Hello I have a 04 A4 1.8T with 69K on it...Today, my MIL came on today AGAIN.

History: The MIL FIRST happened about 3 months ago (maybe 59-60K?) - the MIL came on and the car began running really rough. I had the engine coils replaced at the dealer, which appeared to correct the problem at the time.

Current problem: Ran out of gas on the way home from work. Re-filled up (after getting a ride to a gas station and filling up a 1-gallon container to fill up my car to drive to the gas station) at the gas station. After filling up the MIL came on immediately and the car seemed to ride a bit different - albeit not nearly as bad as the original time the MIL came on -- indicating a engine coil malfunction -- a few months back.

Now, I understand (and hope) this is a simple engine coil issue again, but my question is could this have been caused by my vehicle running out of gas AND do/should engine coils malfunction this quickly? Regardless, I'm bringing it in either tomorrow or Friday to be serviced as its under warranty until June 09, but just wanted to hear input from you all regarding the frequency and the cause of engine coil(s) replacement.

**Vehicle History**
Additionally, I've been reading these threads recently and have been seeing people asking about the B6's reliability, maintenance, common issues, etc. Here's my experience: The B6 is outstanding, in my opinion, in performance (for what it is), ride, interior comfort, exterior noise, etc. However, the maintenance and reliability is very QUESTIONABLE at best. I purchased my A4 used -- certified pre-owned -- in June 07 with 39K from the dealer with a 2-year AUDI warranty. Since that time the following problems occurred:

-Fuel pump had to be replaced
-Oil sludge issue (engine was "cleaned" out, etc.)
-Engine Coils had to be replaced - once, most likely twice.
-Passenger power window motor needed to be replaced.
-Rear brakes needed to be replaced at 60K. I realize it is a wearable part so this was expected.
-Automatic Trunk release/opener doesn't work (haven't had this fixed yet).
-Remote key battery died. Again, I realize this isn't major, but it still something that "went wrong".
-FUTURE PROBLEM, Timing Belt. Dealer says they typically replace this around 90K and inspect at 80k. We'll see what happens......

Additionally, ever since the oil sludge issue/fix, my fuel gaugue doesn't work properly (doesn't show tank as full - when I just filled up, etc) which led to me running out of gas today. I've had the dealer reset it 3x's to no avail. It it not 100% accurate - and could be why i ran out of gas today (at least that's what I'm blaming it on. , but it is realistically my own fault.

Anways, without the dealer warranty I would have been out of some SERIOUS money for repairs for the car. The only thing I paid for was the Engine Coil which was about $50 and $20 for the battery in the key and $200 for the rear brakes. I don't even want to think about the $$ without a warranty. So, if you're looking to buy a car like this, in my opinion, stay away unless you can find a good deal on one with a warranty, can afford the repairs - OR you enjoy working on vehicles. **If anyone wants to know the mileage I had when the problems occurred let me know -- I can pull my maintenance records.

But, in all seriousness, the car is really sweet besides the problems mentioned above -- AND if I could afford one I would def. buy a NEW A4 - just not a used one again, due to all the problems mentioned above.

Long post, sorry. BUt, let me know what you think about the Current Problem.

Thanks.

 

fuel pump