New Member, New Audi, 109k miles therefore questions!

[jaketone]

I recently purchased my first Audi ever. I got a 2002 A4 1.8T Quattro Automatic Sport Package with 109k miles for $7500 here in Sacramento, CA.

Right away some of you might question why I did such a thing while others just might have done the same. Heres my reasoning: I wanted either a Jetta or an A4 and the only reasonable ones under $8k I could find all needed their waterpump/timing belt/tensioner etc changed as they typically had 80-100k miles on them. So I figured for the same price,year,mileage I might as well go for the Audi and I did.

The first and only owner kept meticulous service records which detailed when, where, and what was serviced up until I purchased it. She also bought a 100k warranty and utilized it to its fullest. All electrical components are fully functional, even the radio and a/c units do not have any sign of wear (whereas other I've seen usually have the black coating rub off). One thing though -- she never had the timing belt/tensioner/water pump replaced and I therefore told her to drop the price $1500 and I'll have it done rather than her do it first then sell it for the higher price.

I made an appointment for tomorrow, May 28, to have it all done for $700 at a VW/Audi shop. The local Audi Dealership gave me a ballpark estimate of about $1400-1500 so I feel like I'm getting a good deal. But I'm still a bit tense as $700 seems like so much to spend on preventative maintenance. For this reason I've actually ALWAYS purchased brand new cars -- to avoid paying for repairs and required maintenance. Hooray for warranties.

So far this is what has been replaced on the car by the original owner:

• Fuel Valve (58k miles)
• Coolant Pan (68k miles)
• Battery (74k miles)
• Front Rotors (99k miles)
• Brake Pads (99k Miles)
• New Tires (99k Miles)
• Coils (103k miles)
• Vacuum lines (103k miles)

with 109k miles on the car I want to make sure I don't end up dead on the read with a blown engine or something similar so is there anything you might recommend I have serviced or looked at? I plan on running some SeaFoam as according to the Audi Dealerships service record, at 103k miles, it was indicated that 'the vehicle could benefit from a carbon cleaning' but it was not done. I can't tell if they used synthetic or regular oil but I do plan on draining it and replacing it with synthetic. Suggestions on specific brands of oil? Or maybe service stations? I have also read somewhere that the turbo may need to be replaced soon?

[Audized]

You might want to flush your automatic transmission fluid if it hasn't been done before.

[gdawg'05a4]

Use Auto-RX to take care of any potential sludge, in case the previous owner didn't use synth. But you did mention she kept all the service records, no indication there? Or maybe search the PN of the Oil to see what was used.

Run a bottle or two of techron for injector cleaning.
I'd replace the fuel filter at that mileage if it hasn't been done already.

[0330QA4]

700 is a good price for a timing belt job heck the parts cost between $300-400 and it is in no way a short job. Good luck with the car.

[jrau13]

Is the $700 for the timing belt including the parts as well? If so that seems like a good deal especially considering the dealership wants double that. That's the most important service you want to do right now with that mileage. The above are needed as well.

[akaEsCo01]

Parts only cost $250 at most for a timing belt job. I have done it twice. Sounds like you got a really good deal, and the cars sounds very well maintained.

[pondside36]

Sounds like you found a good one and well maintained... I have 95K and expect her to run a long time... the A4 was the way to go you shouldn't be disapointed.. the additional items mentioned above should keep her running well.. enjoy

[akaEsCo01]

Here's a list of approved oils, Audi Approved Oil List

[0330QA4]

Parts only cost $250 at most for a timing belt job. I have done it twice. Sounds like you got a really good deal, and the cars sounds very well maintained.

I wish I had a 1.8t when it comes to this. Damn 3.0 job is about $600 in parts and like $2300 at the dealer.

[Adam 1.8]

lets see some pics

[jaketone]

Thanks for the advice everyone. While she did keep records of everything, she did not indicate what type of oil was used at every oil change. I'm going to assume it was not synthetic but she does have the PN so I'll see if I can determine whether it was Synthetic or not.

It's not that I'm disappointed with my purchase, I'm just not used to paying for maintenance.

The $700 price does include parts and labor and I'll provide pics later.

[ICEBIRGSLIM]

700 is a good deal i got mine done for about the same price by my local mech after getting quotes to do it that were all over the place from $1000 - $2000.

