are Audi all that bad??? [Archive] - bimmerfest

rost12

07-17-2002, 08:36 PM

My family has had only one Audi.
A6 4.2 Quattro.
While this car had its moments...it is also the last Audi our family will ever own. Period :)

Squeaks and rattles, sucky dealerships, warped brake rotors every two months.

On top of that - nose heavy and not fun to drive. Design is lacking both inside and out.

It is all my opinion, obviously, but I'm sticking with it.

(On a side note - I've found audiworld.org to be very strange. Their "we're not BMW, we're better; BMW drivers suck" attitude didn't go well with me :eek: )

bmw325

07-17-2002, 09:44 PM

LIL RAJA-

Statistically, they do much worse than BMW in reliability and quality studies-- but in terms of things you see and touch they're built better. Its strange to me that VW spent so much time and money on the look and feel aspects of quality and hasn't really done anything to improve the very average to low average reliability of their cars. Of course, there are some on this board and bimmer.org who had much better experiences w/ Audis than w/ the BMWs they now own. There are similar lemon sites about BMW-- and people have done similar protests at BMW dealers-- invluding 1 guy drviing around a 5 series w/ lemons plastered on it w/ a dealers name.

LIL RAJA

07-17-2002, 09:51 PM

Originally posted by robg
LIL RAJA-

Statistically, they do much worse than BMW in reliability and quality studies-- but in terms of things you see and touch they're built better. Its strange to me that VW spent so much time and money on the look and feel aspects of quality and hasn't really done anything to improve the very average to low average reliability of their cars. Of course, there are some on this board and bimmer.org who had much better experiences w/ Audis than w/ the BMWs they now own. There are similar lemon sites about BMW-- and people have done similar protests at BMW dealers-- invluding 1 guy drviing around a 5 series w/ lemons plastered on it w/ a dealers name.

My main reason for asking was i have never owned an Audi. Also as we all know their rep was tarnished in the 80s, which is being slowly being built up... I have owned a lot of bmws and knoch on wood they have been okay so far except fo the 325 I had in college (87) knock no wood was POS. It needed service or something every other month, i was fed up with it, so i sold it.
But i do see what u r saying...

LIL Raja

LIL RAJA

07-17-2002, 09:54 PM

Originally posted by rost12
My family has had only one Audi.
A6 4.2 Quattro.
While this car had its moments...it is also the last Audi our family will ever own. Period :)

Squeaks and rattles, sucky dealerships, warped brake rotors every two months.

On top of that - nose heavy and not fun to drive. Design is lacking both inside and out.

It is all my opinion, obviously, but I'm sticking with it.

(On a side note - I've found audiworld.org to be very strange. Their "we're not BMW, we're better; BMW drivers suck" attitude didn't go well with me :eek: )

these Audi people seem too emotional, not rational. I got the same feeling on that board, the conversations were not so fluid and people were not so friendly on the audiworld.org whatever...

This board is quiet nice along with s2ki.com and acuraworld.com
not to forget e46fanatics.com (but they post on like every little silly mods, like i got my eyelids, etc...)

LIL Raja

Kaz

07-17-2002, 10:31 PM

Originally posted by LIL RAJA

these Audi people seem too emotional, not rational. I got the same feeling on that board, the conversations were not so fluid and people were not so friendly on the audiworld.org whatever...

This board is quiet nice along with s2ki.com and acuraworld.com
not to forget e46fanatics.com (but they post on like every little silly mods, like i got my eyelids, etc...)

LIL Raja

Hmm, you must not read a lot of the threads on this board. We have more than our share of 'emotional, not rational' people that, frankly, piss me off.

JPinTO

07-17-2002, 11:43 PM

Josh (PA)

07-18-2002, 04:46 AM

I have a '94 Audi Cabriolet as my daily driver (wife has the BMW), and it's a good car. It has 173k miles on it, and never given me any real problems. It has a few niggling issues (like the gas gauge doesn't work), but the drivetrain is rock solid. Having said that, I'd never buy another Audi again. The car is great, but every dealership in my area is horrendous. Getting maintenance done promptly even with an appointment made weeks in advance is impossible, they've fixed more things wrong than right, even when I go in and tell them the problem specificially (as in the cooling fan relay is sticking please replace it). I've tried the 3 dealers in the area and they are all bad. Maybe I'm just spoiled by my BMW dealership. :dunno:

Originally posted by LIL RAJA
http://www.lemonaudi.com/photos.asp

this is kinda wierd cuz I live like 10miles from this dealer. i knew all of our car(bmw, benz, and audis) have issues to a certain degree, but I have never known anyone who was like really happy with their Audi. If this is true, i dont' think I will ever buy an Audi. Anyone have any comments??? I am curious to hear another side of this..

