Hey Guys! I recently bought a used 2006 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro with approx 107,000 miles. I have had issue after issue and the mechanics seem to be giving me the run around. First the cars traction control light would stay on and they told me they could find nothing wrong then the car seemed to sputter or skip and the oil pressure light came on so I take it in and they change the oil and replace the filter saying maybe it had bad oil in it. Within the next two weeks the engine light comes on and the car is jumping. They come tow it in. Said its a bad coil and ec sensor needed to be replaced. They take a week and fix those. Pick it up on a Monday and Tues night i notice a big puddle under the car and move the car to take a picture and the coolant light is on. I swear these guys are screwing with me or something. All of this is within the first month of owning this car. They have done all this for free and i appreciate that and feel they should since it was certified by the Honda dealership where i bought it. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU GUYS THINK. Is something they did on my this last repair causing all my coolant to leak out? Im taking it in today but would love to be armed with advice from you guys. THANK YOU!!!!

 

I'd never recommend a used Audi to my girlfriend unless it had an iron clad audi warranty. I've driven audi for a while and do all work myself. That said, I'm realistic about these cars.

EPC and CEL lights going off are NOT something a car just off the sales light should be having. EC sensor...I don't know what they meant.

If you where family I'd highly recommend you take the car back to honda and ask for your money back. DO NOT be a push over, be serious. You've only have the car for less than a month and it is well within respectable time to do so. Do not let them stall you on this.

Honda dealerships certifying Audis is laughable. They don't even have the proper diagnostic software that Audi dealerships do. A powertrain warranty isn't going to cover a bulk of what's in store.

You don't want to get into a cycle of taking this car to foreign auto specialists or let alone an Audi dealership.

Example - that coolant leak can be anything, but typically on a car that old and the current season that we're in (I'm gonna guess you're in the snow belt or at least somewhere getting cold) it could be your coolant flange. An independent mechanic is going to charge at least $300. If you were good with your hands and your back is in good shape you can do it for less than 50, but it'll take you three hours on your first time. The dealership is going to charge around 600 to 800...really.

Timing belt for that car, the whole front has to be almost completely off....that's at least 500 dollars. A toss up wether it's been changed or not, but your at prime mileage for it and I'm gonna bet again it hasn't been done.

There's an extensive list of "to do's" and "bad things that could've happened and you don't know it yet".

Bottom line, if you were a loved one I'd tell you to give the car back and get your money. They may work with financing to put you into a honda or another car, just don't get screwed if you do. It's the used car business.

I'm sure there are some people that will tell you that they are great cars. Personally, I agree only when they are running, but I have the confidence of knowing I can do the work myself. I know the B7 very well - too well.

I have a later B7 around the same mileage and I currently have a to do service list that'll cost at least $3000 at an indie mech...no joking.

Take the car back. You bought a money pit. Good luck

 

As much as I love my 2006 A4, I'm going to have to agree with chapstick on this one. Get rid of it if you can, it sounds like you didn't get a very well-cared-for specimen with this car.

Unless you have verifiable documentation that the timing belt was changed, that car is now (according to Audi's latest recommendations) 30k+ miles past the change interval. If you do it yourself, it's a most of the day job and $300-400 for the parts. If you take it ANYWHERE (indie shop that knows German makes or the dealership), it's a $1200 out the door job. That needs to be done yesterday. If that belt is worn and snaps, it'll take the entire top of the engine with it.

If you're getting that much coolant on the ground, you could have more than a coolant flange problem. My flange is currently bad and doesn't leak noticeably. The only reason I know it's bad is because I started having to add coolant about once a month and snooped around until I found where it was leaking. I got a quote for that, combined with my vacuum pump which is also leaky and near the same spot, for $700. That's at my local German indie shop, not the dealership. The dealership wanted nearly $700 just for the coolant flange job!

You're likely also due for upper control arm bushings. These cars are hard on them, they are a wear item, and by 10yrs/100k miles, they're usually completely blown. $1000 at the dealership to remove all the arms, press in new bearings, and reinstall them OR you can do what I did and pay just under that to completely replace all the arms (with all new rubber) at an indie shop.

Like I said, I love my car, but I have poured around $4000 into it in the last year to 15 months and most of that is maintenance and things wearing out (rather than outright repairs). Plus, I still have about $1000 in stuff that needs done that I'm putting off until it gets worse! And my car has been well-cared for.

Sorry the news isn't better. If you can't unload it, you may be able to find a local shop that specializes in German makes that can do the work cheaper, but if you're stuck with the Audi dealership, prepare to take out a second mortgage. And, to reiterate what chapstick said, nowhere but an Audi/VW dealership or a German specialist shop is going to have the computer tools and the know-how necessary to properly diagnose problems. You're going to spend more money throwing parts at problems going to someone outside those two options.

