B6 A4 reliability

[mkaresh]

We've updated the results for the B6 A4 AND S4 to include owner experiences through June 30, 2010.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2005 A4: 145

2005 S4: 166

2004 A4: 152

2004 S4: 126

2003 A4: 103, results for other model years suggest that this one is not accurate

2002 A4: 148

All but the 2003 A4 are worse than average. We've been seeing much lower repair frequencies for the B7 and B8.

Thank you, once again, to everyone who has been helping. We'll have further updates in November and February.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help:

Audi A4 reliability comparisons

[SlimBunnies]

u guys are making me nervous i got a 2002 a4 1.8TQ... got me regretting my buy..... i prob need to get outside warranty that covers a lot... u guys know where i can get it? i have 148,850 miles on mine.

[mkaresh]

Looks like you've had a few older cars, so are probably used to a repair or two a year. This is all you're likely to have, I wouldn't regret the purchase. If the car was more reliable, you would have had to pay a lot more for it.

[SlimBunnies]

Looks like you've had a few older cars, so are probably used to a repair or two a year. This is all you're likely to have, I wouldn't regret the purchase. If the car was more reliable, you would have had to pay a lot more for it.

yea thats why i got kinda skeptical, the price was too good. as far the the other vehicles i own, i was the 1st owners except for the sienna and the NSX of which was my fathers, other than that routine maint and nothing ever happened, never died on me. this was my first used car purchase.lol

[dangerouslaser]

no offense but this data is pretty much worthless

[dangerouslaser]

and by pretty much i mean completely

[itsweird182]

u guys are making me nervous i got a 2002 a4 1.8TQ... got me regretting my buy..... i prob need to get outside warranty that covers a lot... u guys know where i can get it? i have 148,850 miles on mine.

I'm nervous too after reading this and I only have 24,000 miles on my 03. Makes me want to get rid of it soon before it starts causing problems and costing me too much money.

[Lusticles]

u guys are making me nervous i got a 2002 a4 1.8TQ... got me regretting my buy..... i prob need to get outside warranty that covers a lot... u guys know where i can get it? i have 148,850 miles on mine.

any car you buy with 150k miles will have problems sooner or later, you should have expected it when you purchases such a high mileage vehicle. I made it to about 125/126k without any major issues. A few bad sensors, coil pack failures, vacuum leak and then the clutch replacement.

[SlimBunnies]

and by pretty much i mean completely

apparently it is relevant to the person i responded to.

[mkaresh]

It might help to point out that these stats include all repairs, for anything. Most reported repairs are minor, and few render the car undriveable.

This said, I don't think these stats are news. I think it's much more surprising how well the B7 and newer have been doing--many people assume that even newer Audis are unreliable.

[COMMANDOE]

Reliability is VERY poor per consumer reports for 98-04 and thats primarily the 1.8. They specifically don't recommend it as a used vehicle. I have an 02 myself and do love it, but the line as a whole is notorious for problems compared to other vehicles in its class. You are doing a nice job with your survey and I am very curious. I know CR checks with garages all over the country as part of their research and does not accept advertising.

[mkaresh]

Just a minor correction: CR does not check with garages. They get their data the same way I do, through owner surveys. The differences: they update after a long delay once a year (their current results are 14 months behind our current results) and do not release numerical results, only vague dots.

[COMMANDOE]

You are correct they don't check with garages my bad BUT your sample size is very minute compared to what they collect. Your sample is full of enthusiasts who largely think nothing of repairing themselves the many design flaws that pepper many of our cars (cat convertors, coil packs, oil circulation failure of the 1.8's which you will never see in the likes of Infinitis, subarus, hondas toyotas or other vehicles with exemplorary reliability records.

AGAIN I applaud your effort and am very curious of your results/outcomes and for the record enjoy VERY much my own 02 A4 3.0 quattro! Though the Audi is not listed specifically the least reliable used car make as a whole going back 10 years per CR? Volkswagon.....................

[mkaresh]

Current Audis aren't looking bad at all in our survey.

I feel sample size is the only advantage CR has, and as you've likely noticed I'm constantly working to address that. For the A4 we have over 1,400 owners signed up so far. By and large the repairs they report are repairs any owner would have performed. The ignition coils you mention are easily the most common.

[mkaresh]

Starting this month we have a new question to measure, as objectively as possible, the severity of a problem. Many people have been asking for reliability stats that weight problems by how severe they are, and once we have enough responses with the revised survey we'll start providing this.

Also this month: updated reliability stats.

As always, the more owners participate, the better the information we can provide to everyone.

Car reliability research

[mkaresh]

We've updated the results for the A6 to include owner experiences through September 30, 2010. Other sources of car reliability information won't cover the months since April until the summer or even fall of next year.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2007: 189, worse than average but very small sample size; the result for the 2006 is likely much more accurate

2006: 69, about average

2005: 112, about average

2004: 113, about average

2003: 159, worse than average

2002: 124, about average

2001: 126, about average

2000: 97, better than average, small sample size, results for other years suggest that this one isn't accurate

1999: 185, worse than average

Decent sample sizes for the 2001, 2002, and 2006, small and even very small sample sizes for the others.

