Four Rings (Audi)

Notsud 13

buddy of mine just bought a new Audi A5 and during the first week of ownership it has already been back to the dealership for repair. cluster lights started flashing, headlights wouldnt turn off, ebrake would not disengage, and a bunch of other weird things. I've never owned an audi, but i have owned a VW which is similar since they used a lot of the same parts especially under the hood. Not sure about how their engines are now, but I use to have blown coilpacks, window regulators went out 3 times, axles went out every 2 months (lowered), buttons and switches came off (they are glued on from the factory), and some other small things i might have left out.

I know the audi B5 S4's had problems with their turbos going out early and clusters going out.

shadoquad

This is the experience that I've heard from a number of Audi/VW owners. The engines are decently reliable, but they usually come with electronic gremlins.

SMJane_Again

Shado, you're right on the money with that assessment. I've had my B5 S4 now for 6.5 years, and the engine has been strong throughout. It's been electronic things, such as the rear windows not being able to go up or down from the driver console, or one of the brake lights shorting out due to faulty wiring. Haven't had any problems with the turbos (knock wood), though that may be because they're stock and not run hard very often. Overall, I think a used, well-documented Audi makes a solid running proposition as a dd or winter beater (or, in my case, as both) but I probably wouldn't buy one new because of the random gremlins that could put a new vehicle out of commission at inopportune moments.

S.

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