picked up a new ride...get to work!

[Styleprojekt]

My girl picked herself up an 02 black on black 1.8T manual. She kinda surprised me with it because she had been talking about getting one etc and then she ended up selling her civic and buying this car within 4 days.
Its a good car and i was proud of her for picking it out herself, specifcally looking for and finding those 3 main points hehe (Black on black, 1.8T + Manual). However, she didnt pay much attention to little cosmetic defects and were gonna have to polish it up a bit. Its got a few little things wrong with it that i noticed during a short glimpse.

Were picking up the car tomorrow and will inspect it closely to figure out a few things, like why the hood is badly aligned etc...but for now

- The black window trim is faded badly. What product or ways of restoring the black shine as best as possible do you guys suggest?
- The little bottom center piece grill in the front bumper is missing along with the chrome trim around it. Any of you wanna get rid of theirs for a good price? Maybe trade for shipping cost and a german beer or so?
- Anybody know if Black interiors ever came with Tan headliners or has that been swapped out by someone?

Well, ill be having some questions tomorrow im sure cause i dont know 1.8T's that well so hopefully some of you are willing to help me out and answer some future questions ill have

Anything i should specifically check for on a higher mileage A4...specifically 1.8t? Any hints are welcome

[trueno429]

clrealy the car was in a accident..make sure the oil change history is viewed if u can and make sure it was changed with synthetic oil not conventional..and also see if the timing belt / water pump was done if the car has mad miles

[onceover]

was the timing belt changed?

[4Rings3Liters]

It sounds like it may have been in a front end collision.

[LampyB]

did she run a Carfax before purchasing? this is going to be crucial with the 'defects' you're talking about....

- people in the B7 forum have successfully been painting their chrome window trim black with Plasti Dip. you can also get some black vinyl decal stuff and cover the trim. people also use the same stuff as an alternative to painting a roof black.

- you can probably find a stock lower grille for free in the classifieds. there's really no market for this so expect to pay $25 at most from an AZ member.

- Higher mileage A4's (75K+ miles) should have a timing belt job done, and if not at least $500-1000 should be taken off of the price for a good deal. This will include the t-belt, serpentine belt, water pump, thermostat, all pulleys, etc...

- 02 sensors usually should be changed at 80K miles and up

- Test drive the car on a rough road and listen for squeaking or creaks, this will be bad bushings or CV Boots.

- Find the oil change & maintenance records!

- ENSURE THAT THERE'S AT LEAST A 3 MONTH, OR 3,000 MILE FULL WARRANTY WITH THE PURCHASE!!! just about every used car dealer in the country offers this...

[bwoy1981]

Watch the Rack-n-pinion. keep monitoring the PS fluid levels..

[BlackB6]

Paint the window trim with plasti-dip, and you can find a replacement center grille for your bumper at ecstuning.com for cheap.

[|FYASKO|]

'black wow' might work on the rubber trim. look it up in the detailing forum, it seems to work.

[B5Quattro190]

Use Mothers Back to Black for the black window trim as i've used that for my b5 a4 2.8Q. As far as the lower bumper grill piece, you can easily pick them up on ebay for a few bucks, and as others have been saying to make sure all regularly scheduled maintenance was done on the car.

[Styleprojekt]

'black wow' might work on the rubber trim. look it up in the detailing forum, it seems to work.

I will give that a shot. thanks :)

I am guessing the car got bumped, the left very front end fender gap to the hood was about 2 mm smaller than the right side. The rest of the hood gaps looked fine.

Ill look into every detail tomorrow and check for the things you guys pointed out.

[ad03avant]

Ive got a grill 25 bucks plus shipping and its yours. Stock OEM lower center grill from 2003 a4 non painted lower.

[Rommulus]

Mothers Back to Black works well on the rubber window trim.