2002 A4 vs. BMW 325 Xi - reliability

Hi,

I'm thinking very seriously of purchasing either a 2002 A4 3.0 Quattro, or
the BMW 325 XI from roughly the same year.

I've read all the stuff about performance, safety, etc, etc. So I don't
need a lot of input in that department.

However, I am having a hard time finding good data on the reliability /
expense of repairs / maintenance of these cars. All the reviews I've seen
are from the year they came out. Now that 3-4 years have elapsed since the
release of the cars from that year I'd like to know which of these cars has
proven itself to be more reliable, have fewer problems and is less
expensive to fix.

A good friend who works in a used luxury car dealership, and is presumably
neutral on the issue, advised me very seriously to go with the BMW as the
Audi according to him "has a lot of problems and is more expensive to fix".

I'm aware that both are fairly high performance cars and as such will be
more prone to problems than the 1994 toyota pickup (135,000 miles and NEVER
been in the shop for anything besides maintenance) it will replace. But I
would think at this time one would have shown itself to be more reliable
than the other.

Does anyone have any input either way? Or better yet, some kind of long
term comprehensive data on the web I can look at?

(Karl) wrote in >:

>Hi,
>
>I'm thinking very seriously of purchasing either a 2002 A4 3.0 Quattro,
>or the BMW 325 XI from roughly the same year.

(snip)

Oh I should probably add, my interest extends only to a manual tranny. I
have no need for CVT, tiptronics, Striptronics or any of that kind of
thang.

For what it's worth, my wife had a '02 A4 3.0Q and it was the worst car
we've ever owned. I can't even remember all the things that failed. Some
major (engine issues) and lots minor (leaking hose clamps and bad
electrical connectors). It's the last Audi we'll ever buy.



Karl wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm thinking very seriously of purchasing either a 2002 A4 3.0 Quattro, or
> the BMW 325 XI from roughly the same year.
>
> I've read all the stuff about performance, safety, etc, etc. So I don't
> need a lot of input in that department.
>
> However, I am having a hard time finding good data on the reliability /
> expense of repairs / maintenance of these cars. All the reviews I've seen
> are from the year they came out. Now that 3-4 years have elapsed since the
> release of the cars from that year I'd like to know which of these cars has
> proven itself to be more reliable, have fewer problems and is less
> expensive to fix.
>
> A good friend who works in a used luxury car dealership, and is presumably
> neutral on the issue, advised me very seriously to go with the BMW as the
> Audi according to him "has a lot of problems and is more expensive to fix".
>
> I'm aware that both are fairly high performance cars and as such will be
> more prone to problems than the 1994 toyota pickup (135,000 miles and NEVER
> been in the shop for anything besides maintenance) it will replace. But I
> would think at this time one would have shown itself to be more reliable
> than the other.
>
> Does anyone have any input either way? Or better yet, some kind of long
> term comprehensive data on the web I can look at?

In an earlier thread about an '86 T44 I was suggesting that the problem was the
fuel tank lining peeling off and clogging the fuel pump intake screen
intermittently. I would think that this may be your problem too.

Fix:
-cut intake screen off pump and replace fuel filter more often.

You might also have a weak fuel pump relay.

JimV wrote:
> For what it's worth, my wife had a '02 A4 3.0Q and it was the worst car
> we've ever owned. I can't even remember all the things that failed. Some
> major (engine issues) and lots minor (leaking hose clamps and bad
> electrical connectors). It's the last Audi we'll ever buy.
>
>
>
> Karl wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I'm thinking very seriously of purchasing either a 2002 A4 3.0
>> Quattro, or the BMW 325 XI from roughly the same year.
>>
>> I've read all the stuff about performance, safety, etc, etc. So I
>> don't need a lot of input in that department.
>>
>> However, I am having a hard time finding good data on the reliability
>> / expense of repairs / maintenance of these cars. All the reviews
>> I've seen are from the year they came out. Now that 3-4 years have
>> elapsed since the release of the cars from that year I'd like to know
>> which of these cars has proven itself to be more reliable, have fewer
>> problems and is less expensive to fix.
>>
>> A good friend who works in a used luxury car dealership, and is
>> presumably neutral on the issue, advised me very seriously to go with
>> the BMW as the Audi according to him "has a lot of problems and is
>> more expensive to fix".
>> I'm aware that both are fairly high performance cars and as such will
>> be more prone to problems than the 1994 toyota pickup (135,000 miles
>> and NEVER been in the shop for anything besides maintenance) it will
>> replace. But I would think at this time one would have shown itself
>> to be more reliable than the other.
>> Does anyone have any input either way? Or better yet, some kind of
>> long term comprehensive data on the web I can look at?

