Audi
A4 Technik 35 Tdi S A
1,310 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where A4 Technik 35 Tdi S As pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 12.8 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
90.3%
Pass-after-fix
2.4%
Fail
6.6%
Avg miles
54,682
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Diesel cars registered from September 2015 generally meet Euro 6 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
The picture
A4 Technik 35 Tdi S-A: a strong MOT record by UK norms
Across 903 MOT tests, the A4 Technik 35 Tdi S-A returns 87.7% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. Tyre tread under the limit and shock absorber damaged to the extent round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 43,902, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
ABI Insurance Group
Group 26–40
Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.
Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →
26–40
out of 50
Top ten reasons for rejection.
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- 01
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
30 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
- 02
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
19 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
- 03
A tyre seriously damaged
15 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
- 04
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
10 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
- 05
Wiper blade defective
6 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
- 06
A tyre seriously damaged
6 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
- 07
A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative
5 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
- 08
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
5 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
- 09
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
5 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
- 10
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures
£80–£140
If every one of this A4 Technik 35 Tdi S A's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Tools that pre-empt a retest.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades
Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
Parts & supplies for this fix
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Summit
Summit ADRG-215 Audi Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS
£9.89
View at My Motor World →
Summit
Summit ADRG-216 Audi Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS
£14.29
View at My Motor World →
Draper Expert
Draper Expert Oil Filter Socket for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and VW
£18.69
View at My Motor World →
Draper Expert
Draper Expert Audi/VW Drain Plug Key, 1/2" Sq. Dr.
£21.99
View at My Motor World →
Click Mechanic · affiliate
Book a mobile mechanic
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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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Owner reports · Honest John
What owners actually report.
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
Exceptional quality, packed with technology, impressive refinement and comfort, efficient and economical.
Recent owner-reported faults
- 7 May 2021
Adblue module control unit failure reported on 2016 Audi A4 Avant Ultra 2.0 TDI. Owner quoted £930 to replace the unit.
- 23 Mar 2020
Owners of three month old car reports problems with the infotainment system. When they get in the car and drive off an error message often comes up saying "The selected user has not been used in this vehicle for a while. Please enter the MyAudi user data again. It will be necessary to switch to the guest user to do this." Local dealer has told the owners that Audi UK are aware of the fault and they are awaiting a software fix from Audi Germany.
- 20 Dec 2019
Report of failure of EGR on 2015 Audi A4 B9 EA288 2.0TDI at 60,000 miles. Cost of replacement was £1,500.
- 29 Nov 2019
Report of "persistent vibrations coming through the accelerator pedal and the steering wheel, often simultaneously" in November 2015 Audi A4 B9 avant 8-speed auto, 3.0 TDI V6 272HP. Has had replacement of several expensive parts under guarantee due to factory recalls (4 camshafts, crank shaft, chain tensioner), but problem's remains. In D the vibrations arrive around 1,250 rpm especially when accelerating. Owner notices that despite regular cleaning and quality fuel all the time, the engine is also quite noisy when accelerating: "it's as if there's a part somewhere which is noisier than it should be and injects vibrations into the mix when increasing speed." Also, when the car is hot and in traffic it can start to tremble slightly until shifted into Neutral. If driver leaves car in S in traffic, the vibrations are slightly stronger still.
- 31 Jul 2019
Owner found that the 19-inch optional alloy wheels fitted to his March 2017 Audi A4 2.0TDI quattro s-tronic s-line had increased its CO2 from 114g/km to 121g/km and put up his annual VED from £30 to £120.
- 16 Feb 2019
Complaint of "soft knocking sound around driver's right ear" when driving on a "roughish road surface" in a new Audi A4 B9. Seems to be from an area around drivers window/door lock/door pillar. Likely to be the inertia reel seatbelt pendulum.
- 28 Dec 2018
Report of vibration from drivetrain of November 2018 Audi A4 B9 avant 272 3.0 V6 now at 45k miles: At 1,250 rpm, whether in D or S mode, there is vibration which passes through the accelerator pedal and steering wheel. Also at 1,750 rpm when cruising on the motorway at 80 mph with cruise control on in 8th gear it doesn't feel as smooth as it should. Finally, when around 2,000 rpm the car feels unrefined and actually noisy for an Audi V6 diesel.
- 7 Aug 2018
Audi dealer told owner that intermittent shudder in 1st gear when releasing the clutch of his 2016 Audi A4 may be due to "driver error" that has damaged the dual mass flywheel and want £1400 to "investigate" (this must include the costs of a new DMF and clutch).
- 9 Jul 2018
Report of two failed transmissions on 2015 Audi S4 in 25,000 miles. Unfortunately owner failed to renew extended warranty.
- 15 Jan 2018
Various niggling problems reported with June 2016 Audi A4 B9. In May 2017 the car failed twice, on consecutive days, and the Engine Management Unit was replaced. At the same time owner advised the dealer that the electronic dipstick was reporting the engine oil level as being at full capacity although he had not topped up the oil, that the trip odometer and the long term memory were intermittently clearing to zero and the external thermometer was occasionally displaying obviously faulty temperatures. In July 2017 he again reported to the dealer the potential problems with the electronic dipstick and the other display issues. He was simply told that "new cars don't use oil". The engine oil has not been topped up since first delivery. The trip odometer and long term memory inexplicably reset to zero yesterday.
- 18 Aug 2017
Report that on 4th August a 7 month old 2017 Audi A4 Avant came to a sudden halt from 38mph for no reason, on a clear road, causing the following car to crash into the back of it.
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 11 reports indexed
Buying or keeping an A4 Technik 35 Tdi S A?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own an A4 Technik 35 Tdi S A and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.