Hi everyone. I used to own a 01 a6. I am now dead set on getting a b7 a4. I have been doing a ton of research on these, but i cant seem to find much on what types of problems they have. I know about changing the timing belt between 60-85k miles, and changing the oil every 3-5k but what else are some of the biggies? also, where can I find some of the perfomance stats on the b7 a4? also which ones have the paddle shifters? thanks
Dustin

 

they have no problems. mine has been perfect.

 

Audi says change the oil every 10k miles with a full synthetic. Thats when I do mine under the Service contract I have. I am warrantied until 100K and at that point I will trade it so It will last my needs. If there is a failure, it's AUDI's bad and they will foot the bill. There are those who throw their money away every 3k-5k miles but hey it's your money.

 

Coolant flanges usually leak around the 50k mark (earlier B7 models)
Sometimes (earlier models as well) the intake camshaft lobe will wear under the high pressure fuel pump causing a misfire issue. This is a very expensive repair of replacing the $1,000 fuel pump and the intake camshaft with an updated one. The total cost of that repair is usually about $4,000.
Intake flap motors (earlier models again) fail quite a bit, causing a check engine light. Not a very expensive repair.
Other than that, its pretty much bullet proof besides basic maintenance.

 

Also a common problem with the 2.0T FSI motors for (A3, A4, A6, Golf, Skoda, Seat etc.) The PCV valve is a common failure point. When this goes, you will see oil around the filler cap, and a slight loss of performance. Repair is cheap though under warranty free, without around $80.00. This is known happen to all A4 B7's 2.0T FSI from 05-08. The current revision number is J I believe.

I would stick to the Audi service plan for oil changes, here in Germany the first service for a new Audi is 30tkms around 18tmls. These engines are not the same as your fathers nor is the oil the same. Audi here frowns upon (in their terms) wasting oil every 3-5tmls. But again, your choice.

Also the models with the shift paddles on the steering wheel are the Automatic Sline versions. I have heard good and bad with automatics. The German reviews list the 6 speed manual as being the best performer, followed by the tiptronic. The CVT does not get high points in the performance class.

If you want a nice sporty looking A4 I would go with the 2.0TFSI S Line version
(not the 08 body kit only) the full S Line with suspension and all other small tweaks/mods. The 2008 A4's (US models) all had the S line body kit which is nice looking, but lacks the suspension of the Sline (and badges, steering wheel etc)

Anyway good luck!

 

i'm guilty of changing the oil every 8000 km (5000 miles). i do it for some piece of mind. fresh oil works better than highly used. i used to change the oil with my old car like this and when i took the engine apart, it looked super clean. turbos are tough on oil so i don't mind spending (or wasting, as audi would think) the extra $85 every 8000 km. i plan on keeping the car after the lease is up too. some people don't care about their leased car if they don't plan on keeping it. i also use the best premium fuel (www.toptiergas.com).

 

Also if you want paddle shifters with the best Automatic ever made you are going to have to get the A3. It comes with the amazing DSG tranny that my GTI has and the cars are 3-400 pounds lighter. The only downside is if you want Quatro you gave to get the 6cyl in the A3. But performance with fwd the A3 /GTI will smoke the A4 any day of the week. I own both so trust me on this. The CVT tranny is a parasitic leach.

Like I said though, Qautro is for the A4 if tou want the 2.0 turbo.

Diverter valves go bad. Diaphrams tear and leak in them. You want the OEM "D" revision and they are less than $100 which has a strong piston and gets rid of the diaphram. Do not get aftermarket because they require maintanence and are not worth the money. They may be pretty but sit on the bottom of your engine and are a bitch to get to everytime it needs to be maintained. Do not get a Blow off valve either as our cars run a closed system.

PCV valves go bad. Get the BSH PCV fix. It is the best out there and does not cost a ton. I have never heard of one of those failing.

Chips, There are a few trusted tuners such as APR, REVO, UNItronic and GIAC are the main ones. I have APR in my GTI and love it. I ran a test trial of REVO in my A4 and loved it. I would stick with one of those 2 companies. Stage 1 tune can add 50 hp. I feel this is needed to get the car out of its own way. Adding a test pipe to replace the small catted pipe and the chip companies will let you upgrade to stage 2 for free but this could add up to another 20 hp.

Intake: Add next to no HP and sometimes cause problems. Your stock one will be plenty.

Again if Quatro is your thing get the A4 turbo. If you go FWD and you want an Auto, I would highly advise on the A3. It looks the same only has a hatch.

 

thanks guys, i definatly want the a4 quattro, auto aswell, so that my wife can drive it if she needs to. and I definatly want the paddle shifters. I have heard there is a chip out there that makes it shift faster. any one know who makes it? thanks again
Dustin

 

I know they make DSG software but not sure about the tipronic. You should go drive a DSG car. You would be Amazed how fast they shift. Very cool but ony come in the B8 A4's and B7 A3's and GTI / R32's. I will never go back to another automatic after owning one. The are literially a manual tranny with auto controls. Dual clutch system where the next gear is already engaged before it's out of the 1st gear. Crazy.

I really wish I had gotton the A3 instead of the A4 for weight, speed, tranny and cargo with the hatch. Wife thought they were ugly when they came out but now she likes them. Go figure.

 

There are a couple companies that make a tip chip, GIAC is one of them off the top of my head.
It makes the shifts more crisp, and holds the rpm's to redline a lot easier, a lot of the B5 and B6 guys do it with great results it seems. The B7 already has a sport mode programmed into the TCM though, so you really shouldn't need it i think.