2008-2016 Audi A4 2.0T Reliability In 2021

2008-2016 Audi A4 2.0T Reliability In 2021 For Business Contact :
Nathan's BMW Workshop
Po Box 115 Altenburg Mo 63732
[e-mail]

[@nismo613]

Just sold my 2010 A4 which had 157K miles on it - and still ran like a top. 80% of the items you mentioned, are normal wear and tear items, and have nothing to do with Audi specifically. You never mentioned anything about oil consumption issues, which was the number one problem with this generation, and resulted in a class action lawsuit. For that reason I would urge people to do their own research and take this video with a grain of salt.

[@samwh4775]

Hey ! At what mileage did you change the timing chain In case you changed it, I have a 2010 with 51k miles so I’m just wondering if I have to change it because of mileage or the age of the car 😅

[@nismo613]

@@samwh4775 I changed it at around 77K, and replaced the tensioner with the updated one. The tensioners had a habit of going bad, and causing the chain to jump. Audi updated the part to fix that.

[@VanceProduces]

2015 needs oil roughly every 800km - absolutely ridiculous. "normal." LOL

[@nismo613]

@@VanceProduces Yea the dealership tried to play that game with me too. I got on the phone with Audi of America and did everything through them.

[@VanceProduces]

@@nismo613 they covered it????

[@amirhaynes6016]

Great video and great comments. Going to look at an 08 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro today, want to make sure my mechanic does a full pre-purchase inspection including all of these things !

[@thomasmahlangu4119]

Honest Audi technical report from a rival or competitor BMW Workshop Technician. Well done. Greetings from Pretoria, South Africa 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦

[@eeiko321]

This is the first video I’ve seen of yours and really impressed. I’ve liked and subscribed ! I own the facelift model and glad as Audi rectified most of the issues mentioned. But you are spot on with the detailed review. Could you the same mechanical review on the current model M3 and C63s AMG? They’re something I’d like to upgrade to in the near future.

[@louviebellot]

Thank you ❤ just bought the 2008 A4 Berlin and I can tell youb🎉🎉 that I am so happy about my purchase 🎉🎉🎉… You made me feel relief 😂😂😂thanks

[@DeKLEiNed]

Great Video! Even if you know nothing about cars this will help! Just write down everything he is saying to look out for. Bring it to a trusted Mechanic with that list you have written down. And ask him to go over and check everything on that list! Much love!

[@victorarevalo108]

Also nice with longitudinal mounted engine. Thanks for all the info on this Audi 👍🏽

[@chadriddle3517]

Damn good looking car Nathan!!!

[@TimFordOfficial]

i have 07 3.2 fsi a4 s line q and it is a fantastic unreplacable car, i will restore it fully if it dies cause it cant be replaced as a machine. a very special car.

[@andyb6851]

I think it's best to rather use a GDI valve cleaner spray sometimes instead of waiting for the buildup to get bad enough.

[@fastboatster]

Jeez, Nathan, with these sunglasses you look like a real Audi owner)

[@bpsehgghhhh6684]

HAHAHAH Facts. either douchebags or old men/ bitchy Karen wives in an Audi in the midwest theze dayz . straightup i’m dyin

[@Mike-tf7wb]

I was a frustrated audi owner until i surrendered to having to fix it all myself so economical, and getting the dealer technical repair manual in addition to youtube.

[@PBMCTV]

what are some common problems that are easy to fix yourself?

[@cookierepairprojects4544]

Considering getting one, sounds like a great car

[@ShowMeWhatINeedToKnow]

Also: Owners have a propensity to tint headlights -- leading to nighttime visibility issues.

[@Japplesnap]

You might not realize that a lot of these cars come with black headlight housings from the factory. The "Black Optics" package makes it look like the headlights are tinted, but they are not. It's just because of the black headlight housings from the factory.

[@ShowMeWhatINeedToKnow]

@@Japplesnap except these headlights are tinted

[@Japplesnap]

@@ShowMeWhatINeedToKnow Yes, but most aren't. Most just look like they are tinted.

[@Japplesnap]

As an owner of two of these cars since 2011, I can say that this video is somewhat accurate, but misses the mark overall. The top failure items on these cars are the water pump (this was briefly mentioned, but only the cost being less than $350 for the pump), the rear main seal, and the pcv/oil separator. Maybe the HPFP also, but that one is hit or miss. Pre-2013 models can have oil consumption issues and timing tensioner issues too. But later model years had upgraded parts installed at the factory and have very few issues. My 2016 car has been rock solid, zero issues at all so far at 80,000 miles.

