Robert,
Excellent! I had heard (and someone else posted here) that there would be pinging and knocking. I figured that wouldn't be a good thing! :) I do know a few people that love their Audi's and use the regular gas. Of course, one of the owners has a lease so he's not too concerned as when he trades it in, he'll be done with it.
I appreciate your help!
Marty
Quattro is the only way to go with an A4. ;-)
The clutch throw-out bearing and heater fan motor were warranty items. Also, front pads and rotors at around 35,000 miles. I did the rears - both pads and rotors - myself at around 55,000 miles. I was able to get quite reasonably priced rotors and pads via an aftermarket supplier and the job is quite easy as long as you have your own piston tool or borrow one from Autozone. You want to look very closely at whatever warranty you get because the Audi new owner plan spoils you badly since even maintenance items are covered. In a used car warranty, brake pads and rotors are unlikely to be covered and I'm not sure about the TB - certainly you don't want it to fail and then not have the damage covered under the warranty. The radiator replacement due to a serious leak at the six year point may have been my fault since I let the antifreeze go for longer than the recommended 2 year interval.
I only mentioned the major problems - there were minor problems repaired under warranty such as an electrical switch and burned out heated mirrors. The latter were a design flaw that may have been rectified in newer models. I'm reasonably certain mine have burned out again but living in Phoenix, it's not a big deal to me. I also had a problem with the rotary switch that operates the sunroof - this common problem manifests itself in the sunroof seeming to develop a mind of its own and opening or closing part way with no driver input. That was post warranty but I fixed it myself. You might want to visit Audiworld.com and search their forum archives for info on troublespots and many useful how-to's. One issue you may want to look into is related to control arm deterioration. This was a problem on models at least through 2000 I believe and maybe beyond. I would expect it to be covered under any warranty you're contemplating but you may wish to check for sure. My car BTW, has about 75,000 miles to date.
Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed my Audis and I still think the 1998 A4 with sports package is still one of the best looking sedans on the road (the sports package wheels especially complement the car's "muscular" look). It also has nicely balanced performance and comfort. But Consumer Reports IMHO accurately pegs it as less than a pinnacle of reliability.
If only it was that cheap here... 95 unleaded is somewhere just above
80p/litre, according to the current exchange rate that's somewhere around US$1.50 per litre. Note that's per metric litre, not per gallon!And on a 2.0 A4 you can expect to get around 30mpg...
No wonder the diesel models are so popular here. Diesel is slightly more per litre (around 85p at present) but you'll get 50-55mpg out of the 1.9
130bhp engine.Not only that but the pulling power on a diesel has to be felt to be believed. My A4 has the 1.9 130 engine, and unlike a petrol engine which only has the rated power when the revs are high, the diesel has flat torque. Trust me, with the traction control turned off you end up smoking the tyres only too easily!
The next car will be diesel, definitely.
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