jacksonpt

As some of you may know, I'm considering buying an Audi to replace the runner as my daily driver. I've been watching a popular Audi board for the last few days, and I recently saw a thread asking how many problems people had within the first year of ownership, and how fast those problems were corrected. I was surprised at all the problems people had (and the problems were all over the board)... especially considering I had no problem with my rig the first year, and aside from a recall, I had no problems the first 4 or so years.

So, to those of you who bought your rig new, how many problems did you have during the first year you owned it? Anything from a rattle to blown speaker to a blown tranny. And how long did it take to get the problem rectified?

INsr5runner

I think the first year I had her, the only problem was that she was too small!the only other problems so far (knock knock) have been pass. side bearings needed replaced and I need to clean my MAF.

tom4416

Best check the JD Powers initial quality ratings on Audi/Volkswagen before making that purchase. Friend of mine with an A4 swears never again (and he was an Audi/VW mechanic for 18 years). He's into the end of his second year with the car and hasn't had it for one continuous month yet. Unfortunately, it's all sorts of different things so it's hard to kick the lemon law into gear. I know this can happen with any vehicle but the survey seems to indicate it happens a lot to Audi.

Churnd

I didn't buy my 94 new, but I bought it from a close friend who did buy it new so I know it's track record. I can safely say it's never broken down once. The only money I've put into it is for regular maintenence and aftermarket stuff. It's nice, ain't it?

shazaam

hey I was in the same boat as you. I needed a daily driver other then the runner. Check out a mercedes C class. Its very reasonable, lots of pick up, very luxurious, good on gas, low maint. cost, high resale. I got a 99 C280 with less then 27K miles, for under $18K. That little v6 has lots of power. We used to have an audi wagon .. same problems as everyone else.

EDIT: I didn't answer your question, I bought my 02 didn't have a single problem with it, thats why my father bought it. It's the 7th or 8th toyota he's purchased.

jalaber

Bought it new. Only issue was it was out of alignment, noticed it immediatly. Dealer fixed it to my satisfaction, no charge of course.

ts1

I bought my rig brand new in Dec of 2000. Here are the only problems I can think of. All were covered under warranty.

1. Fuel guage and sender replaced.
2. Water pump leak at 20k miles. Replaced
3. Steering rack at 27k. Replaced. Still have no idea why it went bad.

However, none of these problems showed up in the first year.

butnut

After a few months (6?) the fan belt started making noise...not under warranty...60 bucks. Only been back for AC smell issues a few times after. Solid as a rock...not a Chevy rock. 5 years over 110K and another 2 years of payments.

toy283

I bought my '84 new, 19½ years ago. It has never been in the shop for anything. I discount everything after '89 though when I started really messing with it Even so, it has never broke down to the point of leaving me stranded.

Toyota Punk

I bought mine new in June of '01 and the only problem I had was close to the end of the first year and it was my fault. The foglights were taking in water and burning out bulbs very quickly. The problem was I kept accidentally trapping the wire in the gasket causing a gap (poor design IMO). Anyway I didn't tell them that was the reason and they fixed it under warranty within a couple days of my complaint. I don't believe there were any other problems at all.

Darren

Split front sway bar bushing: ~$5

5 minutes at dealer to purchase, and about 20 to replace it myself.

Tacoma Dude

A few side bulbs that burnt out, that's all

outdoorfever

we bought our rig used with about 18k on it..thats not the point. i am simply telling you that audi/vw are known for good ride and uhh thats about it. granted they are very very nice cars, i wouldnt spend 60k on a A6 and then take it too the shop all the time. i have a friend who's dad owns a audi/vw dealership. none of them drive one except the mother who drives a bug. but they are not reliable and i would recommend looking at another vehicle.

JSharp

I didn't buy mine new, but it only had 23k miles on it when I got it. It was 2 years old at the time and came with all the service records. Routine oil and filter changes, an air filter, and dealer checks is all that had been done to it.

