The Audi Thread

PhireSide said:
Computer mechanic, if that counts?

Always been fascinated by engineering and technical systems/drawings/designs...either I missed my calling in life, or I was an engineer in a past one.
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Same. Not afraid to tackle technical stuff, it's just I have no info (torque specs, part numbers etc) on my CDUC 3.0tdi engine.
 
wingnut771 said:
Same. Not afraid to tackle technical stuff, it's just I have no info (torque specs, part numbers etc) on my CDUC 3.0tdi engine.
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Ah, I think I misunderstood your post slightly then.

I find the majority of my info on Audizine but since they’re predominantly US/CA based, info on the diesel models are very scarce. For that, I think Audi World is a better bet as I think they are more Euro-centric.
 
Considering how massive the following for VAG is you will certainly be able to find service manuals online somewhere, especially for the older models you guys have.
 
airborne said:
Considering how massive the following for VAG is you will certainly be able to find service manuals online somewhere, especially for the older models you guys have.
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That's one of the nice things about them - an abundance of info, and (in my case) the B7 is old enough to be able to be worked on by simpletons like myself:)

I can highly recommend the Bentley manual as it seems really in-depth and well worth the R2000-odd cost for one if you're planning on keeping the car for a while and want to do DIY repairs.

@wingnut771 - I may have missed it but what have you got?
 
PhireSide said:
That's one of the nice things about them - an abundance of info, and (in my case) the B7 is old enough to be able to be worked on by simpletons like myself:)

I can highly recommend the Bentley manual as it seems really in-depth and well worth the R2000-odd cost for one if you're planning on keeping the car for a while and want to do DIY repairs.

@wingnut771 - I may have missed it but what have you got?
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R2000 for a manual, is it paper?
PDF or online is better because you can use search the document, have bookmarks you can jump to instantly and it doesn’t get worn out. I wouldn’t pay for one when there has to be one free on the internet, just have to find it.
 
airborne said:
Considering how massive the following for VAG is you will certainly be able to find service manuals online somewhere, especially for the older models you guys have.
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I’ve got a B8.5 3.0tdi - only manuals I’ve seen are for 2.0T.
 
PhireSide said:
That's one of the nice things about them - an abundance of info, and (in my case) the B7 is old enough to be able to be worked on by simpletons like myself:)

I can highly recommend the Bentley manual as it seems really in-depth and well worth the R2000-odd cost for one if you're planning on keeping the car for a while and want to do DIY repairs.

@wingnut771 - I may have missed it but what have you got?
Click to expand...
B8.5
 
airborne said:
R2000 for a manual, is it paper?
PDF or online is better because you can use search the document, have bookmarks you can jump to instantly and it doesn’t get worn out. I wouldn’t pay for one when there has to be one free on the internet, just have to find it.
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They are paper manuals yes, but I prefer PDF manuals with bookmarks like you mentioned.

I found a poorly-scanned copy on BidOrBuy for R50, but it has the basics that I need. Although I rarely use it - I find most info is available freely on the net.
 
PhireSide said:
For general part info: catcar.info
Common repair procedures: pelicanparts.com
Dealer Workshop System: kolhosniki.ru/elsaonline
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Thanks.

The first 2 don't have my car and the last one does but it looks like I need an account and I don't see how to register.
 
I figured I'd post up more or less the CTO of the 2007 A4 up until now. I've had it around 6 months now/4000km, so this is probably a good milestone as any to post up my experiences. All prices are approximate as I'm going by memory. I've marked preventive maintenance and service items in the table below with [MAINT].

Purchase price: R80'000.00
Disclosed flaws: Missing rear wiper arm. "Blocked catalytic converter". Peeling clearcoat on rear passenger door.
Undisclosed flaws: Missing intercooler. Electrical issues. Failing starter motor. High oil consumption. 1x tyre with a sidewall bulge. Failing battery. Fog lights not working. Leaking water bottle. Gearbox oil leak. Heavy fuel smell in cabin. Faulty centre brake light. Boot area side panels broken. Fender liner torn.

