2009 Audi A4 Avant: Steering Failure, Part Deux

Wow. Jiffy Lube would have done everything on that list but the Tire Rotation for about $50 plus the cost of the air filter. And then they would have topped off your fluids until the next change for no charge.

Unless you are drving a true exotic I just can't see taking it the dealer for routine service work.

"Glad to see that even after all these years, Audi/VW still maintain their reputation of being unreliable very well.

Hyundai & Kias of this world would eat Audi in the reliability department."

Its not just Audi. If only you knew how many parts get replaced daily on comparable Mercedes-Benz and BMW vehicles. Engine computers, fuel pumps, valve bodies, steering racks, differentials, headunits and camshaft sensors..etc.

Thanks for posting this. I have the steering wheel shudder/shimmy the TSB describes and I've been ignoring it since it comes and goes. It definitely does not have any impact on the car itself and I love my B8 A4. I'm glad Audi has identified it as an issue and they're investigating it.

I have a trip to my local dealer this Saturday for something unrelated so will inquire about this TSB.

Can you post the TSB# or reference if you have it handy?

VW/Audi seems to take a long time to investigate chronic problems in their cars but they usually do right by their customers eventuallly.

I am very thankful that my 02 A4 had all un-scheduled and scheduled maintenace covered up to 5 years/50K miles. Too bad Audi and others went away from this. Over the past 2 years I have had to put less than $400 for all work done-not bad (plus tires).

What the hell is that oil filter made of? $19.00 is outrageous. And why does the air filter need to be replaced in only 15,000 miles? And as for the steering issue I'm sure they will be "investigating" the solution until they figure that most of the affected cars are out of warranty.

My thought is that the more you pay for a car the less time it should spend in service. That means maintenance and repairs. An Audi should not require more maintenance than a Chevy, let alone repairs.

They charged you $30 for a tire rotation?

That's insane, it should be free as long as the car's already coming off the ground, which it was for the OC.

BTW, the $30 should be only labor, unless for some reason Audis require new parts when removing and reinstalling the wheels.

to me audi is a disgusting company in light of these events. The cars they make are mediocre at best compared to their competitors, yet they are overpriced and evidently very unreliable. All this fuss about premium luxury vehicles coming from audi commercials is pathetic. At least BMW provides "free" maintenance, even though it's pretty much a cheat since you're supposed to service your car every 20K miles.

Turd in a flashy wrapper.

The $47 charge is for a charcoal type cabin air filter. While I have not replaced a cabin air filter on an A4, the job is usually a bit more time consuming than an engine air filter replacement.

As a side note, I had a 20k service performed on a 07 GTI last week. The VW's 20k service is identical to the Audi's 15k service.

The bill for mine was $299.95, which included an oil change with Castrol Syntec 5w-40, a cabin air filter (not charcoal), brake fluid flush and the installation of battery corrosion pads.

The labor was about ~$215 and the parts were $85. This particular dealer's labor rate was $130/hr.

Also had 20k service done for my 08 GTI at VW dealer and specifically ask them not to change cabin filter. I did it for 10 minutes with no prior experience. Charcoal filter $12 (from Amazon). Labor $0.

Changing filters is especially easy... I'll agree with vikstk on that.

I've stopped bringing my car to the dealer for service and use a local independent shop which I can walk to. Great service and very reasonable prices.

Edmund's should continue to bring the cars to the dealer for service so we can get a sense of the service provided.

I thought you guy's bought the A4 at Audi of Downtown LA?

loved my 2001 S4. sold it as it approached 100k because I was tired of being nickeled and dimed to death. was afraid the NEXT BIG REPAIR was just around the corner.

miss it. but not the constant worry over what would break/malfunction next.

"My thought is that the more you pay for a car the less time it should spend in service. That means maintenance and repairs. An Audi should not require more maintenance than a Chevy, let alone repairs."

I don't think that's very fair... as cars get more expensive you add complexity, features/electronics, and higher-performance engines. A Ferrari F430 will naturally require a lot more maintenance than a Porsche 911 Carrera, which will need more than a Nissan 370Z. In fact, as you go up the food chain, the maintenance requirements tend to go up exponentially.

Not too long ago, cabin air filters were only on higher-end cars. Rear disc brakes need to be replaced sooner than drums. Summer performance tires will cost a lot more and need replacement sooner than basic all-seasons. Oil changes vary, but high-performance synthetics and special filters cost substantially more than your run-of-the-mill dyno oil and Pep Boys filter special. There's a big price gap even in winshield wiper blades - basic everyday ones versus the special OEM sizes with unique rubber compounds and blade designs made for much higher vehicle speeds.

