Hi! I've been wanting to trade in our 2001 Passat for an A4 for a while, but a recent repair estimate for our old car convinced me it's time to let it go. Before I take the plunge, I have a few questions I'm hoping all the experts here can help me with:

1. Will the factory warranty transfer? I've done some research online and have found conflicting reports on this. Does it make any difference if I buy from a 3rd-party dealer (i.e., not an Audi franchise) or a private party?

2. Having had the Passat for 10+ years, I'm not expecting great things from Audi in terms of reliability. Can I purchase an Audi extended warranty even if I don't buy the car from an Audi dealer? Note, I'm not talking about a "CPO" warranty, but a real extended warranty.

3. I'll be looking for a 2.0T Quattro sedan with automatic transmission. Apart from the 8-speed transmission that's new in 2011, are there any major differences in model years since the B8 line debuted with the 2009 model year?

4. If the car lacks an Audi Music Interface, can I add it myself? I'd really like to plug my iPhone into the car directly.

5. In a similar vein, I understand that the 2009 A4 still has 2G MMI. I found the following page explaining the differences, but since my main desire is to control/play music from my iPhone, will I be let down by the 2G version?

Thanks very much!!

 

Nothing? Should I perhaps have posted these questions in another forum?

 

I drive a 2009 A4, and I can tell you that I am very happy with my vehicle. As far as your questions about warranty, you'd have to check with the dealer. I believe the only way to purchase a warranty for a car that doesn't currently have one is to buy it certified pre-owned, which would be from an Audi dealer. Wish I could be more help.

The B8s are all essentially the same, with minor changes through each model year. The changes from the B7 to the B8 were wide enough for me to want to buy a 2009.

Apart from the Navigation being the 3G MMI with 3D graphics, and the ability to play DVDs, there aren't many changes. I'm not sure about the 2010+, but I do know that if your 2009 does not come with AMI in the glovebox, you cannot add it.

If your 2009 does have AMI, then you will be able to play music from your iPhone. However, the iPod interface is a dock connector and requires the iPhone to be in your glovebox, which may be inconvenient for you if you're using it as a phone as well. I don't worry about this because I keep an iPod in my locked glovebox at all times (I use a droid for a phone, anyway). There is a bluetooth adapter you can buy that will sync music to the MMI, but it's not the greatest solution. With both methods, you will get steering wheel controls for seek. Consult previous threads in this forum for discussions about using MMI with either dock connector or bluetooth.

Also, if you want to use the handsfree phone, you have to make sure the car already has that installed as well. This can only be factory installed and cannot be added later (unless you get aftermarket, but I like the cleanliness of having it built-in). The handsfree bluetooth is completely separate from the A2DP bluetooth music adapter that I mentioned earlier.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but I fully recommend the A4 and love mine!

 

tighr, thanks so much for the very helpful response!

 

I'm also considering a 09 A4. Would it be better if I wait a few more months for more leased A4s to return to dealerships? I've been checking a couple of dealerships and the availability of Avant model is pretty low.

 

I would wait for a 2009 A4 before settling on a 2008 due to the changes in the body style. If you can wait, the 2010's have even more upgrades, but those are mostly technology and it depends on what's important to you.