1996 Audi A4 quattro 2.8

Summary:

I have always wanted an Audi, but now I am fearful to ever buy another

Faults:

Front control arms.

Rear wheel bearing.

Front control arms again!

Front wheel bearing.

Steering rack.

Fuel filter.

Power mirrors don't work and have gone brown.

Transmission is difficult to change gears.

Front control arms again! Audi replaced the lower ones under recall, however I had to pay for another upper.

Seized rear brake caliper.

General Comments:

The car I always wanted quickly became the car that caused an aversion to Audi.

Very slow, but handles great.

By far, the most unreliable car I have ever owned.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 11th September, 2005

1996 Audi A4 Quattro 2.8L

Summary:

Very Impressive

Faults:

The climate control console cuts on and off. It works fine, but sometimes I can't read the display.

The check engine light comes on when I drive over mountains. I had the code checked and it was the coolant temp sensor. I've replaced the sensor, but the light still comes on. No big deal it goes away in about a week or two.

The car seems to use more oil than it should. I use Mobil 1 synthetic. I have to constantly monitor the oil level. Not sure why this is. It doesn't seem to leak or blow smoke.

General Comments:

Overall the car is great. It rides smooth and is great in the snow. The inside of the car is gorgeous. The seats hold up very well. It shifts like a dream. Very well built. It lacks some power, but I'm not complaining. I've thought about getting something else, but I don't think I will be as satisfied. I take very good care of the car and it has taken care of me. The parts are expensive, but if you can't afford to fix it then you should not buy one. Buy a Honda. My previous car was an Acura Integra SE. I had no problems in 5 years, but it doesn't compare to an Audi.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th September, 2005

1996 Audi A4 quattro 2.8L

Summary:

Fun to drive and wash, but very expensive to maintain and appreciate

Faults:

Suspension Problems galore. Nothing wrong with it within the first three months than all the sudden it hit me. I went over one bump and had to replace my shocks. I waited a week to fix the shocks which caused my wheel bearings to go bad. One after another all 4 wheel bearings had to be replaced at $250 each. Than the control arms went bad. another $600 job for front upper control arms. Now I am looking at axel problems along with a leaking differential.

General Comments:

My favorite car yet to have owned because of how awesome it looks, feels, and rides. It also ended up being the most expensive as the repairs of this German car costs 3x more than any American car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st June, 2005

1996 Audi A4 Quattro 2.8L

Summary:

Fantastically unreliable but fun to drive.

Faults:

All eight front suspension bushings have been replaced. Only the two attached to the lower control arms were covered by Audi.

I had the (original) tie rods replaced this year because the right was loose. My mechanic was incredulous that these original tie rods had lasted for eight years since they usually fail in three.

Both rear wheel bearings have failed.

The rear differential oil seal has been replaced twice.

The AC evaporator was replaced two years ago for $1400.

I was stranded at work when the multi-function headlight switch/ turn signal lever failed.

One can smell unburned gasoline in the cabin on cold days. No mechanic has yet been able to solve this problem.

General Comments:

I have spent thousands of dollars repairing and maintaining this car, but I can't bring myself to part with it. I just wish that a tree would fall on it.

I don't understand why Audi's have a good reputation, since they are so unreliable.

My next car will be a Subaru.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th May, 2005

13th Sep 2005, 14:24

Well, what can I say about my 1996 Audi 2.8L AWD? I can't tell you how happy I am to finally be done with it. I traded it in for a Saab. OK, here is the list of the problems I had with the car.

1) Bad Transmission - The transmission blew out at about 75K miles. Obviously it was out of warranty and the Audi dealer here in Chicago quoted me $11K to fix it. I have a mechanic that replaced it for $4200. Not fun.

2) Bad Water Pump - The water pump exploded spewing liquid all over my timing belt resulting in a purchase of a new timing belt (2nd one) and the pump itself with every sensor imaginable.

3) Bad Control Arms - I did not even deal with the control arms because I was going to get rid of it.

4) Bad O2 Sensor - Replaced this fellow 3 times.

5) Blown Head Gasket - This was the icing on the cake. I just couldn't take putting more money in this car.

6) Rear Suspension - Very strange sounds came from the rear suspension which I didn't even want to know about.

7) Check Engine Light - If I had a penny for every time the check engine light went on, I would be extremely wealthy. 99% of the time the mechanic could find no problems.

I would strictly advise anyone to avoid the 1996 Audi's. The do drive superbly, but even Bill Gates would balk at continual maintenance issues. I read recently that Audi's are the 2nd most expensive cars to fix under Range Rover. Yikes.

24th Aug 2012, 23:32

The petrol smell is caused by a issue with the charcoal canister. Very easy to fix, and happens to a lot of cars.