[@CallusFutura]

So I’ve been trying to do some research on the 2016 A4’s, I’ve found one for a pretty good deal with around 90k miles would you recommend me jumping into this year model with that kind of mileage?

[@Japplesnap]

@@CallusFutura 90k is a little on the high end for a 2016, but it's still not bad overall when you consider that these engines can do 200k easy.

[@sebastianromero420]

I don’t consider 80k a true interval to test reliability on any car. Maybe audis need their hands held lol

[@Japplesnap]

@@sebastianromero420 I'm at 98,000 miles now and still all good. I can't speak to more miles than I have, but I'd say that almost 100,000 miles without issue is pretty decent for any car. Another way to look at it is that I've owned and driven the car for more than five years and spent money on tires and oil changes. I haven't even needed to replace the brake pads yet.

[@sebastianromero420]

@@Japplesnap I think you need to start pushing the car harder and then you’ll see how fragile audis are

[@peachy1075]

thanks i want to buy this car and this helped

[@nicklinik4454]

In my opinion, these cars are one of the best options at this price point In terms of overall driving/user experience. They can also your worst nightmare. On one hand after owning one I really only wanted to get another Audi. On the other hand my A4 cost me around 4k in unexpected maintenance in a little over a year, and then the engine blew up. If I were looking for a used A4 I would just go with a B9 instead, to be safe.

[@Japplesnap]

Later B8 cars (2013-2017) have proven to be more reliable than the B9 cars. Like all cars, the issues tend to be worked out later in the model run. My first B8 Audi was a 2011. My second B8 was a 2016. First one had quite a few problems. The second still has had none to date.

[@XDMIIIIIIIII]

@@Japplesnap still none? What engine?

[@johnblaze6269]

My 2015 Q5 2.0t didn’t give me problems until 3 months ago @ 118k which was fuel pump failure and now I need a carbon cleaning but other than that she’s been extra reliable

[@senorbonbon]

Quick question, I'm thinking of buying a Audi A4 2013 116k miles for 7.8k do you think this is worth it? I'm looking into buying my first car or should I look into a B8

[@W.Khairi]

@@senorbonbon No not worth opt for something Japanese or korean if u want to save ur self the headache

[@rickmegahan9390]

Oil consumption (as described in the owners manual) is not mentioned here. 2009-2011 cars use a quart every 1200-1500 miles. At 120000 I have not yet seen an increase in that, but staying on top of oil level is critical.

[@bobd9868]

Get a ‘14 or newer and no issue

[@bustedbankrolls2746]

Pretty Mechanically inclined my self and was on the fense about an 09 with a replaced motor with 140,000 on it. Fresh serpentine belt, alternator and battery. 159,000 on the body with regular maintenance for 5700.. don't think I'll buy it. Maybe if I could get it for 4500.

[@GeorgeAusters]

I'd still recommend changing the gearbox oil.. I've done both of mine and the oil was black at 120k miles

[@SPECKSPRODUCTION]

how easy is it?

[@shaneh2755]

To avoid the pvc problems, install a catch can.

[@lubyaudia4262]

These cars are great

[@fastboatster]

I think you should not gloss over the oil consumption issue which is very prevalent in pre2012 cars and sometimes happens in newer cars. As for the crazy coding in B8, please look up what the component protection is. You literally cannot swap the stuff like seats, bcm and some other control modules without updating it by the dealer or somebody who has a legit tool with access to VW “mainframe”.

[@MrComradebuttons]

you don’t need the mainframe just the software it’s easy and cheap

[@fastboatster]

@@MrComradebuttons please tell me how you swapped a transmission on a b8 s4 (glorified a4 with 3.0T) and what you had to do to avoid matching its TCU immobilizer to the car’s bcm. Because the options are either have a dealer or somebody with GECKO access do it or read the flash memory from the old and new transmissions and have some folks from Belarus tweak the new one’s flash based on the old one’s flash. Every time you replace anything like ECU, TCU, BCM or elv, it’s a gonna be something like this. No bs like that on the e90 chassis

[@jamesmack3266]

Glad you got it . Love them. Never got one, çuz the many problems. The clutch in the quattro is too tuff to change too. But super interested to hear your thoughts as you work on it compared to bmw

[@Japplesnap]

It's no harder than any other RWD car and it's quite a bit easier than most FWD cars. This is because Audi put their engine and transmission in longitudinally, exactly like a RWD car, despite having quattro AWD.

