Audi and quattro long-term realibility

[darksky]

I've heard that when the Quattro system is in need of servicing, it can cost a small fortune. I am also aware that Audis (imports) in general are most costly to repair than other brands. Since I'm one who keeps a car for 8-10 years (about 120k miles), these are concerns for a $65k car (considering an A6 TDI). I'm wondering if anyone reading these forums can comment. Is this a valid concern?

[sciblades]

Well I can't talk about much past my personal experiences but I would say I am very hard on cars I go to the race track quite often and have more then 375 launches in my car with no Quattro issues, I do long trips to Fla from ny twice a year and average about 20k miles a year on my car.

With all that said, I have almost 60k on the car and never had any issues, granted you are talking about doubling that but I feel with my agressive driving style something would have broke by now.

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[zekeman]

After having owned Porsche, MB, BMW and Audi, I can honestly say that Porsche repair costs will take your breath away. I believe German car technology and associated repairs cost more than U.S. and Japanese vehicles but IMO you get a better vehicle. Be prepared to pay to play if you're going to own a German car and do some serious research on reliability before dropping the coins!
Z

[VeryBadman]

I don't know if you have noticed but a lot of us here have a disease and rarely keep our cars beyond 2 years. This may not be the place to get that answer IMO.

Ditto! IMO German cars are built to be driven not to be kept so if you plan to keep, be prepared that it can cost you arms and legs when something breaks. It's just how it is. That's why I always tell people around me that if you want to get into German cars, lease is not a bad idea since you are out of the future trouble after only few years and if you are buying, always be ready to buy a new car if needed.

[Brooklyn]

Long-term reliability Audi's is one thing, but Quattro is damn near bomb proof. I have yet to hear of any major issues with the Quattro system itself. Longest I've ever kept an Audi was 6 years/90k, and while there were minor (yet expensive) repair issues, the engine (tuned), transmission, and suspension were fine when I traded it in.

[MileMan402]

I used to have a 2001 S4 and never had an issue related to the Quattro system. My friend still has it and it's going strong at 120k miles pushing 450awhp.

C7's are still too new to evaluate any long term issues. That being said, Audi has been running the tdi much longer in Europe so you might have better luck looking at long term reliability on Euro based websites.

[AUDIMAN33]

After having owned Porsche, MB, BMW and Audi, I can honestly say that Porsche repair costs will take your breath away. I believe German car technology and associated repairs cost more than U.S. and Japanese vehicles but IMO you get a better vehicle. Be prepared to pay to play if you're going to own a German car and do some serious research on reliability before dropping the coins!
Z

Lol, try having a "check up" on an M5.

[AudiA6A5]

Although not Quattro specific.....a good thread on C7 reliability....

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ht=reliability

....I can say that out of the 4 Audis I've owned, I've never had any issues with the Quattro system.....and to add to that...I've never driven an all wheel drive car that can handle the elements better than Audi's Quattro.....in fact IMO its better than a lot of 4WD SUVs!

[chris@fifteen52]

I have a B7A4 Avant with 240k miles on it and as far as the AWD Quattro system, changing the front and rear diff fluid is all that is needed and I assume you have an Automatic, follow the guidelines for that and the quattro takes care of itself.

[grc]

From what I have seen in forums Quattro is mechanically pretty reliable. Just change diff fluid as per schedule.
But electronics can fail. For example ABS sensor or a sport diff (if equipped) can fail and that will cause quattro to misbehave.

[HyperM3]

As far as Ive been trained, the quattro diff is the one part never to have failed in the 40 years its been in production.

[name.goes.here]

As long as you are proactive with the maintenance, there is no reason why an Audi should not last well beyond 100K miles. Obviously, it will be easier on the transmission and engine if those miles are largely via highway driving vs. stop/go, but the Quattro system is, in my experience, bulletproof.

[bartenderfloyd]

My 2004 A6 2.7T lasted almost 9 years and 147,000 miles before the clutch slave cylendar started giving me problems. At that point a new clutch would have cost half the price the car was worth so I traded it in. I take care of my car and do all my own maintenance. The only unexpected repair was the coil packs going bad. Onoy expensive service was the timing belt change (and all the related parts). I love my 2012 prestige now and just turned 55,000 miles. Spent a few dollars changing the plugs and belt just now. For people like me, the Vag-com is important.

[darksky]

Thanks for the replies, all.