What to watch for on the Audi A4

People buy the A4 when they want more comfort than a Passat or a Superb gives, often with quattro drive. The market has many imported cars and former company cars with high mileage. The engines are shared with the VW group, but mounted longitudinally, so the gearboxes and drive are different. This is a general overview of what owners talk about. It is no substitute for statistics, it works as a list of questions for the seller. Always check a specific car against the pre-purchase checklist.

Generations. B6 (2000–2004), B7 (2004–2008), B8 (2007–2015) and B9 (2015–2024). Most used cars today are B8 and B9.

Petrol engines. On some 1.8 TFSI and 2.0 TFSI engines in the A4 B8 (roughly 2008–2012) owners deal with markedly increased oil consumption, and on some cars the pistons and piston rings were repaired. Ask how much oil the car uses and whether the repair was done. Listen to a cold start for the timing chain. The newer 2.0 TFSI in the B9 is rated better.

Diesels.

• The 2.0 TDI with pump-injector units (B7, early B8) has cylinder head and oil pump drive problems on some engines.
• The common-rail 2.0 TDI (B8, B9) is the most common. Watch the particulate filter, EGR, injectors, turbo and dual-mass flywheel. On a B9 with AdBlue ask about SCR system faults.
• The six-cylinder 2.7 TDI and 3.0 TDI are pleasant on the motorway. On some engines the chain guides and tensioners are a concern, and they sit at the back so replacement is expensive. Without history that is a risk.

Gearboxes.

• Multitronic (a continuously variable CVT on front-wheel-drive versions, B6 to B8) has judder, slipping and control unit problems on some cars. On the test drive watch for a smooth pull-away and driving at low revs. Ask about repairs.
• S tronic (a dual-clutch gearbox on newer cars) needs an oil change at the prescribed interval. Some cars have mechatronic unit trouble.
• The classic tiptronic automatic (on some quattro and six-cylinder cars) tends to be more reliable if it has been serviced.

Quattro. Older A4 quattros have permanent all-wheel drive with a Torsen centre differential, while the newer B9 has some versions with an engageable rear axle (quattro ultra). When turning in a car park, listen for scraping and check that all the tyres are the same. Unevenly worn tyres harm an all-wheel-drive system.

Suspension. The multi-link front axle has many arms and bushes that wear out. Listen for knocking over bumps and check whether the steering wheel sits straight.

Electronics and equipment. Try the MMI, navigation, lights (repairs on xenon and LED lights tend to be expensive), air conditioning, parking assistants and the electric parking brake. On an Avant estate check that the sunroof area doesn't leak.

History. Many A4s are imports from Germany. Check the VIN, service history and mileage. The import procedure is covered in the guide in the category Importing from abroad.

Current offer and prices. The page Used Audi A4 shows how many A4s are on offer and for how much. You find the price development in Price trends.

Do you drive an A4? Write the generation, engine, gearbox and mileage and what you had to deal with. Experiences with oil consumption on TFSI engines and with Multitronic are the most useful for others.