Need Opinions !!!!

**warlord0070** · 11-14-2008, 08:37 PM

Currently i own a honda accord but i wanna step up my game and get an Audi A4...I have always loved but i often heard from folks that they are high maintaince cars...Is this true and if so how much maintaince does it really need ???

**warlord0070** · 11-17-2008, 07:27 PM

Hello is there anyone out there who can give some advice and knowledge with this.

**redGTI** · 11-17-2008, 11:21 PM

What exactly do you want to know? I have had 3 VW's and have had no problems with them. All cars need maintenance and repairs to some degree.

**gdm305** · 11-17-2008, 11:31 PM

just got an a4 jumped out of an ek hatch that was swapped.....best move i ever made so far, I love it. also maintenance wise I've been reading alot online and it seems pretty cheap and easy to tear down if you wrenched on your honda before.

i still have love for the honda world just not for daily needs.....i will have a weekend warrior to thrash on and break to hell soon enough.

**warlord0070** · 11-18-2008, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by redGTI

What exactly do you want to know? I have had 3 VW's and have had no problems with them. All cars need maintenance and repairs to some degree.

Well i was talking about general maintaince..

**warlord0070** · 11-18-2008, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by gdm305

just got an a4 jumped out of an ek hatch that was swapped.....best move i ever made so far, I love it. also maintenance wise I've been reading alot online and it seems pretty cheap and easy to tear down if you wrenched on your honda before.

i still have love for the honda world just not for daily needs.....i will have a weekend warrior to thrash on and break to hell soon enough.

Thanks bud...i was lookin at it for a weekend ride..

**jdmtoyotuning** · 11-18-2008, 08:12 PM

the only thing I heard was the parts for audi are expen$ive

**redGTI** · 11-19-2008, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by jdmtoyotuning

the only thing I heard was the parts for audi are expen$ive

Yeah, but that is because the Audi dealer tries to rape you with their mark up. I try to avoid buying from the dealer when possible, there are alot of companies that sell VW/Audi parts at reasonable prices.

**dominick** · 11-19-2008, 12:23 PM

First of all, I hope you all with the 1.8t engine in the a4/passat have checked for sludge. If there is lots of buildup/varnish under the valve cover I would start running some AutoRX or seafoam to help clean out coked up oil bit clogging the screen of the oil pickup.

Synthetic oil changes...I cant say that enough, dont use anything else. Try to stick with VW approved oils just incase you need warranty work.

What happens is people use conventional oils and on top of that they do not follow the intervals to change out the oil. When a person comes from an aggressive drive they immediately turn off the car. BIG NO NO. Let the car idle for a few minutes so the oil can circulate and cool off.
When you turn off the car immediately the oil sits in the red hot turbo turning into a mollasses like consistency.

Synthetic oil every 5k miles with a bigger oil filter and you should be fine.

Another issue on the 1.8t's if you have an early model (98-2000) and its equipped with an ICM (ignition control module) they are prone to failure. It is like a distributor in other cars. It gets hot as its clost to turbo and fails. Soemtimes it'll make a cylinder not spark, other times it'll make no cylinders fire. It can leave you stranded, carry a spare one.

If you have later model (2000-on) the coil packs are prone to popping out or failing, carry spares. They can leave you stranded.

My passat had issues with water leaking in and ruined some electronics. Pinch your nipples (sunroof drain nipples) they clog up and water gets backed up into car. Im not sure a4's have that problem but be aware.

With all Vag cars (german cars for that matter) electrical gremlins are going to come with age. Some are small like some lights dont come on, some are catastrophic CCM could fail and your car is immobilized. That happens with water intrusion. Most electrical systems in these cars are connected so if one fails alot of times others do as well even tho its no where near the original problem. Bust out your multimeters and be ready to use them.

VW says their automatic transmissions have lifetime fluid, its BS. When they say lifetime, they mean the life of the warranty. Change your ATF i believe every 60-70k miles.

Parts are expensive at the dealer, what car company doesnt have that? Order all your parts online www.ECStuning.com is what I use most of the time, but there are plenty more.

Get to know a german car specialist in the area, its lot cheaper then going to dealership for repairs. There are 2 members on here that I've used and both with great service and prices. Search for them.

Thats it for now. Also get on a good audi forum.

**warlord0070** · 11-19-2008, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by jdmtoyotuning

the only thing I heard was the parts for audi are expen$ive

Yeah thats what i heard as well..

**warlord0070** · 11-19-2008, 09:34 PM

Thanks for the knowledge Dominick..i really appreciate it.

**dominick** · 11-22-2008, 12:46 PM

no problem. if you can find a decent, non abused a4 you will love it. Its such a better feel compared to civics, integras, etc. I have a passat, not as nice as an a4 but everything about it i love (minus over complicated engineering), the steering is great and responsive, and the interior is also very nice

**Blacktransam346** · 11-23-2008, 09:08 PM

i'm over 150k miles now on my 97 car.. running 20psi daily.. and i put over 150 miles a day on it..

make sure the t belts are done.. change the oil.. and enjoy..

**dominick** · 11-23-2008, 09:28 PM

haha how could i forget the timing belt issues. better change that sucker out if anywhere newr 70k miles. If that snaps you need massive head work costing about $2k (20 valves if 1.8t, 30 valves for v6)

Valves will cost about $18-20 each. all wont fail but a lot will. You will have gouges in piston and hope that the valves didnt put holes in them.

Enough of depressing scary stuff....
When you have all your maintenance done and ready for mods. For the 1.8t dont mess with intakes or other things you would think of with Honda's etc. Your first mod will be a chip, no questions asked.

For around $600 you get 50hp/50lbs trq (chips vary). The newer the car, the easier the process. Pay your $$$, they plug in and upload the program 20min later your car has 50 more horsepower with stock intake,exhaust,everything else. The older cars need the actual chip soldering into their ecu's.

With the newer cars they can upload a demo program, you get the program for 6hrs to test it out.

Only mess with exhaust and intake only when upgrading to bigger tubro (k04)

**RobCSVT-t** · 11-24-2008, 11:52 PM

Depending on the year A4 you are looking at depends on how many problems are likely too happen. 2005.5 and newer have fewer problems in general than 2003-05. FWD verses quattro makes a huge difference as well.

Window regulators - get used to them, they fail at random at times, other times they give you warning by grinding. Not cheap to fix.

FWD Transmission Control modules - tip of the iceberg, this is the most common fail part for the CVT transmissions. If you get an automatic FWD, dont waste your money chipping it, it'll end up costing you major in the end. The TCM itself is $900 and are vin specific.

like dominick said, EVERY 5K, full synthetic oil changes. And the timing belt, do it or shell out big in the end. And its closer to $4k last time i saw one snap.

The A4's are nice cars regardless of the misc issues that occur. Go quattro, and if you can get it in a manual, do that and never turn back. Aftermarket parts are not cheap for the Audi's. And like dominick said.....its not a Honda, dont treat it as such. Buy quality parts, never cheap out, it only bites you in the ass later.

**mustangmike00** · 12-17-2008, 09:46 AM

I tried to stay away from the 1.8t when i bought mine, no offense but too many issues. My timing belt needs to be done at 150k lol, thanks v6 but it does lack upgrades. if your looking for a lot to modify for performance without going crazy in the wallet go for the 1.8t, if you want to have something nice to drive with basic upgrads go for a vr6 or the v6 a4.