LIL Raja

Dr. Phil

07-18-2002, 05:19 AM

Originally posted by Kaz

Hmm, you must not read a lot of the threads on this board. We have more than our share of 'emotional, not rational' people that, frankly, piss me off.
I hope I'm not on your list because I agree with your summation.

Guest84

07-18-2002, 06:55 AM

I owned an Audi, was the biggest POS I've ever owned. By 35,000 miles, it began nickel/diming me to death, but 65,000 it was undriveable, and I babied it the whole time... never again.

ashecnc

07-18-2002, 07:05 AM

did that protest do any good???

MikekiM

07-19-2002, 08:56 AM

My 98.5 A4 is my daily driver, and haven't had any issues with it. No annoying squeaks or rattles, or any problems mentioned above. I don't consider my car unusual in any respect, in fact the cars that encounter endless problems are the exception in my view.

Most cars have their fair share of problems, BMW, Audi and MB included. A coworker had his 2001 E320 (w210) lemoned after the electronics failed, and couldn't be repaired.

PhilH

07-19-2002, 09:51 AM

I'm not really happy with my Passat, which is made by VW/Audi and is built off the A4 chassis, does that count?

It squeaks and rattles ten times more than my lowered, older BMW, it drives like a boat in comparison (but is admittedly more fun than an Accord), it has a rattly 4-cylinder engine and the turbo blew at 56k miles.

:thumbdwn:

dredmo

07-19-2002, 09:56 AM

I have a 99 jetta I am impressed with. for the money I have to say its a decent car. But I almost bought an s4 before I drove the 330ci, all I know is I am glad I did not buy the audi. I hear so many lemon stories like what you posted. It is a pretty nasty track record.

Gregor

07-19-2002, 01:12 PM

Three of my buddies have Audis, one A4 1.8T, one S4 and one 5000 Turbo. The A4 ate a turbo at around 60k, and the dealer replaced it under warranty. The S4 seems to have been ok, it is just a little sedate as compared to an M3. And, the 5000 Turbo is running lots of chipped boost, and is still running at high miles.

An Audi is more practical than a BMW if one lives in snow country. But, they offer less performance. I had a VW Passat, and have to agree with the Dealers suck part.

Had a e46 328ci for 50k miles, and now a new M Coupe. Other than a thermostat recall on the e46, no problems of any kind.

Gregor
02 M Coupe

07-19-2002, 01:58 PM

My father has the Audi Allroad and my brother has a 98 A4 2.8Q

My father LOVES his Audi, he literally states it is the best all around car he has had (though I must admit he says this about all of his cars ;) ) He traded in a E320 4 matic wagon for it and likes it much better then the Benz. Just so you know he is a major car nut and has 3 other cars (00 Jag Conv, 99 CLK320 & an Antique car) So I consider his opinion pretty valuable.

My Brother LOVES his A4 but I have to admit since his factory warranty ran out he has been having a few problems that aren't minor but they aren't too serious . . . I guess you could say there are in the middle of the road.

Anyway, as much as he loves his car he is now considering trading it in for guess what . . . An A4 3.0Q !!! He is going to check out the 3er also but his heart is set on the Audi.

So I wouldn't be doubting Audi just yet, the owners of their cars from what I see are just as loyal as we are except for one thing . . . some of them consider the 3er as their next car while us Bimmer guys wouldn't really consider the A4

I think this was the case with the 1st gen A4 was not quite on par with the 3er but I would not say it's the case with the new A4. I think that car it's right there with our E46 :thumbup:

Jeff_DML

07-19-2002, 06:10 PM

My daily driver is a Audi A4, I now have over 60k miles. I like it a lot and it is very comparable to our 325iT eventhough it is over 4 years old!!!

