[gc800]

I'm thinking about buying a B5 1997 Audi A4 Quattro V6 with 120k. Anyone have any experiences with this car in terms of reliability and ease of maintaining one?

TIW

[Jegz]

What reliability

[roastpuff]

^Exactly. You will have a lot of issues if the car is that old and hasn't been maintained METICULOUSLY. Not just well, METICULOUSLY.

[insomniac]

prepare to get raped.

[supman7]

suspension bushings tend to give out on all 4 corners, I'm not sure about the 2.8 but the 1.8t has engine sludge problems. That's what I've read with when I thought about buying one. Also timing belts apparently snap prematurely too.

[1exotic]

reliability and ease of maintaining one?



LOL

[Lomac]

suspension bushings tend to give out on all 4 corners, I'm not sure about the 2.8 but the 1.8t has engine sludge problems. That's what I've read with when I thought about buying one. Also timing belts apparently snap prematurely too.

Pretty sure the 2.8 uses a timing chain...

[slammer111]

I heard the Turbo goes fairly quickly on that generation, but what do I know. Not sure if your V6 has a Turbo, but I would check to see if it does.

[bcrdukes]

You would have better chances of reward buying a lemon at a supermarket. :lol

[gc800]

LOL it's that bad eh? Looks like I ain't getting one then

[slammer111]

^ You can buy us a beers for saving you thousands in pain and aggravation. :D

But seriously, 90s Audis (especially A4) are well-known for major problems that result in $$$ repairs.

[PiuYi]

its a shame they're so shitty in the long-run cuz i really like the size/style/build of that car... very nice compact

but not good to own i guess

[skylinergtr]

Pretty sure the 2.8 uses a timing chain...

nope, they use a timing belt, and they are even worse to work on than the 1.8T. The waterpump is known to be the biggest PITA to do apart of the timing belt/waterpump combo.


My sister has a B6 Audi A4 and its been pretty good to us, but still i can't call it 'reliable'. I suggest you run away from Audi.

[604nguyen]

i dont know about the 2.8's
but ive owned a 1.8t b6 for a while, never had a problem

[skylinergtr]

i dont know about the 2.8's
but ive owned a 1.8t b6 for a while, never had a problem

true, but its just expensive up keep.

My sister's b6 needed the following work done, however its got 132,000kms now and runs great!

-timing belt, waterpump, and cam seals - $1000 -crank shaft pulley (harmonic balancer) - $400
-Power window module (the windows stopped working one day...) - $700
-Windshield washer fluid stopped working (rewired the switched) - $300
-Thermostat replacing (thermostat is stuck on open now and needs to be changed) - $300
-Full transmission pressure flush, and fill with synthetic fluid. New filter - $400
-Differential flush - $100
-coil packs (i've replaced them 8 times on this car! and finall its a recall issue) - $40 each coil. (b6 1.8t's are $40 a coil, while b5's are upwards of $150 a coil)

theres probably a bunch more that im missing. There have been the few odd ball thing that went bad on the car, and its just a bit on the expensive side for up keep. However, nothing can compare to a BMW sometimes. Mine has been a money pit, but sometimes its worth it :)

Watch out for the transmissions!
non quattro models have CVT automatic transmissions that can cause problems and be expensive down the road. If you do have a quattro model, it is recommneded to flush the 'lifetime' fluid in the transmission if you really want it to last. This is what i did. I'm sure manual transmissions dont have any problems although typicall vw's have problems with their manual transmissions.

[TomBox_N]

Watch for oil leaks too, 2.8 are known for bleeding oil. Also the front suspension, they're well known problems.
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[AWDTurboLuvr]

If you were set on getting an A4 from that generation, I'd get the 1.8T. The 2.8 V6 isn't that great in terms of reliability and gas mileage. On the whole, the B6 model after that generation was much more reliable. I have a '03 A4 and it's been rock solid aside from a coolant temp sensor ($60)

[AWDTurboLuvr]

true, but its just expensive up keep.

My sister's b6 needed the following work done, however its got 132,000kms now and runs great!

-timing belt, waterpump, and cam seals - $1000 -crank shaft pulley (harmonic balancer) - $400
-Power window module (the windows stopped working one day...) - $700
-Windshield washer fluid stopped working (rewired the switched) - $300
-Thermostat replacing (thermostat is stuck on open now and needs to be changed) - $300
-Full transmission pressure flush, and fill with synthetic fluid. New filter - $400
-Differential flush - $100
-coil packs (i've replaced them 8 times on this car! and finall its a recall issue) - $40 each coil. (b6 1.8t's are $40 a coil, while b5's are upwards of $150 a coil)

theres probably a bunch more that im missing. There have been the few odd ball thing that went bad on the car, and its just a bit on the expensive side for up keep. However, nothing can compare to a BMW sometimes. Mine has been a money pit, but sometimes its worth it :)


The timing belt and fluid flush is regular maintanence. The other stuff pisses me off too...coilpacks especially. I kept one crappy one in the trunk and every month, I would stick it in to eventually replace all my coilpacks to the latest revision. Bleah. It's been fine for the last 3 years though.

