Audi owner experiences

"John Prendergast" > skrev i en meddelelse
...
> On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 09:06:22 +0100, "Ronny" > wrote:
>

<clip>

> There aren't many makes I'd even consider with that kind of mileage.
>

There will be when you have driven it for a couple of years!

IMO - It's the most expensive car to run when it comes to maintenance, but
nice car when it runs. Hold tight to the steering wheel when passing an Audi
garage - the car will try to get in there :-))

Rgds
Jens

> >>> I've just bought a 1996 A6 2.6 V6 with 192,000 miles on the clock.
> >>> There aren't many makes I'd even consider with that kind of mileage.
> >>>
> >>
> >>John you havnt just bought my old Audi have you ?
> >
> > That's just what I was thinking :-)
> >
> >>But then I sold it with 162k miles, it was a quattro though, 2.6 v6
> >>12valve
> >
> > I bought mine last month but no, it's not a quattro. I wish the
> > previous owner had included the adaptor for the anti-theft wheel
> > bolts, but as it turned out the local Audi dealer had one in stock for
> > a tenner (including spare bolt).
> >
>
> I Part ex'd mine for 2.5k it was a nice one though, was yours cheaper?

Ronny, he's bought an A6, yours was an A4. HTH. :-)

Peter
--
"The truth is working in television is not very glamorous at all. I just go
home on my own at night and sit alone and eat crisps."

"Subba Rao" > wrote in message
...

>
> If there are any owners (and non-owners), could you please share your
> unbiased opinions and experience with Audi ownership?

Cars:
The cars are great; my '03 A4 - my first Audi - is the best car I've ever
owned (and I've owned quite a few). However ...

Service:
My local main dealer (UK) is the worst I've ever experienced. I've been
literately shouted at by the service manager, two weeks after buying a
one-year old A4 from them with an obvious fault. I spoke to sales and they
said that he was known to be 'aggressive'. Oh, well that's OK then!! FFS.

I'm a placid kind of guy, so when the next problem came up I *paid* to
repair a fault that should have been under warranty, just to get the problem
sorted without having to tolerate a nervous breakdown to get it fixed. Go
figure.

In short, Audis; when they work they are superb, when they don't expect to
start tearing your hair out even if under warranty. For this reason alone I
will not own another.

Also, expect to loose money like water on them (at least in the UK). I went
back to my dealer looking to change up to something bigger and was offered
a trade in price the loss on which was something I've never experienced (and
I've previously owned Fords, notorious for depreciation). So I'm going to
hang onto it for a bit, sell it private and move onto something else
(probably back to Ford).

I'm not trolling, like I said Audi make great cars, but the service is
appalling and it's not just the car you are buying into. If you want a full
account of my experience just let me know.

Hi Subba,

The Audi's are look great inside and out. They just look and feel
better than most other makes. Unfortunately, under the skin, they are
made of components that do not stand up to even normal wear and tear.
Here is a list of problems with my 2001 A4 1.8T with 75,000
Kilometers. My car is serviced every 10,000K at the dealer.

1. Rear Window Regulator - failed (40,000 Kilometers)
2. Tie Rod Ends - Replaced (35,000 Kilometers) and have to be replaced
again.
3. Leaky Power Steering Hose (68,000 kilometers)
4. Faulty AC - (50,000 kilometers)
5. Failing instrument Display (started at 15,000 kilometers)
6. Also have to replace my windscreen a second time - they just don't
seem to be able to stand up.
7. Broken spring in driver's seat.
8. Rattles and squeaks from day one.
9. Drivers seat belt tensioner failing
10. Fraying seatbelts
11. Fraying seat upholstery

By this yardstick my wife's old Mitsubishi Lancer was a much more
reliable car.

Your Audi will last a long time if you look after it but you will have
to invest time and $$ to keep it in good order. The parts are
expensive but depending on where you live you can save $$ by going to
an online dealer.


The big question is can you live with the niggling faults. If you can
put up with these then go ahead. If however, reliability is important
to you, you may want to consider a Lexus or a Honda.

I know that they may not get your blood boiling but that may be a good
thing a few years down the road. If you live in an area with few Audi
dealers and independent mechanics DO NOT GET AN AUDI!! They service
charges will be exorbitant.