Audiworld.com also kicks butt too.

Reliabilty wise, I have had problems with it that I assume we will have with our bimmer. Small netpick electronical problems, nothing big. I would of bought Japanese if I wanted a problem free car:D

Both brands have their pro/cons. If I had a choice I would prefer the audi exterior/interior with the bmw drivetrain and balance.

Jeff

ashecnc

07-19-2002, 06:32 PM

I wish BMW could combine Honda reliability, interior quietness, and BMW style.***** oh well, I love to dream ;)

07-19-2002, 09:22 PM

Originally posted by CCs328Ci
I wish BMW could combine Honda reliability, interior quietness, and BMW style.***** oh well, I love to dream ;)

you gotta go test drive the RSX Type S . . . it's got the steering feel of the BMW with the Japanese quality . . .

Pretty incredible little car, too bad they gave it such a bland design . . . it's the one thing that kills me about Honda/Acura . . . they have the know how to make incredible driving cars but they put them in the blandest looking bodies !!

bmw325

07-19-2002, 10:58 PM

Originally posted by Alan F

you gotta go test drive the RSX Type S . . . it's got the steering feel of the BMW with the Japanese quality . . .

Pretty incredible little car, too bad they gave it such a bland design . . . it's the one thing that kills me about Honda/Acura . . . they have the know how to make incredible driving cars but they put them in the blandest looking bodies !!

Alan and CC328-- I totally agree w/ you guys. I don't understand why its so hard for the Japanese manufacturers to just hire some good designers from the european companies and let them design. I actually think its not so much the people they have, but the process they employ-- their designs smack of commitee based design-- you can kind of see how multiple ideas were kind of stitchted together on most Japanse designs. I think the europena manufacturers tend to just take a single designers work and go with it-- which makes the end result more coherent. In fact, the best Japanese sedan exterior/interior that ever existed IMO was the original GS300- which was completely desinged by Guigaro. that car could be sold today and still look fresh. Then, for some totally stupid reason, they had to go and screw it up w/ the oddly proportioned current model-- and the funny thing is that you can kind of make out the orignal sheet metal- its just been kind of buried underneath strange detailling. How long is it going to take before these manufacturers realize this? Same thing w/ the interiors-- on all of hte recent "sports sedans" they try and make them too "special" like on the IS300 and G35. This actually has the effect of making them look like hangovers from the 80s. :banghead:

By the same token, its a mystery to me why the european manufacturers haven't fully figured out how to build cars using Japanese design and assembly techniques to create cars of consistent high quality. I even remember reading an interview w/ some top guy at BMW that was quoted as saying that the levels of quality achieved by Toyota in its Lexus models continued to amaze them. Figure it out guys!

Hopefully, one of these days the best of both worlds will meet.

ed_rhyu

07-19-2002, 11:26 PM

robg and alan f,

I agree with you to a degree about bland Japanese styling. There's a certain level of low-keyness and sublety that most of the cars seem to have. You hardly see the exoticism of a Maserati or Ferrari, nor the truly rich lathering of a Jaguar or Rover.

That said however, there have been some left-field explorations in japanese automotive design. Witness the new Scion lineup from Toyota -- daring and shall we say 'out of the ordinary?'

And as far as design-by-committee goes, Infiniti's newest vehicles, more specifically the G35 sedan and Coupe were designed by a single individual -- Kazutoshi Mizuno, who had been in charge of Nissan Le Mans and Group C team (also responsible for the new GTR Concept).

Ultimately, I think it comes down to cultural aesthetics more than anything else. Currently, the hottest vehicles in Japan are souped up minivans and Rav4-like mini-suvs.

In any case, check out the new design for the Honda Accord. Seems to have been tweaked to appear a bit more fluid and smooth round the edges. The rear taillamps are MB SL/CL reminiscent....

http://www.autoweek.com/specials/galleries/newaccord/1.htm

-Ed

bmw325

07-20-2002, 07:34 AM

ed-

That new Accord looks oddly proportioned-- its rear is way to big and bulbous for the rest of the car. The rear wheel arch looks like its lost in a sea of flab. My favorite Accord design was the 1990-1992 model-- it had clean, tight ground hugging look to it. ever since then, Honda has been putting on the pounds at an alarming rate--but I guess that's what's needed to stay competitive in the American family sedan market. :dunno:

07-20-2002, 07:36 AM

Ed,
I think the new Accord looks pretty good . . .