It has 59K now. I had the gas gage TSB done, a couple of squeeks/rattles and and I just put tires on it. It should have had plugs ar 30k and I'll do that shortly, along with cleaning the MAF and doing the 60K service. I've replaced both taillight bulbs too.

Euro cars aren't Toyotas. Expect to know the dealer service guys birthdays in a couple of years...

keisur

bought my '98 new and I didn't have any probs except the rear axle leaking that Toyota refuses to step up to the plate and correct. but other than that, ny '98 has been great. The '03 is pretty good too, it's main problem was shoddy workmanship by the tech and the poor judgement of the service manager (who was a tech at the Ford dealership before he weaselled his way into the Toyota dealership for a management position). his previous employment may explain the service we got for those TSB items.

foxtrapper

I think you're missing the boat. An Audi is *much* more problematic then a Toyota. I've had both, several times, so I've got a bit of experience with them. An Audi can be a delightfull car to drive, but it's going to be broken more then a Toyota, and suffer from gremlins all its life.

Sac State

These are the vehicle manufacturers that I have owned new and their first year reliability.

1. Toyota-never any problem, ever!
2. Ford-died thermostat and dead fuel pump within first year
(2 tows)
3. Chevrolet-recalled transmission, continual tranny problems
4. Nissan-free of defects
5. Subaru-parking brake recall, perfect otherwise
6. BMW-fuel delivery module kept dying and leaving me stranded(tow)
7. Honda-as good as the Toyota's that I own

From what I can tell by reading the trade mags, Edmunds, etc. It appears the German vehicles are having problems in all areas of the vehicle. Goto Edmunds and read up on the new VW Toenail, talk about a bag of loose bolts!

Audi has a good concept, but questionable execution. Are you looking at the A4? Also look at the Passat, basically the same car(mechanically) but less.

Personally, I look at the German vehicles as a work-in-progress project. I buy Japanese vehicles to have reliable transportation.

Toyota Punk

I've definately heard BMW testimonials getting worse and worse. The new 7 series and the latest M3 are riddled with continuing problems as I'm sure a few others are since everything's getting redesigned. I'm not too sure about VW/Audi, I don't know anyone that owns either. I would say for the money of an Audi A4 or A6, you could pick up a Lexus ES or GS, and have Toyota's exceptional reliability and comparable (if not better) luxury/features. Just my two cents.

mt_goat

I bought my 93 Toyota ext-cab new. The horn and drivers side CV boot went out the first year. We also bought a new 97 BMW 328i for my wife. I don't remember any problems the first year, the 2nd or 3rd year we had a problem with the brake light switch but that's about it. There is defininely more expensive maintience with the BMW over time. (Like the brake rotors need replacing everytime the pads wear out) But we get around 28-30 mpg with the BMW and its a great drive. We have 80k miles on the BMW and 101K miles on the Toyota. We test drove the Camry and Avalon too but when with the BMW because of the sporty feel on the road. I would stay away from the Audi myself. Good luck.

jacksonpt

Thanks everyone for the info. Based on a lot of things (this thread, stuff I've read on the Audi boards, my experience with my 4Runner and other Toyotas, and my test drive of the A4, my wife's BMW, etc.), I've come to the following conclusions.

- No one can touch Toyota and Honda for flat out reliablility
- Japanese cars tend to be the most reliable
- German cars are the best engineered vehicles
- German cars tend to be the most fun to drive (from a get in and just drive standpoint).
- Bottom line: Japanese = reliability, German = fun

So, with all that said, I think I'm going to really look into the Audi. I'll be keeping my 4Runner, so I can still drive that if the Audi needs to be in the shop from time to time. I love my truck, but it is a dog as a daily driver - the Audi is a blast to drive, and the ergonomics are impecable.

I'm going to see if my dealer will let me take an A4 for an extended test drive this weekend so I can make sure things feel good and work the way they are supposed to work.

Thanks again for all the info guys - much appreciated.