A4 maintenance - Ongoing question
 

Hi Guys,

Okay, I know, this question has been asked thousands times and this is kind of why I'm freakin out.

I always been a huge VW - Audi Fan. My first two cars were Golf GTI and I llloooveeedd them! However, I did purchase a Toyota Matrix after (which I'm still having right now). I need to change my car, and I'm hardly looking for an A4 2009-2010 but all the reviews on reliability and high maintenance fees start to cold me down a little bit.

How expensive is it really? The thing is, yes I know it will be more expensive, and this is alright, however, I don't want to spend 3-4K per year on that car. How much do you guys budget for the maintenance of your A4? ANd what did you experienced? Major problem?

I need to change my car in the next month, A4 is now my number one choice, but a lot of my friends are trying to bring me into the BMW world (328), and I'm also looking at the IS250.

What do you think? Should I really be worried about reliability and maintenance on the A4?

Thanks!

The maintenance costs for any of the cars that you mentioned about possibly buying are high when compared to most other domestic (Assuming you're in the US) cars. Prior to me doing all of my own car work I shelled out about $900 for brakes and rotors all around for my A6 2.7t at an indy shop.

For the most part Audis are built very well. As you read through the forums you will realize that there are certain issues that plague all of our cars at one time or another. Valve cover gaskets leaking at around 120k are very common, and the secondary air pump system will tend to act up or give the user some problems around 100k. There are other issues that are very uncommon that you'll see one or two members have from time to time. Overall, I'm very proud to be an Audi owner.

As far as cost of ownership per year really depends on a few things. If it's older and isn't well maintained it will be on the higher side of $2500 - 3000 per year. A newer well maintained Audi could probably cost around $1500 a year to maintain. These price ranges are just my estimation and are assuming you're going to the dealer for service. Doing it yourself will save you a TON of money. If you're mechanically inclined and can do the work yourself, I think owning an Audi is a great opportunity to drive a nice reliable car for a reasonable price. Oh, and if you drive it like you stole it, you will be spending a lot more for service. Our cars are built for the Autobahn but you will pay the price accordingly. They're heavy and wide, so tires, brake pads, and rotors are the recommended diet for an Audi when driven hard.

I hope that information helps, I think a lot of the other experienced members well tell you Audis are great cars if you take care of them in the right manner.

$3000 would be too much. Maybe $1000-1500 is more around what you are looking at. If you do the oil changes and regular maintenance yourself you could save a lot of money.

Cool thanks!

I'm in Canada, therefore, fees might be a bit more expensive than in USA. Does it worth to take a certified pre-owned? Does it garentee that the car was well maintained?

If I buy from the dealer, what can I do to make sure that it was well maintain?