Caught Just in Time! Major Problem Found on this '17 Audi A4! 

The channel should be renamed to "BUT WAIT , THERE'S MORE" LOL

For me, the funniest part of the big grills is that most of the time there is a small hole in the middle of a sea of black plastic. I see the cops driving Explorers in town and the hole for the radiator is less than 25% of the black space where the grill is.

Blown turbo because it was probably abused or tuned, or both. Also owner probably didn’t stay on top of oil changes

If you work on VAG vehicles a lot, you should get a VCDS to diagnose them. Mine saved my engine (2.0 TFSI) when it detected valve timing problems, indicating a stretched timing chain.

I just bought a '17 A4 in December, have warranty with it but it's been great with 150,000 km on it. Best vehicle I've owned by far!

If you want to see a big bill, take an Audi V8 or V6 to have the ticking noise investigated! The timing chains (yes there are several) are at the back of the engine against the bulkhead. Chain tensioners are plastic and you know what that means. This can happen at a surprisingly low mileage!

Judging by the red paddle shifter extensions and an RS4 bumper on an A4 this thing was tuned and beaten on. I agree the plastic is ridiculous though.

Seems crazy that VAG builds dual injection (direct and port) EA888 engines for EU (thereby avoiding the carbon buildup problem), but only direct injection EA888’s for the US. Really like these “why it failed” forensic videos.

Really interesting to see whats changed and whats stayed the same against the earlier A4’s I have a 2004 with Quattro and the 1.8T, that little five valve is stout and really reliable. Im at 330,000 km on the original turbo, its only starting to take oil through the seals.

Replaced my plastic water pump at 67,000 (2.0T). $1,800. Getting ready for more $$$. But as Wizard says, know what you are buying. ( my other two cars are Hondas).

My 2018 A5 convertible, 60k miles. Water pump and motor mounts $3,200. It's great to drive and the convertible is my way of life. Problem is that coming from a 2014 MB E350 (absolute tank), the Audi is clearly part of the new German manufacturing process. Disposable car.

That oil pan is exactly like the one on my 2017 VW Golf Alltrack. Once the drain plug strips (a tech at the dealership effed it up) the only fix is to get a new oil pan. Sadly, when that happened to mine I was beyond the extended warranty without any recourse on my part. Pissed me off to no end.

I have a 2019 Audi A5, which is basically an A4. Same engine and all that basically but slightly changed I think. Anyway, for this B8 generation there is a waterpump that is all aluminum from ECS if you're interested in an all metal one. It's a fun car to drive, it's zippy, makes decent power, and the DSG transmission is very fast. However I got it from Carmax with the Maxcare warranty. I'm hoping I don't have to use it, but if I do I'm covered to 100k, but I'll probably get rid of it before I pass that point.

That car is going to run so good when you’re done I know it’s expensive to do those jobs but it is worth it. I bought cars like that before people had given up on in fact, an Audi about five years older than than that one did all that and then some and enjoyed it for a while before selling it.

For 1200 or 1400 bucks the turbo isn't worth servicing but to do the cartridges usually only $200. The cartridges is between the two blades they're self-tightening so you can't really mess that up. The housing is covered the blades but the housings there's one for the intake side and then there's one for the exhaust side and there's usually like 4 to 6 bolts that hold them together. As long as you have clearance, you can spin it with your finger when you put the assembly back together. It's pretty much that simple if you bought a pre-balanced kit. The blades are self-tightening so they don't need to be over tightened when assembled. They just need to have enough that there isn't play so when it spools up it isn't going to slam tight and you don't want it to be hitting the inner side of the housing. As far as that shaft having play in it, you can usually machine that out and then insert a bushing and then reassemble it. And this is stuff you can do at home if you've taken it out yourself for you to do it as a shop when you're charging a couple hundred dollars I'd imagine per hour it's probably not worth it for somebody that has one of these vehicles. That center cartridge is what you have to get to and that controls the movement of the turbin blades, the exhaust, and the intake. They're on the same rotational shaft assembly. Sometimes I would like if you would elaborate on this but I understand why you don't as you are running a business and you're not trying to really help somebody who's doing the work themselves.