JimV > writes:

>For what it's worth, my wife had a '02 A4 3.0Q and it was the worst car
>we've ever owned. I can't even remember all the things that failed. Some
>major (engine issues) and lots minor (leaking hose clamps and bad
>electrical connectors). It's the last Audi we'll ever buy.


Just goes to show you never know what you'll get. I have a 2002 A4 3.0Q
and I've had exactly two problems with it. One of the dozen of so speakers
had some light static on it -- I hadn't even noticed it at first, an
audiophile friend of my commented on it when I brought it by for a visit
a couple days after I got it. That was replaced, then a few months ago
(2+ years after getting the car) the sunroof sometimes would shut again
after I'd opened it. They had to order a part and it was replaced and that
was the end of that. Never had any problems with the engine, tranny,
brakes, steering, and other important stuff like that which is needed to
actually get where you need to go safely.

The guy who started this thread is probably WAY better off checking with
Consumer Reports or the like to see what their actual measured data states
about the reliability of the two models in question versus asking in the
Audi and BMW groups for personal or "friend of a friend" type individual
anecdotes.

--
Douglas Siebert

"Pure democracy is three wolves and two sheep voting on what to eat for
dinner." -- Benjamin Franklin, on why the US is a Republic and not a Democracy

Save yourself money and get yourself an early 90's low mileage well maintained turbo quattro. A typical driver (not a newbie of
course), if you're one, wouldn't be able to maximze his car's capabilities anyways, at least from what I can tell from the new audis
I've smoked in my '86 TQ, which is more than a typical Audi driver can handle, though admittedly I did hit a traffic island last
winter, no more cr@ppy tires :-)

Audi S6 Turbo Quattro

http://tinyurl.com/b493b
http://tinyurl.com/dzhxm

cp


"Karl" > wrote in message ...
> Hi,
>
> I'm thinking very seriously of purchasing either a 2002 A4 3.0 Quattro, or
> the BMW 325 XI from roughly the same year.
>
> I've read all the stuff about performance, safety, etc, etc. So I don't
> need a lot of input in that department.
>
> However, I am having a hard time finding good data on the reliability /
> expense of repairs / maintenance of these cars. All the reviews I've seen
> are from the year they came out. Now that 3-4 years have elapsed since the
> release of the cars from that year I'd like to know which of these cars has
> proven itself to be more reliable, have fewer problems and is less
> expensive to fix.
>
> A good friend who works in a used luxury car dealership, and is presumably
> neutral on the issue, advised me very seriously to go with the BMW as the
> Audi according to him "has a lot of problems and is more expensive to fix".
>
> I'm aware that both are fairly high performance cars and as such will be
> more prone to problems than the 1994 toyota pickup (135,000 miles and NEVER
> been in the shop for anything besides maintenance) it will replace. But I
> would think at this time one would have shown itself to be more reliable
> than the other.
>
> Does anyone have any input either way? Or better yet, some kind of long
> term comprehensive data on the web I can look at?

According to Consumer Reports, the 2002 year was not a good one for the A4
V6. Three areas, electrical, ignition and power equipment, were either worse
than average or much worse than average; the overall reliability rating was
worse than average. It's specifically listed in their "Used Cars to Avoid"
listing. In contrast, the BMW 3 series for 2002 had no areas worse than
average and an overall reliability of better than average. The 2002 3 series
was specifically listed in their list of "Reliable Used Cars."