I can understand expecting fewer mechanical failures on a more expensive car, but is that really reasonable comparing a car with, say, adaptive headlights, adaptive cruise, night vision, adaptive suspension, a 19-speaker audio system, Pre-Crash systems, and 5 power sunshades (750i) to a Cobalt, which has XM radio and TPMS topping its complexity list?

I thought you could pay $500 to get the 4 years/50K maintenance for Audis. It seems like a smart buy considering the cost of maintenance for Audis.

I hate to tell you that you are wrong clarkma5. VW never fixed my GTI correctly despite years of wrangling with them from day one of ownership. They will do anything to keep you from even talking to their regional folks. They are a horrible, horrible company. Which is sad because I generally love their products, but I won't own another one. They could have easily had a customer like me for life, but they blew it with pitiful quality control and customer service. I know I'm like the millionth person to say these things.

bimmerjay, if luxury automakers don't assume that people will think like allthingshonda, they're going to be in for a rude awakening. More and more people are realizing that one of the biggest "luxuries" a vehicle can provide is in not having to think about maintenance or repairs, because most people look forward to taking their car in for service about as much as they look forward to going to the dentist.

This is exactly why about a decade ago the luxury automakers started using flexible service systems (that monitor operating conditions to extend the oil change intervals to as long as practical for each individual vehicle), because most people didn't need 5K mile oil changes, but until FSS came along they had to prescribe maintenance schedules for the lowest common denominator. Fortunately this practice has trickled down (I think all GM vehicles have FSS now?), but that just means that luxury makers are going to have to work even harder to differentiate their cars from a peace-of-mind standpoint.

Here's Audi's other problem: they're trying to make the switch from a "premium" brand to a "luxury" brand, which is to say that they're trying to remake their brand image so that people will pay more just for the Audi name, not because their cars actually offer any more than the competition. This is a hugely risky strategy for a company that doesn't have a reputation for quality, and an even more risky strategy when they're pricing their vehicles higher than even their luxury competition in the middle of a huge recession.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/05/luxury-vs-premium.html

I let Jiffy Lube change my air filter once.

The filter they put in was the wrong size, which was evident from the loud buzzing and rattling coming from the airbox when you gave it any gas.

In the process they stripped the threads of one of the screws that held the airbox closed.

You get what you pay for.

I've had three VW's in the past 7 Years, and none of them have EVER had any major problems. I count myself as the lucky minority, but only because I do preventative maintenance myself. The only time the dealer ever touches my car is for oil changes (while under warranty) and any warranty work I need done. Things like tire rotations, fluid top-ups, brakes, etc., are all done by me. My annual cost for any of these cars has been no more than $200 (not including gas, obviously).

With that said, I wouldn't recommend any late model, technically complex, German automobile to anyone who intends to keep it for the long haul. That is, unless they have deep pockets and patience. Of course, the same could be said of Italian exotics and, as most recently proven by Edmunds' own LT GT-R, even complex Japanese cars. Feature-rich domestics aren't absolved from this, either, but their parts usually cost less. So, I guess the point is if you despise paying for high-dollar repairs, buy the most basic car you can!

I wouldn't let Jiffy Lube or any other free-standing lube shop change oil in anything I own/lease.

The steering bit is VERY disappointing, regardless as to whether or not Audi caught it or not this is an issue that should have been worked out long b4 now. If I'm not mistaken that steering system is not only used on A4s, so something is quite fishy here.

I have a 2009 Audi A-4 that I lease. As part of the deal, I took "Audi Care" that covers all servicings up to 50,000 miles. The normal cost is around $425, but I got it for $220 as a throw-in. So if you guys are so smart, why didn't you at least do the same? Also, with the first 10,000 miles, no problem with my car whatever except for a slight vibration in the steering wheel at around 65-70 mph. I'll balance and see if that's it. Anyone else have such a vibration at that speed? Would appreciate hearing. All other speeds are fine. And overall, a quite nice car.

PS: My 2006 A-4 Avant went 48,000 miles with zero problems.

A Porsche Boxster/911 oil filter, bought at the dealer was slightly less than that a few years ago. An equal quality filter (Purolator PureOne) is about $6-8. A higher quality version (Amsoil EaO) is about $15-20.

The service is obscene....that should be .75 hours of labor at most, which would still give you a high bill.

