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Looking at buying a 2004 A4 (B6), manual, 1.8T, Quattro, 92K miles. Full service history, done at the recommended times and all bar 1 service were done at Audi or Audi approved garages. Drives very smooth through all gears, sounds sweet as anything (it's got an aftermarket exhaust) I know somewhat about the sludge issue, is this something that's still going to bite me even if approved oils/filters are used? Where/when is it going to start showing issues? Anything else to check for? I couldn't make out any leaks in the engine bay, bar some wear and tear in the cabin everything mechanical seemed to be very well kept.
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Sep 30, 2013 19:07
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 19:38 |
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I bought an A4, but the previous owner obviously had some penis envy and put S4 logos on front and rear- How easy is it to take them off?
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Oct 11, 2013 16:48
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 I'm assuming the big round silver thingy is the induction kit, does anyone recognise which one it is? Also, with reference to VAG-COM stuff, is that what is required for changing the tuning, or do I have to shell out cash to someone to do that? (I mainly just want to see if the previous owner screwed with things)
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Oct 17, 2013 12:38
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Motronic posted:Mmmmm...carbon fiber and dryer vent. Classy. Quite, it's why I'm trying to figure out what it is so I can decide if it's staying or not.
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Oct 17, 2013 20:52
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So one of my rear brake lights dies. I pop out the manual to get an idea of what tools I need to grab and see that I'm meant to take it into a registered dealer for advice, because apparently cars are all complicated nowerdays, and bulbs run on electricity that can be dangerous. Some guy with a weird beard on youtube does the whole job in about a minute, with a single hand, while fussing his cat, shakeycamming it and talking about beer. Apparently Audi charge £27 for that (the Bosch replacement bulbs cost me £3 for 2). gently caress you Audi. **EDIT** all fitted, easy as anything, gonna throw in a gently caress halfords for recommending the wrong bulb and then insisting I was wrong until I showed them the blown one. DesperateDan fucked around with this message at 12:03 on Oct 27, 2013 |
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Oct 27, 2013 09:19
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real_scud posted:I'm not sure how the B6 is but in a B7 if you have a blown headlight it requires basically taking off the entire front bumper to get enough space to remove the old bulb from the housing and put in a new one. It's 4 bolts and an electrical connector on the B6, pops right out the front 
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Oct 27, 2013 17:30
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real_scud posted:Yeah nowhere near that easy. If you don't want to remove the entire bumper there's 4 bolts to get it loose to slide it forward, that gives you about an additional .5in clearance on the back and you have to try to finagle the bulb out. Looked it up, you weren't kidding- the "cheats" way to do it looks to be to remove the power steering and washer reservoirs on one side and most of the air filter on the other. I'm really pretty shocked that something that seems so simple, and such a common fault, ends up as a multiple hour job, what the gently caress were the designers thinking?
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Oct 28, 2013 00:38
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Worn brake pad warning has lit up on my A4, do these things come on prematurely or am I about to get the annoying brake squeal?
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Oct 29, 2013 17:08
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 Have contacted a few local places I know for quotes on getting them swapped out, is 1-2 hours labour reasonable if all 4 pads are being done?
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Oct 30, 2013 10:21
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Motronic posted:lol. Brake jobs are gravy. That's way too long for a pad slap. And you probably won't find any better. Best I can find so far is an hour's labour and I can provide pads myself, with any luck next time something like this crops up I will have the space and kit to do it myself- looking up guides for it, it's hardly rocket science 
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Oct 31, 2013 12:47
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Thumposaurus posted:
It wasn't quite this thin, but damned close- glad I asked rather than waiting for a non-existent traditional indicator
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Nov 2, 2013 13:49
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West SAAB Story posted:This takes years, years, and more years of subjective training. Naw, just wiggle the connector around a bit
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Nov 17, 2013 20:16
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thegasman2000 posted:Looking to buy a 1998 Passat Se 20V, 1.8 Petrol Manual. Seller wants £380 and say the alternator is shot and a replacement part come in the boot... Is this a good deal and is it easy to change the alternator over? This is a V6 right? That seems pretty cheap even with the alternator being out and fairly high mileage. Replacing it also looks pretty straightforward but I am definitely not a mechanic. That it passed the MOT is good, but certainly check it out in detail, as that's not a whole lot more than the scrap value, and that would be a bit of a warning sign to me.
