Calling all Audi Quattro owners, past & present?

Question

I'm thinking about buying an Audi equipped with the Quattro 4WD system, and I would like to know how reliable it is with a few miles on it, what sort of problems do you get? How expensive can it get?

I'm asking not only from an owners perspective, but from a mechanics perspective, because I'am my mechanic! I don't have a lot of experience of Audis though, and if I'm going to own one, I'd better know what I'm potentially letting myself in for!

Answer 1

Gees_a_pint's pretty much right in terms of the downsides of quattro, but the upside is that the car will simply stick to the road! It makes the car so unbelievably sure-footed when cornering and gives you serious confidence in your car.

As far as higher mileage is concerned, my 10 year old A4 has 122,000 on it - I've had it a year and put only 10,000 on it in that time but I swear, that engine is just getting warmed up! Okay, so simple things are starting to go wrong - spring loaded cup holders break - replaced by me for £20 and an hours work! But mechanically and body and chassis-wise, it's rock solid. Audi build them to last and last they do.

Only real bit of advice I'd give you is try, if you can, to get an Audi with a bit of a service history - Audi stamps in the book are work an extra few hundred quid, they really care for their clients so you can be sure there will be no hidden suprises from the cowboys with the garage in their garden!

Good luck!

Answer 2

96 A4 quattro... loved it LOVED IT. Sold it with 112,000 miles and not a single issue ever. I hear the 2002 or newer ones are not as reliable electronically but the drive train in an audi is not a weak link in the car. Any all wheel drive system can be expensive to fix, not just audi's but how often has an all wheel drive system gone out in anything? Its things like hubs and diffs that go out and they are relatively in expensive to fix compared to a tranny rebuild. I've seen 94 quattro race cars that have not had any drive train issues and they are beat on hard. Buy with no fear from your all wheel drive system. Now the electronics might be a different matter. Go with a subaru if you want a lesser priced alternative with all wheel drive every bit a good as audis.

Answer 3

I had a 2000 Audi A4 Quattro until I sold it with around 138k miles on it. I LOVED It in the snow. Even with performace tires, it handled better than cars with snow tires on them. I had many problems with that car however none related to the AWD. That was the one system that never gave me trouble... Actually... I did have one issue. I got a blow out one time and because the tires were worn about 50%, I had to replace ALL FOUR tires because with Audi's Quattro, it is IMPERATIVE that all 4 wheels have the EXACT same rolling radius. It is recommended to rotate and balance like every 3-5 k miles however you only rotate front to back. You don't use the criss cross patterns usually recommended.

Answer 4

I too have an Audi A6 Turbo. It's a 2000 with 50K miles. (OK, I baby it...) It is having a problem with a front suspension bolt /control arm problem which is gonna cost a couple hundred to fix, but other than that, it's been a great and FAST car.

If you think you won't be taking it to an Audi dealership, try getting an Audi service CD off the online auction site. If you have a problem, your mechanic will need it...

GOOD LUCK.

Answer 5

I had a Audi Avant A6 with turbo and Quattro AWD. That car was fast and handled like a sports car. I would highly recommend it!!

I never had any trouble with mine. I always had the scheduled maintenances done by the dealer. I sold it last year with 10,000 miles on it to buy the new BMW Z4M.

Answer 6

--I have an A4 Avant equipped with Quattro. It has to be one of the most reliable four wheeled drive systems on the market, far better then BMW's all wheel drive system definitely. Don't forget, it was developed initially with rallying in mind and won a heck of a lot of races with the system so can put up with a lot of hassle. I'd recommend it 100% second hand.

Answer 7

the 4x4 shouldnt have worn out. havent ever owned an audi 4x4, but i am drivin a mondeo 4x4 with 100,000 miles on the clock and apart from general wear and tear its ok, touch wood. 4x4 tend to wear tyres faster though, fuel consumption is also higher due to the extra weight and mechanical loss of power having to power 4 wheels instead of two, this also means that it will be marginally slower than a two wheel drive. and a point i found out was that they are no safer in the snow/ice, you get plenty traction but no advantage in terms of direction so watch out for corners. hope this was some help.

Answer 8

I own an audi S4, so far no major probelms, Audis are reliable and are built to last, they are expensive to fix though, and you need to keep up with the maintenance. If you get an audi with turbos you will love it!

Answer 9

I have had Quattros in the past no transmission problems at all.Like all quality cars parts are expensive if compared with say ford gm.Owned and worked on them.