I've noticed a lot of posts regarding problems with A4. No car is perfect. People are more vocal when things aren't working correctly. When things are okay nothing is said. Having said that, This message is to inform all of the "would be" A4 owners that I've had my A4 for 16,000 miles/11 months and haven't experienced any serious problems. However, my car has developed a slight squeak in the rear right corner of the vehicle. It only happens sometimes while going over bumps. It's never annoying. Compared to my last car (1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX) it's as tight as a safe. The Mitsubishi squeaked and rattled from the first day. While vacuuming, I found screws that became dislodged from somewhere in the Mitsu's interior. So for anybody considering the A4, I highly recommend it. Sorry to waste bandwidth<p><p> Tony 98.? 1.8 QTM<br> <br>

I've had my A4 for 4 months and 6000 miles with no problems to speak of. I had one error with the CD player, which appears to have been a faulty CD. And I had the arm rest squeak others have written about which I fixed with a little lip balm. Other than that, it's just been clear and FUN sailing!<p>Sandy<br>98.75 2.8 qTip

I am prone at times to get the fret and worry syndrome over noises that are sometimes barely noticeable. Funny thing is, I drive it so much that I hear things others do not...maybe I'm crazy of maybe I'm just more in tune with its 'normal' sound.<br>As I approach 60k, this car is still tight and as peppy as it was brand new.<br>This past summer I had this same squeak you describe. We're pretty sure it was the bushings. The dealer said they could not duplicate it....yet we demonstrated it, they heard it and then later they said they couldn't find it when they put it on the hoist.<br>After unsuccessfully trying to get them to do anything under warranty, I just gave up and decided it would be fixed later when it got really bad. Then, for some unknown reason, the squeaking just stopped and has never come back.<br>So......I say, just ignore it unless it gets really loud and unbearable...it may just "work itself out" like mine did.<br>-Cathleen '96 A4 2.8qm modified

<br>I have no problems and complaints with my a4 too! It is 5 months and 5,600 miles old. LUV IT!<p>ariel<br>98? 1.8T Q tiptronic

Couldn't be happier.<br>

I took delivery of my A4 2.8 qm on Nov. 3, 1995, and other than minor problems the car has been a real treat. The problems are the typical ones that have been discussed on this forum: brake squeal, intermittent horn failure (fixed with a horseshoe -shaped clip), slight squeeking noise coming from somewhere over my left shoulder (probably from the headliner, as others have said), and bulbs that burnt out behind my odometer and another in my third brake light. The only other problem is poor radio reception, which I've learned to live with. But I really see no reason to trade up until the second generation A4s come out (in 2000?) I hope they don't change the style much you can't find a much better looking automobile than this!<p>StevenN

I don't think reporting "no problems" is a waste of cyberspace--after all, there are plenty of people that are on this board that are contemplating the purchase of an A4, or are waiting for one. They hear about problems that people are having, so why not some posts to balance it out? After all, the A4 is an almost perfect work of balance, IMHO.<p>That said, my one year old A4 has about 46k miles already, and I'm getting ready to drive it from northern Michigan to Seattle. No major problems really, just some little things that drivers less in tune with their car wouldn't care about. Manhattan streets did pound the crap out of the suspension though, with a broken control arm and wheel bearing during the 4-5 times I drove around town on my month long internship there. Think if I lived in NY I would only drive a beater in the city, and only when the subway wouldn't work.<p>Aside from the "no recirc / no AC when cold," the "achilles control arm" and the "heated mirror burnout syndrome", the A4 appears to be beautifully engineered, and I'm still thrilled every time I get in it for a drive. I plan to drive it for a very long time, until I can afford an S4 Avant, and will continue to maintain it for many years if Audi gets its act together and lowers the prices (from outlandishly expensive to merely ridiculously expensive would be nice) on some of these aftermarket parts.<p>Rich<br>'98 2.8Q sport

I put some 8500 miles onto my 2.8qms in five weeks, and it runs well. The only issue is the rattles and squeaks from all corners of the car, which I find most annoying. Compared with my father's A6, it's way "squeakier".<p>Other than that, things are ducky :-)<p>- Stan<br>98.5 2.8qms with Euro tail lights<br>

Rich- in your post you said "...if Audi gets its act together and lowers the prices (from outlandishly expensive to merely ridiculously<br>expensive would be nice) on some of these aftermarket parts."<p>Aftermarket parts, by definition, aren't Audi parts, so I don't see how Audi has anything to do with their prices. Aftermarket parts are things like Wett. chips, Fram oil filters, K&N air filters, Autolite spark plugs, etc. Did you mean Audi's replacement parts, such as transmissions, catalytic converters, etc. that have been reported on recently? If so, there has been some discussion of this recently. Mark Burns of Clair Audi had some good input, basically saying that the current prices (in warranty) can basically be considered as ficticious. The majority of Audi's parts prices seem to be in line with the competition. (Everyone also must realize that "the competition" isn't a Ford Taurus, it's BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, etc., meaning that prices are never going to be cheap). If Audi decides that its parts are worth more than they would cost if they were made of pure gold, then they are going to have a hard time surviving in the marketplace, and that is reason enough for me to believe that they won't keep their price structure ridiculously high (maybe just regular high).<p>As a price comparison, a friend recently had to replace a factory alloy wheel on a Jeep Cherokee (maybe 1992 vintage). The cost of the wheel was $400, and it's kind of an ugly basketweave design. For our A4, the 5 spoke wheels list for $350, and the 7-spokes are $425 (last year's prices). That seems pretty competitive. It's a lot for a wheel compared to aftermarket, but competitive with other makes.

Arent Audi parts 'really' Volkswagon parts?<p>BMW and MB don't have this dillema......VW and Audi will be at odds with themselves<br>if VW parts are cheaper than Audi parts for what is the same item!<p><p>

Because lots of parts are common between VW and Audi (mostly drivetrain), that should tend to hold down prices for Audi parts. Or, if not, we can just buy the equivalent VW part. BMW and Mercedes have more of a captive audience.

Dale,<p>You're right, I meant replacement Audi parts (suffering from another bout of chronic sleep deprivation..) And I see your points..I read that about Mark at Clair too, but still, the thought of a $12k transmission scares me every time mine gets a little stubborn about going into gear.. I don't think anyone here would like to have to replace a major part on an A4 or any Audi/BMW/Mercedes. If something like that happens to my A4, it's sittin' in the garage..<p>Rich<br>'98 2.8Q sport, 46k miles, mostly trouble free

so is a Passat transmission $12,000 also?

I have no idea what a Passat trans. costs. But I think one of the main points is that I have never heard of anyone who has yet paid $12,000, or anything for that matter, for their transmission. They have all been under warranty. Per Mark Burns' explanations, these prices are basically fiction. (It seems to me, though, if Audi wanted to create fictional prices, they would want to err on the low side, but that's another matter, I guess. They are scaring away customers as it is). If someone WAS presented with a real bill for 12K, the word would spread real fast, to Audi's disadvantage.<p>I think that VW parts are LIKELY to be priced lower. That is the case with Lexus vs. Toyota parts where they are actually the same thing. And if this is the case, the Audi owner can shop around and save some money.