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Nov 19, 2013 19:26
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Prefect Six posted:Why would spraying oil on an electric circuit make it start working? WD40 = Water displacement, 40th formula Though I would recommend the dry rice in a sealed container trick.
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Nov 24, 2013 22:37
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Checked youtube videos/forums? That's what I did when my rear passenger brake light went, and rather than being a take to dealer thing as the manual suggested, it was more of a single screw and cheap, common bulb that took minutes to do
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Jan 6, 2014 00:29
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actionjackson posted:How big of a difference does using the "top tier" gas in Audis actually make? I ask because the most common gas retailer in my area (Superamerica/Speedway) is not listed. I get slightly better MPG using the higher octane petrol, just enough to make it work out the same cost or slightly less per mile as regular, but despite it being called V POWER NITRO it doesn't make my car into a rocketship
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Jan 27, 2014 21:13
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Probably a stupid question, but I'm overdue a full service on the A4, is it worth paying more for Audi servicing (the last few have not been), or just use my trusted place? The last 3 services under the previous owner were just a generic garage, and I don't think I will ever sell it on.
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Jan 29, 2014 21:50
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So I was an idiot and didn't drive for a week knowing the battery was crap, and walk out today to drive my A4. It tried starting but just wasn't quite there so I decided to pull the battery and give it a few hours on charge inside. Nope, I need a really loving long allen key to slide down the side of the battery to unlock it and let me remove it. Plenty of room on one side to put a nice easy unlocking thing, but nooooooo, gotta stick that loving thing somewhere really inaccessible, for a loving battery change. I don't have anything that will fit, and it's sunday so I can't get a bus anywhere to get anything that will fit it. gently caress you VAG. Least I get to buy tools and a new battery.
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Mar 16, 2014 15:22
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Snowdens Secret posted:Usually for stuff like that you use a 3/8" socket with an allen bit, and just stack extensions you've probably already got I tried stacking extensions but the bolt was right at the bottom of this run of pipes, behind the thick rubber insulation, it wasn't easy even with the allen, no way I would have fit a frankensteins monster style effort through there, I had to put a bit of pressure on the pipes to get it through as it was  And so turned out to be a pain to get to with anything but my shiny new tool. Got a nice set on sale from the same place that delivered the battery.  Job scruffily done, now to go out and fire up the quattro for a bit in the sunshine, and figure out how to reset all my clocks and the remote key. Might even wash it!
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Mar 18, 2014 15:54
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Shifty Pony posted:There is no possibility of using one of these cables to make the coolant temperature gauge on the dash actually operate correctly is there? It is just a dressed up idiot light at the moment. Not as far as I have seen, but a bluetooth OBDII and torque will tell you the actual temp
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Mar 31, 2014 12:58
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actionjackson posted:So in my A4, I have a bit of a lack of headroom. Maybe it's because of the sunroof, but I'm 6'1" and I can't really sit in the proper position (i.e. back straight and head against the headrest) without my head hitting the roof. I end up angling the back part of the seat about 10 degrees back. And yes I have the seat in the lowest possible position. Anyone else have this issue? Which year? I have a B6, and at 6"4 it's the most comfortable drive I have had in a car, I don't even have the seat all the way back, and while the seat is right down height wise, I have a little clearance for my head.
