marjen

So we are real close to pulling trigger on a 2009 A4 for my daughters first car. Was not looking at audi, she wanted a mazda 3, but came across one that looks solid and the price is right. Car fax looks clean, checked it out in person, drove nice, engine sounded ok, everything seemed to work, int/ext were in good shape. Anything major to be concerned about with the 2009? It has 114,000 miles. She wont be driving a lot, just around town to school, soccer practice, part time job etc. Thanks.

PS I am a little jealous, always wanted an A4, although I love my 15 mustang, I think I might take the A4 for a spin once in awhile

BMWBig6

Things to check on 2009 (and many early B8 A4's) include:

1) Some early cars had excessive oil consumption. There is a manufacturer-backed extended warranty (to 8 years or 80k miles) with service campaign to remedy early cars with bad pistons/rings. You're way out of warranty by now (and some customers out of warranty have received assistance from Audi after 80k miles) but that would be a gamble. It's possible the car you're considering already got the oil consumption fixes.

2) Some early cars also had turbo issues though I think the number affected was very limited. Audi also extended the warranty on those parts.

3) Some early cars had a steering vibration at parking lot speeds, fixed by a redesigned power steering hose. It's not really a "problem" that is going to leave you stranded, just a refinement issue.

4) Some early cars had a high speed steering shimmy, fixed by redesigned control arms.

Check the vehicle's history and service record if possible. All of the above may have already been addressed.

A4Driver

My '09 A4 -- with 54,000 miles on the clock -- has had a couple of issues:

• My engine started using about a quart of oil every 1,000 miles. Brought the car to my dealership under the class-action lawsuit and they replaced the main crank seal and various other parts, completely fixing the problem. This was done earlier this year at no charge to me, even though my car was out of warranty.

• The car developed a slow-speed shudder in the steering system. Brought it to the dealership and they replaced a steering hose. The problem went away ... temporarily. About a year later, the shudder returned, and the hose was replaced with a new part as per an updated technical service bulletin. Unfortunately, about two years later, the shudder has returned. The first two times the hoses were replaced under warranty. But now that I am out of warranty, I don't know if I'll bother to have it fixed.

• Occasionally I will get warning lights in my instrument panel for my emergency brake and my passenger airbag. My dealer says I have a faulty airbag sensor in the passenger seat (somehow this is also affecting my emergency brake). The dealership wants $1,600 to fix it.

• The only other problem I had was a noisy bushing in the front suspension -- it was replaced under warranty.

Other than those issues, my car has been pretty reliable. I guess it helps that I baby it -- keep stoplight races to a minimum, try to avoid panic braking, avoid taking corners on two wheels, etc.
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marjen

Thanks guys. I am having it inspected tomorrow by a shop that only works on german cars, supposed to have a good reputation, see what they find.

I guess I am most worried about the timing belt. I think Audi recommends changing it at 80k? and I am guessing it has not been changed. Hate to shell our huge cash right away.

jagtoes

1st the 2009 does not have a timing belt the redesigned the engine in 2008 and it now has a chain. As for reliability I think you will get a varied opinion. My kig got a CPO 2009 with 21K miles on it. I service the car and it now has 69K miles on it. Oil and filter change every 5000 miles and it uses 1 quart in 3000 +/- miles. Only needed front brake pads and other then air filter replacement the car has NEVER been to a dealer for any work since we bought it. Other then I still don't accept the oil usage the car has been very good. To bad you are not close as we just put the car up for sale for $14,000.

JD15

Others have well summarized the list of problems on the 2009 A4. Frankly, if it were me, I would avoid a seven year old Audi with over 100,000 miles and pursue something newer and more reliable, like the Mazda 3 you mentioned, or an Accord. The probability that an Audi with an unknown history will have multiple expensive repairs is too high, particularly for a new driver.

marjen

Well i took the car to a shop that only works on german car. They felt everything looked very good. No leaks, engine was dry, everything looked tight, they found no issues other than a bad battery. They felt it was a very good car in excellent condition. They checked the ECU and it showed no issues. They saw no signs of accidents, which car fax supports. So we are going for it. I feel it will be a safer vehicle than some of the other options, and really like it have the AWD. She wont be putting a lot of miles on it. Honestly first used car I have purchased since I was a teenager myself. Hopefully it serves her well.

jagtoes

Good luck and may she enjoy the ride. Please keep us posted as it would be nice to see this go many more miles trouble free.

VegasAudiB8Sport

I have owned a 2009 A4 for 4 years; I would definitely recommend monitoring the oil consumption and if it is burning oil (about 1 quart per 1k miles) then call your nearest Audi dealership right away. they will replace many costly parts as well as piston rings if needed at absolutely no cost to you. There is an extended warranty due to a class action lawsuit.

Other than that, I have only had to replace coil packs due to misfiring when accelerating. If you don't want to be charged an arm and a leg for parts and service, most problems can be troubleshooted on this forum, and OEM parts are affordable through genuinevwaudiparts.com.