Is the B6 a Bad Car?

[thetikm]

First off, I should say I love my B6... When it's running. In the 40k I have owned the car I seem to have run into a whole bunch of bad luck with my car. So I wanted to see how common the issues are that I have had with my car.

Timing chain tensioner went bad at 140k

J-plug crumbled at 115k

My sunroof rattles

My glove box rattles

AMB cylinder head cracked in cylinder 2 at 144k

I believe my front subframe is failing.

The wiring to the drivers door is split from wear from opening the door

Everyone in my family looks at my car and says it's horrible and reliable. Sometimes i would have to agree with them, but they probably think it's unreliable just because they saw it in the garage with the cylinder head off for a month while I was waiting for the machine shop to finish my AEB head. They never had the feeling of just how good of a highway cruiser it is. Even with my obnoxious exhaust I can stick it in 6th and get 30 mpg in peace and quiet. While the 1.8 isn't the most powerful thing, our honda odyssey is the same or faster, the turbo surge still puts a smile on my face. I've the pushed the car hard around back roads and on ramps and have yet to get close to the limits of the car. Drifting in the snow is one of the most fun things I have ever done in the car, and the B6 makes it easy for an ape like me to get massive angle and not feel like I'm in danger of wrecking the car. If there is anything wrong with the car there is a wealth of knowledge around so that even the most inexperienced of wrenchers could work on their car. The aftermarket support is great for a car that is getting close to 15 years old. If I want to do anything to my car, chances are there is a company out there that has made a part. Some companies are even bringing out new parts to this day.

What do you guys think. Is the B6 as unreliable as it seems to the outside world? If it is, is the driving experience worth it to you?

[old guy]

Purchased mine new in 13 years ago. Currently over 220k miles. Never let me down. Still looks and runs great! It will be as reliable as the maintenance you provide.

[ADCS]

Purchased my B6 used 8 years ago and now at 150k miles. I have had a fuel pump fail (still under CPO) otherwise not a single thing has failed. PREVENTATIVE maintenance.

[thetikm]

How is preventative maintenance supposed to help with the subframe moving around because audi decided to just crimp it together instead of welding it? What about the cylinder head cracking. The rest of it was how i bought it so I blame to PO for that.

[tHatOne guY]

Have had my USP for a tick over a year and I must agree with the above posts, preventive/proactive based maintenance is key. And just hope you don't pick up one that the previous owner took no interest in and preceded to drive it into the ground. Love the car's looks, handling and the body lines are just unmistakably Audi.

While on the other hand I have not owned another car that is as finicky and that required as much attention as this one. Having owned mostly Japanese makes I feel those cars are great but lack some of the uniqueness for lack of a better word that these cars have. Are these Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords, absolutely not, one of the reasons I think they are so great.

[old guy]

How is preventative maintenance supposed to help with the subframe moving around because audi decided to just crimp it together instead of welding it? What about the cylinder head cracking. The rest of it was how i bought it so I blame to PO for that.

Bad karma?

More often than not head issues are a result of overheating. All it takes is one time. If the temperature gauge ever goes toward the hot side treat it the same as you would a red oil light. Stop driving it.

Yes I have read occasionally about a subframe creaking issue but it really doesn't pop up all that often. If you constantly subject any car to rough terrain, pot holes and overall crappy roads the suspension is going to require a bit more attention.

[thetikm]

I guess I just have bad luck. The never overheated. Or at least in the 40k I've owned it. Don't get me wrong though, I love the car and am trying to take care of it the best I can.

[jesse500]

The PO of your car can have lots to do with it. Some people just drive the piss out of cars.

[Turbavanttro]

The PO of your car can have lots to do with it. Some people just ABUSE the piss out of cars.

fixed

[jesse500]

fixed

Truth be told.

There are many cars out there with 50K on it, that are in far worse shape than cars with 250K

[jesse500]

PO of your car explains all your issues.

[tHatOne guY]

The PO of my car drove it into the ground and into a tree head on in 20k miles of her owning it....LOL.No license, insurance and on bald tires during winter.... I have replaced a metric shit ton of parts and still love the car (would rather have an avant but craigslist flags my posting in less then a hour).

I know people love proof of a car that ate a tree and came back so here you go... For a little reference of how far pushed in it was, it hit the engine hard enough to break both motor mounts, transmission mount, driveshaft in half and rear diff subframe mount (only 1 of the 2). Some how both frame rails were still straight. There was mold and what looked to me vomit on the carpet and about $15 of change thrown about EVERYWHERE...I started with ~80ish codes and am down to 2 for the rear doors "not unlocking".


And she said it just received a brake job a few months prior to me purchasing it... Yea right. All 4 calipers, rotors, pads got replaced. B5 S4 fronts and stock rears.

Well... damn. lol

After pics?

