arf1410

I'm thinking about branching at from my previous Toyotas - Prius and Camry, and now trying an Audi A4. One of the things that concerns me are the maintenance and repair costs. My Camry made it ~130k miles with no repairs, and little maintenance, and the Prius to 150k miles, without one single repair. The prius was on the original brakes, and had the plugs changed at 120k miles. I think the Camry plugs were changed at 100k+ and one set of brakes around 90k. Audi maintenance schedule says plugs every 40k miles, and change brake fluid every 2 years. Why is it Toyota brake fluid can last indefinitely, and Audi cannot? And why does Audi use lousy spark plugs too?

uberwgn

If these costs are your primary focus, stick with an Asian car.

BeezySBaby

Couple of things here -- first, any car manufacturer suggest brake pad changes ever 30-60k miles, regardless of make. Additionally for sparkplugs, ~60-80k is good for those, again, with any make or model. Sounds a lot to me like you've never pushed the envelope for performance with any vehicle you've owned. With that in mind, it seems that you stretched every last bit of life out of both of these instances, which is excellent that nothing failed on you. In the Audi, the assumption is that you will drive it a bit harder than either of that aforementioned vehicles based not only on the technology put into it, but also the fact that it's designed with harsh conditions in mind. With more intensive driving comes more intensive wear -- I think you see where I'm going with this.

Point being that the Audi will outperform, in spades, either one of those vehicles, as it was intended to do. As such, it requires a higher level of care for the vehicle. It sounds like you came from more economy based cars, which is fine and well, but do NOT expect that out of a vehicle that will do laps around either of those cars in comfort, style, and performance.

Also, for what it's worth, brake fluid is susceptible to getting water within it, and thus, reducing its boiling point, rendering it ineffective. You outta be the judge of when to change yours based on your area. Here's an article to check out for reference. https://www.cars.com/articles/how-of...1420680336417/

PghRich

I've been doing maintenance on my own cars for over 30 years and have never seen a manufacturer recommend brake pad replacement based on mileage, before they get to the recommended thickness. Can you provide a link to a mfg's maintenance schedule. (With several SCCA titles, I assure you I haven't babied my cars).
OP, if your starting opinion is that Audi makes lousy stuff and doesn't know what it's doing, "branching out" probably isn't a good option.


fwiw, Toyota brake fluid definitely can "last indefinitely", but it almost assuredly isn't up to spec after 3-4 years. The Prius schedule calls for fluids to be inspected at every 5,000 mile interval. If your professional mechanic never changed brake fluid - shame on him//her. You also seem to mixing brakes with brake fluid - two very different maintenance items.

BeezySBaby

100% agreed, and I don't mean to confuse the fact that brake PADS should be inspected and replaced accordingly. Simply put -- if you're down with economy car maintenance, buy and economy car. If you'd like to try something a bit more high end, then prepare for higher-end costs. Really as simple as that.

arf1410

I understand that driving a car more aggressively would cause the brake pads to wear faster, and thus need more frequent replacement... but does more aggressive driving cause the brake fluid to degrade (absorb water?) faster? Until the 120k service, I had no maintenance done other than oil, tires, and a few filters on the Prius. The oil place checked the quantity and quality of the various fluids, and never recommended changing anything. If, hypothetically, I drove the Audi A4 like a grandmother, and like I drove my camry or prius, why would it need more maintenance than those cars? According to Beezy... "the fact that it's designed with harsh conditions in mind." If it was truly designed for harsh conditions, but wasn't driven harshly, shouldn't it need very little maintenance? One of the reasons I am looking at Audi but not BMW or Mercedes, is because Audi seems to have a better reputation from a repair or maintenance perspective than those other german cars... and I do like the way it drives as a nice change from generic white bread toyota....

Daaavid

Brake fluid needs to be replaced regardless of driving style or vehicle. It is hygroscopic and overtime it will absorb water and moisture reducing the boiling point. Boiling brake fluid means no braking power. There is no getting around that, over-engineered or not.

Can you drive the entire life of the car without ever changing the brake fluid? Sure, absolutely, but in the time that you need to use the brakes in an emergency maneuver, the biting point where the brakes would engage is elongated as water is compressible; hydraulic fluid is not. You also run the risk of causing corrosion in your brake hardware. It's a lose-lose situation.

dbias

Very few Prius (Prii?) probably ever have their brake fluid boil just due to the way they are typically driven. However in my opinion many more A4 and especially S4 would encounter this problem. Water when converted to steam expands 1700 times the volume of its liquid state and this forces brake fluid back towards the brake fluid reservoir and away from the area it is needed most, directly behind the piston pushing on the super heated brke pad, and so even the tiniest amount of water behind the piston will cause serious problems in braking efficiency. Additionally the resulting rust will wreak havoc on the brake system and the ABS system.
i change brake fluid every two years in all my vehicles, transmission fluid and coolant at 75% of manufacturers recommendations.

iggawiggy

Have you actually driven an A4 you're interested in yet?

I've had my B9 A4 for about 14 months now, and I still have fun when I punch it, and it's only an A4, not an S4 or RS4! I could only imagine how much more fun they are! It's definitely designed more towards the performance/technology aspect, but that's the price you pay to play.

The engine and transmission are great, I think you really need to drive one if you haven't already before you worry about the costs of ownership and decide if the increase in performance/technology is worth the increase in cost.

minmet

arf1410, my advice to you is to get a Lexus. From what I see, you don’t need performance while prefer to have luxury and low maintenance. A Lexus is perfectly fit your need. I am almost certain you will regret getting an Audi, or BMW or Mercedes.