BACNBLK

Moving up from my C3 possibly into a pristine 05 w/A4 Auto and Nav. With approx 40k miles.

Any known issues of the 05's that should be carefully reviewed?

Any major service points coming up that could be major costly?

Anything at all that would possibly sway me away from the 05 year?

Thanks and

debo

Look into the sticky section above talking about recalls.

KB9GKC

Crankshaft pulley bolt coming loose is a big one! Do a search to see if your car falls in the vin number range of problematic vehicles.

Douglas in Green Bay

EVRose

I got my '05 A4 with the same mileage and pristine condition 6 months ago. It's been the best car I've ever owned and completely trouble-free. I got a vehicle history report from Gene Culley and it had every service report that had been done on it since it was new and it included 2 recalls that were fixed. The roof delaminating and the service active handling. You really should get a vehicle history report. I got one on 5 different cars I was considering and it's what convinced me to get the '05. It was like looking at a spotless police record.

BACNBLK

Roof delaminating?

Steering lock issues?

Yikes, are these standard don't worry issues or run don't walk issues, boy hate having to make choices, aaaargghh!

gunterwalker

I have a very late 05 (last week of production) and I have had only 1 issue. It was a leaky axle seal which isn't really a 05 issue but a GM issue. The 05's have a weaker rear but if you don't drag it or beat the ever living crap out of it I think you will be just fine. THere are a lot of ppl with superchargers with the stock rear that haven't blown it up so its not as bad as some try to make it appear. Have the car checked out and if you get it enjoy your car!!!

As far as roof delam that wasn't just a 05 issue. I don't have a clue about the steering lock but I know the dealer fixes those for free. There are TSB's. If it has the clear roof there are not roof issues. The crankshaft isssue was fixed before the year production was over as far as I know.

BACNBLK

Thanks! Beautiful ride!

Hoonose

Delamination of the roof is very serious, just make sure yours has had the repair done, and you're good.

The steering lock applies only to manual tranny '05's, so you're good.

The potential biggy is the harmonic balancer. Check your VIN. Only if your at 11039 or below, is this a more common problem.

My early '05 has had all the teething problems and engineering defects, and they've all been fixed. A daily driver, now 6and 1/2 years and 26K miles, it's better than new!

Greenstealth

I had an early 05 and I also had the crank pulley bolt back out and ultimately destroy the crank itself. Gm picked up the MAJORITY of the tab. I also had an issue with the wiring harness to the fuel pump which turned into a headache. I don't think that issue was specific to the 05 model year.

BACNBLK

Thanks guys, it s*cks when you have such beautiful costly rides and something like a pulley bolt can destroy it in seconds, damn!

Agreed, once things are settled in and resolved it's all a matter of forgive forget and enjoy!

Thanks

SUB VETTE

As mentioned above, the differential has been a weak spot for those who put their cars through demanding competition events - several instances of exploding rear ends. The following year (06) model had an improved / strengthened unit. You will probably be fine as long as you don't do some super modding and add a lot of horsepower and then take it to the drag strip and beat the hell out of it.

Andy 53

I have an 05 A4 and it has been great. The only disappointment was having to replace the harmonic balancer. It was a bit expensive. Make sure that the harmonic balancer is turning true right before you buy it. After being replaced, mine has no visible runout. The "weak rear end" is not as big an issue for the A4 as it is for the manual transmission. If you beat it hard, you should expect to pay for extra repairs!

Andy

BACNBLK

Thanks for all the input, it sounds like my two choices have been confirmed and narrowed down to a very clean , no mods , 06 Base model with tinted windows and less then 40k miles, kind of disappointed in no F55 or sport suspension but I guess Pfadt can fix that!