[jesse500]

Considering it is probably near 200K, car looks pretty damn good.

[y0itzflip]

i love the car, but its honestly the worst car ive ever owned (reliability wise) i take care of my cars but so many little things go wrong with it that im at to the point that im just keeping it running (and slowly modding) until i find another M for the price im looking for.

[rfelker]

have 250k on mine. Still stock turbo and clutch. Car has never died on me. My major issue is clearcoat. This year started to peal. Time for a respray. Daughters getting it next year when the bmw is done.

[The Fat Kid]

I bought a fully loaded brand-new 3.0 6-speed B6 A4 back in 2004 and drove it 78k miles before trading it in last year on a '15 S4.

The Good:

The B6 paint was actually better than the B8.5's; it was still pristine after 11 years and half its life was spent in an outdoor parking spot. It was pretty reliable, and only left me stranded once when the coil packs crapped out and that was covered by Audi. The 11-year-old B6 had less creaks than my one-year-old S4. The B6 had power-folding side-view mirrors, whereas it was not even an option for my Prestige B8.5 S4; I was PISSED when I realized the S4 did not have them

The Bad:

Unfortunately, issues started popping up in the last couple years of ownership. I had the "ESP + ABS" light combo and tried all the fixes suggested on AZ; my indie VW/Audi shop was finally going to start checking all the relays, but I just traded in the car. The moon roof would randomly once in a while, which probably could have been remedied by cleaning the switch. The horn was only working intermittently the last month I owned it. The '14/'15 winter was insanely cold in New England and my transmission would occasionally freeze in first gear.

All in all, it was a great car and I loved it, but I did not want to own it with 100k+ miles.

[Gberg888]

I bought my B6 USP in December of 2014. She came with 136k on her. She has 155k now.

I have a leaking power steering rack on occasion (not consistent, very annoying), the half moon seal is seeping oil, I have what I believe to be a coolant leak somewhere, and my interior soft touch coat is peeling off in a number of areas which is also annoying. I have a clunk in my suspension over bumps, a wheel or two is definitely out of round/lost a weight/have a bubble in the tire because at speed it creates a vibration throughout the car.

But, at the end of the day, I bought a what was 10 year old audi with over 100k on the clock. All of those repairs will cost me close to 3k but, I have new suspension waiting to go in, the rack does not need to be changed until constantly have to put fluid in it, the rear seal, well thats just annoying, and the coolant leak is new but that could be something stupid simple.

So is the car unreliable? IDK I guess it has its issues, but its a now 12 year old audi with over 150k on the clock. Its kind of hard to complain about a car having issues with that kind of mileage and abuse/mods when she gets ridden hard and put away wet. Shes never left me stranded... So Id say no. Shes not unreliable, she has her quirks, her issues, her needs and a lot of future maintenance, but I try to maintain everything to the best of my ability and do the preventative maintenance.

[walky_talky20]

I will tell you that from an import repair shop perspective, yes - Audi's are not the greatest by far. I wouldn't say that they are terrible, but they don't treat the average owner very nicely. There are the surprise $1000 repairs. Multiple failures of the same system. My personal favorite is when an Audi comes in for a bunch of things at once: timing belt job, diverter valve torn, j-plug leaking, broken plastic dipstick tube, broken plastic PCV elbow, and then something weird like a headlight leveler error or secondary air injection fault or whatever. 100% of those things don't even exist on a 2002 Camry. And they have to drop $1500 to get it all fixed.

The going joke with our secretary: "What did we learn today? Don't buy a Volkswagen". This is usually mentioned as she is totaling a $1000+ work order on a Jetta or something.

[h_curtis]

Purchased mine new in 13 years ago. Currently over 220k miles. Never let me down. Still looks and runs great! It will be as reliable as the maintenance you provide.

Have had my '05 USP 6 speed with original clutch for about 10 years which has about 140,000 miles on it and have had about no issues. Fuel pump, some A/C issue, but that is about it. The car runs and drives great and is just a joy to own. I have had a pile of cars, from BMW's to Mercedes, to Alpha, Corvette and much more, but I would say this car is about my best. I loved my old 280zx though, but this car is in the same league for me. I did drive that old 280zx well over 200K miles though, with no issues of any kind, so the bar has been pretty high. Sort of wish I still owned it.

Anyway, many people drive their cars so hard and brake super hard as well. I drive sort of fast, but smooth and no hard braking because I anticipate what is in front of me. I read where some are replacing their clutch under 100K miles, so that tells me they don't know how to drive. Enjoy.

