7th Sep 2008, 23:06

(looking up in the sky & holding my hands together, and praying not to jinx myself)...

Bought a 1999.5 Audi A4 Quattro turbo (cold weather package) with 146,000 miles on it. It now has 170,000.

I change the oil & spark plugs, yes, spark plugs every 3,000 miles. Needless to say it has not given me any problems that I couldn't fix myself (thank you lord).

My wife and I bought it as a second car for her to have. I have checked the timing belt, and it looks good for now. I have not changed it yet, and I'm not worried.

The car was a cream puff when we bought it, one owner from a used lot (trade in, and garage kept, and had to be serviced by Audi). I knew (by experience) by looking at it, that it was lightly hit and repaired (can't tell). Besides that, it looked and ran like new, and still does (knock on wood). All I have done is upgraded my wheels.

My car has been very reliable/dependable, real quick story... had in laws come from AZ for a week, they rented a brand new Toyota Camry. It looks great, right? New, nice wholesome body style. Well I drove it, and the handling on it compared to my 10 year old Audi wasn't even close. Also the inside was not impressive. That's how good Audis are. I love it.

Go to cardomain.com and search member sarahcarrano (one word), and you will see what I mean.

Don't be afraid to buy an Audi. Just don't be afraid to lightly service your own car. When you go to the stealerships or mechanic shops, you are asking them to find problems; address most concerns about your car as they come.

11th Sep 2008, 14:30

Got the notice about the timing belt so had the free inspection done when I had the oil changed. You guessed it, I was told by our dealer that my 2003 cream puff Audi I purchased new and has just under 55,000 miles needs to have the timing belt changed. They say the belt is dry, cracked and separating. Hefty $1200.00 estimate.

I purchased the car with the idea that the maintenance on this car would be better than on other cars I looked at. Timing belt change at 105,000 miles seemed like a good deal but now stuck with a "lemon". I could see if the car was at 75,000 miles or higher but 55,000??? Yes, Audi's are lemons. I wonder how many other things will pop up that looked so good when you purchased it but now looks like it will be a money pit.

I wouldn't recommend to anyone to buy one unless they have lots of extra cash to pay for the "unexpected".

NYAudiOwner.

29th Oct 2008, 01:59

I took my Audi into the dealer for the recommended check on the timing belt and yep they recommended getting it changed, its 45,500 miles and the warranty does not cover it. So I'm going to inquire as to what exactly is normal wear and tear and what is a faulty part from the onset. I'm a little disappointed... 2003 A4 just got it last year with 35K miles certified :C.

31st Oct 2008, 22:23

I purchased a 1999 Audi A4 1.8 turbo with 120k miles, 6 weeks ago. Had to have it towed home the first night... broken vacuum hose and fuel-injector problems, $550 at the dealer plus $115 tow. 5 weeks later the turbo blew. In the shop now (not a dealer this time) staring at a $2700 bill. The mechanic said that it was apparent that the timing belt had recently been replaced. Could the blown turbo be related to the recent timing belt issue?

2nd Nov 2008, 12:55

I have a 2002 turbo charged A4 Audi 1.8L, which I purchased new in August, 2002. When the manufacturers warranty ran out, I purchased the Gold “car protection program” at my Audi dealership on 8/9/06 to the tune of $3700 when the car had 49,000 miles. Vehicle now has 71,000 miles on it.

This car has been pampered and serviced only at Audi dealerships. We have followed every recommendation and even changed the oil at @ 3,000 mile intervals.

In mid August, 2008, I had the car into my Audi dealership for service (sunroof opened and closed at random, sound system would not work, etc.) and told them to basically do whatever needed to be done, since my child was taking the car back to college. I was unaware at that time of the Olsen suit as I received my Audi Extended Warranty letter later in mid September.

When I got the notice, I called the dealer that had serviced the vehicle in August and asked if the timing belt had been checked. He said, “Probably, because they did the scheduled maintenance on it but don’t worry you have time to get it done if it wasn’t.” The car (now at college in FLA) needed service for a different problem. My daughter took it into her local Audi dealership. The service department informed us that the timing belt should be replaced as it has several cracks in it. If we do not have it replaced to the tune of $1,200, the negotiated extended warranty will be void.

By the way, I do trust this service department. If the original Audi dealership did a scheduled maintenance in August, should the timing belt have been included in their inspection? If they didn’t and knew about the new maintenance schedule, are they in any way responsible for omitting this? If it was inspected and it passed, then is Audi liable for the costs associated with my October timing belt replacement?

To even infuriate me more, the “carefree car protection” plan rep says they will not cover the timing belt, since it did not ACTUALLY fail. So much for practicing preventive maintenance on something that is a safety issue and would save them thousands of dollars should the timing belt actually snap at 60+ MPH on I-95 with a young driver behind the wheel.

Oh yeah, by the way, now that Audi has modified the maintenance schedule for the timing belt, even if the timing belt did fail, the protection people inform me that they would not cover it since (considering the mileage on the car) it is now considered a maintenance item, even though when I purchased the contract the timing belt had a life of 105,000 miles. AND I would still have to follow the guidelines of the settlement and replace the timing belt at my own expense.

I have absolutely no choice but to have the timing belt replaced. She cannot continue to drive this vehicle back and forth between NJ and FLA given the chances of the timing belt snapping. We gave her this Audi because of its perceived safety.

Also, I have a $3600 warranty pkg that we are just a little over halfway through. Given the economy, I cannot possibly purchase another car for her.

I am calling the original Audi dealership on Monday to see if they DID or DID not do the timing belt inspection in August. I assume that if they inspected it and it passed, then Audi should pay for the replacement at this time. Any suggestions on what actions I should take will be greatly appreciated.