[Sunroof]

My son bought a 1999 A4 1.8T with 68,000 miles a few years ago from an Audi dealer here in Atlanta. The salesman gave him such an intense rap about the 1.8T dependability and Audi quality he saved himself $600.00 and waived the extended warranty. No less than six weeks later, the check engine and oil lights come on. He went back to Audi and they told him to beat it. They refused to even check it out without paying a fee. It turned out that Audi realized they had a "coking" issue with the engines; however, would not repair the engine unless oil change records for every oil change interval (5K) could be produced from day one. He was not allowed to contact the prior owner and Audi did little to assist. This was very disturbing.

The car was towed to a local Porsche/Audi mechanic and the oil pump replaced and all oil feed lines cleaned as well as the pan and valve train. An inspection of the oil pump showed hardened oil in the pick up that felt like concrete that would not come off unless dynamited!!! The repair was $1,500.00. I ran a thread here last year to vocalize my opinion about the 1.8T "black death". As it turned out, the 1.8T turbine and catalitic converter are too close to the engine and not shielded. The oil will almost boil and then start to clog lines and the pump. Mobil 1 is the oil that according to the Audi dealer MUST BE USED! Audi did a temporary fix with a heat shield at the converter. Obviously many more 1.8Ts get through this mess then others, but your rolling the dice on a used 1.8T.

Aside these issues, the 1.8T is almost guaranteed to blow the oil cooler gasket at the oil filter housing. To R&R the gasket is only $100.00 and should be standard maintenance at the 90K mark according to the mechanic. Another weak link with the engine.

My son's Audi A4 now sits in the parking lot of a local mechanic with a shot engine as a result of the oil filter unit gasket failure. While driving, the loss of oil was not in drips but literally poured out the gasket! He drove too far not knowing all his oil was gone and messed up the bearings and crankshaft. The used engine replacement cost? About 4k with labor. Sadly, he still owes on car.

Granted this can happen to anyone in any car, but what I have witnessed over the years regarding Audi quality, Audi dealership assistance to its customers and its engineering has turned me away from the purchase of an Audi TT I very much admired. Many will praise the 1.8T, but if your a victim, your tune suddenly becomes sour!

For my hard earned money I plan to avoid any Audi in the future.

My 2-cents

Bob