[VAGlover]

i have put 60k on my car in the past 3 years. several visits to the drag strip, countless launches, a couple track days, double stock boost levels for 40k miles, e85. i drove the car once for 400 miles in stop and go traffic with a non functioning pressure plate(fingers broke so it wouldn't dissengage), literally starting the car in 1st gear and throwing in in neutral to stop. transmission still shifts fine. i over heated it the other day when i left it running outside after i did it's 4th t belt, i guess it hadn't burped enough :/ but still runs fine and not consuming coolant.

one time my hydraulic belt tensioner failed and i drove to work that morning hitting almost 5k rpms and somehow didn't jump time. pure luck though, i woudnt give the "ecs ultimate timing belt" kit any credit.

all the part failures ive had that have screwed me were aftermarket non oem pieces. everything from the slave cylinder, front brake pads(b6 s4 calipers), tie rod ends, control arms, TIMING COMPONENTS!!!!! should be replaced with oem. my cam chain tensioner from ecs failed in 6 monts along with the timing belt tensioner, the slave cylinder i bought from autozone that i intended on being preventative maintenance turned into just the opposite, the brake pads for my s4 calipers were not the proper size and wouldn't allow the retaining clip to fit properly. this caused a bad squeel.
buy oem for important maintenance. or buy it 10x from some after market company. just because it has a life time limited warranty doesnt mean you wante to replace the same part over and over again. trust me, it gets old


otherwise, my engine runs like a top despite its age and abuse. the drivelines on these cars are very strong and have a long lifespan unlike alot of newer cars made by vw/audi. bottom line, 1.8t b6 a4 is bullet proof with maintenance.

[Let it snow]

After a year of owning my 02 with 90,000 on it i had my fuel pump go, alternator go, SJP blew. Water in my ECU relays and brake booster. Seized wiper linkage. Oil cooler went pushing oil into the coolant system. Among other things. Then it got rear ended/totaled. So the next logical thing was to by an 05 A4. So yes it is a "bad" car. So I have to keep owning one.

[hightime80]

My 02 1.8t A4 is cursed. At least my wife says so..lol. i bought it off this widower shortly after his wife passed on from cancer. It was her car. Mechanically on paper it was well maintained as it had a folderful of receipts. However the car was a different story. The timing belt was changed at the dealer at 80k. However they did not change the tensioner or h2o pump. No shit. At 120k when I acquired it needed basically everything done. TB, control arms are shot, fan and control module, shocks all around, vcg and ttcg, pcv elbow cracked to pieces and most one way valves shot, ignition and injector harness was so fragile it crumbled in my hands. Abs module rebuilt, complete coolant flush, new plugs and coil packs, both front wheel bearings and busted flex pipe.

I m sure there were more items I replaced and forgot. Haha, it's been so much. The neighbors are used seeing my car on jack stands. The car is incredibly complex and over engineered, not for the average end user. A pleasure to own till the warranty expires after that u either have to be fairly mechanically inclined and a problem solver or u'd so frustrated and selling it for a fraction of what u got in it to some zit faced highschooler so they can put a dope sticker on it.

Owning a b6 a4 is a journey. It's journey of patience, persistance and throwing money in a bottomless pit. So to answer the ops question. Yes it is a BAD car. It was way ahead of its time but over engineered and performance focused instead of being a bit more end user friendly and reliable. However its good to see there are others who is in the same boat and try to keep these cars alive. Afterall, just reading my fave thread on here just makes my day.

I would like to get a Samuel L. Jackson voice over on this one...."what went wrong with your b6 a4 today?"

[WB650]

The 1.8 head cracking at Cyl 2 is an actual common issue. I too never overheated it, got it at 117k so IDK how the previous owners were. At around 135k is when mine started getting the cold start misfires, by 140k it fully gave up and I had a shop do the work.

Its far from perfect cosmetically, exterior and interior but I still love it. I've never even experienced snow driving in it, will have to that before the end of its life. Hopefully this upcoming winter I can hit Tahoe

[hightime80]

Even after all of that I still say its a nice reliable car. Only let me sitting 2 times. First time was my fault and the 2nd time the fuel pump took a shit with 181k on it...

Dude get that bumper painted already. All that work putting that wrecked POS back together at least paint the damn thing so it doesnt look ghetto😝
On a for real tip. Good job putting it all back together. Your mech skills far surpasses my own.

[Furly]

I know people with 200k+ miles on their B6 and they still run flawlessly. I also know people who's B6 didn't make it to 90k. It's all in how previous owners treated it.

Most people buy an audi and treat it like their old Toyota camry. Just put gas in it and do oil changes once in a while at jiffy lube. Then they get mad and complain when shit happens.

It's all about preventative maintenance.
That said, my uncles old 1.8T lasted 250k miles before he donated it and got a new golf R.
Take care of your cars. And if you are the 3rd or 4th or 5th owner and have no history on it, you never know what you're buying. Even if maintained they could have still beat the piss out of the car.

