Used Audi A4 review

Likes

Vast range of trim specification options.
Large discounts when compared to new thanks to euro car depreciation.
Even when used, the A4 still provides that classy and sophisticated Euro appeal.
After many years, still provides a refined driving experience.

Dislikes

A higher than average potential for mechanical and electrical issues.
Parts and labour can be expensive.
A long list of common faults and problems.
Depreciation can hit hard.

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Luxury
Sedan

Publish: January 28, 2022

Stuff you should know

The B8 Audi A4 is a solid choice for a luxury sedan. It boasts a stylish exterior design, with sleek lines and a bold grille. The interior is well-crafted and features high-quality materials. The B8 A4 also comes equipped with a range of advanced tech features, including a user-friendly infotainment system and available driver assistance aids.

Performance-wise, the B8 A4 offers a smooth and refined ride. It’s available with a variety of engines, including a fuel-efficient turbocharged four-cylinder and a more powerful V6 option. Handling is precise and the A4 feels stable and composed on the road.

In terms of engines, the base model of the B8 A4 comes with a 1.8-litre turbo-petrol engine or a 2.0-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder engine while higher trim levels can be had with a 2.7 litre V6 turbo-diesel or a 3.2 litre V6 petrol, both the V6 options were discontinued in 2012.

Overall, the B8 Audi A4 is a well-rounded vehicle that delivers a luxurious experience at a reasonable price point. It’s a solid choice for drivers who want a stylish and sophisticated sedan with a good balance of comfort and performance.

The B8 generation of the Audi A4 was produced from 2008 to 2015 and was available in a variety of trim levels and body styles. It was offered as a sedan or wagon (known as the Avant), and featured a range of gasoline and diesel engines. The B8 A4 was equipped with a user-friendly infotainment system that included a colour display screen and a variety of connectivity options. It was also available with a range of advanced driver assistance features, such as adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist. The B8 A4 offered a smooth and refined ride, with good handling and a stable and composed feel on the road.

What goes wrong

A4s fitted with a sunroof can suffer from major flooding issues. The problem occurs with the drainage system. After a few years, the drainage components can become clogged if the vehicle has not cleaned correctly and can eventually overflow.
Also the plastic grommets on the ends of the drainage pipes can degrade, again leading to water ingress.
This can ruin the headlining, destroy the motor and electronics for the sunroof and drench the entire interior with water, or fill up the foot wells with water, eventually creating multiple electronic and ECU issues. Repairing these issues can quickly delve into the many thousands of dollars.
There are numerous reports that the door locks are starting to fail, either locking owners out or just not locking at all.
On Avant or Allroad models, the rear window washer motor can fail, which leads to it leaking, again, destroying the electronics.
We’re starting to see reports that the windscreen washer reservoir is cracking now that the car is getting older. Water will leak from the washer fluid reservoir which results in an inability to wash your windscreen with the windscreen wipers.
There are a few reports of the electric parking brake and air conditioning having faults however these are not what we’d describe as common faults.
Depending on trim spec and equipment fitted, the infotainment systems can become faulty and unresponsive. This is generally fixed with a software update or a full reset. It needs to be noted, the B8 generation of A4 has literally dozens of different engine and transmission combinations and unfortunately, they all have their fair share of problems.
For a general idea of their reliability, it needs to be taken into account that statistically, in terms of dependability, Audi rank in the bottom half of all automotive manufactures.
Engine wise, the diesels suffer from the same problems as just about all modern common rail diesels, turbo complications, EGR & DPF problems, injector seal failures & coolant & oil leaks. Petrol versions are generally a smarter choice as if (or when) something goes wrong it should be marginally more affordable to repair.
Commonly, these engines have high oil consumption issues, requiring a top of oil every few thousand kilometres.
Feeble engine bay plastics are becoming a major issue as these cars age.
Water pumps commonly fail and it should be noted that some non-genuine replacement pumps can be more affordable and more importantly, can actually outlast the factory genuine parts.
Many of these engines are prone to timing chain problems, engine oil leaks, PCV complications, ignition coil failures & engine bay wiring problems
Also various HVAC dramas like blower motors, fan speed resistors, and blend door actuators can fail.
Wheel