Someone didnt keep up with preventative maintenance on that Audi, it seems.

4 grand for another 100,000 miles doesn't seem too bad in the big scheme of things ,providing the transmission doesn't fail ! We all know heat is the big killer especially in compact engine bays with motors wrung out to produce high HP . The carbon is created by the emission controls on the engine ??

My 2018 Audi S3 had a higher HP version of the same engine. I'm so glad I traded it in at 4.5 years old with 70K miles. The 7sp DSG started having issues and various other issues started creeping up. They only offered me $22K for it but I took that because I didn't want to keep that ticking time bomb.

I have a 2009 audi a4 avant “wagon” with 310.000km! And still drives like new. I do 4 oil changes a year, every 3 months. Not the recommended 2 oil yearly oil change because the components are mostly plastic and old oil allows engine to over heat causing damage. I buy oil and filters on sale and do maintenance myself. I work part time at a garage as a second job, we are always changing engines in GM products and Korean cars. I would say preventive maintenance is the key to a car’s longevity. FYI……my Audi is also tuned, I two Audis and two bmws high mileage and I drive regularly with very few issues.🤷😏😎

Changing the water pump and the carbon cleaning can be done by anyone and does not require rocket science brains. You can drop that 4k to the 200 dollar water pump ( not oem but german made ) and the cost of a turbo both from rockauto. The 2.0T is easy to maintain and work on, the only issue I would see is the timing chain needing to be looked at or changed every 150k miles.

Considering that the turbine wheel is almost seized, I would guess low oil or poor maintenance (oil change intervals). Which would then lead to more heat causing the journal bearing to wear prematurely and maybe even the wastegate flapper as well. I'm blown away that the wastegate flapper on A4's is still a thing 15 years later. The extra heat also destroyed the water pump? That's my guess.

I just bought my wife a 2023 A5 45 Sportback premium plus with 12k miles on the clock and bought a factory powertrain warranty that covers the engine and drivetrain to 130k miles. Wish me luck!

6:35 . . .those red steering wheel transmission paddle extensions are a TEMU WISH add on ! lol

for what it’s worth, i have a 2016 gti since new that uses this same gen 3 ea888 engine and its been very reliable and has needed only proper maintenance and one diy water pump replacement + carbon cleaning. turbo showing no signs of going out at 90k miles and tuned with a downpipe since 50k miles. good engine if you care for it properly i.e. waiting until oil is up to operating temp before getting into boost, synthetic oil changes regularly, allowing turbo to cool down after running it hard before shutting engine off. i would use caution when buying used with shoddy service records.

I used to work at Audi lol, this failures happened so much. Also, a 2.0? It'll need a timing chain sooner rather than later

I have an audi, but i knew i would be working on it a lot myself when i bought it. Labor is a killer, especially when installers want to use OEM parts only.

You put the fear of God in me, Wizard! Living with the same model year A4 quattro. Routine maintenance done but I'm not sure if any of these can be prevented or caught before it explodes on me.

Hmm. Rs4 grill, teddy bear headliner, fake CF interior, red DSG paddle shifters, Quattro sticker, front lip. I believe this car was abused and it’s 94,000 miles.

I’m pretty confident that water pump/housing is covered by Audi warranty from class action lawsuit they extended the warranty on that specific part. May be wrong but hopefully that’s correct and saved them some money

Turbos are like clutches, these should last the life of the car or close to it if you take some precautions such as not redlining your engine at every opportunity, using quality oil with frequent changes and allowing a one or two minute cool down before shutting off your engine if you've been driving hard.