It's not that I think all Japanese cars have bland designs because there are quite a few of them out there that I think look really good . . . it's just that I think Acura and Honda have been way too bland.

Remember the 92-96 Prelude . . . that was a cool looking sports coupe and then they redesigned the 97-01 prelude to look like a 88 prelude. What was the deal with that :dunno:

They give it a great chassis, a great engine, and an excellent manual transmission yet the interior and exterior of the car was totally lacking.

Meanwhile, I think Lexus did a great job on the IS300 exterior (though I don't like the chintzy interior)

I also think the G35 sedan looks pretty good and I am loving the Coupe !!

So anyway, all I am trying to say is wake up Honda and Acura and start giving us some good designs already !!!

07-20-2002, 07:40 AM

Originally posted by robg

which makes the end result more coherent. In fact, the best Japanese sedan exterior/interior that ever existed IMO was the original GS300- which was completely desinged by Guigaro. that car could be sold today and still look fresh. .

I loved the first GS300 . . . when they first came out with the redesign (2nd generation) I thought the new front end looked very Mercedes E320 looking and I was actually considering getting it for myself.

Then after checking it out I really wasn't loving it too much. It drives great but I don't think it's the greatest looking sedan out there :eek:

JetBlack330i

07-20-2002, 08:05 AM

Originally posted by CCs328Ci
I wish BMW could combine Honda reliability, interior quietness, and BMW style.***** oh well, I love to dream ;)
You suggesting another merger of equals? :)
I also had high dreams when DCX was born.
I dreamed of a Mercedes with (select) Chrysler styling and design.
I dreamed of a Chrysler with renowned Mercedes precision engineering.
Hah, we all know what's happened since.
Mercedes reliability went through the basement.
Chrysler styling lost... design team disbanded...

ashecnc

07-20-2002, 09:23 AM

robg - I wish both would meet :cry:

Alan - I have not driven that new ride... :( Also, if you remember I also had the 98 Accord Coupe that I LOVED, I have also had a NEW 96 prelude, it was AWESOME! ;)

JetBlack330i - Merger? yes :dunno: :lmao:

Damon

07-20-2002, 09:42 AM

Originally posted by LIL RAJA
http://www.lemonaudi.com/photos.asp

this is kinda wierd cuz I live like 10miles from this dealer. i knew all of our car(bmw, benz, and audis) have issues to a certain degree, but I have never known anyone who was like really happy with their Audi. If this is true, i dont' think I will ever buy an Audi. Anyone have any comments??? I am curious to hear another side of this..

LIL Raja
Hrmmm... This page cannot be displayed. :dunno:

All I can say is that I had a moderately modded (chip, intake, exhaust, springs, shocks, sways, wheels, short shift kit...) 2000 A4 1.8TQMS before my 330ci and I had very little trouble with the car. In fact, I'd be happy to still be driving it today. The car had a defective stereo head unit (which was replaced under warranty), and that's about it.

I'm actually kind of interested in what the next S4 will be like. From the rumors, it sounds like it'll be worth a look. An M3 killer? That remains to be seen.

Keep in mind that people who put sites up that bash particular marques usually have had extraordinary experiences and an agenda.

My previous baby...

<img src="http://www.e46fanatics.com/members/Damon/IMG_0017.JPG">

My current baby...

<img src="http://www.e46fanatics.com/members/Damon/IMG_0057_50.jpg">

07-20-2002, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by CCs328Ci
robg - I wish both would meet :cry:

Alan - I have not driven that new ride... :( Also, if you remember I also had the 98 Accord Coupe that I LOVED, I have also had a NEW 96 prelude, it was AWESOME! ;)

JetBlack330i - Merger? yes :dunno: :lmao:

Those happen to both be good looking Honda's . . .

My wife had a 94 Accord Coupe EX, I had a 99 CL3.0, my dad had a 92 White NSX (sweet machine) and we currently have the Odyssey . . .

So obviously I'm a big fan !!!

