100,000 miles- a happy B7 ownership report- no doom and gloom :)

[kodkod.84]

During a road trip to Fort William in Scotland, my current car has hit 100,000 miles I thought now would be a good time as any to report back on my experiences of owning the B7 A4.

I remember the first time I saw the B7 back in 2005, it was in the car park of Cliveden National Trust in Berkshire and there was a brand spanking new Avant in Mauritius Blue. I was taken in at how smart this car looked for an estate and I decided there and then I wanted one someday.
Then in September I got the chance as I was offered a company car after passing my HND and on the list was the A4!

Car 1- A4 Avant SE 1.9TDI 115ps Quartz Grey
This was my first A4 and had the 5-speed 1.9TDI 115ps unit which was one of VAGs established engines used for many years across many models. By no means a fast car it was economical and I regularly got 650+ miles from a tank and forgot what the petrol garage was for.

As this was a company car I did not spec it up too much but opted for s-line lowered suspension and 17” Star alloy wheels as I felt the standard suspension and wheels looked a bit conservative, unfortunately the s-line was above my pay grade on the scheme. However I ordered at the right time as Audi were running the lifestyle pack promotion which added parking sensors, storage pack and symphony 6-cd changer FOC. About a year into owning I carried out the only two mods which were an s-line ‘ball’ gear knob and arm rest.

Coming from a VW Passat Estate I was impressed with the build quality and love the interior with all the instruments lighting up in white and red- a truly brilliant and relaxing place to be at night. Moving to the boot, the Avant is billed as a lifestyle estate so the luggage capacity isn’t brilliant but if you don’t have children it is ideal and you can fold the floor up to have a wipe clean surface and the seats fold down so good for putting a bike in.

I ran this car for 3 years/80,000 miles and it proved itself to be an excellent car and when I left the company in 2008 I desperately wanted to buy the car but was told I couldn’t as they wanted to put it back in the fleet as it was still in such good condition. A long shot but it would be interesting to know if anyone on here owns this car now- reg VF55AEN.

Car 2- A4 Avant S-Line Special Edition 2.0TFSI 220ps Phantom Black
So the search began for the next car- I had decided it was time for an s-line as I had many of these as courtesy cars and preferred the sporty look and the seats are really supportive and comfortable. I opted to go petrol this time as my new job was closer to home and I had read very good write ups on the 2.0TFSI engine and I thought ‘a GTi engine in an estate- sweet!’. I ideally wanted the special edition in Dolphin Grey but after much searching finally found a 56 reg Phantom Black that was pretty well specced with BOSE, Symphony, Phone Prep, MFSW, Colour DIS, Parking Sensors. No cruise control though so this was my first mod along with a ‘half storage pack’ under seat trays and seat back nets.

The 2.0TFSI engine is an absolute peach and offers exciting driving and quick overtaking if booted in 3rd, fuel return isn’t too bad for a petrol with 30mpg, you also get a split exhaust one each side which looks a bit more sporty. The only thing to have gone wrong since owning is a failed turbo which I had replaced under the extended warranty I took out when the original ran out.

S-line special edition interior is even nicer than the SE with black headlining, black/grey leather seats and 3 spoke MFSW and s-line scuff plates. If looking at purchasing a B7 I would recommend looking for bi-xenons if you do lots of night driving as these offer a far superior light to the stock halogens, unfortunately they are quite rare as an OEM fit and probably the only option I wish I had.

As this was my own car I have added more and more bits to it over the years, small but good looking interior mods include the ambient LED module for the interior light, RS4 handbrake cover which matches the perforated leather steering wheel and the RS4 pedals.

I have also added a Thule detachable towbar which I mount my Thule cycle carrier on, this is pretty discrete and you can just about see two cut outs on the lower exhaust valance. In December last year I also invested in a spare set of B6 alloy wheels fitted with winter tyres but have yet to test their full potential in the snow.
I have ran this car since 25,000 miles and it truly is my favourite car I have had- this does everything for me it is my work car and weekend toy rolled into one. Sometimes I see myself looking at B8 A4 or C6 A6 Avants but I always say to myself the B7 is too good a car to give up- they are solidly built, has one of the best quality interiors out there, and if looked after well you can keep them feeling fresh and lovely for many years, so I think I’ll keep hold of this one for now.

So in short anyone looking at buying a B7 A4 I say go for it- look for one which is as fully loaded with kit as you can afford (although retrofit options are becoming easier and easier thanks to the expertise of members on here) and it will give back a lot pleasure. Things to look out for are previous major repair work and service history, and make sure the cambelt has been changed at 75,000 miles or 4 years.

[Ghostneo]

Excellent! Nice to here of good experiences


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