The new turbo looks smaller and it’s sitting at a different angle on the bench. I’m wondering if that’s the right one

A Honda accord will break down if you’re driving like it’s on a race track. My 13 Touareg vr6 currently has 178k. I had it since new. The only “major” repair it ever needed was the valve gasket assembly. Drive your car and treat it right, it’ll last you 200k no problem.

Things REALLY went downhill for VW/Audi once they switched to direct-injection in 2005 along with switching their turbos from Borg Warner to IHI.

Sometimes Wizard sounds like a grumpy boomer… this video is one of those times. Moving on at 4:45 before I lose the will to live.

Don’t forget to check the auxiliary bracket gasket. Suppled the oil cooler with coolant. Misdiagnosed as a water pull a lot.

Sounds like my 2017 A4, now at 96k, did the water pump at 68k and turbo at 81k. Seems that VW/Audi are just unable to make a water pump that isn't brittle plastic and needs replacement early in the car's life. If that's the original water pump, that's impressive! The wastegate play is why my turbo went bad at 81k miles, and my mechanic mentioned that it was a very common failure in a tuned car. I'm going in for a carbon cleaning soon, it's about time. Normal Audi maintenance, and $4k for all that sounds like a very reasonable price!

My last A6 has 220,000 miles. I sold it for $800 and the 19 year old kid at work stil drives it. I asked my mechanic about the plastic coolant lines -his response was, well they used to be rubber and we replaced them every 50k miles, now they're plastic and we're replacing them at 200k miles so as much as it "doesn't make sense", it makes sense -- This video just looks like Wizard is in the market for a new yacht

I owned a 2018 S4, it had some weird issues. Really bad turbo lag, and the main reason I sold it, you would hit the gas pedal and nothing, then randomly 2-3 seconds later it would randomly floor it. Audi couldn't figure it out, happen too many times and almost caused a few accidents. Never again

several years ago I had an 19 a4. I just a recall notice last week about 17 to 21 a4 for water pump issues, I do remember at times smelling coolant. Now I know why. It had only 29 k on it when sold.

The cheap plastic is all over the interior too,I repaired many headliners and parts break easily and glad I do not do them anymore.

When the "traction control off" button is worn out.. that poor 2.0 t has had a hard life.

Black wheels look like spares. They're so passe. It's good to see white coming back.

Wizard - finding other mechanical issues is not an up-sale. Up-sale is somethings like: window treatments, door seal treatment, nitrogen in the tires, cabin air filter, excessively expensive wipers, engine treatments...

Understood. Keep in mind that it has been a very reliable, trouble free car. I have had my 17 A4 Quattro since Aug 2016. Now it has 88,000 miles and have only done brakes and maintenance along the way. All good things come to an end.

HI, I have a 2017 A4 six speed, at 5:29 Mrs. Wizard mentions "ash colored wood," just FYI, it's oak

Audi parts prices are insane. Replacement glass for a door mirror ( tilts and heats ) $1,400. Crazy.

3:07 - I hope you guys change that belt “while you’re in there”

Forget the Audi I want to see the beautiful red convertible on the side 😂

I’m a fan of Porsche and BMW, more so Porsche. Totally worth it to keep them up, just find a reputable shop that’s not the dealer to maintain it!

I have a 2015 Audi A4 Quattro. Brake Rotors warped at 40k miles. Valve Cover Gasket leaked at 70k miles. Motor mounts done at 80k miles. Rotors warped again at 90k miles so i upgraded. Ive done oil changes every 4k miles coolant flush at 100k miles transmission fluid change at 100k miles. Vehicle is at 135k miles now and i just changed my High pressure fuel pump. These cars require a ton of maintenance. Ps. Forgot to mention that I am about to change my CV axle as well which has torn.

Wizard the water pump belt is connected to the pulley and that pulley is driven with a balence shaft that goes through the block and connected to the timing chain.that turns the balence shaft and then that turns the belt

@CarWizard should do a video on what years each manufacturer started getting cheap. Like you already covered pre 2015 Benz's. What about the the rest? The fact you are going (adding to the bill) as you say is the reason my car is coming a long distance to you for service. I want to know everything wrong and I want everything fixed.... Hard to find honest people like yourself.

