1) How well do you think the reliability of the B7 A4 stacks amongst it's predecessors and current competitors such as the Infiniti G35? Even if it's something minor, how often did you have to visit the dealer? How often do you think you will have to visit the dealer in the future? How long do you usually have to leave the car at the dealer and if it's long periods of time, do you always get a loaner? I know more goodies will mean more failure. Time bringing into the dealer is wasting money as they say "time is money" (...and I always tip my mechanics for anything I have to bring my car in for). I must say, the b7 A4 seems like a very good buy for it's luxories and performance capability also quattro.

2) Is it capable of making the A4 handle as well as the S4?

3) I'm not going to lie, my mind is set on the A4 and G35. I can get the G35 for 700 over invoice. How much should I expect to pay for a A4 with quartz paint, tech, premium, and nav+ package?


Thanks. If my criteria is met, I might be an A4 brother.

 

i.e. the A4 comes in 2 engine choices, a sedan or avant, and a stick or auto tranny, and quattro or front wheel drive.

i have a b6 a4...

in 4 years while under warranty i was at the dealership 21 times always essentially minor issues... usually a page or 2 write-up with different little things gone wrong.

i guess normal would be 4 visits to the dealer for the 4 free scheduled checkups my car was to have.

But its not as bad as that makes it sound

 

however, i need to go to the dealership often. in the past 2months, my fuel pump died 60 miles from home. car had to be towed. I blew the engine/head. Car was in the shop for 1+ week. my cluster says my brake light is out, however its not, plus my left and right side brake lights intermitently go out,and i have to bang on the assembly for them to reactivate. this was in my b6.

mjy b7 is at the dealer waiting to be picked up.....after i blew the engine iw as close to buying an is350.

some people get lucky, some don't.

 

I was thinking how close to invoice. I'm not sure on the avant or sedan, their both pretty cars.

 

Hope it didn't die while you were driving. Sounds serious but you still chose to go with audi. Were you modded? How did you feel about your engine blowing that would still purchase an Audi?

 

engine blew when i was driving also. There just aren't any other cars i would purchase that is equivalent to an a4. the is250 is too slow, and infiniti is crap. i would never be a nabisco.

I lease all my cars, so things like that don't bother me too much. WE'll see how this next lease goes. I want to keep a winter car, it would be nice if i don't have any problems with this one.

 

It was just bad luck. My engine blew two valves thru the piston, and it wasn't an isolated case in that particular batch. They lemoned it and I bought 3 Audis since, with only minor complaints (speak: rattles galore).

 

The A6 was in the shop for a leaking headlight washer nozzle and brake pads. That was its three year service history. My 2006 A4 has only been around for two months, so it's a bit early to reach any conclusions. So far, it's been flawless...hope it stays that way.

 

I've owned a few new cars in my life, including my wife's current Nissan minivan. My SENSE, backed up by no data, is that Honda and Toyota blow everyone else away. But, that said, based on my experience with my B5, I think Audi is pretty good. I had two problems not covered under warranty over seven years and 70K miles(and no major ones during warranty that I can think of): water pump failure around 50K miles, and two leaking seals (cam seal rear diff). The water pump cost $700 as I recall (at the dealership), which is outrageous. The seals were about $500 together.

This isn't stellar reliability, but I think it is good enough that I just purchased a B7. My wife's minivan has been less reliable than the Audi, and my sense from reading Fresh Alloy.com (a good G35 forum is locate there), the G35s have a LOT of issues related to tire wear, brake wear, paint that is prone to chipping, and interior parts that the finish comes off of (wtf?).

One thing that you should keep in mind when reading info like I just posted -- I am biased, and I think most freaks like me that read this forum every day are too. I love Audis and reliability has little to do with it. At the same time, keep in mind that Audis (and other german cars) tend to be higher priced cars, and they tend to be owned by car freaks with higher-than average incomes, so they tend to be better taken care of than, say, Accords and Camrys, which are owned primarily by people who can't/won't open the hood (GENERALIZATION all you Honda owners). That makes me think even MORE highly of Honda/Toyota reliability. But, who knows, maybe Audi and BMW owners drive their cars harder, which contributes to them being less reliable. Hard to say.

I've posted elsewhere on this board that I REALLY wanted to like the G35, but I just couldn't do it. The car didn't work for me, and the reliability concerns were real too.

Good luck.

 

I've had mine for about seven months and 6,000 miles, including one recent road trip. My impressions and experience thus far:

-Car arrived with excellent fit-and-finish inside and out that has remained solid thus far. With proper care (frequent washes done myself, including detailing with high-quality products -- I personally have had excellent luck with the Menzerna line and 303 Aerospace Protectant), the car looks brand new, the new car smell is still fairly strong and the paint quality is really superb.

-Defects at delivery were minimal: the car needed alignment, the steering wheel was slightly off-center, and a lock to a folding rear seat did not work properly. The first two have been corrected, the third seems to have been fixed but seems a bit temperamental.

-No mechanical problems. Motor pulls well, does not use oil, fuel economy matches EPA ratings.

-One defect since arrival has been the electronic key fob, an item subject to a technical service bulletin and one commonly discussed on this forum. Replacement takes a few weeks (keys are shipped in from Germany via New Jersey) and requires a visit to the dealer for reprogramming, but is covered under warranty.

-No squeaks or rattles at all, the interior is rock solid.

I also looked at the G35 sedan. The fit-and-finish is a notch or three below that of the A4, while the interior quality below what belongs in a $30k+ car. Furthermore, locating a sedan with a manual transmission is basically impossible, so self-shifters will want a coupe, special order (read: pay a premium), or take a pass. G35's have a history of burning through brake rotors like they're going out of style, but the 3.5 liter is one of the best motors on the market, delivers great performance (although fuel economy is horrible) and should be highly reliable.

On the whole, particularly if buying a 2.0 liter turbo A4, I would be careful to follow a strict maintenance schedule that exceeds what is provided as part of the free maintenance plan. The 1.8 liter turbo had oil sludge problems due to coking, and I would expect these to be avoidable in the 2.0 liter if you change oil at 5,000 mile/ 6 month intervals or better -- this means paying for extra oil changes off-schedule, rather than relying strictly on AoA to pay for all of your maintenance. You should also be sure to let the engine idle for a minute or two after driving to be sure that coolant has a chance to circulate, as is the case with any turbocharged engine.

I would suspect that the Audi involves some risk, because the Japanese do a better job of forward-engineering reliability into the design process, whereas B5 and B6 A4's have been a mixed bag, varying from outstanding to mediocre to awful, depending upon the car. (Some people have awful cars, others have niggling problems, some have terrific luck with no problems.)

Before taking delivery of an A4, I'd thoroughly inspect and test-drive the specific car that you'd be buying to make sure that yours got the QC treatment that it deserved. Of course, you should do this with any car, but I'd bet that this is more important with an A4 than it would be with the Infiniti.