[jaketone]

Thanks for your input. I just got the car back and ended up paying $1000 -- I forgot to mention that my rear window's regulator needed to be replaced plus I had Mobil 1 synthetic oil added. After all is said and done, I'm happy.

I asked the mechanic to look things over and let me know of other things that he feels should be looked at since it does have 109k miles. He said the front engine mount has cracks and should be replaced, but more urgent were my front axles' inner CV boots which were busted and had leaked oil all over my frame. Anyone had such parts replaced and what did it cost to replace?

Also, heres a shot of my car right after service.

[02SILVANT]

Welcome!

i had my inner CV boot replaced on the drive side and it was like $110 at Les Schwab Tire center. Good luck and car looks good for 109k. enjoy!

[dougyfresh]

I recommend these engine mounts in "street density"
http://www.034motorsport.com/product...roducts_id=772



Looks like you got a good deal on your new Audi. I'd flush the crankcase like others have suggested and use a synthetic oil with the oversized filter. My oil & filter change intervals are 5,000miles. You can also get filters for as low as $5 at germanfilters.com. I just bought another box of 10 from them.

[jaketone]

I just got done reading the thread regarding AudiA4_20T and his 2.0 GT35R plans and now I'm almost afraid to ask questions such as, "how do I flush the crankcase" and "how do I fill it back up?".

But this Audi stuff is chinese to me. Back in highschool (95-98) I worked on and partially owned a 68 Camaro with a 454 big block. Unfortunately I haven't worked on anything since and when I pop the Audi's hood all I see are foreign languages and I fall over overwhelmed screaming, "why God.... why?"

Anyhow, thanks for the advice and pricing again. I saw a picture of the motor mounts on the forum before so I'll be sure to get them.

[F16HTON]

I am pretty local to you, if you ever have any questions or need anything I would be happy to help.

[jaketone]

Thanks I remember seeing that you ran a store or something in Roseville? I actually took my Audi to John @ WRD. Sound familiar?

[F16HTON]

I live one block over from John. He is a pretty nice guy, could probably use a little more knowledge about Audi's though.

[dougyfresh]

I just got done reading the thread regarding AudiA4_20T and his 2.0 GT35R plans and now I'm almost afraid to ask questions such as, "how do I flush the crankcase" and "how do I fill it back up?".

But this Audi stuff is chinese to me. Back in highschool (95-98) I worked on and partially owned a 68 Camaro with a 454 big block. Unfortunately I haven't worked on anything since and when I pop the Audi's hood all I see are foreign languages and I fall over overwhelmed screaming, "why God.... why?"

Anyhow, thanks for the advice and pricing again. I saw a picture of the motor mounts on the forum before so I'll be sure to get them.

Don't worry. I did the same thing in High School and when I bought my Audi in 2004 I was hesitant to do any work on it. With time, and lots of reading and discussing with people, I have lost all fear in doing any work to my Audi.

Feel free to search and ask around on here. There's good info here.

[jaketone]

I live one block over from John. He is a pretty nice guy, could probably use a little more knowledge about Audi's though.

Interesting -- I was referred to John by my friend who is a VW Owner/Enthusiast. John did everything I needed at a great price so I'm happy but if someone out here in Sacramento knows more about Audi's and is pretty similar in price that would be cool. I'm assuming you do all of the work on your vehicle yourself, or do you take it somewhere? I would like to do more of this myself but I just don't have the time.

^ I actually joined the forums a week or two before I bought the car just to try and read up on what I was getting myself into and what to expect :) I've definitely found lots of help just in reading which is great. I was pretty stoked to see the DIY section and almost considered giving the timing belt replacement a shot. But I decided not to and will start with something perhaps less critical.

Right now I'm more interested in maintaining my car and making it look good so I plan on starting with the basics. I.E. bumpers, exhaust, tint.

[pondside36]

You'll do fine, I had barely worked on cars before starting in on my Audi, with lots of help from here and the audi guru AudiA4_20T with my suspension and timing belt things are coming together nicely, having the right tools is half the battle, a decent set of metric wrenches, sockets, allan wrenches, and Torx tools and you'll be on your way.... oh yeah easy access to Audizine when you get stuck.. happy wrenching.