Pfft.. the 2.0 TSI in my 2009 Golf GTI laughs at those kinda repairs/breakdowns. I didn't even put 60,000 miles on it from new (

My preference 4 cylinder, manual transmission, port injection, naturally aspirated , non auto start stop, conventional hand break, less electronics as possible especially honada or toyota.

This makes me think twice about buying my end-of-3years lease in the expectation to keep it 7more years!

LS SWAP it would probably cost you the same in the end And you have a torque or engine that’s more reliable and easier to work on with more aftermarket support

Hey Wizard, can you upload the repair videos for cars that need a lot of work?

CW, that Audi proves your advice to buy a Lexus, Toyota, or Honda.

I had similar items to tackle on my B6 A4 but at 130k miles and minus the clogged valves. I miss working on that engine.

I have an 08 A4 Quattro S Line it needed 4000 dollars worth of work. Had gas leak water leak oil leak . So I looked on RU-vid found repair videos then went to school meaning I went to junk yard 😅😅 and practiced on those cars before I worked on my car and in the end … SUCCESS. Car runs strong and no more leaks 🙏🏼💪🏽

Its, a pre 2010 for Merc.

I'm thinking of buying a used Audi A4 sedan as my first car, since I adore the exterior looks of it. I'm 24 years old and just want it for a maximum of 4 years and drive approx. ≈80k km/≈50k miles on top of the current milage and then sell it again for a suv. I mostly drive short distances inside the city where are are a lot of bumps and would like to drive to different countries too, once a year. Would that be a good idea? Which model or year should I aim for? Is maintenance annoying and expensive on Audis too? Budget is 13k, keep in mind that prices on cars here in Denmark are 3x america/uk.

Not surprised the turbo is blown with all the "mods" done. Likely that it was tuned and driven hard.

Classic audi, before 100k you are guaranteed to replace suspension bushings, pcv, motor mounts, plastic coolant/ vacuum lines, etc.

Here is an interesting problem my 2017 A4 Allroad has been street parked because my Brownstone has no parking . Six months ago I started to get electrical issue that were as it turned out from a unit under the front passenger seat which had also lost power . To cut a long story short it was all to do with block drains in the Sunroof that had caused water to find another exit which ended up pooling under the front seat . So out came the seat plus the carpet it took 2 days to dry out the electrical unit was replaced and we were back in business. Sad thing is the car was serviced at the Audi dealer once a year because my usage is nominal and I felt they should have checked the drains BUT it does not appear on any Audi service schedule neither does it appear in the manual as an item to check .😮 Very easy to see very easy to clean out if you’re actually aware this should be addressed worth checking because all in it cost me about $2000 to sort out .

A new turbo at only 100k?? Gotta love German "engineering" the only thing our Acura's need at 100k is timing belts. I bet you the driver hardly ever opened her up and allowed the turbo to spool up as intended. Driving like a grandma will shorten the life of these turbos.

I think that the reason newer cars have bigger grills is because as the EPA forces auto makers to have better and better gas mileage, so that means more turbo's on smaller engines, and thats means more heat in a smaller engine.

If there are so many plastic pieces, do they make aftermarket metal replacements for any of these plastic pieces?

$4k for parts and labor on turbos, water pump and intake cleaning is not bad at all. Then again I drive a F80 M3 so my cost POV is severely warped 😂

Lmao a plastic oil pan is unforgivable, I didn’t even know they did that

As an owner of a German sports car, I know there's going to be expenses. I get that, but it's not that it costs four grand to fix it. It's that I just don't know if the work is being done correctly. That's what bothers me. I wish I had a Car Wizard in my life.

That’s when they usually put it up for sales😂. That is why you need to do a PPI.

