1.8TQ99.5

For all those who are wondering about buying an Audi, here is a list of problems I have had since excitedly picking up my brand new car less than 2 years ago (listed in order of decreasing importance to me):

- <b>chipped exhaust valve</b> (engine shut down at 130km/hr [80mph], took a week to fix. The metal chip could still be lodged in the engine/converter/muffler for all I know.)
- <b>engine misfiring</b> (rough idling when starting; several times they replaced the ecu, spark plugs, still happens)
- <b>oil leaking</b> (oil filter problem)
- <b>trunk leaking</b> (water collecting in the spare tire well, never found the reason)
- <b>trip computer display fading at the edges</b>
- <b>cruise control cuts out intermittently</b> (can't duplicate at dealer's, so they won't fix it.)
- <b>radio display scrambled</b> (happens around freezing temps, inconsistent, so they won't fix it.)
- <b>fog lights</b> (keep burning out one after another)

<u>My Audi:</u>
A4 99.5 1.8T Tiptronic quattro
60,000 km (38,000 mi)
less than 2 years old
no mods

I am a conservative driver and take exceptional care of my car.

I am disappointed with the quality and reliability of my Audi, and I am not likely to buy another one. It's a big enough headache taking care of all this under warranty, but having to pay for these constant repairs out-of-pocket is not my idea of car ownership in the 21st century.

I was as excited as anyone here when I bought my A4 (no cheap car, either,) still love every second of driving it and will likely miss it. But it would be irresponsible of me to buy another Audi after the experience I've had with this one.

Once you lose faith in your vehicle, once you can't rely on it anymore, once you start holding your breath every time you go to start it, once you start to worry about driving a secluded road in the middle of the night should your car die, it's time to ditch it.

Judging from some of the posts I've seen here, my problems aren't even the worst case.

Many of you will disagree with me, will point to your own worry-free ownership experiences; good luck to you. Really.

I'm done.

AndrewM (azdaspeed3)

im sorry man. ive had some problems too, but i love it too much. good luck with your next car

1.8TQ99.5

I love it too, but it's just discouraging. I need to be able to rely on my car.

kaiser_chef_beets

i thought i had problems

Jason H

you form a bond of trust with a car you love, when it lets you down, it's hard if not impossible to recover the pride of ownership and enjoyment you had before. The only solution is to try something else, I completely agree with you.

On the other side NO car manufacturer builds perfect cars all the time, or builds a complete disaster sometimes. I'm not trying to disuade you from switching, it sounds like its for the best, but in reading other forums, there are horror stories EVERYWHERE. "I'll never buy another... (BMW, Volvo, Benz, Lexus (yep, even them), Audi etc)". Just keep that in mind, although I wish you nothing but the best of luck, and hope you score a bulls-eye in quality on your next car whatever it is rather than another sucker, that would just be too cruel.

36k and NO probs (fingers crossed) with mine, see ya around. Stop in and lets us know how things go.

Teutonic Titwillow

If you really want die hard reliability, Honda/Acura products are generally very trustworthy. I had a 92 Acura Integra (never riced out) that was a lot of fun to drive, and started on the first turn of the key every time I ever got in it.

I have been fortunate to not have any major problems with my Audi. *knocking wood while typing* Good Luck to you.

Chris B.
98.5 1.8TM APR

1.8TQ99.5

You are right, any car can break down.

A friend's Camry had its cooling fan snap off its axis and rip through the rad. Not fun. A relative's Merc was a total disaster (leaks, break-downs, etc.) You hear good and bad stories everywhere.

But you can't help but go with the accepted stereotypes -- Japanese are reliable if unexciting, Germans are exciting but expensive to fix and need to be fixed often, American.. well, mainly ugly, unreliable, but powerful and cheap.

It will take me a long time to accept the fact that I have to part with my Audi, I love it as much as anyone here.

It's truly a sad day.

Jason H

The last time at 150k it required an entire engine core replacement that nearly cost the value of the car, but I didn't have the funds for a new car at that point so... And I took as good of care of it as I do my Audi. Just as a suggestion. Volvo has always had a pretty good rep for quality as well as (of course) safety, and I personally think the new S60 is pretty cool, I'd check it out. I would if my A4 started giving me the s**ts, I just couldn't bring my self to go to that "propeller" brand!

1.8TQ99.5

I still have trouble breaking free of Volvo's "world's fastest tractor" boxy image. But you are right, the new S-series is sharp. Hope it's reliable. That's all I ask.

Stang Guy

I've had more than my share with other makes and models, along with futile attempts to use muscle cars from the 60's as daily drivers. Nothing worse than getting in a car and gambling on it starting.

If I were you I would trade that bad boy right now on another car of your choosing. In this day and age it is really unacceptable to put up with these problems, and the odds of you getting another "lemon" would be pretty slim.

Good luck.