WHAT GOES WRONG
Audis are not always paragons of reliability. The 1.8T is a decent engine as long as the oil has been changed on time with a fully-synthetic brew because, if not, the oil pick-up strainer in the sump can clog up with black death. Cam seizure is a common result of this so we may well run some engine flush through it before another oil and filter change. Dropping the sump for a clean-out is another option as well.
All engines are prone to coil pack failure and it’s worth keeping a couple in the glovebox for what they cost. The 2.0 non-turbo FSI engines are prone to high oil consumption but, if looked after, they are good units. Ditto the V6 petrols and diesels – belt changes at 60k are imperative along with 10,000-mile oil services if it’s to have a good long life. The 1.9 TDI is an excellent engine – you must, though, at all costs use the correct Vag-specified oil such as GSF’S Drivetec 5W-30 synthetic or Comma PD Plus – otherwise you will ruin the cam that operates the mechanical PD injectors.
That apart, the 1.9 TDI is certainly better than the 2.0 TDI fitted to the next-generation B7 cars. These not only had occasional head gasket issues, but also failure of the oil pump drive chain. This was one of VAG’S great over-complex ideas, using a tensioned chain to drive heavy balance shafts (not fitted on the 1.9) and then the oil pump from a Hexagonal shaft. The chain set-up was a disaster from day one, and the Hex shaft wears the corresponding Hex drives in the balance shaft and oil pump. You can replace the chain with a new simplified set-up from a specialist and many remove the whole lot with the balance shaft assembly and throw it away, converting back to the 1.9 TDI set-up that just works. This balance shaft idea was used in longitudinal engines – Audi A4, SEAT Exeo, VW Passat (including transverse B6 version) and Skoda Superb – but not the transverse A3/golf/octavias.
The other ’avoid like the plague’ Audi has the Luk-made Multitronic CVT autobox. It was trouble from the word go with the clutch plates inside wearing, resulting in the tell-tale vibration and shuddering on take-off. Later ones with seven plates were better made and with 30,000-mile oil changes they can last for ever – though they were never a great idea.
The A4 has probably the most complicated front suspension design known to man, none of which resulted in a car that was as sharp to drive as a BMW 3-Series – or better than a Mondeo. With various arms, links and balljoints there is a lot to wear out and it makes suspension repairs more complex than they need to be after 15 years, with bolts almost guaranteed to break in the alloy castings.
Brakes, driveshafts and manual gearboxes are all okay in general – as are the ZF automatics. But again, check the oil levels on both the diff and the gearbox. Window regulators are a common VAG consumable.
A whine from the power steering system can just be low fluid (it seems to evaporate over time), and these cars use a special mineral fluid and not the regular red Dexron that other manufacturers use.
Poor starting can be a faulty crank position sensor, while problems with the electric cooling fan can be very hard to diagnose – it could be the control box, a coolant temp sensor gone haywire, or it can also be a wiring fault that requires VAG-COM diagnostics to fault-find. We’ll be
plugging this diagnostic system into our car in the near future to see what codes it has stored.
All in all, the A4 is a nice car. But old age can be against them, with many jobs being expensive and timeconsuming – replacing the cambelt means removal of the headlights, front bumper and sliding the complete front panel forwards, while a clutch change (particularly on a Quattro model) is certainly labour-intensive. The B6, though, is a better budget Audi than the later B7 – a car that was better when new, but which can now throw up some pricey issues.