noah k

Hey guys!
Bought my first Audi a couple weeks ago- 2010 A4 PP Sport Package 6MT and so far, I love it! I am experiencing the same oil consumption issues that most people with these years are as well. From what I can see, Audi did a stage 1 already and now I'm waiting until the Class Action is finalized before I get the stage 2 as I'm still burning some oil.
I have been somewhat questioning my decision on the A4 after reading some of the horror stories on this forum as well with others... Engine seize, transmission shot, AMI stopped working etc. In my short experience with this car, I had to get the door fixed and the lock switch replaced. I always thought of these as premium cars that are built to last but again, discouraged from what I've been reading lately. I was deciding between this an Acura TL SH AWD and decided that this car just looks and feels better than Acura. I know Acura, Infinity and other Japanese cars can be just as expensive to buy, but with fewer issues and less expensive to maintain. Any thoughts here?

mrbooost

Congrats, nice looking car! I wouldn't worry about it too much, get the oil consumption issue addressed and enjoy it. It's hard to tell what will go wrong but my B8 (2010 as well) has been pretty reliable with only a few things repaired under warranty. It all comes down to the car's maintenance history and a bit of luck.

shs92645

For some reason, A4's have a history of being either real good or real bad. They, like all German cars, are expensive to maintain and to repair. However, there is nothing like them when it comes to driving and you will enjoy driving yours with the manual plus the sport package. As long as you are willing to do what is necessary to keep the car up, it will bring you many miles of smiles.

Fox Fader

Lol, that's funny, we have the same car.

For me, I think the reliability lies within the Audi vs the Hondas and Nissans. Heck, I've had those and had some quality problems with em and the parts were not cheap either. To me if I want to get something that's cheap to repair, I'm driving a Jeep or a Dodge.

Capital Car Guy

I too am new here, just been inspired to join after 4yrs of mostly happy and fulfilling, if not entirely care free driving of an 09 A4 Prestige. Did a lease "Take-Over" at 6 months/30K km's (18k Miles) on a 4yr term. Had some quibbles, but a large part of my ownership experience has been shaped by my Dealer.

Had steering issues ay about 25K miles, when I 1st logged it with dealer, they treated me like a moron from mars and suggested I was "imagining" it, with a "don't-tell-us-we'll-tell-you-whats-wrong" attitude. Next Service I insisted there was a still an issue, they reluctantly agreed to look at it, then called 6 hrs later to sheepishly admit that I was right, (there was a TSB issued about it) and offer me a loaner as they had to replace the entire Steering Rack under warranty. This then set the tone of our relationship thereafter. Next visit I complained of excessive engine fan engagement, they immediately suggested it could be a Water Pump/Thermostat failure, and didn't try to shroud the issue in BS.

I too had a Proximity Sensor key issue, which they obfuscated for 2 visits, by replacing batteries, saying it was temperamental, etc, then when it was off warranty last year, suddenly unprovoked diagnosed it needed not 1 but 1 Switch at each door at $250 ea. I told them to go pound sand. This was one of many questionable service practises and was to set the tone to come.

I had brought up the Oil Consumption issue frequently over 4 years and was constantly told it was "normal" and of no concern, just keep adding oil. Brought it in last week for my Winterization service, (Oil/Tire-Wheel change), with the Check Engine light glowing in the last 2 weeks and then all hell broke loose. They asked me where and what type of gas I bought, to which I replied the Premium at the Costco 2 blocks away. "That" they claimed, "is the cause of excessive Carbonization due to NOT using the recommended fuel, Shell", and that I now require a de-carbonization for $900. God forbid you don't live near a Shell station. They then went on to say "we have noticed that there has been excessive Oil Consumption", and that it will now require "Stage 1 and Stage 2 diagnostics, and then we'll go to bat for you with Audi and see if they'll underwrite a portion of the resolution costs, which will may involve up to Piston and ring replacement", for which they wanted another $900. $900 to tell me that I need $3000 in repairs. I'm no mechanic/technician, but I'm pretty convinced that the Carbonization is due to the oil leaking, but they're the experts!

They insisted I also need a new Exhaust Clamp, despite complaining about it for 2 years, WHILE it was still under warranty, but it's an issue now, and a plastic undercarriage shroud needs to be replaced, both another $900. All of this on a car with less than 53K miles of high touch maintenance and low stress mostly highway miles.

As has been mentioned by others, owning a German car is never cheap, there's an old saying; "nothings more expensive than a cheap Mercedes", and that applies to Audi's as well. Up until last week, I loved owning/driving it; it was only the 2nd Lease we bought out in 12 cars we've driven over the last 20yrs. Now I think it one of the worst automotive mistakes I ever made, our current Nissan Quest minivan being the other, and this coming from a guy that drove 3 generations of Saab's, a Subaru and an Infinity among others, which was the best ownership experience by far.

My advice is to find a good, Audi knowledgeable independent Service provider, get a new Points gathering Credit Card with zero balance and a decent limit, and try to enjoy it.

Capital Car Guy

Check this post out. Ouch!

stray123
Audiworld Junior Member
Account #: 274206

Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Fairfield, California
Posts: 18

Default Audi of America coming through and working oil consumption problem

So I purchased my 2009 A4 with 79,000 miles last year from a dude off Craigslist. Its a beautiful car...but is plagued with issues. I knew it had a coolant leak before I bought it, but since I am a prior aircraft mechanic I figured I could handle it. Well it wasn't a leaking hose, but instead a bad pump. I changed that in my garage for $300 (part from Niello Audi in Sacramento). I also noticed that the car wasn't as fast as I thought it should be, but since I am a new Audi owner I had nothing to compare it to. Needless to say the turbo was going bad after I had a shop test it (after getting a handful of underboost codes). The new turbo cost me $2000 installed. So by now, I'm starting to regret my foray into the land of Audi. I havent even began to complain about the fact that it seems like I need to add oil very often. I know turbos can burn oil, but it seemed crazy how much. So I finally decided to add a quart and reset my trip meter. I was getting about 900 miles per warning light! I learned what was wrong by browsing this message-board/forum. I called Audi of Concord in Cali (about 45 min away) and they said they would do the consumption test (not sure if it was supposed to be free or not). I get there and the attendant looks at his computer and says the last owner already did the Phase 1 and Phase 2 and that the mileage alone (it now has 87K miles) makes me ineligible for any help. He then tries to get me to trade mine in and buy another Audi. I leave pissed off that they didnt call me and save me the hassle before I took the time off from work. Then tried to get me into another Audi after seeing how they stand by their work. About 4 months later after adding what seemed like my millionth quart of oil, I've had enough. I send an e-mail to Audi of America and let them know how I felt about my situation and their cars in general (I also throw in that I'm active duty military for good measure). Two days later I get a reply from Amanda Trybon from AoA stating that the dealership made a mistake and that the dealership agreed to pay for all my consumption testing. And if it failed, the dealership would either cover the engine work completely or heavily subsidize it. Thats pretty cool for a car that is WAY over warranty and an owner that bought it 2nd hand. To add icing to the cake, when I bought my car in to Audi of Concord for the Phase 1 today, they gave me an $80K+ 2015 Audi A8 as a loaner car. Hopefully they take care of everything, but as of right now I am impressed with service tech Michael Allen at Audi Concord and Audi of America. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.
Last edited by stray123; 10-06-2014 at 07:10 PM.

Montfort

CCG I see you're from Ottawa, as am I. Just purchased a 2015 A4 from the Ottawa dealer and haven't had a need for any kind of service at this time. Was your experience at this dealer?