A4 Reliability

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Aug 18, 1999 | 05:06 AM

Joe B

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A4 Reliability

Hello,

I have been thinking about buying an upcoming A4 in 2000 and had a question for you long-term owners. How reliable has your car been? No trips to the dealer for a problem? A lot of trip? How is Audi at resolving defects? Thanks in advance.

Aug 18, 1999 | 05:36 AM

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You're going to find a wide variety of experiences...

If you look at the archives, you'll find that people's experiences are all over the map. Most have had very few and minor problems and some have had significant problems. The same goes with repairs - some dealers do a good job but some don't. For what it's worth, the A4 has done OK in the Consumer Reports ratings - somewhere in the neighborhood of avg to above avg. for problems.

In my opinion, I wouldn't use this forum to decide for you whether the A4 is reliable or not. This forum is great however to helping diagnose problems once they occur.

Good luck.

Tom
1.8TQMS Silver/Ecru

Aug 18, 1999 | 08:26 AM

Philip

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Re: A4 Reliability (longish reply)

Though my evidence is limited, I suspect currect model A4s are more reliable than some previous years (1997, for example). Had a '97 A42.8QM that had repeated nagging problems including alarm module (seatbelts not fastened, door ajar, lights on, etc.) that failed three times and required three replacement instrument clusters and six shop visits; sunroof that took on a mind of it's own; suspension creaks in warm weather; incorrect tach readings; etc. The car never failed, but much time was wasted going back and forth for service.

Recently traded the '97 for a similar '99.5. So far, it's been flawless, though mileage (about 3.5K) is still low. Also, have anecdotal evidence that '98 and newer A4s are comparatively problem free. One dealer employee--with nothing to gain by misleading me--told me his dad had a problem-prone '96, which was replaced eventually by a '98 that gave no trouble. Also, before our problems mounted, friends bought a '98 after experiencing our '97. Their car has been perfect.

Hope this helps.