Owning An Audi: 12 Things To Watch Out For

Jun 07, 2023

Despite being one of the most popular luxury car brands, Audi's history is dotted with scandals and recalls.

Audi had lackluster sales in the US, falling by 4.7 percent in 2022 to reach 186,875 vehicles, down from 196,038 units in 2021. Yet not just the performance on the American market falls short of expectations. As such, Audi's global sales fell by 3.9 percent in 2022 to 1,614,231 units, down from 1,680,512 units in 2021. Naturally, consumers still remember past emission scandals and recalls, but a tarnished brand image, courtesy of Volkswagen, is not the only thing holding the Audi brand back.

It was recently announced that the German automaker faces class action because of defective water pumps. "Numerous models from 2013 to 2022, including the S4, Q5, S5, SQ5, A6, A7, Q7, and A8, are affected. The company has issued a recall for affected vehicles because they have installed defective water pumps on some Audi models," says The Lemon Firm.

Updated August 2023:We have updated this article with rarely known information that only Audi owners know about, including lesser-known mechanical issues and the serious rates at which certain Audi cars depreciate.

These incidents have damaged Audi's reputation and the brand's reliability rating. "From the early 1980s to the late 1990s, Audi was among the most reliable German car brands," says Carvertical. "However, those days are gone. Because of the complexity of its engines, transmission, and other components, Audi isn't among the most reliable vehicle manufacturers anymore – the dependability of its cars is average at best."

If all the recalls and scandals didn't scare you off, and you still want a bite of the quad-ringed luxury, we tell you the surprising things that only Audi owners know.

All data mentioned in this list are obtained from the pressrooms of Audi and Porsche, J.D. Power Report, RepairPal, CarEdge, and various Audi forums.

Related: Here's Why Audis Are Still Not Reliable In 2021

According to RepairPal, Audi has a reliability score of 3.0 out of 5.0, which ranks it 28th out of 32 for all automakers analyzed. Moreover, Audi's average annual repair cost is up to $987. In 2022, when Consumer Reports re-released its newest manufacturer reliability ratings, Audi received an average predicted reliability score of 60 out of 100.

Consumer Reports once called Audi "a sinkhole of service problems." Despite coming a long way in the past years, the automaker still isn't the brand from the 1980s and 1990s, symbolizing German engineering, durability, and high build quality. Modern consumers should expect to pay big bucks for yearly maintenance and repairs for their Audi cars.

For instance, the Audi RS5 has an average annual repair cost of $2,560, but this model had several recalls. There are other models with lower annual repair costs, like the Audi A5 Quattro, which will cost owners an average of $887 annually, or the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, with an annual average cost of $890. But overall, Audi vehicles are not cheap to maintain and repair.

Steve's Automotive Specialists mention that ignition component failure is one of the most common problems encountered on Audi vehicles. "We see ignition coil failure more than any other issue with Audis. If your engine is misfiring, it could be the ignition coil or the spark plugs," says Pit Shop Auto Repair.

A historical inquiry commissioned by Audi itself revealed that while the corporation operated under the name Auto Union, it entered into a deal with the SS to hire more than 3,700 prisoners from Nazi concentration camps.

"Another 16,500 laborers — not interned in concentration camps — also were made to work for the car company in the Saxon cities of Zwickau and Chemnitz, in addition to 18,000 at a plant in Bavaria where more than 4,000 died," says The Times of Israel while pointing towards the report. The report also emphasized that executions of disabled laborers took place in concentration camps.

Related: 5 Audis That'll Bankrupt You With Maintenance And Repairs (And 5 BMWs)

According to Audi Complaints, the worst issues that owners reported include excessive oil consumption. Furthermore, on CarComplaints, excessive oil usage comes as the most reported Audi problem, followed by excessive oil consumption. Meanwhile, on RepairPal, 82 people reported engine oil leaks on the Audi A4, 41 reported the same issue for the Audi A6 Quattro, and seven owners for the Audi S4.