As a side note, I came extremely close to buying my fathers NSX from him back in 98 when he was getting rid of it but at the time I had 1 child and I didn't want a car without a backseat . . . if I told you what the dealer gave him for it, you would :cry:

LIL RAJA

07-20-2002, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by CCs328Ci
robg - I wish both would meet :cry:

Alan - I have not driven that new ride... :( Also, if you remember I also had the 98 Accord Coupe that I LOVED, I have also had a NEW 96 prelude, it was AWESOME! ;)

JetBlack330i - Merger? yes :dunno: :lmao:

my ex-gf has 99 prelude auto and that thing was just too slow for me. The 4 cyl was crying when u pushed on the pedal. But i love Honda preludes, I wouldn't mind having them as side car. Must drive 5 speed to see if it has any better acceleration..

LIL Raja

07-20-2002, 11:41 AM

Originally posted by LIL RAJA

my ex-gf has 99 prelude auto and that thing was just too slow for me. The 4 cyl was crying when u pushed on the pedal. But i love Honda preludes, I wouldn't mind having them as side car. Must drive 5 speed to see if it has any better acceleration..

LIL Raja

that wasn't crying . . . that was the sound they are supposed to make !!!
V T E C BABY !!!!

ashecnc

07-20-2002, 08:58 PM

Originally posted by LIL RAJA

my ex-gf has 99 prelude auto and that thing was just too slow for me. The 4 cyl was crying when u pushed on the pedal. But i love Honda preludes, I wouldn't mind having them as side car. Must drive 5 speed to see if it has any better acceleration..

LIL Raja

That 96 Prelude Vtec I had was great..it was a 5 speed, ONLY way to go with that car. I believe it would pass the bimmer..sorry...I miss that car!

ashecnc

07-20-2002, 08:59 PM

Originally posted by Alan F

that wasn't crying . . . that was the sound they are supposed to make !!!
V T E C BABY !!!! .

Yea, that was amazing...You could gun it and when it hit like 4k rmp it would really blast away. I seen a Civic tonight that gunned it and I heard that Vtec kick in.its cool

marcus_1701

06-26-2006, 02:45 AM

Hi guys I'm new here and lemme just say I love cars in general. I'm only 21 and I've driven a friend's 04 S2000, 06 subaru STIs, 05 Mustang GT, EVOs etc... I've worked as a salesman for Audi but that's just 1 dealership I mainly work for I can tell you about 70% of service customers complain to me about appointments, problems and other service issues. Most of these people just hated waiting more than 20min for an oil change. I can tell you at least with me I bought not 1 but 2 Audis because it was an emotional buy. Ever since I saw the A4 as a kid in High School I wanted one, and I obsessed over it. The reason the company does make profit is because of loyalist to the brand. I have a 98 A6 that has 145,000mi and it finally is starting to rattle and I've invested more than 5 grand in the last 2 years on engine repairs, but I still love it. I have friends who all have Audis, 2004 A4 Ultra Sport, 2002 S4, 2000 Audi A4 2.8Q, its just as of now trendy, but recently I've been looking at the A6 and 5 series and I am leaning towards the A6 because to me (lowered) the A6 has better more coupe like lines and the interior and materials is top notch! To be fair I have driven an 05 330 and 325, and an 05 530, cars were great but it does come down to what you want and what you consider priority. To me BMWs do have better performance and reliability but they don't look as good inside and out as Audi's IMO. It's kinda dumb but....some people buy cars for little things to....like the Audi XM antenna radio I know someone who bought the car just cause of that, or for me its just that I like the Audi Rings better than the BMW flag thing, and the fact that I see all my neighbors drive 5 and 7 series, just too many around. During fall though I might be moving to work for a BMW dealer as my sales manager is currently workin there so my views just might change! I do love the M3 Comp Package to....the 19s are so sick. I love my Audis and so will every girl you drive by ;)

Watchdog

06-26-2006, 08:23 PM

From my profile you can see that I own both an Audi and a BMW.

I'm quite happy with both cars and each does something better than the other.

From a reliability standpoint, my experience has been that the Audi is more reliable and cheaper to repair. Others may disagree, but I'm not making a statement about the brands overall, just my experience with the two cars I own.