One thing I'll note: alot of people spend $50 every 5000 miles. So $150 for 15,000 miles of driving isn't too unreasonable to me (at a dealership).

On the steering issue: I think that TSB is worse than if there wasn't anything noted at all....

If you don't trust a quick lube shop then find a good local mechanic. $270 in labor charges for an oil and cabin filter change and tire rotation is robbery plain and simple.

Another reason why I am glad to own a BMW, free service for 4 years of 50,000 miles, plus much higher resale value than Audi, means mucho money saved. I have to admit that Audi does make some nice looking cars though.

This is an A4, not a FErrari. $390 for a 15k mile service is ridiculous. There are Chevy Tahoes that sticker for more than this A4 so spare the nonsense about "premium" vehicles needing more expensive parts. What makes an A4 premium? There are probably 100 models for sales today that overlap the A4s price range and many of them are from non luxury automakers.

Typical Audi: "..instruct the customer that the condition will not impeded the performance or use of the vehicle. Do not replace any components. As soon as further information is known, this TSB will be updated."

In other words: "We will not fix anything under warranty. Customers, you suck."

Welcome to Audi ownership - where the corporate mantra is "avoid warranty work on our poorly made products."

Sure sounds like vibration I felt while driving a brand new BMW 535i recently. I hope they keep Active Steering well away from future 3-series.

It seems a bit misleading to call this a "steering failure". A failure in the steering system would mean that the power steering assist does not work or that turning the steering wheel does not turn the wheels. This is a major safety defect.

A clunking noise or vibration is certainly an issue that needs to be addressed but is not generally considered a safety issue. I would call this a "steering problem", but most certainly not a failure.

In any case, $370 for service is high, but then you guys should have purchased the AudiCare which (at the time) would have been $650 for all routine maintenance during the car's warranty period.

Oh, also the vibration issue at speed that you have with the A4 and S5 is different than the low-speed issue and has a solution.

You need a proper, road-force balancing. If that doesn't do it, replacing the control arms seems to fix the issue.

"For that kinda time, the air filter had better be inside the transmission." Nice.

Hmmm.. my A4 Avant is sitting in customs at the port now, awaiting delivery this weekend.. will have to keep any eye out for this one.

The prepaid maintenance is now up to $750 (and doesn't include brakes like BMW free maintenance), but seems well worth it at this price. Plus, if you're leasing, it increases the residual so costs even less.

+1 for scottacus.

agreed that this is not a steering failure. This is an issue but the steering still works.

I agree with comments of shoddy quality and reliability of VW/AUDI products.

Had a '99 A4 that saw the dealer very frequently in the first 3 years. Bought a 2002 TDI Golf next and it was the most unreliable car I ever owned. Never got stranded in it but there were little issues all the time, most notably the "check engine" light coming on frequently. Took it in to service and picked it up. Less than a block away from the dealer it came back on again!!
Now I drive a 07 328i and I have to say I am really impressed with how it is holding up. No issues so far other than some peeling paint off of a trim piece that I will have replaced under warranty. I do my own maintenance work and have gone as far as replacing the timing belt on a Miata but that was at 60 kmiles. I cannot stand it when I have issues with a new car.

Audi and VW have build a good reputation for perceived quality of the interior and the exterior design. However, it is not enough when the parts that you don't see cause the problem.

This is one of the many reasons I do my own maintenance and repairs on my vehicles. I make good money, but I don't make $160 an hour! Hell, I know a lot of lawyers and doctors who don't make $160 an hour.

Maybe I'm in the wrong business - I'm great at working on cars. Screw this white collar stuff - I'll gladly get my hands dirty for $160/hr.

And the comment that the A4 is a premium vehicle requiring more premium maintenance is nonsense. This is a rebadged VW, don't forget, and up until this generation of A4, it was simply a rebadged Jetta no less, with a nice interior and upgraded engine.

I think what the Germans love about Americans so much is they are so gullible.

"Maybe I'm in the wrong business - I'm great at working on cars. Screw this white collar stuff - I'll gladly get my hands dirty for $160/hr."

The techs themselves don't get paid at anywhere near that rate.

"I think what the Germans love about Americans so much is they are so gullible. "

And yet the Germans pay a comparably larger premium for Audis than Americans do.

stingray, the A4 has not shared a platform with the Jetta. The previous generations of A4 shared a platform with the Passat.

I'm not an Audi fan but there's no need to make comments like that. The engines weren't even mounted the same way...