[The Fat Kid]

I know people with 200k+ miles on their B6 and they still run flawlessly. I also know people who's B6 didn't make it to 90k. It's all in how previous owners treated it.

Most people buy an audi and treat it like their old Toyota camry. Just put gas in it and do oil changes once in a while at jiffy lube. Then they get mad and complain when shit happens.

It's all about preventative maintenance.
That said, my uncles old 1.8T lasted 250k miles before he donated it and got a new golf R.
Take care of your cars. And if you are the 3rd or 4th or 5th owner and have no history on it, you never know what you're buying. Even if maintained they could have still beat the piss out of the car.

I bought my B6 brand new. It was properly maintained and I took very good care of it. It still had a growing number of problems by the time I traded it in with 78k miles.

As my indie VW/Audi mechanic used to tell me, "The issues usually arise from Audi's over complication of EVERYTHING."

[Furly]

Audi isn't over complicated when you look at it next to bmw and mercedes. And the 1.8T is so easy to work on yourself. Perfect DIY car.
I've honestly had more trouble working on Lexus/Toyota nissan and ford's than I have my B6. Your mechanic is just a pussy.

[The Fat Kid]

Audi isn't over complicated when you look at it next to bmw and mercedes. And the 1.8T is so easy to work on yourself. Perfect DIY car.
I've honestly had more trouble working on Lexus/Toyota nissan and ford's than I have my B6. Your mechanic is just a pussy.

Yup, perfect DIY car because you are going to get a lot of experience.

I should not argue with an expert, since I clearly did not maintain my B6 properly (I should have sprinkled unicorn dust on it every 5k miles) and my mechanic is just a pussy.

[hightime80]

As my indie VW/Audi mechanic used to tell me, "The issues usually arise from Audi's over complication of EVERYTHING."

+2

[hightime80]

Yup, perfect DIY car because you are going to get a lot of experience.

I should not argue with an expert, since I clearly did not maintain my B6 properly (I should have sprinkled unicorn dust on it every 5k miles) and my mechanic is just a pussy.

Dont sweat it man. Dude has to resort to name calling to prove a point. Have a laugh and go on about your day👍

[Let it snow]

I guess it is a BAD car. This thread is getting ugly.

[The Fat Kid]

Dont sweat it man. Dude has to resort to name calling to prove a point. Have a laugh and go on about your day👍

Oh, not sweating it at all

[ryanhmusic]

Audi isn't over complicated when you look at it next to bmw and mercedes. And the 1.8T is so easy to work on yourself. Perfect DIY car.
I've honestly had more trouble working on Lexus/Toyota nissan and ford's than I have my B6. Your mechanic is just a pussy.

how's your B6 running these days?

[Furly]

You guys mad because you bought a beat up German car that wasn't maintained properly and you don't know how to work on it yourself and have to pay a stranger mechanic to mess your car up even more.

Making a thread called is the b6 a bad car and complaining about it ain't gonna solve anything. Taking it to a mechanic who's job is to make money off suckers ain't gonna make it better.

Grab some tools and work on your own car. Properly maintained isn't the same as "well I have receipts from shops". I've seen shops do more harm than good. Doing it and doing it right aren't the same thing.


And @ryanhmusic shut up dick lol. You know damn well how my b6 is

[SilverB6Quattro]

Dude get that bumper painted already. All that work putting that wrecked POS back together at least paint the damn thing so it doesnt look ghetto😝
On a for real tip. Good job putting it all back together. Your mech skills far surpasses my own.

Its my beater... It looks like a allroad kinda. Now my show car on the other hand gets treated sooooooo much better. 1988 BMW 325. 107,000 original miles.

[Nollywood]

Even after all of that I still say its a nice reliable car. Only let me sitting 2 times. First time was my fault and the 2nd time the fuel pump took a shit with 181k on it...

Oddly enough, I quite like the bumper's contrasting look. It looks like a modern interpretation of the two-tone look. It actually ties in with the unpainted lowers. It's just the rear bumper that currently lets the car down.

Kind of reminds me of a facelift C5 Allroad.

I dig!

[hightime80]

Its my beater... It looks like a allroad kinda. Now my show car on the other hand gets treated sooooooo much better. 1988 BMW 325. 107,000 original miles.

Just picking at u. Mad props for reconstructing the b4. Nice bimmer also. I miss my e46 m3.

[y0itzflip]

As my indie VW/Audi mechanic used to tell me, "The issues usually arise from Audi's over complication of EVERYTHING."

EXACTLY what it is. its not a hard car to work on, but its definitely over engineered.

[ADCS]

EXACTLY what it is. its not a hard car to work on, but its definitely over engineered.

Over engineered compared to what? A foxbody Mustang? A Corolla?

[hightime80]

EXACTLY what it is. its not a hard car to work on, but its definitely over engineered.

+2