My 2000 Ford Taurus may be on its last legs. I inherited it as a company car and it's done very well. 150,000 miles with all original everything. Other than changing its oil every 3,000 miles (almost religiously) I've spent very little in any type of repair.

I've always wanted a convertible, and plan to buy one when the Taurus finally dies, and the A4 (with quattro) is on the top of my list.

My question is how dependable are the Audis? I know that the engine and all wheel drive are very dependable, but are the electronics okay, or are they problematic? Am I buying a car that I probably won't have to worry about, or do they start causing minor problems after awhile.

Most Volkswagen owners experience electrical problems, nothing thats stranded anyone, but also nothing easily (and cheaply) diagnosed and repaired. I was wondering if Audis share these same traits.

Thank you.

 

2002 A4 owner here.

Audi's are very unreliable. My A4 has had numerous fluid leaks, electrical problems, equipment malfunctions, recalls, the model has been subject to multiple class action lawsuits and had warranty extensions due to scary sounding problems (oil sludge problem?) and has had parts which were improperly installed at the factory.

Do yourself a BIG favor; look elsewhere. The quality control just isn't there.

 

Sorry about your car, TW, but Audi is not "unreliable". The A4 is well built and will last a long time if they are maintained. My 2000 A4 has had no major issues and I just hit 90K. My 98 A4 had 120K and a couple control arms were the only issues I had (until the car got totaled).

They DO take more maintenance than the average japanese car, and the maintenance is more expensive. If you get behind in maintenance, then things tend to go wrong. So, Veekay, if you are looking for a low maintenance care, then you may have better luck with a different car. If you have a habit of keeping up on maintenance then you should be fine.

 

I see. I take it that by maintenance you mean the recommended interval services (30k, 60k, etc.). I never do those. Other than the oil, I'll change transmission fluid once every 50k or so.

I suppose it would be no different for the Volvo or Saab's, the other two convertibles on my list.

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

yeah - if you don't keep up with regular maintenance the Audi will probably become a nightmare for you. However, most of the stuff you can do yourself - if you are so inclined.

 

If you want a car that is fun to drive, looks great then go for the Audi. I had a 2002 A6. Now I have a 2005 Cabrio....Had very little trouble with either one. I am looking now for an A5 cabrio when it comes out.

 

I have kept up on maintenance.

Maintenance will not prevent a design flaw in the engine coils (which were eventually recalled for all 2002 A4s and Passats) from causing a coilpack to go on you while you are en-route to the airport and late for a flight.

Maintenance will not prevent *both* horns from simultaneously failing, leaving you with no horn when an approaching driver is looking the other way.

Maintenance will not prevent your washer pump system from failing because the factory installed the wrong fuse.

Maintenance will not prevent leaks in every conduit of the engine cooling system.

Maintenance will not prevent the failure of the coolant pump rendering the car undriveable.

Maintenance will not prevent a design flaw to the plenum drain causing damage to the underside of the car.

Maintenance will not prevent failures of the ABS computer.

Maintenance will not pervent the driver side airbag from failing to deploy in a crash.

Maintenance will not prevent the service manager at the dealership from trying to convince you to buy a 2007 pre-owned model rather than getting a repair done because the '02 unit is a "problem child".

If you like to tinker, have the money, and don't mind cleaning up other peoples mistakes feel free. Yes it can go 120 MPH.

If you actually want to have a car that goes a significant amount of time without having something wrong with it, look elsewhere.

If you don't feel like paying top dollar for a car riddled with design, and manufacturing mistakes, look elsewhere.

 

My friend - you have a lemon and are definitely out of the norm. Albeit, there have been certain model years with more issues than others, but I've had 2 audis and had none of the problems you describe.

And the only issues from your list I have ever even heard of are the coil packs which is a legitimate issue (for which there was a recall) and the ABS computer. The ABS module is a Bosch part that is in many many different cars brands - the issue with it is that a solder point comes loose inside on the circuit board - it is not servicable part except to have it rebuilt (ie. Modulemaster.com) or replaced.

You may be bitter, and maybe your problems give you that right, but it doesn't mean the brand in general follows your particular experience.

 

I am pretty handy. One of the nice things about the Taurus was that I was able to service the car when I didn't want to pay the dealer. What kind of self-performed maintenance are you talking about? I own an OBD code reader, so I prefer to diagnose problems and decide whether or not I want to pay someone else to provide the service...

Thanks for your help.

 

Thats the way to do it. For the most part, if you have basic tools you can find a DIY for nearly everything on an Audi A4. I do nearly all my own maintenance thanks to the various Audi forums over the years