A4 Maintenance Versus BMW

[AudiNewbie16]

I really like the A4, and I am just waiting to sign on the dotted line on either an new A4 or BMW 328i. They both drive really nice, but I do find the A4 is softer over the bumps, yet still corners every bit as well. I like the A4 image.

The only two knocks against the A4 is the passenger seat comfort, which I posted a separate thread for, and the rear seating room. It is more cramped than the 328i even though on paper it shows it being a few mm more legroom.

My biggest concern is the maintenance costs as I plan to keep the car for 7 - 8 years. I am in Ottawa, Canada. The local BMW dealer does front brakes for $450, which is a good price. Audi wants $780 for the front brakes. I haven't compared all costs, but looking at this, Audi appears to have higher maintenance costs.

I realize I am looking at a premium car, and I expect to pay more for parts then for a standard vehicle from Honda or Toyota.

Strictly comparing Audi and BMW, taking the Japanese cars out of the mix, which is more expensive to maintain after warranty. Both in terms of the cost of doing repairs when something breaks and with the frequency of repairs needing to be done (how often does the car break down).

I am 40, I will drive the car reasonably. I like to drive, but I am respectful driver, so I will not be particularly hard on the car, but I will get a little aggressive with it from time to time.

I realize people here and not going to tell me to get BMW over Audi, and I am not asking for which car everyone likes best as this is a biased forum, I only want an idea for long term maintenance on a well cared for vehicle.

[asal]

well i'd wager you're not going to get a great answer unless some people on here happen to own (owned) both cars to do a comparison. That being said, from what i've read the 328 is the most reliable of the BMW gassers, and the Audi 2.0t is so ubiquitous it's merits and failings are well documented. There are a ton of threads on the subject throughout these forums, so do a little more thread searching and you'll find some more answers.

ultimately, they both can be pretty reliable if you take care of the maintenance on them. If you go Audi I would recommend negotiating audi-care into your final deal, as that will take care of all maintenance for 4 years.

Last thought, (from someone who owned one), if I were buying an Audi/BMW for sake of reliability above all else, I would hands down buy an Audi TDI.

[AudiNewbie16]

Thank you for the info. I find most Audi vs BMW threads compare the driving experience of the car, not focus on the maintainability aspect of them.

I've read that a rule of thumb is $2,000 a year on average, which in Canada is probably closer to $3,000. I don't know if that is total maintenance, as in break downs along with wear items such as brakes and tires, or if that is just to fix items that break down. I do plan to get Audi-Care, which is $700 when purchasing the car.

[PA_Matt]

You know your needs more than I do, but why a 328i instead of a 328xi? Excuse me if you already have an alternate vehicle for winter or plan on getting winter tires and are comfortable with RWD in winter, but I would think straight RWD would be pretty undesirable in Canada as a daily driver.

I can't comment on the costs as I'm a new owner and have never owned a BMW, sorry.

[b6onboost]

The long term maintenance cost of an A4 vs 328i are relatively close enough that it should NOT impact your decision. If you're going to own the car for 7-8 years, get whichever one you ultimately like better. They're both going to be high maintenance when they get older and higher mileage.

Also remember that while BMW and Audi dealers may quote different amounts for certain services, you can have an independent euro shop do the same service for a lot less. Chances are that brake job would be similar priced for either car at an independent shop. A general rule of thumb is if a service/repair isn't covered by pre-paid maintenance or warranty, stay away from the dealer as you'll almost always be significantly overpaying.

[ed@mtl]

Here in Montreal. Fun thing, I sat in my friends 2013 328i yesterday. I would say the leg room is about the same for both cars.

As maintenances, you can negotiate for Audi Care to be thrown in (that's what I did). Other major maintenance (brake job). I would never have it done at a dealership. Find yourself an independent garage (I can recommend you one in Ottawa and he's a member on this forum). Also, not sure but I do believe maintenance (4yrs) is free for BMW. Just not sure what's included.

Both great cars. Good luck.

[AudiNewbie16]

Yes, please send me the info for the garage in Ottawa that you recommend.

How does your friend like their 328i?

PA_Matt - It is actually the 328i xDrive that I am looking at. I'm not interested in RWD, but thanks for pointing that out.

In the test drive car I found the Mode button on the steering wheel very stiff and difficult to depress, all of the other buttons were fine. I caulked it up to perhaps someone getting something sticky behind it.

As for leg room, I think the additional headroom in the BMW makes the difference. I am 6'2" and I can raise my front seat a little higher in the BMW, given more room in the rear, or at least the illusion of more room. I just want to ensure that someone can sit behind me while I am still comfortable to drive.

[ed@mtl]

Since your in Ottawa:
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...tawa-Audi-Club

Contact BryanR he'll able to help you out. Just mention Ed in montreal refer you.

As for my friend, he loves his car. It's his 2nd lease. He never had any other luxury car before that. Always used Amercian ones. For him, it comes down to dollar and cents (restaurant owner lol).

[name.goes.here]

BMW still is still experiencing a myriad of issues with the new F30 - way too many for my comfort.

[mr_milo]

If you do short drives or have a short commute, I would be concerned with a BMW. I owned a 328i E93 and with my 10 mile each way commute I started having battery issues after about a year. Before two years where up BMW had to replace my battery. They called it a "courtesy replacement" since it wasn't technically covered by the warranty and would have cost me >$500 to replace. The new "stop & go" technology which shuts off the engine at stops (something mine didn't have) will only make this worst. My buddy in Hawaii gets a new battery every 6-9 months in his stop&go 335i.