Simon





Subba Rao > wrote in message >...
> Hi,
>
> I do not own an Audi yet but have wanted one since I have first set my
> eyes on them 20 years ago. Now I am planning (pretty close) to buy a
> car. Over the years people have told me that Audi is a problem car with
> stories such as: You tend to spend lot of money on repairs. : They
> have bad performance : Audi's quality is less than mediocre (sp) and
> they charge a lot to fix the problem ....etc etc. Such stories kept
> coming at me, yet I still want to have an Audi.
>
> If there are any owners (and non-owners), could you please share your
> unbiased opinions and experience with Audi ownership?
>
> PS - I am middle aged man and am considered middle class. Don't know if
> this will help.

On 24 Oct 2004 06:41:26 -0700, (Simon) wrote:
>
>Subba Rao > wrote in message >...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I do not own an Audi yet but have wanted one since I have first set my
>> eyes on them 20 years ago. Now I am planning (pretty close) to buy a
>> car. Over the years people have told me that Audi is a problem car with
>> stories such as: You tend to spend lot of money on repairs. : They
>> have bad performance : Audi's quality is less than mediocre (sp) and
>> they charge a lot to fix the problem ....etc etc. Such stories kept
>> coming at me, yet I still want to have an Audi.
>>
>> If there are any owners (and non-owners), could you please share your
>> unbiased opinions and experience with Audi ownership?
>>
>> PS - I am middle aged man and am considered middle class. Don't know if
>> this will help.

>Hi Subba,
>
>The Audi's are look great inside and out. They just look and feel
>better than most other makes. Unfortunately, under the skin, they are
>made of components that do not stand up to even normal wear and tear.
>Here is a list of problems with my 2001 A4 1.8T with 75,000
>Kilometers. My car is serviced every 10,000K at the dealer.
>
>1. Rear Window Regulator - failed (40,000 Kilometers)
>2. Tie Rod Ends - Replaced (35,000 Kilometers) and have to be replaced
>again.
>3. Leaky Power Steering Hose (68,000 kilometers)
>4. Faulty AC - (50,000 kilometers)
>5. Failing instrument Display (started at 15,000 kilometers)
>6. Also have to replace my windscreen a second time - they just don't
>seem to be able to stand up.
>7. Broken spring in driver's seat.
>8. Rattles and squeaks from day one.
>9. Drivers seat belt tensioner failing
>10. Fraying seatbelts
>11. Fraying seat upholstery
>
>By this yardstick my wife's old Mitsubishi Lancer was a much more
>reliable car.
>
>Your Audi will last a long time if you look after it but you will have
>to invest time and $$ to keep it in good order. The parts are
>expensive but depending on where you live you can save $$ by going to
>an online dealer.
>
>
>The big question is can you live with the niggling faults. If you can
>put up with these then go ahead. If however, reliability is important
>to you, you may want to consider a Lexus or a Honda.
>
>I know that they may not get your blood boiling but that may be a good
>thing a few years down the road. If you live in an area with few Audi
>dealers and independent mechanics DO NOT GET AN AUDI!! They service
>charges will be exorbitant.
>
>Simon


otoh....

Just turned 40000 miles, only problems so far were a bad MAF sensor and a
cruise control stalk, both covered under warranty...

/daytripper
'00 s4 6spd

In article >,
"BOB" > wrote:

>
> In short, Audis; when they work they are superb, when they don't expect to
> start tearing your hair out even if under warranty. For this reason alone I
> will not own another.
>

Perfect description.

--
Wayne Crannell
Xxxxxxx, TX

> > Can i be your son for the next "hand me down"
>
> Ha! My son keeps trying to persuade me to change my car.
>
> I think he fancies my RS6 in place of the old '93 Corsa he has as my
> wife's 'hand me down'!

Funny you should mention that. The bloke I bought my A6 ('96 2.5TDI 140bhp
Avant) off wanted to keep it for his wife to drive, but it was too big for
her and she preferred driving her 1 litre Corsa!

Peter
--
"The truth is working in television is not very glamorous at all. I just go
home on my own at night and sit alone and eat crisps."

Wayne:

Did you get your battery problems sorted out?


--
Stephen Clark
89 Audi 100
Houston, Texas USA

See my Audi in the Registry at www.audiworld.com!

