Opinions - B5 Audi A4

[fuel]

W8 engines are a shocker, as are the transmissions behind them. There were only a handful sold NZ-new, and of them half of them came back within the warranty period for transmission repairs.

[anthonym]

Reliability is a direct result of maintenance. Worked on plenty of B5's chasing 250,000kms+ that still drive like new. Get the lowest km's example you can afford with the most comprehensive service history you can get. People buy cheap grey imports with no history and then complain when things go wrong - go figure.

Hmmm my experience and every mechanic I've ever raised it with says Audis are horribly unreliable. I went to CCS last year to look at a traded-in BMW and the saleman had to drive me up to another yard, hopped in his demonstrator Q7 and it wouldn't start, I laughed my arse off . I spotted him a lift in my 10 year old 140k E46, started first time as always. Audis are pretty much just tarted up Skodas that handle worse than a wheelbarrow, IMO.

[iOnic]

I once saw an MR2 that wouldnt start and every mechanic I've spoken to says Cavaliers are unreliable. Therefore all Toyotas are crap and just tarted up Chevrolets that fall over at the slightest hint of a corner. IMO.

/sarcasm

[DXROLLA]

Audis are pretty much just tarted up Skodas that handle worse than a wheelbarrow, IMO.

My wheelbarrow handles pritty good, Its all about load vs lean, to much load and you cant get enough lean to take the sharp bends.

[anthonym]

I once saw an MR2 that wouldnt start and every mechanic I've spoken to says Cavaliers are unreliable. Therefore all Toyotas are crap and just tarted up Chevrolets that fall over at the slightest hint of a corner. IMO.

/sarcasm

4WD Toyotas perhaps . And to be fair, nearly all Audis are Skodas underneath, wheras, correct me if I'm wrong, only the Cavalier is a Chev. Even so I'd rather have a Chev than an Audi .

[anthonym]

Audis are pretty much just tarted up Skodas that handle worse than a wheelbarrow, IMO.

My wheelbarrow handles pritty good, Its all about load vs lean, to much load and you cant get enough lean to take the sharp bends.

Indeed, which is why I said worse than a wheelbarrow, try leaning your Audi with all that load over the front . A wheelbarrow is often faster than an Audi in a straight line as well because it starts first time.

[Nuty|Mike]

Pretty much an Audi, and go pretty well also. Nice cars with full leather, feel very high end considering what they are worth these days. Luxury at a good price.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motor ... 848755.htm

no audi came with that engine .....nice power shit economy thermostat will set you back $1000.00 .Vw failed attept at 8 cyl engine.

[Lloyd]

I once saw an MR2 that wouldnt start and every mechanic I've spoken to says Cavaliers are unreliable. Therefore all Toyotas are crap and just tarted up Chevrolets that fall over at the slightest hint of a corner. IMO.

/sarcasm

4WD Toyotas perhaps . And to be fair, nearly all Audis are Skodas underneath, wheras, correct me if I'm wrong, only the Cavalier is a Chev. Even so I'd rather have a Chev than an Audi .

Skodas are using Audi parts actually, and the Skodas are pretty good cars now.
Audis aren't unreliable, just certain models much like any other manufacturer. As said above, if Toyotas reputation was on Cavaliers, VZ and D4 engines then they're be a sh*t brand.

That said, the W8 is a problem engine to the point that you cant buy core engine parts for them. The dealers were only selling complete engines if you had a big end problem last I was dealing with them and they were near on the 30k mark and no wreckers had any.

And that said, they go quite well when they're running nicely. If you can get one cheap, go for it. They aren't guaranteed to break, but if it does then expect to throw the car away.

[iOnic]

4WD Toyotas perhaps . And to be fair, nearly all Audis are Skodas underneath, wheras, correct me if I'm wrong, only the Cavalier is a Chev. Even so I'd rather have a Chev than an Audi .

You're very misinformed. Audi and Skoda (as well as Lamborghini, Porsche, Bentley, Bugatti, Seat) are all owned by VW which on it's own is the 3rd largest vehicle manufacturer in the world - you don't get to that spot by building unreliable wheelbarrows. Some models have similar parts or are built on similar platforms but you're kidding yourself if you think almost all Audi's are Skodas underneath. Skoda only has something like 5 current models and they're very popular in Europe for their reliability. Audi has almost 20 excluding limited editions. I strongly doubt you'll find much Skoda under an R8, Q7, RSx, Sx etc

If you have a personal preference of one manufacturer over another, just say that - but don't make up BS about their cars (that quite a few people on here use daily and have never had issues with) being unreliable wheelbarrows to support your personal perference. If you have actual experience with B5 A4's and aren't just parroting things you've heard from other people then perhaps your opinion is valuable to the OP.

[fuel]

I once saw an MR2 that wouldnt start and every mechanic I've spoken to says Cavaliers are unreliable. Therefore all Toyotas are crap and just tarted up Chevrolets that fall over at the slightest hint of a corner. IMO.

/sarcasm

4WD Toyotas perhaps . And to be fair, nearly all Audis are Skodas underneath, wheras, correct me if I'm wrong, only the Cavalier is a Chev. Even so I'd rather have a Chev than an Audi .

Other way around, Skoda use the VW/Audi platform for their cars. For every Audi, there's just about a VW equivalent using the same platform, whereas only a handful of Skodas available using a select few platforms.

[GTTpower]

Back on topic, anything specific that is known to go wrong on them? I've heard that the centre display in the dash is a common fail.

[iOnic]

Brake pedal switch - common problem on all VW/Audi's of that era. My GF's car has just done it. $40 part and 10mins to fit. Air door locks (if it has them) can be a problem too. Wastegate can seize open (no boost). And a few others...

[Nuty|Mike]

water housings ,window regs ,dash,imobiliser wiring , ignition switches, all the front contol arms @ $170 + GST for the uppers and 200ish for the lowers (8 in total) ,get the cambelt done regardles of if its got to 100kms or not also DO THE WATERPUMP if its the model with the plastic impeller.
ummmmm Breather hoses all get oily and tear , outer tierod ends fail , they have dual mass flywheels which are 1800 on replacement ......I could go on all day.But hey I work for an Agent so buy one then come see me for some deals on parts.

[GTTpower]

Not too much then Will be sure to contact you if I end up with one.
Thanks for the replies, thread stirred up some good debate, some of it useful

[Audi]

Ha. I just sold my B5 about 2 months ago. As you can tell by my nick I'm a little biased, but they are pretty good cars. Mine was chipped and had a larger exhaust, which made a considerable difference and it had a decent amount of power. Probably about the same speed as my old GT4 RC, but more mid-range push.

I did have a couple of issues with the mechanicals, so I can't say they are perfect on reliability, but I've had the same with ay car I've ever owned, so I'm generally pretty unlucky. I would say they are a great sports saloon, not a true sports car or anything though.