Parts replaced:
BatteryR1800
Battery clampsR47
Turbo coreR2500
Cargo side panelsR175
Rear wiper armR200
Rear brake lightR500
Fender linerR350
Valve cover x2 (the first 'new' one from scrapyard was faulty)R3200
Catalytic converter removalR1800
[MAINT] Oil + filter changeR450
[MAINT] Coolant flushR150
[MAINT] Power steering fluid flushR150
[MAINT] 2x new tyres w/ alignmentR2650
[MAINT] Fuel pump cam followerR450
[MAINT] Fuel filterR450
Misc. expenses (nuts, bolts, washers, etc.)R200

That's a grand total of around R9000 in parts/labour that I've had to add on to the car, and around R4500 in maintenance. A lot of the maintenance entries were big ticket items that won't crop up for at least a few more years, and I am sure I am forgetting about a few things here and there, but this is the gist of it. I still need to tackle a couple more things, but I'm taking things as they come.

Would I buy this car had I known about these issues? Honestly, no. I would have walked away, but what's done is done and at the end of the day, it drives really nicely and I'm still enjoying it and this 'experience' is providing me with a very good opportunity to go over the car and fix things as I find them. I do my own wrenching so I have no labour costs, which I imagine would drive the price up a fair bit. A big part of me wishes that I had sprung for the A4 Avant with the 3.0 TDI engine that was up for sale in my area a few months prior to me purchasing this one, but the cam chain job was due and that is a much bigger job than I am willing to take on at home since it involves complete engine removal.

Next up on the list will be to tackle the leaking coolant flange, change the gearbox oil and try and find a spare intercooler that I am missing. I didn't detail all the fixes here as that would make this wall of text even longer, but most were simple fixes that I could do in my spare time (the fog light fuse was missing, and the fuel pump seal needed tightening, for instance).

I can see why there is a stigma around 'cheap premium cars', but if you are not scared to get your elbows greasy, the CTO isn't too bad, but if you are in a similar position, I'd highly recommend you have the car taken to an independent mechanic for a once-over. Unfortunately, I bought this car from someone one province over, so I only had a friend's word to go on, and I wouldn't have expected him to go digging around the car in too much detail. Lots of the flaws wouldn't have been apparent anyway. So I can only emphasize that one do a very thorough check on cars like these. Best case, you walk away from a lemon, worst case, you have some room to do negotiations:D
 
PhireSide said:
I figured I'd post up more or less the CTO of the 2007 A4 up until now. I've had it around 6 months now/4000km, so this is probably a good milestone as any to post up my experiences. All prices are approximate as I'm going by memory. I've marked preventive maintenance and service items in the table below with [MAINT].

Purchase price: R80'000.00
Disclosed flaws: Missing rear wiper arm. "Blocked catalytic converter". Peeling clearcoat on rear passenger door.
Undisclosed flaws: Missing intercooler. Electrical issues. Failing starter motor. High oil consumption. 1x tyre with a sidewall bulge. Failing battery. Fog lights not working. Leaking water bottle. Gearbox oil leak. Heavy fuel smell in cabin. Faulty centre brake light. Boot area side panels broken. Fender liner torn.

Parts replaced:
BatteryR1800
Battery clampsR47
Turbo coreR2500
Cargo side panelsR175
Rear wiper armR200
Rear brake lightR500
Fender linerR350
Valve cover x2 (the first 'new' one from scrapyard was faulty)R3200
Catalytic converter removalR1800
[MAINT] Oil + filter changeR450
[MAINT] Coolant flushR150
[MAINT] Power steering fluid flushR150
[MAINT] 2x new tyres w/ alignmentR2650
[MAINT] Fuel pump cam followerR450
[MAINT] Fuel filterR450
Misc. expenses (nuts, bolts, washers, etc.)R200

That's a grand total of around R9000 in parts/labour that I've had to add on to the car, and around R4500 in maintenance. A lot of the maintenance entries were big ticket items that won't crop up for at least a few more years, and I am sure I am forgetting about a few things here and there, but this is the gist of it. I still need to tackle a couple more things, but I'm taking things as they come.