"AstraVanMan" > wrote in message
...
>> >>> I've just bought a 1996 A6 2.6 V6 with 192,000 miles on the clock.
>> >>> There aren't many makes I'd even consider with that kind of mileage.
>> >>>
>> >>
>> >>John you havnt just bought my old Audi have you ?
>> >
>> > That's just what I was thinking :-)
>> >
>> >>But then I sold it with 162k miles, it was a quattro though, 2.6 v6
>> >>12valve
>> >
>> > I bought mine last month but no, it's not a quattro. I wish the
>> > previous owner had included the adaptor for the anti-theft wheel
>> > bolts, but as it turned out the local Audi dealer had one in stock for
>> > a tenner (including spare bolt).
>> >
>>
>> I Part ex'd mine for 2.5k it was a nice one though, was yours cheaper?
>
> Ronny, he's bought an A6, yours was an A4. HTH. :-)
>
> Peter
> --
> "The truth is working in television is not very glamorous at all. I just
> go
> home on my own at night and sit alone and eat crisps."
>
>

Well spoted Pete, I didnt see lol

"daytripper" > wrote in message
...
> On 24 Oct 2004 06:41:26 -0700, (Simon) wrote:
>>
>>Subba Rao > wrote in message
>...
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I do not own an Audi yet but have wanted one since I have first set my
>>> eyes on them 20 years ago. Now I am planning (pretty close) to buy a
>>> car. Over the years people have told me that Audi is a problem car with
>>> stories such as: You tend to spend lot of money on repairs. : They
>>> have bad performance : Audi's quality is less than mediocre (sp) and
>>> they charge a lot to fix the problem ....etc etc. Such stories kept
>>> coming at me, yet I still want to have an Audi.
>>>
>>> If there are any owners (and non-owners), could you please share your
>>> unbiased opinions and experience with Audi ownership?
>>>
>>> PS - I am middle aged man and am considered middle class. Don't know if
>>> this will help.
>
>>Hi Subba,
>>
>>The Audi's are look great inside and out. They just look and feel
>>better than most other makes. Unfortunately, under the skin, they are
>>made of components that do not stand up to even normal wear and tear.
>>Here is a list of problems with my 2001 A4 1.8T with 75,000
>>Kilometers. My car is serviced every 10,000K at the dealer.
>>
>>1. Rear Window Regulator - failed (40,000 Kilometers)
>>2. Tie Rod Ends - Replaced (35,000 Kilometers) and have to be replaced
>>again.
>>3. Leaky Power Steering Hose (68,000 kilometers)
>>4. Faulty AC - (50,000 kilometers)
>>5. Failing instrument Display (started at 15,000 kilometers)
>>6. Also have to replace my windscreen a second time - they just don't
>>seem to be able to stand up.
>>7. Broken spring in driver's seat.
>>8. Rattles and squeaks from day one.
>>9. Drivers seat belt tensioner failing
>>10. Fraying seatbelts
>>11. Fraying seat upholstery
>>
>>By this yardstick my wife's old Mitsubishi Lancer was a much more
>>reliable car.
>>
>>Your Audi will last a long time if you look after it but you will have
>>to invest time and $$ to keep it in good order. The parts are
>>expensive but depending on where you live you can save $$ by going to
>>an online dealer.
>>
>>
>>The big question is can you live with the niggling faults. If you can
>>put up with these then go ahead. If however, reliability is important
>>to you, you may want to consider a Lexus or a Honda.
>>
>>I know that they may not get your blood boiling but that may be a good
>>thing a few years down the road. If you live in an area with few Audi
>>dealers and independent mechanics DO NOT GET AN AUDI!! They service
>>charges will be exorbitant.
>>
>>Simon
>
>
> otoh....
>
> Just turned 40000 miles, only problems so far were a bad MAF sensor and a
> cruise control stalk, both covered under warranty...
>
> /daytripper
> '00 s4 6spd

Well i only buy used Audis, usually around the 80k mile mark, so most
problems have been ironed out, my last one I personally done 80k miles in 4
years and had 1 problem, which was a gear selector problem, i had a new
clutch at the same time and it cost me £900 all in, that was to strip the
gearbox as well, servicing was done at my local independant and always cost
me £140.00 inc plugs air filter etc, the car never failed an MOT and was as
good as the day I picked it up.

The only faults that I had, that didnt get replaced was, control arm slight
knock when driven on bumpy ground, and a dodgy imobilsor that only sometimes
failed to start the car.

My new A4 so far seems great, put 1400 miles on so far, its just had its 80k
mile cam belt, so should be good up too 160k again, its a turbo so I'm
expecting the turbo to go south after 120k miles, but we will see, then it
will be k04 time.

2002 A4 1.8T quattro