Things to look for when buying an 05.5 (B7) A4?

[EvanF]

Hi all,
I'm looking in to buying an 05 1/2 B7 A4, but I'm not sure what to look for when I go check it out in person. The car has 62,000 miles on it, so I'm not sure if it's due for a major maintenance overhaul or something like that.

Here's some questions I have specifically:
1) Do the first 2.0T A4's have more reliability issues since they're the first of the B7's?

2) What are the most common issues with the 05 2.0T's? I would hope he got the common / big items fixed when the car was under warranty...

3) When are the milestones for major tuneups / maintenance checks? I have tried searching for this online and came up totally empty. Things like timing belt replacement, when it needs a brake job, etc.

4) What are some tips on what to look for or ask about the car? I'm worried I might miss something that will cost me a few grand if I don't know what to look for going in.

5) Are any major issues I find my problem once I purchase the car? If he sold me a car that has a major flaw, am I just totally screwed?

Any help is MUCH appreciated!



Here's the description:
2005 Audi A4 2.0T in dark silver/grey with black leather interior and silver trim. Sport package with 17" alloy rims, moonroof, 12-way dual power seats, HomeLink, 6 cd-changer. 62k miles, all freeway miles, always serviced at the dealer for regular maintenance. Clean title, no accidents, great condition, will sell for $16,500 or best offer! Looks & runs great, Well maintained, Power everything, One owner, No accidents, Maintenance records available, Highway miles, All scheduled maintenance, must test drive!

Installed Options

* Driver Air Bag
* Anti-Lock Brakes
* Air Conditioning
* Alloy Wheels
* Cruise Control
* CD Changer

* Passenger Air Bag
* AM/FM Stereo Cassette
* Leather Seats
* Power Door Locks
* Power Mirrors
* Power Windows

* Power Steering
* Power Seats
* Side Air Bag
* Sunroof/Moonroof
* Tinted Glass
* Tilt Wheel

Mileage 62,000
Exterior Color Gray
Interior Color Black
Engine 4 Cylinder Turbo
Transmission Manual

[turboSpartan]

I dont know much about b7's.... but at 62k miles.... the Timing Belt service will be coming up pretty soon.


Its a $900-1500 job, so I'd try to work that into your total "price" of the car.

[RedS-line]

1. yes, but they are covered with the common 2.0t problems.
2. search. there are 5 or 6 of them. DV,pcv,flapper, etc.
3. every 10k starting at 5k (so, 15k,25k,35k,etc)
4.figure what options you want and look for packages like convenience, premium, and technology. Those packages have the options you want. S-Line is the best package IMO.
5. Poor English. Yes, the car is out of warranty so you would be paying out of pocket. I would find one with less miles and maybe a little bit of warranty or CPO warranty left.

[EvanF]

1. yes, but they are covered with the common 2.0t problems.
2. search. there are 5 or 6 of them. DV,pcv,flapper, etc.
3. every 10k starting at 5k (so, 15k,25k,35k,etc)
4.figure what options you want and look for packages like convenience, premium, and technology. Those packages have the options you want. S-Line is the best package IMO.
5. Poor English. Yes, the car is out of warranty so you would be paying out of pocket. I would find one with less miles and maybe a little bit of warranty or CPO warranty left.

Thanks for the info.
Most warranty cars are around $4k more expensive for the same year. So really unless I spend that much in repairs, I should still be coming out ahead.

The seller said the only thing replaced has been the air intake flap. Should I be worried that there hasn't been anything else done to it?

[agorich]

i don't think you should be. i never had to do anything with my civic after 96k except new wheels and brakes once each. well, only the front brakes. haha, wow. but do ask for the records and runn the vin through carfax. never know what the deal is. this cat could have only had oil changes and nothing else. so make sure they were dealer done too. otherwise it could have just been their buddy doing the work, but who knows, they could be awesome at working on cars. heck, they could work for an audi dealership! but still chekc it out. also, on the top of this forum for the b7s there is a FAQ section. READ IT. word.

