I am looking at purchasing a 2005.5 A4 Quattro 2.0T 6-speed that has 107000 miles on it.

From what I have read on Edmunds.com, these cars seem to have a really bad reputation.

I wanted to hear from some of the people on this forum since I know that a lot of the reviews you see are only written by people who are having problems.

I will be using the car to commute 70 miles round trip 4 days a week.

Let me know what you guys think...

Thanks!

 

i take "unbiased surveys" with a grain of salt. here you can find real world surveys and i haven't had any problems other than a faulty intake runner flap motor-which made no difference in the performance at all. and that was covered under warranty.

the key is to keep the car maintained properly. do you know if the previous owner changed the timing belt? you're supposed to around that milage. i also change my oil every 5000 miles. turbos are tough on oil.

they're great cars and the one you're looking at is barely broken in. you'll enjoy some great fuel economy with your commute too without sacrificing the passing ability of this great engine. as for 4WD and stability, nothing beats quattro with ESP.

 

I guess my real concern is that I see a lot of reviews that mention total engine failure as a common problem.

I'm really looking for a car that I can get in, turn the key and it will start every time. A car that is not going to leave me sitting on the side of the highway.

I don't mind working on cars, as I know my way around the block when it comes to cars and fixing them; I just don't want to buy a nightmare (I already own a land rover lol)

 

the main reason for audi for total engine failure is due to the timing belt breaking and or the engine sludgeing ... as long as you keep up with the general maintenance you will be fine

early model 1.8's need it done every 60-80k not sure on the 2.0 and oil changes every 3-6k depending on driving style and oil used

i recommend the earlier the better on all maintenance that way you are not stranded somewhere

 

ROFL..wow! what a pile of crap. audi should sue those idiots for slander. do you really believe that? i use my car every day and it's started up each time (even at -40) and it's never failed. if there's a car that won't disappoint you, it would be an audi. all of the japanese car brands have been recalling millions of vehicles over the last couple of years including up until last week. and those recalls are for catastrophic failures. how is that for reliability?

the sludge issue is old old news...from the 90s. ever since then they have introduced the VW/Audi standards for oil approvals (ie VW 502). i guess people were using the cheapest (non synthetic) oil they could find for their turbo engines.

 

Well, I'm guessing it's an issue of mostly people who are upset are going to go out of their way to review and say their car was a piece of crap. People whose cars worked fine are generally not going to bother writing a review to say it was fine.

So I'm sure there are a certain percentage of A4s that have had engine failures, but I don't think it's very common at all.

 

z31Dude:

I have 123,000 showing on my '06 A4 2.0T Tiptronic and the engine is running strong. Yes, I have had a cam follower failure, but it happened under warranty so Audi paid. I now change it myself every 30 to 35 thousand miles. Other items to watch are the diverter valve, the PCV valve, and as Esandes says, make sure the timing belt has been done. I change my oil at 7000 to 7500 miles and use VW 501/502 specification oils (Mobil 1 0-40w EUROPEAN FORMULA, or GERMAN Castrol 0-30w European formula) Anything else and your headed for trouble.

The timing belt is what can cause the engine to end up being junk if the belt breaks.

With that in mind, most Asian and European cars, and many American cars as well, use timing belts, and can suffer the same damage as an Audi. That's one of the reasons old farts like me love those old American V8s, cause they used chains.

Lastly, my Audi drives better than any other car I've owned. Believe me, I have had them all. In 1970 I bought a two year old 442, in 1972 I bought a 1970 Trans Am with 10,000 miles on it, I've had Vettes, Super Sports, Maximas, Acuras, Saabs, Studebaker GT Hawks, and BMW's, the whole bunch. Nothing has ever handled, stopped, or just cruised at high speed like the Audi, and I get 27 MPG to boot.

 

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I LOVE THE CAR. I have had it for 3months now and prob put 12K.its my every day driver. I have changed the oil 3 times already and she has about 120K now..not one problem yet.I had a Mazda RX8 before this and also a Impala SS and this car is the best one yet. gets great MPG and still has some *****. I cant tell you how much i love this car. I have put a test pipe and full 3'' exhaust and ecu chip. The car runs great and even has some power. I cant wate till winter to dive in the snow to test out the AWD. Get it you will love it and i hear they run forever...That's why i change the oil every 3k..GOOD LUCK

 

You've probably read about the oil consumption "issue." Sure it consumes oil but in all honesty how hard is it to lift up your hood, pull the dipstick out and check the oil level and add if it needs it? It's no harder than opening up your fuel tank and adding fuel. Mine personally doesn't use hardly any as of yet with 74xxx miles on it but if and when it does, I'm not worried. 1 qt every 1000-1500 so Ive read, big deal. So I just caution you when you read those things, take it with a grain of salt as the previous person said. Dont worry these cars are amazing. You'll be happy!