dan

 

[gmad]

leased a 2003 b6 a4 avant and and an 06 b8 04 avant, owned a 2006 a6 avant and currently drive a 2011 b8 S4. My wife drives a 2010 A5. The S4 and A5 were 'preowned' and have the CPO warranty....which is helpful.

Lovely cars, beautifully styled, well suited to the BC winter, particularly when equipped with proper tires. The the b8 a4 Avant was my favourite, nice blend of performance,styling, economy (6spd manual 2.0), and caused 0 problems in 3 years. A6 was a nightmare, major problems included carbon buildup in the direct injection 3.2 6, leaky airbags in the suspension, sunroof that exploded from the inside out etc.

So far the S4 and A5 have been relatively trouble free over 50k, and are fun to drive. Our intent is to own both until they become overly troublesome.

Picture attached is 2210589, first time I have got around to sharing.

 

[Sven]

gmad - Very nice looking coupe. I love the Ceylon color on this car. If you are ever up for a visit, we have quite a few coupes down here in the Seattle area.

 

[vince]

Gmad-

Great looking coupe, love the color! Please post some more pictures and some history when you get a chance.

Thanks-

 

[p.smitty]

Older Audi S8

About 5 years ago I bought a 2002 Audi S8 with 90K miles on it. I had the timing belt replaced and new tires put on it. It is now nearing 140K and has not cost me any money except for normal maint. (oil changes, brake fluid flushings, wheel alignment, etc). If you Google reliability reports on this series of Audi's, you'll find that they have very good reliability ratings and are cheap to buy. I paid $9,000 for mine.
I put studded tires on my S8 every winter and it will go anywhere that I want to go. Plus, it's pretty damn fast and fun to drive. 15-way adjustable, heated seats and a lot of options. I would buy another in a minute.

Pat

 

[kasbatts]

I guess its stuff like this that ruins the reputation, however it's fair to say that plenty of stuff goes wrong with other car makes as well.

Copied from this mornings news

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Car traps woman inside on 41-degree day
By DAVID MCCOWEN
Last updated 09:57 09/01/2014


Amanda Stevens only wanted to go home for lunch, but within minutes of stepping into her Audi Q3 last Saturday, she found herself trapped inside the car and struggling to breathe.

The keyless-entry car had locked her in. It was 41 degrees outside, she was in a car park and she did not have a phone to call for help.

I was a wreck. I nearly died

"I got in, shut the door, went to press the start button and a message came up saying 'key not identified'," Ms Stevens, from Noosa, Queensland, said.

"All the doors locked themselves. I thought 'that's not good' ... I tried to wind the windows down and open the doors. When that didn't work I started to panic. I was trapped.

"Within a couple of minutes I was struggling to breathe inside the car, because it was parked in the sun."

She began waving to passers-by and bashing on the car windows for help. After about 12 minutes, she caught the attention of a man walking past, who managed to open the door from the outside.

Audi spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf said there were no known faults with the Q3's locking mechanism and Audi had towed the car away to investigate what had happened.

Ms Stevens said she wanted to know what had gone wrong with the car. She had not driven it since and said the incident could have been tragic.

"I was a wreck. I nearly died," she said.

"I was really lucky that I didn't have a baby or any children in the car."

Fairfax Australia motoring editor Toby Hagon became trapped inside a Porsche - with his child - in a similar incident in 2010.

Technicians determined that electronic interference had blocked signals from the Porsche's wireless smart key and that had caused the doors and windows to lock.

Porsche spokesman Paul Ellis said at the time that "external interference is not something that can be completely eliminated and you do get black holes where interference is possible".

The Porsche Panamera uses a smart key similar to Ms Stevens' Audi.

An Ambulance NSW spokesman said it was rare for paramedics to treat adults stuck in cars.

But he said children trapped in hot cars could suffer "damage to body cells leading to unconsciousness, shock, organ failure and death". Adults were less likely to be injured.

-Fairfax News Australia

 

[Stevehose]

I am sure "60 Minutes" and "Dateline NBC" can't wait to do a story

I guess its stuff like this that ruins the reputation, however it's fair to say that plenty of stuff goes wrong with other car makes as well.

Copied from this mornings news

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Car traps woman inside on 41-degree day
By DAVID MCCOWEN
Last updated 09:57 09/01/2014


Amanda Stevens only wanted to go home for lunch, but within minutes of stepping into her Audi Q3 last Saturday, she found herself trapped inside the car and struggling to breathe.

The keyless-entry car had locked her in. It was 41 degrees outside, she was in a car park and she did not have a phone to call for help.

I was a wreck. I nearly died

"I got in, shut the door, went to press the start button and a message came up saying 'key not identified'," Ms Stevens, from Noosa, Queensland, said.

"All the doors locked themselves. I thought 'that's not good' ... I tried to wind the windows down and open the doors. When that didn't work I started to panic. I was trapped.

"Within a couple of minutes I was struggling to breathe inside the car, because it was parked in the sun."

She began waving to passers-by and bashing on the car windows for help. After about 12 minutes, she caught the attention of a man walking past, who managed to open the door from the outside.

Audi spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf said there were no known faults with the Q3's locking mechanism and Audi had towed the car away to investigate what had happened.

Ms Stevens said she wanted to know what had gone wrong with the car. She had not driven it since and said the incident could have been tragic.

"I was a wreck. I nearly died," she said.

"I was really lucky that I didn't have a baby or any children in the car."

Fairfax Australia motoring editor Toby Hagon became trapped inside a Porsche - with his child - in a similar incident in 2010.

Technicians determined that electronic interference had blocked signals from the Porsche's wireless smart key and that had caused the doors and windows to lock.

Porsche spokesman Paul Ellis said at the time that "external interference is not something that can be completely eliminated and you do get black holes where interference is possible".

The Porsche Panamera uses a smart key similar to Ms Stevens' Audi.

An Ambulance NSW spokesman said it was rare for paramedics to treat adults stuck in cars.

But he said children trapped in hot cars could suffer "damage to body cells leading to unconsciousness, shock, organ failure and death". Adults were less likely to be injured.

-Fairfax News Australia