[@agilesnakes3295]

Only charged me $850 to replace clutch n all clutch components (bearing, clips, everything)

[@grantbradley5084]

I purchased a 2012 A4 Avant new in March of 2012. The water pump failed at 30K, the fuel pump shortly after. At around 40k the car started consuming oil. The pistons, rings and timing chain were replaced at 50k. At 55k, I had Bilsteen coil overs installed, upper control arms were replaced the as well. I’ve added a K04 turbo, IE aluminum manifold, cat back exhaust, down pipe, air intake. The car currently has 64k, and doesn’t consume any oil. With the modifications it’s certainly exciting to drive.

[@anhtutran691]

How much u spent since March

[@grantbradley5084]

@@anhtutran691 Total money invested since purchase is 83,000 US dollars. Just had a new long block installed last week, added all engine modifications from previous car. Car has 67k original miles.

[@wavey_lit6046]

⁠@@grantbradley5084DAMN!! 83k was that mainly bc of mods or maintenance?

[@BOARMoto-bm2mh]

Original owner, 2009 B8 A4 Avant (Aruba blue). At 60K miles had APR flash for HP/torque gain, 5 miles later the engine was banging like a mf, crawled her back-turns out the extra power boost exposed a heretofore unknown hairline fracture in one of the piston cylinders (?)-I had bought extended warranty-$4k hit so covered the cost of my extended warranty with that. Had APR stage II done at around 80k with down pipes + lowered her w coil- overs and pushed some 19” Hartmanns on her and other than my driver’s side heated seat going out ($3K covered by that savior of an extended warranty) no issues at all. At 110K now and am planning on having to proactively drop $3,000 on a new timing chain here in a few months…she’s worth it…4 rings to rule them all. ♾️♾️

[@spiggly1]

B7 generation Audi Great car! One major problem to watch out for high pressure fuel pump cam follower. Great video I really enjoyed BMW/Audi enthusiast myself

[@tuffbadger7342]

Mines a 2011 it was fully serviced before I bought it last year at 84k new timing belts and water pump thee best car I have ever drove I did my research and bought the fully loaded black edition A4 with full service history

[@Whosteeny]

My first car was a b7 God I miss it !

[@cuparino]

Tryna get my hands on an A3 or A4 soon wish me luck

[@wrxbrayden748]

i’m purchasing a 2013 a4 tomorrow. as long as the oil has been maintained very well, these engines will last forever. there’s so much misinformation being spread because of a few bad apples from people who didn’t give af…

[@ililillill8719]

How had the car been holding up since ?

[@JlanTurner-wp9ms]

​@@ililillill8719I have one had for 2 years and it's drives like new

[@user-hu9xz6lw9x]

How is it?!

[@michaelroizes4252]

Found a 2012 B8 A4 for 7000$ 205000kms I've changed the oil myself I have buddies that have gone through mechanic school and just know cars. I'm about to take mine in for a full service and see just how much it costs but so far the Audi has been very expensive but I drive a lot and it's been worth the money so far

[@samwh4775]

Are you in Canada ? I just bought a 2010 one with 81,000km for $10,000 and the only problem it has is that the window switch in the passenger side doesn’t work properly, if you push it down the window goes down but when you pull the switch the window doesn’t go up, but it goes up if you use the switch on the driver side, I’m still kinda scared with the car because I don’t want anything like to serious to break but I’m loving the car so far it is a very good car still in 2021

[@michaelroizes4252]

@@samwh4775 that's a really good deal in my eyes and it depends how u drive I think I'm very aggressive and rough on the car and I can already tell I need to take it in if you're careful and you don't modify it, it should be good on gas and a nice comfy drive

[@prod.h8hazy243]

How much was it for the full service ?

