Well folks, its been fun

[scythefwd]

I haven't posted much here, but I have been reading, almost weekly it seems, finding great information on how to keep my b5a4 running. It has, unfortunately, become more work than its worth, and to pay someone else to do it would cost more than the car is worth literally.

I sit here, having had my heater core literally pop and fill my cab with the acrid fumes of coolant steam. Like, I heard pop, then couldnt see...

I have bypassed the core, but I dont have 10 hours to figure out where all the nuts, bolts, etc... are that I have to remove/replace to pull the core to replace it. She was a basket case when I bought her, and she's leaving me a basket case as well. I dont know when she's leaving.. but I'm done, next major repair and its over. If she limps along till next summer, good, if not, good riddance.

Of the things I've had to do in the last year..

Valve cover gasket
replace exhaust
o2 sensors
coolant overflow tank
bypass the heater core
evap canister
evap canister purge valve/pump
replace all of my pcv system
teh gasket between the intake and the block
temp sensor, 2x
speed sensor on the driver side front wheel hub
vacuum line repair

Things that still dont work, and I'm not fixing them
three windows.. think it may be motor or switch on one, its the regulators on the rear
cruise control
heat (now)
auto dimming rearview is dark all the time
side view mirror is dark/delaminating
still have an 02 sensor or two that could use replacement
have a squeak in my suspension that is probably bad
and
Timing belt is due in like 17k miles..

This will probably not be my last german car, it probably wont be my last VAG vehicle in all reality... but for now, I bid yall adieu.

This forum is great.. I like it as much as I did when I was on tdiclub for my tdi.. Best wishes and thanks for all the fish.

[Mattr567]

Sorry to hear that. My B5 has been pretty good to me.

Good luck!

[czum09]

B5's can be a pain. Let's be fair, they're old. Repairs are bound to happen. Good luck to you!

[scythefwd]

They can be.. but if the repairs were more accessible, then I wouldnt be so ready to ditch it... who puts a c clip made of plastic into a blind slot on the back of the engine without leaving clearance.. audi apparently does. Thermostat? Might as well do a TB change.. you're doing all the same steps anyways....

My tdi wasn't bad.. MUCH less problems than this b5 (it was a 99, alh engine code, beetle.) and other than the headlights sucking, and the turbo sopply line (not too bad really), everything else was an easy fix.. till the squirrels got into the wiring harness.

[Seerlah]

Sucks! But owning any German car, let alone one over 15 years old, is not an easy task. Price of ownership can take a tool on both your wallet and well being.

One problem is people dump their headaches off (referring to 1-3 steps away from a lemon), as if that headache won't be transferred to another. And now you are stuck with a burden, and not a car. My advice is to stop where you are at. Don't invest any more money into it. Once heater core pops, you have electrical components that if not are problematic now will be in the future (ie enhanced corrosion speed). Take the loss and move on.

But you have choices to recuperate more money. Sell the car in parts over time, or try and dump it all at once for cheap. But if you don't have the time and money, get rid of that car. Find one more suitable. Stay with the B5 A4 if you choose, but post up the link to the ad and we can tell you if it is a good purchase or not. If further away, AZ member will go inspect the car for you (ie regional forum). Great community, and it is things like that which makes it great.

Whatever it is you decide, best of luck to you!

[scythefwd]

seerlah - I saw all sorts of effects on my dash indicators right after pop.. I'm waiting for my elio to be made so I can commute with cheap gas in an efficient car... I figured the increased moisture exposure on the connectors would cause corrosion, which is why I'm done.. this just sounds more and more expensive lol. I figure once something else goes out.. car will get turned into kars for kids or the like.. with full disclosure that shes not to be repaired.. its too done. I could probably sell it to a pick your parts yard for 1-200 cash.. and I know the engine is worth more than that ..

[Seerlah]

Just try and get the most for it and move on. We used to have a family beater car, that was a 97 Saturn SL2. Served it's purpose well, and I recommend Saturn just on the longevity factor in case anybody is interested (this is a car enthusiast forum board, and not a fan-boy website). End of the day, my mother did not want me to fix the tranny and she said to just get rid of it. Paid itself off a long time ago, making 40+mpg. It was great! But those newspaper ads that say they will pick your car up and give you cash on the spot are not gimmicks. Picked the SL2 up from my house...$500 cash in hand. No reverse, but still drove. Made guy extra happy, as he drove it right onto the flatbed.

With owning this car, of course the fun factor with stout that German cars bring to the table is relevant. And the drive of them is what keeps most of us here. Doubt the newer Audis will ever possess that feel on the wheel like a classic B5 has (ie power steering fuse delete mod on the B7, just so they can feel in control of the car), and I can understand why one may want such an old car such as the B5 (you have your own reason). I had mine before people even knew what an Audi was, and the B5 A4/S4 was top of my bucket list first time I seen it. Years later, acquired one (1.8t over 2.7t due to crazy high gas prices at this time). The B7 was just being released when I purchased my car, and the B5 was what many revere as the Phoenix that brought Audi to the stature it is now.

[4A Play]

Should I be the first to inquire about a part out? I'll take bank 1 sensor 1 o2 😁

You'll be back.

[BlackLock_A4]

Should I be the first to inquire about a part out? I'll take bank 1 sensor 1 o2 😁

You'll be back.

lol I'm surprised the coolant tank wasn't the first one. Most of ours look ugly and are about to crack...

[scythefwd]

4a - its being donated for charity.. but had I had the room to part it out.. I'd have pulled bank 2 instead.. why.. cause they had less than 200 miles on them

blacklock - yup.. they go "quick"

4A may be right.. I will probably be back, but not till the liberty that replaced it and the elio that will be what replaces the jeep dies.. so it might could be a little while :D