 

Really do appreciate all the information and advice. I will say that everything has been paid in full by Honda where i purchased the car. I have the work done to fix issues at the Audi dealership. The guy i talked to said this too will be fixed for free and he also stated that Honda certification doesnt mean much on an Audi. He said at least im able to get any issues fixed and at no cost to me. I do have a one year warranty so Im kinda hoping to get all the expensive stuff fixed before that runs out and then maybe be in the clear for a while on repairs. I did get a good deal on it so I could actually turn around and sell it and come out about 1000 bucks over what i paid for it. I have a lot of thinking to do........

 

Good that your situation is better with your one year warranty. I can't stand telling new preused b7 owners this, have them check the camfollower on the high pressure fuel pump. Your car is in the extended warranty period. It is important and just take some time to look up "b7 camfollower" on a search here or the Internet. You'll learn what you need to know. Cheers

 

Thanks chapstick. I called to check on the car yesterday and they still hadnt figured out the leak. He said they did a pressure test and so far nothing. I will call them today to tell them to check the camfollower. I also told him to tell the mechanic to see if the timing belt was good or needed to be changed. I am going to stay on them, I am not one to back down or take crap..ha. I seriously do appreciate all the info i can get. I watched a video of a guy changing the coils and thought it looked pretty simple and something i could do in the future.

 

Tell them to check the coolant flange. It's on the backside of engine and protrudes facing the firewall. It junctions the two rubber pipes to the heater core. It's not visible unless you go back there with a camera. Evidence of a leak can be as severe as a pink/white crusty buildup to a barely visible dry drip residue. You need to take a camera to the rear of the engine going in from the left side. It'll take several attempts to get a good picture with flash. I'll post a picture later today when I have a chance. They're in for a treat if they've never changed one before, but there's several ways to do it.

Here's a visual of what the B7 coolant flange from the internet. The leak can be as little as this and still cause noticeable coolant loss....



Or as messy as this...
Don't burn yourself on the catalytic converter trying to take pictures or a video like the above please.

Audi dealerships will charge you for the removal of the entire engine to get to the flange, but they really don't, they lie and will charge you up to $800 for it to be removed. A good DIYer won't have to move much out of the way. Some may take off the vacuum pump, but that isn't even necessary. Independent euro shops will charge you about $300 if they even know how to do it...seriously.

As I stated before, this is the season for flange leaks because of the weather change. The reason it's so difficult to track down is because the leaking occurs when the engine is cooling down due to hot to cold expansion and contraction of materials.

This is my best deduction on your coolant loss since it's most prevalent as a "hard to find B7 A4 coolant leak" and no other symptoms you mentioned.

Make sure they use the proper mixture of G13 coolant...there's a reason. High maintenance these cars are. Don't be afraid to show this thread to the Honda dealership if they're gonna work on it. Good luck

Here's a good forum thread on the process for all you who want to learn about doing this yourself. DIY B7 Coolant Flange Replacement with Pics

If you own a B7 it's a matter of when, not if this is happening.

 

I love my 06 quattro, but the A4 does have it's issues. Audi revised the timing belt change mileage to 110,000 miles, the manual originally said 75,000 miles. Don't wait. If you keep the car get it done. These are zero clearance engines. If the belt breaks your engine is totaled. $1,100 at the dealer. The belt, pulley's, guides, and water pump are all replaced. There was a service action on the coils, so they should have been replaced for free quite some time ago, unless the previous owner never got around to it. You do need to find out about the cam follower. If it was replaced good, if not, then dump the car before 120,000 miles. Mine went at 108,000 miles and the damage was so extensive that it would have cost near $4000 if it hadn't been covered. Audi, won't do the repair unless the light comes on or specific drivability symptoms appear. If the follower, pump, and intake cam were replaced, then I'd recommend spending the $200 every couple years to replace the follower, for peace of mind. So far I've had the hazard light switch, clutch switch, homelink transmitter, all ignition coils, follower/intake and exhaust camshafts, engine head, diverter valve on the turbo, thermostat, and the motor mounts replaced.

 

This is only half the story. They revised it again about 2-3 years ago (according to both the dealership and the indie shop I take mine to) back to 75k. No way I'd let it get over 100k--it's a ticking time bomb and the damage is extensive.

My coolant flange is leaking but so is my vacuum pump, so they'll both get done together (easier that way)--just trying to hold out a little longer. I have to top off coolant about once a month or 6 weeks and I just had to add about a half quart of oil for the first time ever since owning the car because I'm pushing 7k miles on this oil change (I usually change it closer to 5k).

 

I just looked at the official maintenance schedule for the 06 models on the Audi site, and it says that the 2.0t has a timing belt change interval of 110,000 miles. For a very brief time they actually had 115,000 miles and then dropped it back. The 1.8, 3.0, and 4.2 on the other hand, are still 75,00 miles. Any dealer I've dealt with also said 110,000 miles for the 2.0t http://www.audiusa.com/content/dam/a...-Year-2006.pdf Granted it says at the bottom last revised 7/10, but if it was changed again, you'd think they'd update this schedule to avoid a legal mess down the road.