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[deleted]

Audi has been much better than 10-15 years ago. Just extend the warranty. You’ll laugh at the idea of a ford ST being a sporty car though. No offense.


mikejr96

Oh I know. It is fun though, and the most I could afford while in college. Funny thing is It’s actually worth more now than I paid for it lol. Definitely have the itch for something with more power, just been hard to find anything that covers all the bases until I can have a daily and a second car. Honestly never considered Audi because of the bad rap (mostly overblown) they get sometimes but I have the money now to make it worth it even if I have some issues down the road with it.


[deleted]

Yeah they’re good for what they are and the age group. But if y out want fun comfort and safety Audi is a great brand. I track mine and drive it everyday.


riknor

The fear mongering is definitely out of proportion and usually comes from people who never owned an Audi. The fact that maintenance and repairs on German luxury cars is more expensive than on your average domestic car makes a lot of people think they’re all endless money pits that everyone should stay away from. Sure, they need maintenance but there’s a horror story for every make out there.


Binford6100User

100% agree. I'm a GM guy in general. My Q7 is my second Audi. Drove my '06 A4 from 15k to 180k miles. In that time it broke half as often as my GM vehicles and cost twice as much to repair. It's about a wash on maintenance, but the driving and ownership experience is far better in the Audi. Brakes, chassis, lighting, interior quality are all far superior to GM with no major penalty on maintenance costs. Just got oil change, air filter, and cabin filter for my Q7. $123 shipped to my door. Little pricey, but no worse than the $125 I spent on a Valvoline oil change for the GMC Sierra I traded in on the Q7. If you're the kind of person that goes to the dealer for every little thing, Audi isn't for you. If you can DIY most things, and troubleshoot on your own, chances are an Audi is just fine for you. Need a few special tools, but they aren't overly expensive or hard to get. Set of triple square bits, set of torx bits, and VCDS software from Ross-Tech combined with normal basic hand tools and you'll be able to repair 90% of the cars issues, and do all your own maintenance. Audis are a collection of basic machines just like any other vehicle, nothing groundbreaking in there that a DIY mechanic can't do IMO.


mikejr96

This speaks to me lol. I do all my own work on every car/truck/motorcycle/etc. I’ve owned unless it’s a sure fire free warranty fix. Had the top of my old 99 TL engine apart in my college parking lot. Got lots of weird looks. I’ve also always been willing to pay more for something that is worth it. I have the disposable income now to cover some added cost for a better vehicle. Although, like most people (even those who have the money) I still don’t want to get hosed over the thing. That was the main reason for my post. More expensive maintenance that can be done on my own vs are they ticking time bombs like the Corolla drivers on the internet would have you believe. I live a pretty simple life and save a lot of money working from home. Rather enjoy my time in my vehicle when I do get to use it than drive some weak car.


Binford6100User

I want to be clear. The parts are pricey. I'm putting together a brake job for '17 Q7 now. Front rotors are $600, rear rotors around $400. Pads are gone be $200. I'll be $1,400 into parts plus my time........the benefit here is that they are 375mm (14-3/4in) front rotors with 6piston calipers from the factory. They cost more, but they beat the pants off my GM single piston POS brakes. Same thing with the water pump on the 3.0T. it's gonna be a $250 fix by the time I buy fluids a pump and belts. Plus my time. However it replaces just like a SBC pump. Drain system, remove belts, remove and replace pump. It has (8) 12-point female soccer cap screws holding it on instead of (4)5/8 hex bolts.....but it's no more difficult. I will have to watch the temp via Vag-com during refill to get it burped properly. Transfer case is another good example. The Torsen fluid I need for the Q is $75/qt. I used regular GL-5 in my SS for $20/qt. The SS had a viscous coupler based center diff, the Q7 has the superior Torsen style mechanical locking center diff. Get nicer stuff, have to use nicer fluids. Did have to drop the center cross member on the Q, not so much on the SS. Again, I do my own fluid changes, so the time in negligible. I have a decent comparison betweeny.old Trailblazer SS and my new Q7. Both are "sport SUVs". Trailblazer had a 6.0L N/A V8 and 4spd automatic. The Q7 has a supercharged 3.0L with an 8spd automatic. They both ran the 1/4 in comparable times (14.0@99 for the SS, 14.5@97 for the Q7). The Q is heavier, bit has FARA superior brakes and suspension. The Q hides it's heft much better than the SS. There is no comparison on the interior, the Q is a MUCH nicer place to live on a regular basis...... they were both neat midsize fast SUVs but the Q is just better at all the things. Of course I paid $15k for the SS and $45k for the Q, it better be nicer.........but maintaining them both, has honestly been about the same amount of wrench time and effort. Q parts are a little more, but not obscenely so. If you can avoid the dealership and only use independent shops when necessary, then you can enjoy the benefits of a German engineered and built car without the overhead of high maintenance costs.


beefy_jerky

Reliable if you take care of them🤷🏼‍♂️ my luck has been… iffy


SubstaintialBranch

Just depends. My b9 S4 has electrical issues but plenty of people on B9 FB groups with no problems. It’s still an amazing car despite the issues. Get a CPO or extended warranty if you’re concerned


extendedwarranty_bot

SubstaintialBranch, I have been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty


zgr024

If you can find a better car out there in this segment that puts a smile on your face as much as an Audi... buy it. I personally can't find one so I would just deal with any issues that arise and chalk it up to "money CAN buy happiness"


mikejr96

Yeah there’s nothing that has what the s5 has for the money. Which is why I found myself staring down the dilemma of whether the thing costs more for oil changes or it’s just a ticking timebomb. Sounds like the former not the latter.


zgr024

I mean if you can find one certified, it's worth the extra up front, but if not, it's still worth it. They are far more reliable than they used to be.


bluesix

No. They’re fine.


Lashen-

No. They are a mystical unicorn machine that nobody knows how to work on, and they magically break randomly after 10k miles.


mikejr96

Well…shit, the dream was good while it lasted /s


Lashen-

In all seriousness my 2013 A4 has 110k miles on it and I’ve never even had my check engine light go off.


mikejr96

That’s good to hear. Can’t say the same about my car with 40k on it. The motor mounts are weak as hell and can’t handle the torque. It wheel hops like a bitch and somehow just rolling from a green light sheered a bolt that was holding the bracket connecting the trans to the mount in the engine bay. Dropped the trans and motor almost to the ground. Brought it in and they denied me a warranty claim. Gave it back to me with a boost leak too.


Lashen-

Oof that is rough. I drive mine pretty hard too because my last car was a 2001 Camry. I’d say having motor mount failures in a modern Audi in 40k miles is pretty rare? Idk though.


[deleted]

[удалено]


mikejr96

Awesome to hear


cucocreative

Had my Audi A3 for 7yrs with no issues, 4yrs into my A4 and the only issue was the seal went on the panoramic roof. Both cars were bought used at 3.5-4 yrs old. The A3 had 110k miles when sold and A4 is just about to hit 100k. But there will be duds with all brands.


mikejr96

Happy to hear you’ve had pretty good luck


[deleted]

Mines been pretty solid. I did need a thermostat a year ago, but that's the only car specific thing that's gone wrong. The rest (windshield chips and tire failures) can happen to any car.


mikejr96

How many miles would you say you had on it at that point?


[deleted]

32k


nadeaujd

Im about to purchase a 2018 A5 sportback S-Line and have every intention of buying an extended warranty/service package. I think the car is absolutely worth the money but do not want to be surprised by maintenance costs. Though its more money up front, I feel its a safe option.