I'm only 8 months into my Audi A4 so I don't know if Audi will be any better but so far I haven't had any issues. Knock on wood. :)

Also, if you do your own work, it's MUCH easier to get a scan tool for the Audi that works. There are a lot for the BMW but all seem to use hacked or stolen BMW factory software and can get a pain to use.

[Slick_B8]

If your gonna get an audi, cpo is the way to go. Evrything casually starts happening after 50k which is the end of the warranty

[treginginco]

The ONLY reason I would pic the 3-series over the A4 is the diesel engine. BMW's engines are nice ---- as are Audi's --- -but they don't have diesel A4's in the states yet.

[name.goes.here]

If you do short drives or have a short commute, I would be concerned with a BMW. I owned a 328i E93 and with my 10 mile each way commute I started having battery issues after about a year. Before two years where up BMW had to replace my battery. They called it a "courtesy replacement" since it wasn't technically covered by the warranty and would have cost me >$500 to replace. The new "stop & go" technology which shuts off the engine at stops (something mine didn't have) will only make this worst. My buddy in Hawaii gets a new battery every 6-9 months in his stop&go 335i.

I'm only 8 months into my Audi A4 so I don't know if Audi will be any better but so far I haven't had any issues. Knock on wood. :)

Also, if you do your own work, it's MUCH easier to get a scan tool for the Audi that works. There are a lot for the BMW but all seem to use hacked or stolen BMW factory software and can get a pain to use.

Yes! The battery charging is a HUGE issue on BMW - excellent point noted above.

[Project Quattro]

If you keep up with the maintenance either car should be relatively reliable; people basically expect maintenance-free cars these days and the manufacturers are trying to deliver. Based on the research I've done and the cars my friends have owned, the costs for upkeep should be about equal. Over time the A4 may be cheaper because some parts are shared with other VW cars. I think your estimate of $2-3k a year for maintenance is high; I've had mine since early 2012 ( bought it CPO) and Audicare just ran out last fall. It's under warranty, but if it wasn't I would probably be just under $1k a year in maintenance and small repairs. That includes annual services, 2 coil packs replaced at the same time, and the fuel door wouldn't unlock with the key. Aside from those things it's been dead reliable.


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[poker838]

I had the previous generation 3 series for roughly 6 years, have had my current A4 for over four years now, and my brother has the new generation of 3 series for 2 years or so.

Fluid changes are roughly the same for both, at dealer.. and obviously cheaper at independent. Brake pads and rotors have cost me roughly the same (i use Zimmerman and TRS as oem replacements).

BMW gives you first four years of maintenance free (baked into price), plus they seem to be more aggressive in discounting than Audi.

The other thing to consider is that BMW is not part of CAMVAP, so if you end up with a lemon, technically they don't have to help you... however I've had more frustration with this one Audi than the several BMW we has in the family.

[AudiNewbie16]

Are the Audi's still having issues with carbon build up? I think this is an issue plaguing BMW and Audi with the turbo 4's.

If you take them on a hard aggressive (high RPM) drive once in a while does this help, or does this make it worse?

[b6onboost]

Carbon buildup effects every modern engine with Direct Injection. Doesn't matter the make or even if its naturally aspirated or forced induction, although the latter seem to show less buildup. Bottom line is you're going to deal with it with almost any modern car in the segment.

[SDF1]

Has anyone seen this? lol

[WAF]

Interesting, too bad Lexus has such bad styling.

[HIS4]

Close but not quite. I have an M3 and A4 avant. The A4 is only 3 years old and maintenance has been limited to scheduled services. Nothing else has given problems. The M3 is nearing 6 years old and through the first 4 years it was pretty much the same thing. Scheduled maintenance only. Of course parts on the M3 are significantly more expensive and it requires a special oil you can only get from the dealer so oil changes are much more. If you're not going to do your own maintenance, the difference in cost is really going to depend on the markup a labor rate your local dealer charges.

[Project Quattro]

Has anyone seen this? lol

I'd be especially interested in this if they broke it out by model; I suspect the A4/328/C300 are more reliable than the A8/7-series/S-class) since they sell more of them and get more feedback for issues and fixes.


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[PA_Matt]

I'd be especially interested in this if they broke it out by model; I suspect the A4/328/C300 are more reliable than the A8/7-series/S-class) since they sell more of them and get more feedback for issues and fixes.


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I don't think quality necessarily correlates with sales volume. If it did we'd expect luxury makers to be behind their higher volume base brands. Far more Passats are sold than A4s, far more Accords than TLs, etc. Despite that the premium brand always comes out on top in quality rankings.

[name.goes.here]

I'd be especially interested in this if they broke it out by model; I suspect the A4/328/C300 are more reliable than the A8/7-series/S-class) since they sell more of them and get more feedback for issues and fixes.


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That and the fact A8 and S-class are equipped with more electronics and other mechanical complexities to break or fail over time.

[Project Quattro]

That and the fact A8 and S-class are equipped with more electronics and other mechanical complexities to break or fail over time.

My thoughts exactly, complexity typically begets problems when you're talking about electronics.


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[TheOperation]

If you are willing to find a good mechanic who won't rail you on parts prices the audi will unquestionably be far cheaper in the long run. Number one reason being is audis are far better supported in the aftermarket world because of how many parts an a4 shares with many other vehicles in the Volkswagen family.

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[B72011]

Something like brakes are so simple to do...literally ANY car repair shop can do the work. I actually think that a ton of car repairs and maintenance can be done by any actual shop. I like to work on my own cars and didn't do so before owing an Audi ....you may want to buy some tools and watch some DIYs ......you'll save thousands!