Hi Guys,


Hope you are all well.


Its great to be a part of this forum. I am new and this is my first post, so I thought id start with a quick intro.


I am in the market for an Audi A4 B8 (face lift model 2013 onwards) but I currently don't know much about them.


I have only experienced/owned Japanese cars in the past; from Nissans, Mazdas, Hondas, Toyotas & Subaru. The one thing I can comment about those cars is, their reliability is unquestionable. For what I had, Each an every one of them were almost bullet proof. They take a beating and keep soldiering on.


But now at the age of 34, I figured I wouldn't mind indulging in a luxury Euro car once in my life and this will be my first European car. Im sure you can all also agree, that the styling of Audis, exceeds all other Euro cars


Anyhow, I have a few questions that I wouldn't mind answered and would likely influence my decision on what to buy in an Audi 2013 onwards B8 A4

• What should I be looking for or looking out for, when buying a 2nd hand B8 2013 onwards A4?

• 1.8T Vs. 2.0T petrol motors, I find there are much more 1.8Ts for sale than 2.0T.. I heard 1.8T are lemons, if so, can anyone shed some light on this topic??

• Font wheel drive B8 A4 vs. Quattro B8 A4, it seems there are more FWD versions available, are they lemons and unreliable compared to AWD?

• how are the diesel versions? I prefer petrol due to flexibility and availability at gas stations... how are they compared to petrol in terms of owning one?

• Lane guidance - where the mirror lights up for vehicles in blind spots - are these expensive or big job to install (if the car did not come with it as option?)

• Non daytime-running lights LED headlight and taillight B8 A4s (normal halogen globes), are these expensive to convert to LED or easy to replace (if the car did not come with it as option?)

If someone could help me with the above queries, it would be greatly appreciated as I will be fairly rushed in buying one due to family situation at home.


Kind regards,

 

1-Look for a lower mileage vehicle with service records. Take it for a long test drive and personally check out every function and feature.
2-I don't think they have put 1.8Ts in the A4 for many years. The 2.0T is a good engine as long as you stay away from 2011 and earlier. Do all the required maintenance and change the oil with 0W-40 full syn regularly.
3-Unless you live in the south, stick with Quattro. Especially if FWD comes with a CVT transmission (don't know; prefer MT6).
4-No experience with diesel.
5-No experience with lane guidance. I always use the mirrors and look over my shoulder. Comes from riding a motorcycle.
6-Swapping headlights in an A4 is brutally expensive. Look for the premium or premium+ to get the zenons and LED DRLs. I had to replace a failed headlight in my daughter's 2003 A4 and it set me back a grand. Maybe I could have found used, but we needed the car back and my mechanic procured it.


Good luck with your search.


PS - I bought my 2011 with 99,600 miles and other than it is starting to go through oil, everything else works great.

 

Thank for the response.
I went ahead and purchased the car an Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T 2012 - facelift model and have most options except for blinde/lane guidance monitoring, sun roof and adaptive cruise.


Its a great car and I hope it will bring me joy for years to come.


with regards to oil, I hadn't found in the manual what oil it recommends but im from Aus, it doesn't snow here, so im wondering if they recommend different weight here. is that what it says in the manual for your vehicles 0W -40W?


cheers

 

I believe it is referenced but I would have to read through the manual. It was recommended for my A6 2.7T and I recently sold it with 240k miles (400k km) and it never leaked a drop of oil and still had the original turbos. Turbos spin very fast as you know, and you want low viscosity oil when the weather is cold. If I lived where it never dropped below 0 C I might risk a good 5W-40, but the difference in price here is negligible. Why take risks?