If this is the quality of Audi, can you imagine quality of VW?

My 2012 A6 with 76k miles had a power steering failure and it would have costed $5000 to fix WITHOUT any warranty on the parts or work. They simply wouldn't provide the warranty. So if it broke again the next day it's another $5000. Just got rid of the car and got a Civic

Was it time for the timing chain?

This is the kind of car you lease for the experience of driving it. You'd have to be insane to want to own a car like this long term.

Oh boy. I have a 2010 A4 with 79k miles on it. It’s a December through April vehicle so I hardly put 4,000 miles a year on it. I’ll start saving up now for those repairs. Or maybe it’ll be sold before it turns 100k.

I had a couple of Audi A4s and after 5 years warning lights came up like a Christmas tree.

Great.....thanks for sharing HONEST remarks👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏........these are the same turbo engines replacing V6 in Atlas😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂..........what about Q7? Plastic again???? Haven't seen it in your shop🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

Clapped out A4, no supeise why the turbo went lol

The customer is going to shell out $4,200 + then the timing chains will fail ! Thats a 45 hr job ! not including perfect knowledge of the job and all the specialty tools 😢

I’ve never seen coolant from a leaking 2.0t water pump get onto the backside of the transmission? It also looked like oil to me. I’m skeptical of a possible trans leak as well

You really should check and do the timing chain at this time if not done already. That's the main engine killer for the 2.0T.

Metal oil pans and metal water pumps are both available for this vehicle to solve two of the plastic components

The intake manifold is probably also plastic. I'm happy with my '03 VW (AUDI) 1.8T. Minimal plastic 👍 Newer is not always better😐

Spent 3k on my pcv at europros a few months ago :( have a weird headlight problem now so you guys might get a vid out of my 14’ s5 soon if this ballast doesn’t fix it 😂 im not about to track down an electrical problem myself

No matter what there's always more with this guy..

I had a bunch of 80s audis... 80 type81, coupe, 200 10v quattro, 200 20v quattro, 100 avant sport... Fantastic cars, but today i'm out completely.

This guy was definitely running stage 2 on the car seeing that down pipe. Second when you're tuned or stock with Audis I change the oil every 4-5k. The turbo gets hot and starts to break down the oil past that mile rage. Water pump is a given with these 2.0ts . Gen 3 motors are a huge improvement over previous Gen 2 regardless of plastic housings. Those save weight and are very rugged. Plastic is oil based so they go well together. This car is overall larger than previous Gen but is also lighter so they had to save weight everywhere. Overall great car.

At that point I would've gotten a bigger turbo to get her ready for a STAGE 2 turbo transformation.

Why on earth does the turbo die so fast? I am thinking about possible oil starvation issue from long oilchange period and "long life" oil. Or maybe too much city use with a lot of cold running engine... The diesel turbos as I've heard can have a longer life when you leave them a bit i always let mine run for at least a minute to run and cool off or else oil might burn onto the hot shaft of the propeller.

@01:03...MUSIC to my ears! I have a 2014 E Class :-)

12:08 does he actually call you wizard?

Water pump is gone, and so is the Turbo, overheating caused Turbo failure? certainly a possibility.

Manufacturers aren't concerned about long-term quality any longer. They want the car to survive the lease/warranty period.

I recently had a bunch of engine codes pop up on my 1997 C280, P0410. Looked under the hood and turns out the old plastic vacuum line going to the air shutoff valve fell apart. Germany can make a good engine but can't make plastic to save their lives. Great timing on this video 😂

THIS is the video I've been waiting for. As always, great content.

My 2018 VW has the same GDI turbo engine. I'm shaking my head in total disbelief. These cars are borderline disposable! edit: Even the timing chain guides in these engines are now plastic. What a money pit!

aweome job on this Audi, you are also missing the timing belt and tensioners :)

There absolutely is a metal water pump. It’s even made by the same manufacturer.