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Apr 24, 2014 06:32
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asked on stupid questions thread but didn't get an answer, will ask here because it cropped up again to a lesser extent last night: Had some slightly weird behaviour while driving this weekend (A4(B6), 1.8T quattro). Drove about 180-200 miles on Friday to the coast with no problems at all (driving through the back roads of the south downs in nice weather is highly recommended) and then left it parked till this morning. On startup to come back, the engine sounded pretty rough, and torque was saying the throttle control was juggling between 9% and 15% and the revs were responding accordingly. I cut power and checked over the fluids and they are fine, started back up sweet and crisply, torque hasn't thrown any codes at me. The drive back was fine, I guess I even pushed a little harder on the way back to test it- no problems, hills and curves with the quattro are really fun. After it sitting for about an hour I went out again, and it did the same behaviour but less variable and it went away as soon as I increased the revs a little (didn't try that the first time, I just cut it). Now, I did do a throttle calibration thing a week beforehand because the throttle was only giving around 87% with the foot to the floor (as suggested from here, rather than hack away at the rubber pad behind it to give more clearance) so I guess that could be a factor- some googling said the calibration can reset after a set period. It's about due the 100K service and should be done Wednesday, so I guess my stupid question is should I wait and see if it does it after that still, or is there anything else to check or try before it goes to the shop?
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Apr 29, 2014 11:50
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tolerabletariff posted:I had several long drives cruising at 65-70mph in my dad's 1998 Corolla that averaged 41 or 42 MPG despite it being rated for 30 or 33 (forget whether it was the 3- or the 4-speed auto). I'm pretty sure the sticker estimates always lowball it by a decent margin so even the shittiest drivers can't complain. My 1.8T A4 quattro (this one), pre very much needed service did 43mpg on the last full tank, though most of that was motorway stuff I did a fair bit of stop/start too.
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May 26, 2014 21:13
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DrChu posted:I'm guessing he's using Imperial gallons, which makes that about 36 mpg US. Whats the conversion to rods to the hogs head? That was the best tank yet though, if I do a tank around town/having fun I can knock that figure back to about 30-35 mpg, I get a bit less if I use the lower octane number fuel too.
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May 27, 2014 07:35
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devmd01 posted:Yuuup, after testing the voltage differential between battery and ground on the alternator, dips to well below 12v with electrical load and the engine ran up to 3000rpm. Gonna take it to autozone in the am, anything else I should look at? Is the belt reasonably tight and in good condition?
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Jun 14, 2014 21:21
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Schach posted:I posted about this in the Stupid Questions thread and someone directed me here for maybe more specifics. I have a 2006 2.0T Passat that the dealer said needs the thermostat and knock censor replaced, for $1500. Someone in the other thread helpfully confirmed my fear that that's kind of a lot of money. I found another mechanic on Yelp I can go to but does anyone have a more realistic ballpark idea I should have in mind when I take it to this place? When I got estimates for clutch, timing belt and water pump on my A4 the audi dealership quoted me more than double the next highest estimate- call around a bunch of shops, get quotes, and ask people you know in the area for suggestions on good mechanics.
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Aug 19, 2014 21:41
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Uthor posted:I got an estimate of $1150 to replace the timing belt and water pump on my 07 GTI. That seems high to me. Is it? Get a few estimates from independents, but given the parts cost and labour it's probably not far off. Then ring the dealership- I'm betting they are around double the next highest estimate.
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Oct 1, 2014 19:36
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Ezekial posted:I have a 2004 Audi A4 Quattro 1.8 Liter with the turbo. I used to drive a 2008 GLI. Granted that was a 2.0 liter engine that was turbo charged as well, but that had infinitely more torque.It slammed coming out of stops which was amazing. Is there any way I can make my A4 anywhere close to the man my GLI was? I'm not willing to spend 5 grand over a turbo kit, but do you recommend getting a performance ECU? And does a new exhaust system really....really do much besides add a few horsepower and make it louder. (Keep in mind my county is a county that has bullshit emissions tests...one of the only counties in my state.) There's a LOT of aftermarket parts available for the 1.8 as it was used in so many cars, apparently the exhaust system is seen as more of a problem than in other cars. Most people seem to start with a remap of the existing ECU, either by a specialist shop or using one of several software packages and a VAGCOM cable. There's a rough guide here of what many people seem to do, and some people have gotten phenomenal amounts of power out of the 1.8. If you only just bought it I would concentrate on making sure it's working well as it is before moving on- when I bought mine I thought the acceleration was pretty good, now it's had a replacement OEM turbo (old one shat itself) a service and a few other assorted repairs (clutch, timing belt, water pump e.t.c) it feels like a loving rocket, and the only real "mods" are fresh air induction and a catback exhaust (I'm in the UK with restrictive emissions and it passes every year just fine).