Ah, interesting. Thats the kind of info I am looking for. It's a tough
choice. The A4 has the nicer interior and is more powerful. But the BMW
looks a lot sharper outside - perhaps even a bit TOO nice, bordering on
flashy- and is apparently more fun to drive although I guess it is somewhat
underpowered and more expensive.

Yes, I do need to go test drive them both still...

But in thinking long range, an A4 that spends more time in the shop will
likely eventually cost me as much (if not more) than the 325.

I should add that I plan to DRIVE whichever car I end up with. I love to
drive for its own sake and used to drive professionally back in the early
90's. At the time I worked for a law firm in San Francisco and routinely
got lectured for "having too much fun" while chauffering the Firm's eldest
attorney (84 years old) in the company's 735i. I was not unsafe per se,
but definitely a bit aggressive for the constitution of an octogenarian.

So anyway, what I'm saying is that the car I end up with is going to have
to stand up to more than just the occasional hop down to the market. Plus
I do live in an area with a good amount of bad weather.

I'm starting to wonder if I should suck it up and try for the 330xi.
Anyone have opinions on that?

(Ian S) wrote in <DLhVe.14434$ct5.5787@fed1read04>:

>According to Consumer Reports, the 2002 year was not a good one for the
>A4 V6. Three areas, electrical, ignition and power equipment, were
>either worse than average or much worse than average; the overall
>reliability rating was worse than average. It's specifically listed in
>their "Used Cars to Avoid" listing. In contrast, the BMW 3 series for
>2002 had no areas worse than average and an overall reliability of
>better than average. The 2002 3 series was specifically listed in their
>list of "Reliable Used Cars."
>
>
>

(Ian S) wrote in <DLhVe.14434$ct5.5787@fed1read04>:

>According to Consumer Reports, the 2002 year was not a good one for the
>A4 V6. Three areas, electrical, ignition and power equipment, were
>either worse than average or much worse than average; the overall
>reliability rating was worse than average. It's specifically listed in
>their "Used Cars to Avoid" listing. In contrast, the BMW 3 series for
>2002 had no areas worse than average and an overall reliability of
>better than average. The 2002 3 series was specifically listed in their
>list of "Reliable Used Cars."
>
>
>

Does CR have anything to say about the 2003 or even the previous model
years using the older platform?

"Karl" > wrote in message
...
> (Ian S) wrote in <DLhVe.14434$ct5.5787@fed1read04>:
>
> >According to Consumer Reports, the 2002 year was not a good one for the
> >A4 V6. Three areas, electrical, ignition and power equipment, were
> >either worse than average or much worse than average; the overall
> >reliability rating was worse than average. It's specifically listed in
> >their "Used Cars to Avoid" listing. In contrast, the BMW 3 series for
> >2002 had no areas worse than average and an overall reliability of
> >better than average. The 2002 3 series was specifically listed in their
> >list of "Reliable Used Cars."
> >
> >
> >
>
> Does CR have anything to say about the 2003 or even the previous model
> years using the older platform?

CR has data from '97 to '04. As far as overall reliability is concerned,
only the '04 A4 rates better than average (an encouraging development); the
'01 rates average; all other years rate below average. For the 3 series,
only '02 rates above average; the '04 rates below average (a discouraging
development); all others rate average. I'd recommend a visit to
Audiworld.com and search for various trouble areas. I have a '98 A4 which
has had engine oil leaks, radiator replacement, temperature sensor replaced,
defective clutch throwout bearing, bad ventilation fan all within 65,000
miles. I have not had the notorious control arm problem and because I don't
have the computer, I didn't have its display fail as so many have. I also
missed the year where the ignition coils were defective. You'll note that
none of these items would appear related to hard use - they are simply a
result of seemingly poor design and/or shoddy quality. While some would
dismiss the CR surveys, I'd have to say that in the case of the A4, they
pretty well track the problems brought up in audiworld discussions.