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Before you buy a used Audi A4 (B5).

2000–2001 · Petrol / Diesel · 5 engines

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

Audi A4 (B5), real photo of this generation
Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

All versions

Sheets the catalogue links to all 5 of its engines.

1.6 / 1.8 / 1.8 T

Petrol

2.4 / 2.8 V6 · S4 (2.7 biturbo)

Petrol

We have no faults specific to this engine, only those common to every version.

1.9 TDI

Diesel

2.5 TDI V6

Diesel

Which engine has the fewest documented faults?

Documented faults and recalls by engine for the Audi A4 (B5)
EngineDocumented faultsRecalls
1.6 / 1.8 / 1.8 TPetrol22 with conditions1
2.4 / 2.8 V6PetrolFewest documented11 with conditions1
S4 (2.7 biturbo)PetrolFewest documented11 with conditions1
1.9 TDIDiesel21 with conditions0
2.5 TDI V6Diesel21 with conditions1

According to the data we have, the engines with the fewest documented faults are: 2.4 / 2.8 V6 (Petrol), S4 (2.7 biturbo) (Petrol).

By fuel type, the one with the fewest documented faults is: Petrol.

We only count the sourced sheets we have. An engine with fewer is not guaranteed to be more reliable: it may have been studied less or sold in smaller numbers.

Official recalls: ask before you pay

A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.

  1. Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
  2. Ask an official Audi dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
  3. Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.
Driver airbag function restricted by age (69CJ)Passive safety

Engines: 1.6 / 1.8 / 1.8 T (Petrol) · 2.4 / 2.8 V6 (Petrol) · 2.5 TDI V6 (Diesel)

How to check it: Check VIN and replace the driver airbag inflator.

View full entry
Driver airbag may fail to inflate due to moisturePassive safety

Engines: S4 (2.7 biturbo) (Petrol)

How to check it: Check VIN and replace with the redesigned inflator.

View full entry

On the test drive: what to look and listen for

Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.

0 of 4 checked

Injection / cylinder head

  • Look out for: Growing noise from the cylinder head, power loss and rough running (cams and lifters); unstable idle, smoke or hesitation (injectors); on the 16-valve 2.0 TDI, coolant loss with no visible leak from a cracked head.

    Ask them to check: Check the oil history (VW 505.01), listen to the head, check injector balance rates with a diagnostic tool and, on the 16-valve 2.0 TDI, read the head part number (03G 103 351) and look for coolant loss.

Engine

  • Look out for: An engine that runs rough, loss of power or hesitation; now and then the injection pump fails; oil leaks from the engine or gearbox.

    Ask them to check: If the engine gets noisier or runs worse with the miles, have the garage check the camshafts by removing the cam covers. Read the codes and test the air mass meter before touching the pump. With the Multitronic gearbox, ask for its history and check that it does not jerk or slip.

  • Look out for: Misfires, hesitation and the engine light; the engine runs on one cylinder fewer.

    Ask them to check: Read the per-cylinder misfire codes and replace the affected coil (preferably with a revised one).

Known weak points

  • Look out for: A plastic ignition-switch housing that breaks (1996–1997); steering tie-rod seals letting in water and dust and wearing the joint (1998–1999); an air-flow-meter screen damaged by backfires on cold starts (1998); a brake-servo vacuum-hose valve on automatics (1997–1999); an intermittent horn from a poor earth; non-azide driver-airbag inflators that can rupture (1997–2002); an airbag that fires from static electricity in low humidity (1996–1997).

    Ask them to check: Check airbag campaigns by VIN; check steering play.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.

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