A4s fitted with a sunroof can suffer from major flooding issues. The problem occurs with the drainage system. After a few years, the drainage components can become clogged if the vehicle has not cleaned correctly and can eventually overflow.
Also the plastic grommets on the ends of the drainage pipes can degrade, again leading to water ingress.
This can ruin the headlining, destroy the motor and electronics for the sunroof and drench the entire interior with water, or fill up the foot wells with water, eventually creating multiple electronic and ECU issues. Repairing these issues can quickly delve into the many thousands of dollars.
There are numerous reports that the door locks are starting to fail, either locking owners out or just not locking at all.
On Avant or Allroad models, the rear window washer motor can fail, which leads to it leaking, again, destroying the electronics.
We’re starting to see reports that the windscreen washer reservoir is cracking now that the car is getting older. Water will leak from the washer fluid reservoir which results in an inability to wash your windscreen with the windscreen wipers.
There are a few reports of the electric parking brake and air conditioning having faults however these are not what we’d describe as common faults.
Depending on trim spec and equipment fitted, the infotainment systems can become faulty and unresponsive. This is generally fixed with a software update or a full reset. It needs to be noted, the B8 generation of A4 has literally dozens of different engine and transmission combinations and unfortunately, they all have their fair share of problems.
For a general idea of their reliability, it needs to be taken into account that statistically, in terms of dependability, Audi rank in the bottom half of all automotive manufactures.
Engine wise, the diesels suffer from the same problems as just about all modern common rail diesels, turbo complications, EGR & DPF problems, injector seal failures & coolant & oil leaks. Petrol versions are generally a smarter choice as if (or when) something goes wrong it should be marginally more affordable to repair.
Commonly, these engines have high oil consumption issues, requiring a top of oil every few thousand kilometres.
Feeble engine bay plastics are becoming a major issue as these cars age.
Water pumps commonly fail and it should be noted that some non-genuine replacement pumps can be more affordable and more importantly, can actually outlast the factory genuine parts.
Many of these engines are prone to timing chain problems, engine oil leaks, PCV complications, ignition coil failures & engine bay wiring problems
Also various HVAC dramas like blower motors, fan speed resistors, and blend door actuators can fail.
Wheel speed sensors are becoming a fairly common problem, as are power window & door lock actuators.

A4s fitted with a sunroof can suffer from major flooding issues. The problem occurs with the drainage system. After a few years, the drainage components can become clogged if the vehicle has not cleaned correctly and can eventually overflow.
Also the plastic grommets on the ends of the drainage pipes can degrade, again leading to water ingress.
This can ruin the headlining, destroy the motor and electronics for the sunroof and drench the entire interior with water, or fill up the foot wells with water, eventually creating multiple electronic and ECU issues. Repairing these issues can quickly delve into the many thousands of dollars.
There are numerous reports that the door locks are starting to fail, either locking owners out or just not locking at all.
On Avant or Allroad models, the rear window washer motor can fail, which leads to it leaking, again, destroying the electronics.
We’re starting to see reports that the windscreen washer reservoir is cracking now that the car is getting older. Water will leak from the washer fluid reservoir which results in an inability to wash your windscreen with the windscreen wipers.
There are a few reports of the electric parking brake and air conditioning having faults however these are not what we’d describe as common faults.
Depending on trim spec and equipment fitted, the infotainment systems can become faulty and unresponsive. This is generally fixed with a software update or a full reset. It needs to be noted, the B8 generation of A4 has literally dozens of different engine and transmission combinations and unfortunately, they all have their fair share of problems.
For a general idea of their reliability, it needs to be taken into account that statistically, in terms of dependability, Audi rank in the bottom half of all automotive manufactures.
Engine wise, the diesels suffer from the same problems as just about all modern common rail diesels, turbo complications, EGR & DPF problems, injector seal failures & coolant & oil leaks. Petrol versions are generally a smarter choice as if (or when) something goes wrong it should be marginally more affordable to repair.
Commonly, these engines have high oil consumption issues, requiring a top of oil every few thousand kilometres.
Feeble engine bay plastics are becoming a major issue as these cars age.
Water pumps commonly fail and it should be noted that some non-genuine replacement pumps can be more affordable and more importantly, can actually outlast the factory genuine parts.
Many of these engines are prone to timing chain problems, engine oil leaks, PCV complications, ignition coil failures & engine bay wiring problems
Also various HVAC dramas like blower motors, fan speed resistors, and blend door actuators can fail.
Wheel speed sensors are becoming a fairly common problem, as are power window & door lock actuators.

Should you buy it?