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Nov 10, 2014 20:18
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Aurium posted:Sorry, plugs have been changed as well. It's logged misfires on cylinders 3 and 4. I guess I should also say that while it's happening the check engine light flashes as well. If I continue to accelerate it will eventually turn solid, but if I let off it will just turn off. I'm not sure of when or what engines, but a lot of VAG cars had a coilpack harness replacement as part of the coilpack recall because the loving things were melting- my A4 had the coils and harness done in '12, but it didn't stop two of the coils from making GBS threads themselves a few months back. Probably worth a look next, if the plugs and packs check out, any VAG dealer can check on the system to see what recall work has been done. I would probably assume that if you can't get it to misfire at all in sport mode then its something related to that, but I would check out the harness first. For my own question- anyone have any experience dealing with the 12 year corrosion warranty?
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Dec 4, 2014 09:52
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Super Aggro Crag posted:I am about to go to my grandma's house to see if I can get the fuel door open on her 2000 Audi A4 1.8T. I assume there is some kind of manual release in the trunk? Might be a bit late, but there should be a little lever-off button on each side to allow access to the bolt that holds in the rear lights, on the fuel-tank side, underneath the button there should also be little red thing to pull on to release the filler door, but you might need to fish it out a bit.
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May 4, 2015 13:35
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Apparently a few EU governments were pushing hard to make the EU emissions tests next to useless (oh it's fine if your measurement is like 15% out... and yeah you can run the tests downhill with wind behind.. e.t.c), I think VW must right now be praying for a few other manufacturers to be caught out in similar ways. In good news, somehow my A4 has managed the last 5000 miles with all me doing is throwing petrol in it! In bad news, I was tooling around on a wet gravel track with ESP off and smacked her into a tree a bit. Yay!
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Sep 24, 2015 08:19
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The Casualty posted:used '06 A4 2.0t Quattro with a 6-speed manual I have a B6 with the 6 speed that I love. I shouldn't. Anyway, the clutch should be inspectable, it's how I found out from the mechanics that mine needed to be replaced at around 95K, it still felt fine right up until I had it done. The clutch is pretty light and the biting point can be difficult at first if you are used to a strong feedback on your foot, but it's predictable and you get used to the lighter feel quickly. Reliability? I have sunk more money into it than it cost me to buy in the first place- turbo, timing belt, clutch e.t.c but the last 6-7K all I have had to do is top up fluids and have a dipstick tube replaced, because it was plastic. Because VAG. But I love the way it drives, it's comfy as hell for me at 6"4 and the quattro is a lot of fun, especially if you turn off traction control on gravel (and slide off and smack a tree with it. it was fairly resilient to that actually.). Carry a bunch of fluids, check them regularly and find a good mechanic if you love it, just keep up on maintenance and expect financial pain in exchange.
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Nov 9, 2015 18:17
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Residency Evil posted:Stopped by the dealer today since they (surprisingly) had batteries that were reasonably priced. Turns out the Golf R is excluded from the "we hosed up" discount. It's probably for the best. My local Audi parts shop has been cheaper than anywhere else on coolant, power steering fluid and oil, though I think it varies from dealership to dealership how much you get price-gouged.