I would definitely buy another Audi, however now that I have two kids and need more room I'm looking at a wagon. My wife refuses to get a minivan and I don't really want an SUV, so we're stuck with a wagon. I'd love to get either an Audi or BMW wagon, but unfortunately all offerings from both companies don't have enough cargo space for our needs so we're leaning towards a Volvo.

It pains me to sell one of the vehicles to get a Volvo, but having 2 kids is pushing me that way :cry:

SmoothCruise

06-26-2006, 10:18 PM

http://www.lemonaudi.com/photos.asp

this is kinda wierd cuz I live like 10miles from this dealer. i knew all of our car(bmw, benz, and audis) have issues to a certain degree, but I have never known anyone who was like really happy with their Audi. If this is true, i dont' think I will ever buy an Audi. Anyone have any comments??? I am curious to hear another side of this..

LIL Raja

To put this in perspective, I own a BMW 6, and it's a piece of crap. I've had so many problems with it, that it will be my last BMW I buy for a very long time.

Claresecl

06-27-2006, 12:35 PM

To put this in perspective, I own a BMW 6, and it's a piece of crap. I've had so many problems with it, that it will be my last BMW I buy for a very long time.

Really? Holy cow. What is wrong with it?

Before I got my Audi, I had an 04 330xi - I had nothing but problems with it.

I dare say that I will have a BMW again at some point, once the sour taste leaves my mouth...

SmoothCruise

06-27-2006, 12:49 PM

Really? Holy cow. What is wrong with it?

Before I got my Audi, I had an 04 330xi - I had nothing but problems with it.

I dare say that I will have a BMW again at some point, once the sour taste leaves my mouth...

If you have to ask... here's a copy of a post of mine:

I've had a ton of problems with my 6 series ever since I took it off the dealer's lot. I can't list them all, but here's a few off the top of my head:

1. Oil sensor replaced.
2. Coolant sensor replaced.
3. Roof up/down software had to be reset.
4. Part of convertible roof had to be replaced.
5. Front light had to be replaced.
6. Tail light had to be replaced.
7. Complete software reset of iDrive
8. Complete ecu reset.
9. Transformer burned out.
10. "BMW" logo door jambs broken after a few months.

There's about 4-5 more things I know I'm forgetting. I must have averaged about 1-2 visits to the dealership the first year. This does not include getting several flats. So for maybe the first 6 months I was bringing my car to the dealership every 1-2 weeks. It was quite embarassing. Everybody recognized me and I had this feeling of, "Yeah I'm the sucker who was conned into buying a 6-sh!tsies."

I'm quite convinced if I take my car, go to a qualified BMW repair shop and ask them to do a complete check of my car, they will find a host of things wrong which I haven't yet noticed. One thing I'm quite scared of his my engine. It's good for everyday driving, but I have a suspicion that there's some mistiming and I'm not getting all 325 hp when I floor it. It's just a hunch, but given the problems I've had with my car, I wouldn't be surprised.

With my experience I should be blasting this site with "BMW sucks @ss" or "BMW, the GM of Germany." posts. It really is ridiculously stupid.

I now fear I'm getting cowling, and it's only been a year. My cabin makes this weird noise when I hit a bump, but not every time. However, I can reproduce the problem everytime when I hit a ramp over a threshold velocity, with one front tire hitting the ramp first; precisely when your chasis twists about.

Claresecl

06-27-2006, 12:58 PM

...snip...
With my experience I should be blasting this site with "BMW sucks @ss" or "BMW, the GM of Germany." posts. It really is ridiculously stupid.

I now fear I'm getting cowling, and it's only been a year. My cabin makes this weird noise when I hit a bump, but not every time. However, I can reproduce the problem everytime when I hit a ramp over a threshold velocity, with one front tire hitting the ramp first; precisely when your chasis twists about.

Ugh! That is truly horrible. My 3 was in the shop all the time, too - about every 3 weeks or so. It was so frustrating. And to add to the frustration, my dealer would always be "out of BMW loaners," so I spent a good amount of time driving a Nissan!

Is there anything you can do?

blueguydotcom

06-27-2006, 01:36 PM

With my experience I should be blasting this site with "BMW sucks @ss" or "BMW, the GM of Germany." posts. It really is ridiculously stupid.