[Scott Evil]

I have 48k on my 05.5. I bought it CPO'd at 25k. Here is my list of things that have broken...

1. Outside temp sensor malfunctioned. This screws up the climate control and is a known problem, according to the dealer.

2. The latch that holds the gas filler door closed gets stuck. This has failed three times now. The door stays shut, but it is not locked.

3. It had a failure in the EVAP system, which required a couple days to get the part to fix. The dealer will not release the car with an emissions system problem.

4. The seat memory module can not seem to reset the driver's mirror to the correct position. The dealer replaced the module, but the problem still exists intermittently.

5. My rear brakes are noisy. They squeel at low speeds with light pedal pressure. The dealer says all of the pads/rotors are still in spec, so they will not replace them. This past weekend I had to add brake fluid when the warning light came on, so I know they pads are worn. They will likely need replaced just out of warranty (before anyone jumps in here, the 05.5 warranty still covered the brakes).

Aside from the above, I am very pleased with the car. That price is good too.

[EvanF]

I have 48k on my 05.5. I bought it CPO'd at 25k. Here is my list of things that have broken...

1. Outside temp sensor malfunctioned. This screws up the climate control and is a known problem, according to the dealer.

2. The latch that holds the gas filler door closed gets stuck. This has failed three times now. The door stays shut, but it is not locked.

3. It had a failure in the EVAP system, which required a couple days to get the part to fix. The dealer will not release the car with an emissions system problem.

4. The seat memory module can not seem to reset the driver's mirror to the correct position. The dealer replaced the module, but the problem still exists intermittently.

5. My rear brakes are noisy. They squeel at low speeds with light pedal pressure. The dealer says all of the pads/rotors are still in spec, so they will not replace them. This past weekend I had to add brake fluid when the warning light came on, so I know they pads are worn. They will likely need replaced just out of warranty (before anyone jumps in here, the 05.5 warranty still covered the brakes).

Aside from the above, I am very pleased with the car. That price is good too.

I've heard that there's generally several things that have gone wrong on the 05.5 A4's. The problem is, how do I check for all these things before I buy? Even a dealer inspection wouldn't pick up on all of them

[jayuuey]

My 05.5 went in for noisy brakes and a dipped headlight issue.

No other issues so far at 25k.

Ask the seller for maintenance records and go through them carefully. The ad states that they are available. If I were you, I would get some kind of extended warranty if you buy an Audi after its manufacturer warranty has expired. Repairs will be costly when needed.

[b7ftw]

make sure they didnt powerwash the engine bay... i forgot exactly what its called where the water can get into, but it can cause parts to fail leaving you standed!

[EvanF]

My 05.5 went in for noisy brakes and a dipped headlight issue.

No other issues so far at 25k.

Ask the seller for maintenance records and go through them carefully. The ad states that they are available. If I were you, I would get some kind of extended warranty if you buy an Audi after its manufacturer warranty has expired. Repairs will be costly when needed.

No warranty available if I buy from a private seller

[BlowDro]

i just got a CPO 05.5 from champion audi in south florida. my brakes are a little squeeky too. its still under the factory mileage warrenty for another 10k and then has the extended warrenty for another 100,000k or like 3.5 years i think. so i should be good if any of these problems pop up, right?

[nycmalu]

make sure they didnt powerwash the engine bay... i forgot exactly what its called where the water can get into, but it can cause parts to fail leaving you standed!

COIL PACK! Happened to me... Car went into limp mode the day I bought it. I was quite unhappy.

[LampyB]

i don't think you should be. i never had to do anything with my civic after 96k except new wheels and brakes once each.

dude he's talking about a german car. not a honda. huge difference.

[EvanF]

dude he's talking about a german car. not a honda. huge difference.

yeah, I think the Civic is going to be a little more reliable, unfortunately.