The issue is that the wrong A4, we are referring to any A4 with a patchy or missing service history, any question marks hovering over it in terms of mechanical issues or potential accident issues or an A4 that has clearly been used and abused, we can almost guarantee, will be far more of a headache than you’re anticipating and could potentially cost you thousands of dollars just to keep it on the road.

Yes the A4 can be a good car, but the negatives surrounding questionable examples far outweigh any positives.

We cannot emphasise this enough, do not buy a questionable Audi A4. If you have even the slightest concern about its condition or history, do not buy that car.

However, if you find a single or second owner A4 that is in pristine condition, it has a full and thorough service history, it’s a higher spec model and it’s loaded with optional extras, plus it’s a great price, then should you buy one?

Again, probably not.

There are other cars out there that offer an equivalent driving experience, the same levels of refinement and sophistication and they come with a far more robust reputation for reliability. Yes they start with L and ends with exus, but we understand why you’d love an Audi A4.

We’ll compromise with our final verdict, if you can find a unicorn examples that tick all of the boxes, sure buy one but please know that the potential costs in maintaining a used Audi

The issue is that the wrong A4, we are referring to any A4 with a patchy or missing service history, any question marks hovering over it in terms of mechanical issues or potential accident issues or an A4 that has clearly been used and abused, we can almost guarantee, will be far more of a headache than you’re anticipating and could potentially cost you thousands of dollars just to keep it on the road.

Yes the A4 can be a good car, but the negatives surrounding questionable examples far outweigh any positives.

We cannot emphasise this enough, do not buy a questionable Audi A4. If you have even the slightest concern about its condition or history, do not buy that car.

However, if you find a single or second owner A4 that is in pristine condition, it has a full and thorough service history, it’s a higher spec model and it’s loaded with optional extras, plus it’s a great price, then should you buy one?

Again, probably not.

There are other cars out there that offer an equivalent driving experience, the same levels of refinement and sophistication and they come with a far more robust reputation for reliability. Yes they start with L and ends with exus, but we understand why you’d love an Audi A4.

We’ll compromise with our final verdict, if you can find a unicorn examples that tick all of the boxes, sure buy one but please know that the potential costs in maintaining a used Audi A4 can be exorbitant to say the least.

This generation of Audi A4 can be a great car, when they work faultlessly but, you’ve been warned.

Should you buy it?

The issue is that the wrong A4, we are referring to any A4 with a patchy or missing service history, any question marks hovering over it in terms of mechanical issues or potential accident issues or an A4 that has clearly been used and abused, we can almost guarantee, will be far more of a headache than you’re anticipating and could potentially cost you thousands of dollars just to keep it on the road.

Yes the A4 can be a good car, but the negatives surrounding questionable examples far outweigh any positives.

We cannot emphasise this enough, do not buy a questionable Audi A4. If you have even the slightest concern about its condition or history, do not buy that car.

However, if you find a single or second owner A4 that is in pristine condition, it has a full and thorough service history, it’s a higher spec model and it’s loaded with optional extras, plus it’s a great price, then should you buy one?

Again, probably not.

There are other cars out there that offer an equivalent driving experience, the same levels of refinement and sophistication and they come with a far more robust reputation for reliability. Yes they start with L and ends with exus, but we understand why you’d love an Audi A4.

We’ll compromise with our final verdict, if you can find a unicorn examples that tick all of the boxes, sure buy one but please know that the potential costs in maintaining a used Audi A4 can be exorbitant to say the least.

This generation of Audi A4 can be a great car, when they work faultlessly but, you’ve been warned.

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Please note that pricing information is subject to fluctuations in the automotive market.

Information correct as of Feb 23, 2024.

The advice provided on this website is general advice only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.

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Used Audi A4 review

2008 - 2016

Likes

Dislikes

Stuff you should know

What goes wrong

Should you buy it?

Should you buy it?

Need help with finance?

What is the car's build year?

Loan Amount

Finance estimate ~

$30

8.49%

Buying a used car? Buy a PPSR report first.

In the market?

Disclaimer

Used Audi A4 review

2008 - 2016

Likes

Dislikes

Stuff you should know

What goes wrong

Should you buy it?

Should you buy it?

Need help with finance?

What is the car's build year?

Loan Amount

Finance estimate ~

$30

8.49%

Buying a used car? Buy a PPSR report first.

In the market?

Disclaimer

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