My e46 330i was like that. I was in the shop so much that all the tech guys know me. Still I couldn't find anything as nice when my lease was up, so I ended up getting an e90 330i. If someone from Japan or Germany would make a fun-to-drive RWD sedan I'd be there; alas no such thing exists outside of BMW right now.

ed325i

06-27-2006, 02:40 PM

My wife's aunt would buy nothing but Audis. She on her 4th or 5th Audi / VW, and has never had a real problem. :dunno:

SmoothCruise

06-27-2006, 07:52 PM

Ugh! That is truly horrible. My 3 was in the shop all the time, too - about every 3 weeks or so. It was so frustrating. And to add to the frustration, my dealer would always be "out of BMW loaners," so I spent a good amount of time driving a Nissan!

Is there anything you can do?

Sure, I can get a Japanese car and rice it up. That way, I can go fast, go to the track, and not worry about my car breaking down like my GM-W, I mean BMW.

SmoothCruise

06-27-2006, 08:09 PM

My e46 330i was like that. I was in the shop so much that all the tech guys know me. Still I couldn't find anything as nice when my lease was up, so I ended up getting an e90 330i. If someone from Japan or Germany would make a fun-to-drive RWD sedan I'd be there; alas no such thing exists outside of BMW right now.

I've read some sneak previews about the Evo X. They say the handling is gonna be even better, if you can believe it. I think that's what I'm going to get, when it comes out.

I got a friend who is a car nut. He has a 7-car garage with 20 feet ceilings. He has a world class tire changing machine, a world class paint room. He's currently rebuilding a ferrari engine, boring an audi motor and rebuilding a porsche transmission. He has 3 lifts in his garage. His garage is better than most dealerships I've been to!! And all of it is a hobby.

I asked him about BMWs. Interesting what he said:

He hates them. He use to like them, but he thinks they don't make sports cars anymore. He hates the fact that you can't get a complete owners manual to repair your car. He says BMW is violating the law by not providing one. Instead he says BMW skirts around the problem by giving us a website which you pay $15/hour to use. He has an M5 and he got the complete owners manual, but it was put together by a 3rd party, not BMW. He hates the fact that they weigh a ton. He hates the fact that they changed the clutch mechanism to make shifting smoother. (Something about a valve damping the clutch fluid...)

He goes on for an hour or so about how BMW was great, but now they are living off their past reputation. (Funny, that's sort of what BMW guys say about MBs.). He said Evos and subbies are what BMWs use to be.

Well, blah blah, he then takes me out in a 10 year old Porsche. (I think a 928 or something.) And man!! What a fantastic car. We compared a 2003 BMW M5 with the Porsche. Even in the passenger seat, I could tell the Porsche was just a much better car. Even though, "This Porsche is not meant for racing." Anyways, my friend is a nut case. We were doing drifts in the middle of main road Suburbia while he was pointing out the subtle mechanics of each car, while every soccer mom and her son was watching us.

michael chase

06-30-2006, 12:11 PM

my aunt has a 2006 white A6, and even though I can never understand why they would make the $60,000 Audi look virtually exactly the same as the $30,000 one and the $80,000 one, I was really impressed with the interior, esp. hers which was in tan. although I like my 325i's interior a little bit better, and my friend's father has a 540i which was WAY better than the A6 inside. I've never driven her audi before so I couldn't give any specifics, but she's in love with it. albeit, she has every option plausible I think..

hugh1850

06-30-2006, 12:34 PM

2000 328i, no problems, just scheduled maintenance. 2003 330i, no problems, factor recall on coils, just scheduled maintenance. :dunno: (knocking on wood). I might shop for an S4 when my lease is up.

MechElement

06-30-2006, 09:49 PM

http://www.lemonaudi.com/photos.asp

this is kinda wierd cuz I live like 10miles from this dealer. i knew all of our car(bmw, benz, and audis) have issues to a certain degree, but I have never known anyone who was like really happy with their Audi. If this is true, i dont' think I will ever buy an Audi. Anyone have any comments??? I am curious to hear another side of this..

LIL Raja
Europeans I work with have owned BMW's, Mercedes and Audis. One guy just bought a new A6 and he's extremely disappointed with it. He's selling it for a USED BMW 3 or 5 series. He said Audi doesn't even compare with BMW. He'd take an older BMW over a new Audi anyday. Most of them agreed. :dunno: