Owning an Audi

[Balki.Bartokomous]

We have an A4. Bought it used back in 2009ish. We love it and have had no issues with it (knock on wood). For service, we take it to one or two local places that specialize in European cars. I don't really see a need to take it to the dealer.

[anaps28]

We had a pre owned Q7 for 3 years. We recently sold it. We sold for 2 reasons. The model we had we could not access the 3rd row with the car seats installed on the outside seats and the 2nd reason being it became too expensive to maintain once our warranty ran out.
We also have an A6 which we love. I would recommend the tire package if they offer it bc the tires are very sensitive.

[WinterWine]

We old several older Audis. Service will be expensive as you know. Not sure which year you are interested, but the redesign being released this fall for the Q7 is pretty amazing. Lots of neat features, but most importantly in my opinion is that the MPG is going WAAAY up. If you don't need a new car right now, I'd look into it.

[LoveTrains]

My parents had an A4 wagon that they loved. Had it for years and it went over 200k miles.

[hbomdiggity]

We have a 2010 A4.

My H is pretty good about keeping with the maintenance schedules, but I don't think anything has been over $2k or anything.

Free oil changes for life were included when we bought it. But then the dealership was sold and they wouldn't honor it (my h didn't push it). But it only needs changed like every 10k miles so it isn't too bad.

[ddi741]

I had a 2004 A4. I loved that car but traded it when it was out of warranty. No major issues, just little annoying ones. They have a tendency to be 'over engineered' but I would buy one again in heartbeat. I bought a jetta this time as I can't afford the audi now and this was the closest thing to it.

[preppy]

I had an Audi Q7 for three years and loved it. It was too big for my needs and my new commute so I traded it in about 18 months ago for a BMW suv. I liked the audi much more, I will be buying another one in a few years for sure.

Repairs weren't too bad for a luxury car, we had a great shop that did audis that was great. As soon as the warranty is up don't bother with a dealership, find a shop you trust. We didn't have anything beyond oil changes until about 70k miles so you shouldn't have to worry about repairs for a long time!

[redheadk]

I have a 2013 Q5. Love it. Maintenance costs are in line with other luxury brands so if you are accustomed to that, you won't be shocked.

We did purchase the maintenance package so pretty much everything is covered for a while. I have it serviced at the dealership because they will bring me a loaner (I live 40 minutes away), pick up my car, service and wash it, then drop it off and pick up the loaner. Very helpful. By the time it runs out I'll probably be ready to trade it in.

We looked at upgrading to a Q7 but they didn't have the features I wanted at the time that I love on mine. They do now but i prefer the way the Q5 drives so unless you need the space, I'd consider the Q5. I want the TDI next time.

[AAM2012]

Jul 5, 2015 9:54:14 GMT -5 BirdGirl said:

Here's an example:

A reg battery cost around $100. Audi's battery is $200+ BUT only Audi authorized service centers can install them. So $500+ I walked out of the dealer with my battery installed.

I recently had routine maintenance done to the tune of $2300. My car is not quite 5 years old and has 37,000 miles on it. I wasn't expecting a 2,300 bill. That's for sure.

Get Audi Care. The oil changes are also ridiculously expensive and we ended up at the dealer anyway.

Funny story...we had TWO Infiniti dealerships tell us that only they can install a battery because of a "special tool" that's required in Infiniti's.

We had the vehicle towed in 3x for a dead battery because we assumed there were no other choices until one day the battery died and DH was out of the country for work. Luckily it died when I was with some of my running friends and we took a look. Surprise! There is NO special tool required but it was a PITA to get to the battery but we were able to get to it with a little muscle and with a $300 savings it was totally worth DIY-ing.

[tcu2003]

Hubby had an A4 before it was totaled in a wreck, and we both loved it. He changed the battery himself and did his own oil changes. His brother is a mechanic, and I know he fixed a few things that went out over the 8 or so years DH owned it. He also took it to the dealer for regular maintenance, I think.

It drove smoothly, was fun to ride in, and was comfier than I would have expected for a smaller car. It wouldn't surprise me if we own another one when we're well past the toddler stage with kids.

[BirdGirl]

Jul 5, 2015 20:27:28 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Jul 5, 2015 9:54:14 GMT -5 BirdGirl said:

Here's an example:

A reg battery cost around $100. Audi's battery is $200+ BUT only Audi authorized service centers can install them. So $500+ I walked out of the dealer with my battery installed.

I recently had routine maintenance done to the tune of $2300. My car is not quite 5 years old and has 37,000 miles on it. I wasn't expecting a 2,300 bill. That's for sure.

Get Audi Care. The oil changes are also ridiculously expensive and we ended up at the dealer anyway.

Funny story...we had TWO Infiniti dealerships tell us that only they can install a battery because of a "special tool" that's required in Infiniti's.

We had the vehicle towed in 3x for a dead battery because we assumed there were no other choices until one day the battery died and DH was out of the country for work. Luckily it died when I was with some of my running friends and we took a look. Surprise! There is NO special tool required but it was a PITA to get to the battery but we were able to get to it with a little muscle and with a $300 savings it was totally worth DIY-ing.

The Audi battery has some chip in it that needs to be programmed, I kid you not. So you need a special computer. It wasn't the dealer that told us this. It was the first place we took it to. And then H read a bunch of car forums trying to figure it out. They all said it wouldn't work without the battery being programmed.

[Cicero]

I have a Q5 whose warranty just ran out. Getting it serviced isn't that bad and I've not yet seen a repair bill but I've been really happy with it.