26cedar

I've owned my 2003 A4 Avant 1.8T 5sp sport for 2 1/2 years now (currently 40K miles odo) purchased under CPO. It has been a fun / practical car so far, especially since I got the APR Stage 1+ and exhaust. Unfortunately, I seem to be getting ALL of the typical problems and they are starting to wear thin on my patience:

-Shattered rear window (defective defroster, covered by insurance)
-Leaky headlight washers - covered by warranty
-2 spark coils - covered by warranty / CPO
-A/C condenser - covered by warranty
-Front brakes and rotors - out of pocket
-Front speaker shorting out - attempted under warranty, but never fixed
-Sunroof not closing - switch cleaned under warranty
-Water leak due to blocked cowl drains causing interior flooding and major electronic failure - partly covered by insurance, car in shop for 2 weeks and out of pocket $1,000 (total cost nearly $3,000)

This last one really gets me because this is a clear design flaw, but AOA won't admit to it.

What else can I expect? I've read about coolant leaks. Is that next? I still really like this car, but I want to know how to prevent more of this stuff from happening. Any suggestions on my top priority for preventative maintenance? Would really appreciate some help here.

Thanks.

FoKai

rear window has been known to shatter.. STFA
repalce teh washers on yer headlights
get the R version CP.. better yet get the Hitachi
sunroof is a short. STFA for a fix
leaking washer fluid resorvoir.

next, look/check for vacuum leaks on the hoses

Bronze

I'll probably forget one or two, but here goes:

1) L-hose. Feel it every 5k miles, and when it starts to get soft, replace it before it cracks. $15 each and easy to replace.

2) Rear manifold hose. Covered by a recall notice. Same thing as L hose, when it gets soft, just replace it. $20 each and easy to install.

3) Fuel filter. It's about $45 for the 1.8T engine (because it regulates pressure also). Change them every 45-50k miles or so. Not difficult for a DIY, and not expensive to have a shop do it if you don't want to spill gas on your driveway.

4) Coil packs: They are always susceptable to failure. Carry a spare or four.

5) Coolant temp sensor. They tend to break in the winter. Good idea to change one this fall if you live in a cold climate.

6) Battery: You've probably got at least another year if not more.

7) Check valves: Those little black and grey plastic circular valves. Check them every 10k miles for wear/cracking. $15 each, and easy to replace.

8) Intake manifold hose. The little one in front of the engine that has a cloth shield. They always break. Replace it with some small silicone hosing and you'll never worry about it again.

Other guys will chime in with what I forgot.

Noob_A4_Life

I'm in the same boat, out of warranty, no CPO..

Never been this nervous driving a car before.. =)

So far:

- CP failure (replaced with Hitachi)
- CEL (appeared and disappeared within a week)
- Clutch replacement (but was gonna do that anyway)
- Have an Air Bag light on, which I have yet to have checked

What I'm (and my wallet) deadly afraid of:
- steering rack issue
- coolant leak
- anything else that is over 1000$ in repair! =)

Ming02

after the leaks are fixed - of course. I've never found the washers to help at all so all they do is waste gobs of fluid. They washer break easily, especially if you live in a cold climate. The washers get frozen in place and the pressure has to go somewhere!

I've also had to replace all my wheel bearings in the last 30Kmi - I now have 112K on the clock.

26cedar

This is a great list - thanks. Unfortunately, the battery went with the cowl drain flood, so I'm getting a new one already. But, checking all of those hoses etc. is definitely good advice.

I'm sure this has been beat to death, but what's the best place to buy the coilpacks online?

Bronze

ECS also sells a Hitachi 4 pack that some guys are running with good results. Hitachi parts are OEM to Audi also, but were not used on the B6. The Hitachi parts haven't reports failures yet, at least not at the frequency of the Bremi parts.