[@michaelroizes4252]

@@prod.h8hazy243 honestly haven't gone yet just took the front right corner off my bumper so it'll be a little more lol but to give some insight I just had my friend change my wheel bearing and he broke a bolt if you break something small like that get it from Audi the bolt was specific to them and 17$

[@samwh4775]

@@michaelroizes4252 I didn’t see your reply before, so after 4 days of owning the car I found out the car has a really bad oil consumption problem, about 1 litre every 450/500 kms which is really bad, I’m still trying to find a way to return the car if it’s possible 😓😪

[@Jotomoz]

If things tend to fail early and you do not do the work yourself, be wary of mechanics swapping out used parts for yours. This is true where I am. I work on my own rides and never have these issues. Gotta make $ somehow unless it's someone you really trust. Hell they even steal brake bulbs.

[@DofNWEnt]

love mine 6mt 2011

[@dylanbrown1440]

I'm about to buy an audi a4 2006 with 121,000kms one owner for 7 grand hoping this is a steal of a deal

[@Dizzy_N]

What wheels are those?

[@Joseph-st3ec]

I love my audi 2008 I love it

[@humpsuka]

These engines had huge issues until 2012, when they finally came up with the right sized pistons. Also had timing chain issues until 2013, when they finally came up with the right kind of chain tensioner.

[@fastboatster]

Timing chains are still maintenance item, they still stretch out in 70-100kmiles, just tensioners are not prone to catastrophic failure anymore. Also, there were at least 2 piston/ring revision, and the first one was not a complete fix.

[@humpsuka]

@@fastboatster Yes, you are right. Better to just avoid these German "premium" cars.

[@machtschnell7452]

@@humpsuka Audis in particular require thousands of dollars of labor to repair a $10 flat gasket that Audi will sell you for $50.

[@Japplesnap]

@@fastboatster I haven't seen a single engine with chains that have stretched in less than 150,000 miles. All chains stretch...it's normal. I'm talking about stretching beyond the point that the tensioner can no longer keep the proper tension on the chain. Most cars seem to go 200,000 miles or more before that happens. And once it does happen, it's obvious because the engine comes out of time.

[@randompointlessness2766]

what if I updated my rings but not the pistons ? :)

[@ButtKickersReviews]

There is no transfer case in that car. There is a center differential however. You can drain and change all 3 differentials, and they’re all independent of the transmission, BUT the front and center diff are a part of the trans

[@ButtKickersReviews]

If that makes any sense

[@NathansBMWWorkshop]

Audi uses Haldex

[@fastboatster]

@@NathansBMWWorkshop only on the models built on the same platforms as VWs, others used to have Torsen but now Quattro “ultra” showed up on some cars, kind of like Haldex

[@ButtKickersReviews]

Nathans BMW Workshop Nope, Audi uses Haldex in the transverse cars, not the longitudinal cars such as this, which still have old school mechanical Quattro. No transfer case.

[@NathansBMWWorkshop]

@@ButtKickersReviews so transaxle like Subaru in those cars

[@bobd9868]

Hard starting and “too rich” code is early sign that high pressure fuel pump going bad. Easy swap, right on top, back of engine

[@ricklane8554]

This Audi is not really faster than his shadow, is he Nathan? :)

[@aarondiaz7583]

Any oil consumption?

[@lovemytypes0609]

I have the APR intake with the ECS elbow to lol

[@BryanChance]

Great looking car. I would only lease an Audi :)

[@antonistheo4988]

Im thinking to buy a 2.0 tfsi model is it reliable??

[@user-hu9xz6lw9x]

Did you buy it?.

[@pjj12345789]

Timing chain about to blow bro 😂 hurry and do it before you spend 4K on a swap

[@CincinnatiDan]

i was literally just quoted $450 for a water pump for 2011 A4 2.0T... Jan 15, 2022.

[@SkyGuyFTW]

I had a 2000 Honda Accord before and to replace a water pump was 400$ as well at like pep boys

[@Perich29]

I've watch Scotty Kilmer vid on these vid, they had one on the 2011 Audi A4 had the engine locked up at 85,000

[@XDMIIIIIIIII]

Not defending Audi but Scotty is annoying he’s basically just a Toyota shill now

[@SupramanTRD]

@@XDMIIIIIIIII there's reasoning for that. I

[@petarmitevatletiko123]

Thats why you by 2.0 tdi and no problems

[@serbia991]

4-6 grand ? Your dreaming

[@Dreamlink91]

you just need to get this car with diesel and you wont have any problems, petrol for this car is the worst thing you could ever do

[@UltraNsx25]

I feel bad for the owners who doesn't have experience fixing this type of car because is expensive to maintain it. The big main issue with this car is the oil consumption, oil leak, the tensioner, water pump leak, and the two oil pressure switch. If you don't know how to fix it yourself you will spend thousands of dollars If you take it to a shop.

