I am in the market for a fairly new used car and am starting to lean more toward audi. Originally I had it narrowed down to the audi a4, bmw 3 series, lexus is300 and nissan 350z. Living in Ohio, I am starting to be partial to the audi because of the all wheel drive. I test drove an '03 1.8t 5 speed with the sport package last week and it was the first audi I had driven. I was very impressed with the interior design, bose sound system, trunk space but most importantly the way it drove. That was a very smooth car that had pretty decent pickup and took corners like a dream. I am a big fan of speed so I would like to drive the 3.0 liter 6 speed. The one thing that I am not a fan of in the 3.0l is that all that I have seen have wood grain. I am a bit concered about Audi because a friend of mine had an 01 and had some minor problems. What are some of the issues that some of you have had with your audi's? Thanks in advance.

 

Hey welcome to the forum. If you are concerned about the wood belt line trim, it can be replaced. Although it is usually pretty expensive (grand). If you want the power of the 3.0 the 1.8t can acheive the same hp if not more fairly easy. There are many tuning companies out there that can help (check out the link post at the top of the forum). I'm not aware of too many prominant problems with 03's.

 

I have an 03 and its great ...
had a few coilpack problems and probs with the 02 sensor , but nothing that cant be fixed.
Check out the tuning companies if you like speed. I would recommend getting the 1.8T and chipping it.
i think you would be much more pleased with a chipped 1.8t.
It has a much more sporty feel then the 3.0
A good 'chip' will cost about $500 . And its worth every penny.

 

How much hp will the chip add? Also I don't want my warranty to be voided if something does happen so what are the possible consequences of chipping your audi?

 

it can possibly cause the dealer to void your engine warranty if they find out. maybe maybe not.

 

what are the hp gains I would notice from a chip