Last year, Audi recalled thousands of 2021-2023 Audi Q5 and Q5 Sportback SUVs because of engine failure risk. "Due to a manufacturing defect, the engine connecting rod bearings may become damaged.

This could lead to stalling, engine failure, and fire," says Consumer Reports. Elsewhere, on Audi Complaints, the engine is ranked as the component that breaks the most, with roughly 40 percent of all Audi owner complaints related to engines.

Another problem that owners often report relates to electrical components. According to Audi Complaints, these issues make up roughly 7 percent of all Audi owner complaints. The models with the most reported electrical problems are Audi A4, Audi Q7, and Audi A6.

This issue plagues all cars, irrespective of brand or segment. Over time, the Constant Velocity Axle Boot (CV Boot) internals wear out, causing odd sounds when taking sharp turns. Well, this issue is quite prevalent in various Audi cars.

When symptoms like strange noises or a vibrating steering wheel occur, it is best to take your vehicle immediately to a qualified Audi mechanic. RepariPal also suggests checking the CV boot and joints at every service interval. A gravely affected Audi model with this issue is the Audi Q4 Quattro, 4 model years of which are said to suffer from the CV boot issue.

Related: The 10 Most Important Audi RS Cars In History

One of the most famous global marketing faux pas involves Audi and one of their most controversial ads released in China. Inc. even said, "Audi insults women everywhere with its disastrous new commercial," social media users erupted with anger when they saw that the ad portrayed a mother-in-law inspecting the bride on her wedding day just like she would be a used car. Nobody found it funny that the Audi advertisement linked buying a used car to getting married.

In 2021, several sources confirmed Audi was looking to improve customer experience in the US. Furthermore, Daniel Weissland, president of Audi of America, made it clear that the launch of the e-tron GT electric performance car has allowed Audi to strengthen its relationship with its customers.

"What we can influence — and it's definitely one of our focus points — we want to obviously increase our customer experience," Weissland told Auto News. "We have the best and most electrified product portfolio in 2021 that we've ever had, with the e-tron GT coming, and later the year, the Q4 E-tron and the Q4 E-tron Sportback. We now have a full-fledged electric portfolio."

Without a doubt, this is a step in the right direction. Still, Audi shouldn't have waited until 2021 to pursue this strategy, given that rivals were already ahead in strategies that encouraged repeat business and build brand loyalty.

In Consumer Report's manufacturer reliability ratings, BMW rounded up the top three, while Audi came sixth. Meanwhile, in JD Power's 2023 US Vehicle Dependability Study, BMW (184 PP100), Porsche (208 PP100), Volkswagen (216 PP100), and Mercedes-Benz (240 PP100) ranked higher in vehicle dependability than Audi (252 PP100).

Furthermore, BMW AG won several segment awards for the BMW 4 Series, BMW X2, BMW X5, and Mini Cooper, whereas Audi received the third-lowest score in the study, followed only by Lincoln and Land Rover.

Cars are depreciating much more rapidly now than ever before. The use of bleeding-edge technology and many complex features fuel this issue. In the case of Audi cars, its expensive service charges add fuel to its depreciating factor. There are various other reasons why Audi cars depreciate faster.

Technological advancements are rapid in this ever-changing automobile space of ours. The wave of EVs and autonomous driving has made car technologies more complex. People are changing cars quicker as well. All of these contribute to the major reasons why Audi cars depreciate rapidly.

According to CarEdge, Audi cars depreciate by over seven percent in the first year. The depreciation value jumps up to 12 percent in two years. With the current trend, an Audi luxury car takes more than seven years to depreciate below the 50 percent mark. But the rate will increase going forward.

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Eugenia Akhim is a luxury car aficionado. She naturally gravitates towards the legendary 911 and the classic Ferrari because they are fun to drive and have a killer aesthetic. In her column, expect to read more about turbo-powered vehicles.