Thank you, once again, to everyone who has been helping. We'll have further updates in February and May. With more participants, we could provide more precise information and cover all model years.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help:

Audi A6 reliability ratings and comparisons

[shawndh]

Wow. I have an 03 3.0 and it's been the most reliable Audi I've ever owned. Coil pack, accessory belt tensioner, and O2 sensors are the only things I've repaired in the last 5 years. It's never been in the shop except for the fuel pump recall - and there was nothing wrong with my fuel pump at the time. Guess it really depends on the user. The coilpack would have freeked me out if I didn't know about the issue.

[dantm]

I have a 2005 1.8T (USP model not that it matters) and it's been a disaster...mostly small things but annoying. 90K miles

In the last 2 months:

(1) fuel pump and filter replacement as the pump was making the whining noise;

(2) noise when turning to one direction at speed (~40-60 mph);

(3) rough ride from the front end (just feels choppy) ** what could this be?

(4) windshield transmission seized so wipers are dead;

(5) just today ** malfunction instrument light (check engine) - runs fine;


The car had Audi replace the coilpacks as part of the recall and it had left me stranded before with one dead coilpack...

It's a mess...never getting an Audi again (or if I do it will be low mileage and will sell before it goes above 50K which is where I bought this one).

[mkaresh]

We've updated the results for the B6 A4 AND S4 to include owner experiences through December 31, 2010. Other sources of car reliability information won't cover the months since last April until the summer or even fall of this year.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2005 A4: 123

2005 S4: 202, but small sample size; result for 2004 likely more accurate

2004 A4: 144

2004 S4: 113

2003 A4: 91, results for other model years suggest that this one is not accurate

2002 A4: 151

All but the 2003 A4 and 2004 S4 are worse than average. Note that the average odometer reading is lower for the S4s.

Thank you, once again, to everyone who has been helping. We'll have further updates in May and August.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help:

Audi A4 reliability ratings and comparisons

[mkaresh]

We've updated our reliability stats for the B6 A4 AND S4 to include owner experiences through March 31, 2011.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2005 A4: 118

2005 S4: 177, small sample size

2004 A4: 155

2004 S4: 107

2003 A4: 101, results for other model years suggest that this one is not accurate

2002 A4: 151

The 2003 A4 and 2004 S4 are about average, while the others are worse than average. The average odometer reading is much lower for the S4s.

We'll have further updates in August and November. With more participants we could provide more precise results.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Audi A4 reliability ratings and comparisons

[mkaresh]

We've updated the results for the B6 A4 AND S4 to include owner experiences through June 30, 2011.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2005 A4: 103, about average

2005 S4: 184, worse than average, small sample size

2004 A4: 142, worse than average

2004 S4: 111, about average

2003 A4: 92, about average, results for other model years suggest that this one is not accurate

2002 A4: 146, worse than average

The average odometer reading is much lower for the S4s.

We'll have further updates in November and February. With more participants we could provide more precise results.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Audi A4 reliability ratings and comparisons

[mkortering]

I had more problems with my 2000 A4 than 2004 A4 (about the same age at the time)...fwiw

[Elliott]

Honestly, I wouldn't own one of these cars without knowing how to turn a wrench. The guy on the last page who paid $3k for a trans, $350 for a valve cover gasket, etc is plain crazy. I'm knocking on wood, but I've spent maybe $2,000 on repairs and preventative maintenance on my '03 within the last 5 years.

[mkaresh]

Honestly, I wouldn't own one of these cars without knowing how to turn a wrench. The guy on the last page who paid $3k for a trans, $350 for a valve cover gasket, etc is plain crazy. I'm knocking on wood, but I've spent maybe $2,000 on repairs and preventative maintenance on my '03 within the last 5 years.

I lack the knowledge and the time to gain and apply it to do much of my own work. But I've often stated that doing your own work is the only way to know the quality of the parts and labor. And of course you'll pay a much lower price.

[mkaresh]

We've updated the our reliability stats for the B6 A4 AND S4 (on our redesigned site) to include owner experiences through December 31, 2011.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2005 A4: 109, about average

2005 S4: 125, worse than average, small sample size

2004 A4: 98, about average

2004 S4: 113, about average

2003 A4: 112, about average

2002 A4: 143, about average

The average odometer reading is much lower for the S4s.

Thank you, once again, everyone who has been helping. We'll have further updates in May and August. With more participants we could provide more precise results.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Audi A4 reliability ratings and comparisons

[mkaresh]

We've updated the our reliability stats for the B6 A4 and S4 to include owner experiences through June 30, 2012.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2005 A4: 70, about average

2005 S4: 71, about average

2004 A4: 87, about average

2004 S4: 105, worse than average

2003 A4: 62, about average

2002 A4: 106, worse than average

We'll have further updates in November and February. The more owners participate, the better the information we can provide to everyone.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Audi A4 reliability ratings and comparisons

[mkaresh]

We've updated our reliability stats for the A4 and S4 to include owner experiences through September 30, 2012.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2005 A4: 48, better than average, small sample size

2005 S4: 64, about average, small sample size

2004 A4: 95, worse than average

2004 S4: 100, worse than average

2003 A4: 45, better than average, results for other model years suggest that this one might not be accurate

2002 A4: 128, worse than average

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds," to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop.

These statistics:

2002 A4: 30, 11

We'll have further updates in February and May. The more owners participate, the more precise and complete these will be.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help:

Audi A4 reliability ratings and comparisons