Faults:

The timing belt broke at 65,000 miles. Audi recommendation is to change it at 105,000 miles.

Audi head office were not very helpful, they said the 105,000 miles is only a suggestion. I was unhappy with this statement.

I called the dealer and they took car of the repairs. The damage was over $2,000 - I do not know what retail would have been on the repair.

The dealer service manager was very helpful whereas Audi were not.

Faults:

Coolant Temp Sensor replaced @ 50k miles.

Rear tail shaft & left/rear axle seals replaced @ 53k miles.

Wheel bearing & camshaft seal @ 62k miles.

Right/rear axle seal @ 68k miles.

Front passenger-side lower control arm @ 70k miles.

Timing belt went @ 73k miles (replacement engine being put in right now)

General Comments:

The car is agile and quick even with the automatic transmission. Some extra power would be nice, new models have 30 more HP so should be better. The all wheel drive is great in the winter. The interior fit and finish is very good quality. The exterior design is beautiful.

The car is a repair nightmare. With only 25k miles put on the car, I've dumped about $3,600 in repairs/maintenance. Each 15k mile maintenance interval costs $525 alone. It really isn't a very reliable car. I'm looking at a BMW now, their "ownership costs" seem to be lower, but I'm sure any repair cost would be at least equal to an Audi. Common repairs on the A4 seem to be wheel bearings, seals of all types, and control arms from my experiences and others I have read.

Faults:

Drivers side window guide clip broken $6.00 part.

Rear axle seals starting to leak @78000 miles.

Mysterious Airbag issue @ 78000 miles (Airbag light is on, but haven't determined what the problem is yet).

Semi metallic pads generate a lot of dust and make grinding sounds.

General Comments:

I love the cars ergonomics and styling.

Impeccable all weather handling.

Gets great gas mileage on the highway for an all wheel drive car (29 + mpg).

Is pretty quick with a performance chip.

Very large trunk.

Faults:

At 79,000 miles requested from Leith Audi Dealer in Raleigh, NC for appointment to change timing belt. Dealer said they were "swamped" and to call back in 3 weeks (after the holidays). Everything was okay because the timing belt was good until 90,000 miles according to the dealership.

10 days later, my timing belt goes and my wife is pushing my kid in a stroller down the street.

All Audi customer service does is to "Document the situation". They offer no guidance or assistance.

I live 100 miles away from a dealership and their repair estimate is exorbitant. After a few days, I find a local guy to fix it. I get two opinions, but the timing belt has taken the heads and valves and I am looking at a $3500 repair.

Last week, I sent a letter to Audi USA President and VP explaining the situation. Their "representative" calls and basically says something could have been done if we would have brought the vehicle to Audi to repair (after the fact, nice!). I remind her of my earlier responses from Audi Customer Service, which she basically ignores.

I tell her that I realize Audi is blowing me off, but that is fine because I will never buy another Audi again and my next purchase will be either a BMW or an Acura. And I will buy more cars in the future, none of which will be an Audi. And I remind her that through "Word of mouth" my story will be repeated as long as I can talk and hopefully it has been worth it to Audi.

I am a soldier in Kuwait and there are tons of guys will pockets full of cash who are going home after a year over here. I will let every one know who I speak with about the awful customer service of Audi.