hacker-pschorr

It doesn't help when the scheduled maintenance states the transmission fluid is good for the life of the car and oil change intervals are 20,000+

IMO the biggest problem with Audi reliability is the dealerships. I've seen way too many Audi's lave the dealer after a timing belt change only to see on the repair order the tensioner, rollers, and water pump not replaced. Just a new belt slapped on and "inspected" listed for the other parts.

To think people pay extra for a CPO car that was inspected by the same people. It's mind blowing.

ilko

A4 allroad.

Cosmo Kramer

I have a 2007 A4 Quattro that I have had for about a year. No mechanical issues to report. Only gripe I have is the interior creaks a but over sharp bumps, but this might be a byproduct of the sport suspension option. As far as being hard to work on I think it depends on the model. My car with the 2.0T has tons of room to get at stuff.

hacker-pschorr

It's the V6 and V8 that get the hard to work on reputation.

To do a timing belt you remove everything in front of the engine. Bumper, cross brace, radiator etc... To the lay-person this is a big deal and get's overblown when customers see the nose of their car gone.
To any mechanic, this is a Godsend since it makes doing the actual work a piece of cake.

Now if you want to talk about the oil fed cam timing adjusters and the effects of long oil change intervals and using crappy oil.....this is a legit problem.

dagame27

I bought a 2003 S8 a few years ago w/ 80K on the clock. I am now at 163K. The only non-maintenance repairs have been an ABS sensor and a door lock. My dad has driven Audi's for years. The only one I can recall him having issues with was a 91 200 20v wagon. Everything else has run like a champ.

hacker-pschorr

Wow, that's odd. The 5-cylinders are regarded as some of the most bullet proof engines to ever come out of Ingolstadt.

zone5

If you have a good indy the German cars are OK to own after the warranty runs out, with few exceptions. But you have to be obsessive about the maintenance schedule.

If you're going to depend on the stealer to maintain it, forget it. Seems like their main goal is to bleed you so dry, you'll give up and trade in the old one to them and get a new one off the lot. They make money twice (actually 3x when you consider the repair rip-offs).

IMO anyone who is financially responsible and owns outright a solid German car out of warranty, and has a good indy, the costs of maintaining it/fixing it are compelling to the point where you could easily drive 300-400,000 miles without finally giving up and buying a new one.

I have an '01 X5 owned since new I've put 125 k on, have put about 7k in unscheduled maintenance since the warranty expired, however car runs great/looks new and has all the bells and whistles I could ever ask for. No way am I ready to drop 45 grand to "upgrade" to a new equivalent vehicle.

Tippy

I want to punch the engineer in the face who designed the need to remove the entire, and I mean the ENTIRE front end of the car to change a timing belt.

I had to do it twice within less than 2 years of ownership.

This was a '98 A6

Tippy

I'll add this too, I've rebuilt my '87 911 engine.

I could never figure out how to remove the alternator on the A6.

Maybe you have to drop the engine to get to it.

dagame27

It wasn't the engine that gave him issues. It was the brakes and electronics.

hacker-pschorr

Did you skip over my post about that?
https://rennlist.com/forums/9122867-post49.html

Tippy

Yeah, I saw it after I posted.

I still have nightmares about that car..... j/k

kris

6th Audi here, A8, best car I've ever owned. I actually managed 800 miles on one fuel tank. Combine this with 240 hp and you've got one of the best highway cruiser around. My daily commute is better than ever and I would buy another one without hesitation.

CPR

Diesel?

kris

Yep but 1,000 lbs lighter than the Q7 with the same engine.