[@johnblaze6269]

Very true, i do all the basic maintenance myself but for bigger jobs I got very lucky and meet a local Audi tech through a Audi/VW FB group, I get my car scanned for free whenever I want and he changed my fuel pump for 40$ lol

[@94SexyStang]

these cars are DIRT cheap to maintain compared to BMW and mercedes trash.

[@johnblaze6269]

@@94SexyStang no they’re not not😭😭 do you even own one? Lol my buddy runs a shop they’re all pretty similar

[@senorbonbon]

would you not recommend a 2013 Audi A4 for 7.8k then? I'm thinking of buying one for 116k miles and this would be my first car. thoughts?

[@johnblaze6269]

@@senorbonbon that’s a good price, are you able to work on the car yourself? Even being able to change you own oil will save you 60-100$

[@Tall-Cool-Drink]

I owned a 2014 A4. As you said, it's not a bad car, but it has couple of nagging issues that drives you crazy. Particularly the oil consumption issue. And Audi dealership say that quart of oil every 700-800 miles is "normal". Once something goes wrong, and you have to get it fixed, it's easy $800.00, or more...every time.

[@senorbonbon]

would you not recommend a 2013 Audi A4 for 7.8k then? I'm thinking of buying one for 116k miles and this would be my first car. thoughts?

[@Tall-Cool-Drink]

@@senorbonbon In my opinion any Audi with over 60k miles is very iffy. I also had a 2005 A4, that served me well, or at least it had less issues than my 2014 model. It's the ones between 2008-2012 that are most problematic. Although, many Audi owners insist post 2012 models are RELATIVELY solid, whatever that means. If your heart says to make that purchase, get an unbiased mechanic to check it out. Who know....maybe the one you're considering isn't problematic. . My 2005 made it to 150,000 miles. with some electrical issues. Not bad. In the end, its transmission gave out. It gave me over 10 years of relatively problem free ownership.

[@nick4paokara]

Did your 2014 have oil consumption issues? Audi says that it is not present in the facelift models newer than 2012 so just wondering

[@Tall-Cool-Drink]

@@nick4paokara Yes. It depends on what they mean by "not present". It start to burn oil at about 65,000 miles.

[@nick4paokara]

@@Tall-Cool-Drink How much was it burning at 65k miles? Are we talking 1 quart between services or like filling up each tank of fuel lol

[@Danny-dh2pg]

First few seconds told me it was a no lol

[@phizquip]

2012 A4 2.0T WORST CAR EVER OWNED. Oil pump failed, sent metal into motor. (Had to buy a remanufactured motor.) Within 5k miles on rebuilt motor. Timing chain snapped while driving, damaging motor. DO NOT BUY

[@bmva8263]

Audi Benz Blabla. You will lose a lot man. It is bmw Chanel. You should rename it German automotive instead

[@OldManShoutsAtClouds]

Not sure you know wtf you're talking about...

[@n245590]

These cars are very unreliable and alot of electrical issues....best thing is get a bmw, benz or the 2.5 vw

[@chazzman4553]

For sedans there is Lexus, for SUV's there is Lexus, Honda, Acura and so on. Why bother with some on purpose manufactured sh*t and do the manufacturer's job fixing everything. You've already paid for the damn thing, no go fix it ? Why ?

[@jfGarage4k]

SHIT! Not good to watch this if i Own one lol

[@sebastian5762]

😂

[@sifunjawakoYT]

😂😂

[@vastrenegade299]

lol just saved me from buying this car. thanks. looks cool tho

[@94SexyStang]

LOL find me ONE CAR that doesn't have youtube videos full of problems with it! Hondas......known problems.........Toyotas.......known problems........it's ALL cars, end of story!!!!!

[@Abels-Adventures]

​@@94SexyStangIts shake time gd

[@MrCuckoobox]

I would buy a VW over its cousin the Audi. More "Bells and Whistles" means more "Scheiße zu brechen".......I have heard to many nightmare stories.

[@markusortmaier7174]

I Would agree here. Vw also has more Space than the compareable Audi model.

[@drgmaster9939]

German rip off!