Buying review Audi A4 (B7) 2004-2008 Common Issues Engines Inspection

Hello everybody,

Welcome at yet another car buyers review, today we take a look at the Audi A4. The thirth generation A4 to be exact, the car was built between 2004 and 2008. The internal code for this generation is B7.

We will talk a bit about the car, the engines and on to the most important question, is this car reliable.

General information

In 2004 Audi announced a new model A4, in fact the Audi A4 B7 was until that point still based on the old chassis from the B6. The single frame grill that was the family face from Audi at the time was also introduced in this generation. Furthermore it offered new headlight units, new backlight units. The older 5 speed manual was replaced by a 6 speed and the 5 speed automatic was replaced by a six speed automatic, the tiptronic. The multitronic transmission only available on front wheel specifications of the A4.

Additional work was done on the multitronic to allow for more torque, where it used to be 310 NM, it now allow for 400 NM. This allowed for the 2.7 V6 TDI now to be available with a multitronic transmission.

Engines

The basis engines remained the same, but the 1.8 turbo with 163 HP was replaced with a 2.0 liter FSI with 200 HP. There was a new engine available as well, the 3.2 liter V6 FSI with 255 HP.

For the diesels there was a 115 HP strong 1,9 liter TDI, followed by the new 2.0 liter TDI with 140 HP.
The 1,9 being more reliable then the newer 2.0 liter engine, Volkswagen and Audi did not construct the TDI as bulletproof as the first generation.

With the introduction of the B7, Audi introduced a brand new engine, the 3.0 liter V6 TDI with common rail technology. This engine has 204 HP and later one 233 HP and the quattro system comes as standard on these cars. Until 2006 there was a 2.5 liter V6 TDI that was replaced by the 2.7 liter V6 TDI that produced 180 HP. Basically the same engine as the 3.0 liter V6 but with a different crankshaft.
Introduced in 2006 was a slightly more powerful 2.0 liter TDI with 170 HP using piëzo-injectors.

Now on to the big question of reliability.

The interior can be worn out quite fast for people that use the car heavily. A worn out interior can also be related to high mileage cars, if the seats are worn out and the mileage does not match, walk away.

Worn out tires are also reported for cars that have a lot of horsepower, just know that tires won’t last as long when you have a performance car. Especially when you use that power frequently.

When you are in the market for an A4 convertible it is a wise decision to check if the roof is waterproof.
The roofs of convertibles are strong but also very pricy to replace. Models with XENON headlight can be hit with electronical issues like flickering headlight units. Also the airconditioning is a weak part that might break easy, especially in the early production models.

Perhaps it is too obvious, but never buy an Audi without the proper service history.

Issues

Potential problems for the B7 are ignition problems, transmission problems and defective oil pumps.
Especially the new 2.0 TDI had some troubles, my suggestion is to go for the 1,9 TDI instead, this is proven diesel technology. For the 2.0 liter, the loss of oil pressure is the most serious problem, check the service history to see if the oilpump has been replaced already.

There have been a recall for the A4 B7 between 2006-2009. This had to do with the diesel injectors.
The petrol engines can sometimes suffer from  malfunctioning ignition coils. If the ignition coil needs replacement it is important to replace all coils in one time, if this is not do the right way it will result in an unreliable car that will not start or run properly.

Polluted EGR valves

When it comes to all engines, these have the tendency to get polluted quite easy.
Audi only built direct injection engines from model year 2005 on, so if you drive short distances the engine can polute very fast. Signs of this are not very easy to identify, but a slower gas response could be a good indication. All in all the Audi comes in various body styles and engines, there is an A4 for everybody’s needs.
The A4 convertible is perfect for a second car, especially with the 2.0 liter turbo since this offers good performance and is stronger then the 1.8T.

The diesels with TDI are perfect for long commutes to work, and the S4 convertible with 4.2 liter V8 is perfect if you stumble upon some cash and you have no idea what to do with it.

Thanks for watching this buyers review of the Audi A4 model b7, I hope it was useful for you and if so, subscribe to my channel.