Audi A4

A pipe dream! That’s the only excuse I can give for doing the unthinkable and dinking the bootlid of our long-term Audi A4 Avant.

Starting work at the crack of dawn – as all good editors should – I must have been still half-asleep as I reversed into the space in our underground car park. Seconds earlier, I had opened the boot to get a few bits and pieces out for the day ahead – and, well, I was convinced I had shut the tailgate as normal. Imagine my horror to hear a nasty clang and then a thud as the still-open lid thwacked against a substantial overhead pipe!

Thankfully, it sounded much worse than it was. But the panel still needed attention. So, step up please The Dentman himself, Martin Leach. I found Martin on an Internet search, and got his details at www.dentman.co.uk – you can contact him by phone, too, on 07774 812512.

Based in Twickenham, London, Martin asked me to E-mail him a couple of digital pictures of the damage, and then came back with a quote within a few hours. After we agreed to £85 plus VAT, Martin arrived a day later to do the repair.

He is also known as the ‘Flying’ Dentman, because he carries all his gear around on a nifty motorbike, liveried up with his company logos. Two hours later, the dink was gone – and the finish perfect. “It was a tricky job,” said Martin, “because you caught the bootlid right on the double seam. That’s fiddly to knock out. I think I’ve done a pretty good job, though!”

I’d second that. And I would also agree with Audi that its latest A4 Avant is a brilliant lifestyle estate. Over the past few weeks I’ve had it loaded up with flatpacks of garden furniture, barbecue gear, as well as various items to take to the local tip. While it’s not as roomy as a ‘workhorse’ estate such as Vauxhall’s Vectra, it has swallowed all my stuff. And loading is simple thanks to the low lip. A robust yet nicely finished bay resists scuffs well.

The A4 driving experience continues to impress, with cruising on long journeys being its strongest suit. It is a car that eats up the miles and gets you to your destination feeling comfortable and relaxed. This is due in no small part to the excellent seats and driving position, torquey 2.0-litre turbocharged engine (shared with the VW Golf GTI no less), plus optional tiptronic automatic transmission.

We are around 8,000 miles away from the Audi’s variable first service, when I will get the car’s thirst for oil looked at. So far it has required two one-litre top-ups in the first 10,000 miles!

Second opinion
Prising the key for the A4 out of the editor’s hands isn’t easy, and those of us who have driven the Avant can see why. It’s a great long-distance cruiser which also manages to feel much more at home in the city than a larger executive load-lugger. There’s still a decent amount of space
for luggage, and with all the options fitted to this car, everyone travels in luxury. Chris Thorp, dep motoring editor