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Nov 13, 2015 22:45
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obi_ant posted:My car is having a really rough time starting up. I replaced all the spark plugs not too long ago. It's a bit frustrating because it happens intermittently. It'll be like, chug-chug-chug-chug-chug-bang and it'll start up fine after that. Drives fine. I guess I need to clean the engine internally? What is that process called specifically? I have a 80k GTI if that matters. Like everyone else said, check your coils. There's a reason I have 2 spares in the boot **edit Also get a bluetooth OBDII widget, download torque and pull the codes if you want a clue as to which one you need to do (probably all of them within a few months of each other). Pull the coil for whichever cylinder isn't firing right, switch it with another one and see if the problem moves to the new cylinder. DesperateDan fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Dec 8, 2015 |
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Dec 8, 2015 21:47
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obi_ant posted:I replaced all the coils no more than a year ago? I've read on a few forums that I might need an internal cleaning, and it's "normal" for my car around that mileage. I guess I can always get the Audi coil packs. I would pull your codes and check the coils before looking at any kind of unspecified "internal cleaning". You might also want to look at the wiring harness for the coils because that was a recall item on a lot of VAG cars due to heat damage. As far as I can remember from when I replaced mine, Audi will provide the exact same OEM plugs as VW- the ones I replaced were stamped with VW and Audi logos, and they were ones fitted as part of the harness recall. For the 1.8t the solution seems to be getting the 2.0 tfsi packs and using an adapter to get them to fit snugly, but I haven't had any issues with the packs since I replaced them a year or so ago with bosch ones.
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Dec 9, 2015 11:54
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wilfredmerriweathr posted:Isn't it obvious? Buy spare coilpacks. And oil, coolant, powersteering fluid, all the normal things you use every time you top up the petrol
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Dec 17, 2015 20:28
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veedubfreak posted:Most VWs made in the last 20 years don't have powersteering fluid Neither does mine because it's pissing out all over the road I haven't actually lost a drop of anything in the last thousand miles and it scares me
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Dec 22, 2015 20:49
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Getting a very intermittent oil level low (the centre computer screen, not the gently caress you I'm dying light) on my 1.8t despite changing dipstick and tube (though it's been less common since the tube), oil level is fine every time, no codes, only when warm and under load. Goes away when I check the dipstick. I'm guessing the level sender next?FreelanceSocialist posted:What are some of the common issues that I need to be aware of when shopping for a used US market Audi Allroad wagon? I came across a few '01-'03 2.7T models and an '05 4.2 which looks like it could be fun. Like most audis of that age its going to be a lot of fun but it's also going to break a lot as everything comes up on replacement age, so you want to be looking for things like it coming with newish recipts for turbos/timing belt/chain/everything in the drat engine bay or you can expect to shell out for them yourself sometimes soon. As people noted the 2.7 has a lot of issues, and I think it's the 4.2 that had the notoriously bad timing chain job on the firewall side of the engine necessitating a full engine out job, but it was otherwise reasonably solid Tyro posted:I'd rather pull the codes if possible A £5 bluetooth obdII sender and the free version torque app will get you a lot of the code reading abilities you need on the cheap. DesperateDan fucked around with this message at 19:49 on Dec 29, 2015 |
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Dec 29, 2015 19:45
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I feel I got my moneys worth for the basic code reading- it identified the cylinder with the duff coil pack, identified an airbag fault (but not which one or reset the code, which my mechanic had to do) and regularly tells me the secondary air pump is hosed, all three of those didn't throw a check engine light and I would have been clueless what to do otherwise. It's then worth more than that for having torque be able to readout a bunch of useful data and show it realtime. Anyone have experience with the knock-off vag-com cables?
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Dec 29, 2015 22:10
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 19:38 |
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Uthor posted:The engine in my MKV GTI sometimes takes a bit of cranking before it starts. It's been like this for a while, worse in the winter, but sometimes happened during the summer, too. I recently replaced the battery and the battery place said the alternator was fine. I've been hearing coil packs are a likely culprit. Are these the recommended ones to get? I'm about to place an ECS Tuning order, anyway. The long cable that feeds the coil packs can also gently caress up with extended heat cycles, so check that over too, also worth checking with a VAG dealer to see if you are eligible for, or a previous owner had the packs and cable done on a recall- mine were, but I have had to get fresh coils anyway. Get a few spares as well, because they will fail again eventually- really, really easy swap though.
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Jan 7, 2016 17:05
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