[PJ]

I considered an 04 a4 as well, but after some quick research, i got turned off fast.

[skylinergtr]

If you were set on getting an A4 from that generation, I'd get the 1.8T. The 2.8 V6 isn't that great in terms of reliability and gas mileage. On the whole, the B6 model after that generation was much more reliable. I have a '03 A4 and it's been rock solid aside from a coolant temp sensor ($60)

if you dont mind me asking. what was the reason of changing the coolant temp sensor? my B6 1.8TQ is not heating up properly. basically always staying cold. Im assuming a stuck open thermostat and plan to change it out. Stupid audi has to not sell the thermostat on its own and you have to buy a housing with the thermostat and a few sensors attached to it for $150 and its kind of a PITA to replace it (under the intake manifold - need to remove serpentine belt, alternator, and throttle body). I was wondering what was the cause of replacing your coolant temp sensor? was your car not running warm or overheating? Is this a common issue?

Thanks

[maxx]

Audis only recently started to get better, so 2007 and on..

[stuff99]

Are the current 2009 and forward Audi A4s more reliable?

[dared3vil0]

Are the current 2009 and forward Audi A4s more reliable?
They're still under warranty, So yes. :badpokerface:

But in all seriousness, Honda reliable? No. But is it going to start every time? Most likely.

[monkeywrench]

Good luck

[stuff99]

I guess I should stay away from Audi's if I buy used then. As much as I like their looks more so than any other brand.

[vantrip]

I owned one, long-forgotten because it provided me nothing but headaches. Don't want to knock on owners here but imo older Audi/VW have serious reliability problems, avoid them like a plague.

[lexluthor09]

no, just make sure you have warranty, extended warranty or a good aftermarket warranty. either that or deep pockets

edit: that was in reply to stuff99

[BrRsn]

A good friend of mine has a B5 A4 with the 1.8T

He's pushing ~22pounds of boost with a turbo swap and a crap ton of other mods. Rode in his car a few times, pulls really damn hard and drives great/very well balanced. I really wanted to buy one, then I realized he's a mechanic by trade and has a garage at his disposal and his car is still out of commission most of the time.

tl;dr beautiful car but requires tons of commitment/time/cash

[dared3vil0]

I should add, I wanted (Still do) a B5 S4 (Such an amazing car imho) But when i talked to a few people who had them, And even the salesman at the Audi dealer, Reinforced to me that a second, Reliable car is very reccomended. (ie lots of downtime for the S4) Now, I know the A4 will be more reliable but keep it in mind.

[hongy]

I should add, I wanted (Still do) a B5 S4 (Such an amazing car imho) But when i talked to a few people who had them, And even the salesman at the Audi dealer, Reinforced to me that a second, Reliable car is very reccomended. (ie lots of downtime for the S4) Now, I know the A4 will be more reliable but keep it in mind.

:badpokerface: buy my b8 s4 next year.

[dared3vil0]

:badpokerface: buy my b8 s4 next year.

I don't have the money for a B8 S4 Unless you wanted to sell it for like 20 grand? :badpokerface:

[Spaceship_coupe]

I should add, I wanted (Still do) a B5 S4 (Such an amazing car imho) But when i talked to a few people who had them, And even the salesman at the Audi dealer, Reinforced to me that a second, Reliable car is very reccomended. (ie lots of downtime for the S4) Now, I know the A4 will be more reliable but keep it in mind.

I had a B5 Stage 2+ S4 and it was honestly my favorite car that I've owned. It never gave me any problems at all. Mind you it was expensive to maintain but it never had these major problems a bunch of the Audi forum guys had. I only did maintenance on it like fluid changes, suspension, timing belt, etc. The only non maintenance trouble I ran into was the vacuum pump for the powers door locks. A quick trip to the wrecker to grab a B5 Passat pump fixed the problem and that fix was cheap.

I also bought the car used and it was well maintained by the previous owner as well. I truly miss that car.
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[kwy]

Buy an E46.

[BrRsn]

^
E46 may not be as unreliable but it is $$$$ to maintain, especially if you get an M3 or a ZHP. Suspension parts are not cheap at all, and if you want any tuning related mods everyone charges a premium just because it's an e46

Personally had to deal with a cooling system breakdown on #1 highway during rush hour. Luckily it was summer so I could take my time fixing it on the side of the road. E46 always has a basic tool kit in the trunk (beyond what comes with the car lol) for random shit happening, which it always does.

[Calbeee]

:badpokerface: buy my b8 s4 next year.

you have too much money man. already selling?

as for reliability for a b5, daval can probably chime in. he has a sick one and knows lots about b5 and anything audi.. lets see if he sees this thread

if you want reliability, get a honda.