5yrs/61K 2001 A4 $8000 in maintenance in 6 months! When will the pain end?
06-15-2006, 01:31 PM
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5yrs/61K 2001 A4 $8000 in maintenance in 6 months! When will the pain end?
At this point, I am wondering if I should have sold my 2001 A4 at the end of its original warranty and bought a new Audi. This 5th year of owning my Audi I have done the clutch, brakes, bought an extended warranty, timing belt, alignment and next possibly the catalytic converter. This amounts to over $8000 in 6 months! OMFG! This is not even counting the $5000 in stuff the extended warranty covered like the IP Cluster, power steering replacement due to leak, front and rear differencial leak fixes, etc.
Am I good for another 5 years? Is the pain almost done? Any other $1500 items I need to save up for? Is all of this cash lost or can it be recaptured in the resale value? Knowing what I know now, I would not buy a used Audi without all of this 5yr stuff already done or you'd buy half of another used Audi! Seriously - what its $15K used and I just threw down $8k (not counting $5K in warranty stuff)? That's on its way to a new one. Makes me wonder. I do love my A4 for she's killing me right now. For 4 years I had no trouble, warranty ends, and bam! Watch out!
SF A4
Am I good for another 5 years? Is the pain almost done? Any other $1500 items I need to save up for? Is all of this cash lost or can it be recaptured in the resale value? Knowing what I know now, I would not buy a used Audi without all of this 5yr stuff already done or you'd buy half of another used Audi! Seriously - what its $15K used and I just threw down $8k (not counting $5K in warranty stuff)? That's on its way to a new one. Makes me wonder. I do love my A4 for she's killing me right now. For 4 years I had no trouble, warranty ends, and bam! Watch out!
SF A4
06-15-2006, 01:36 PM
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clutch, brakes, and timing belt are wear items. Alignment is part of maintenance
catalytic converters do eventually fail, shouldn't so soon, but you are still under the 8 year/80k mile emissions warranty. 5 years driving any car would require just about all of this. The cluster and leaks are another story, which is why a warranty is good for these cars.
06-15-2006, 05:50 PM
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The pain ain't over...
There is a list of other things that will need attention over time. The problem as I see it is that you lump regular maintenance and unexpected repairs into the same bucket. Second, understand that you'll have to replace some wear and tear items more often that a japanese car (suspension items, electrical items). If you're aware of the mileage, you should be prepared for both of the above items.
The next big item was the extended warranty...seemingly a wise decision on your part. That was a pre-emptive move but you can hardly throw that on the balance sheet against the "wrongs" your car has committed.
Looking at the numbers...it seems you're not being wise about how much you're paying for repairs. I suspect you could save a lot of money if you shopped around and found a more reasonable shop to perform the repair work.
Finally, that clutch should have lasted a lot longer. If it let go because of wear and tear, you're abusing the car or just have poor driving habits. Either way, it's on you, because that clutch could easily have gone twice as long. Can't blame the car or manufacturer for this.
As for recouping these items at resale...no f'ing way! You're doing this stuff to keep the car in normal operating condition. Had you not done it, it might give a prospective buyer a reason to bargain you down on the price, but since you have done it, it's an added selling point (to gain extra interest), but you're not going to command a premium that would even *nearly* compare to what you've put into it.
If you're going to continue thinking and making decisions the way you have been, it would be wise to consider a new car right now.
The next big item was the extended warranty...seemingly a wise decision on your part. That was a pre-emptive move but you can hardly throw that on the balance sheet against the "wrongs" your car has committed.
Looking at the numbers...it seems you're not being wise about how much you're paying for repairs. I suspect you could save a lot of money if you shopped around and found a more reasonable shop to perform the repair work.
Finally, that clutch should have lasted a lot longer. If it let go because of wear and tear, you're abusing the car or just have poor driving habits. Either way, it's on you, because that clutch could easily have gone twice as long. Can't blame the car or manufacturer for this.
As for recouping these items at resale...no f'ing way! You're doing this stuff to keep the car in normal operating condition. Had you not done it, it might give a prospective buyer a reason to bargain you down on the price, but since you have done it, it's an added selling point (to gain extra interest), but you're not going to command a premium that would even *nearly* compare to what you've put into it.
If you're going to continue thinking and making decisions the way you have been, it would be wise to consider a new car right now.
06-15-2006, 07:37 PM
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When will the pain end?
When you sell it at a loss!! I have put $5K in mine in the last 18 months. Just dropped another $500 to fix the sunroof, that was parts alone. Cannot wait for the next unexpected repair bill. Good thing that I have learned to do a lot of the stuff on my own.
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06-15-2006, 08:17 PM
#8
I am thankul that I am lucky I guess. 75K and only
clutch, chain tensioner, brake booster valve and I think thats it off the top of my head. Not even a bulb. Biggest repeated expense are the tires.