Would I buy this car had I known about these issues? Honestly, no. I would have walked away, but what's done is done and at the end of the day, it drives really nicely and I'm still enjoying it and this 'experience' is providing me with a very good opportunity to go over the car and fix things as I find them. I do my own wrenching so I have no labour costs, which I imagine would drive the price up a fair bit. A big part of me wishes that I had sprung for the A4 Avant with the 3.0 TDI engine that was up for sale in my area a few months prior to me purchasing this one, but the cam chain job was due and that is a much bigger job than I am willing to take on at home since it involves complete engine removal.

Next up on the list will be to tackle the leaking coolant flange, change the gearbox oil and try and find a spare intercooler that I am missing. I didn't detail all the fixes here as that would make this wall of text even longer, but most were simple fixes that I could do in my spare time (the fog light fuse was missing, and the fuel pump seal needed tightening, for instance).

I can see why there is a stigma around 'cheap premium cars', but if you are not scared to get your elbows greasy, the CTO isn't too bad, but if you are in a similar position, I'd highly recommend you have the car taken to an independent mechanic for a once-over. Unfortunately, I bought this car from someone one province over, so I only had a friend's word to go on, and I wouldn't have expected him to go digging around the car in too much detail. Lots of the flaws wouldn't have been apparent anyway. So I can only emphasize that one do a very thorough check on cars like these. Best case, you walk away from a lemon, worst case, you have some room to do negotiations:D
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Have you tried Quattro parts Centre? Which scrap places did you get your parts from?
 
wingnut771 said:
Have you tried Quattro parts Centre? Which scrap places did you get your parts from?
Click to expand...
Can't say I've heard of them. I got some of the scrap pre-loved parts from Merbeda here in PE, but surprisingly lots of new OEM parts I found either at OnlineCarParts or Boss Auto Spares.

The turbo core I purchased from Mr Turbo DBN, and the first valve cover from a spares shop up in JHB, but I forgot their name.
 
PhireSide said:
Can't say I've heard of them. I got some of the scrap pre-loved parts from Merbeda here in PE, but surprisingly lots of new OEM parts I found either at OnlineCarParts or Boss Auto Spares.

The turbo core I purchased from Mr Turbo DBN, and the first valve cover from a spares shop up in JHB, but I forgot their name.
Click to expand...
Sorry I thought you were in Durban.
 
PhireSide said:
I figured I'd post up more or less the CTO of the 2007 A4 up until now. I've had it around 6 months now/4000km, so this is probably a good milestone as any to post up my experiences. All prices are approximate as I'm going by memory. I've marked preventive maintenance and service items in the table below with [MAINT].

Purchase price: R80'000.00
Disclosed flaws: Missing rear wiper arm. "Blocked catalytic converter". Peeling clearcoat on rear passenger door.
Undisclosed flaws: Missing intercooler. Electrical issues. Failing starter motor. High oil consumption. 1x tyre with a sidewall bulge. Failing battery. Fog lights not working. Leaking water bottle. Gearbox oil leak. Heavy fuel smell in cabin. Faulty centre brake light. Boot area side panels broken. Fender liner torn.

Parts replaced:
BatteryR1800
Battery clampsR47
Turbo coreR2500
Cargo side panelsR175
Rear wiper armR200
Rear brake lightR500
Fender linerR350
Valve cover x2 (the first 'new' one from scrapyard was faulty)R3200
Catalytic converter removalR1800
[MAINT] Oil + filter changeR450
[MAINT] Coolant flushR150
[MAINT] Power steering fluid flushR150
[MAINT] 2x new tyres w/ alignmentR2650
[MAINT] Fuel pump cam followerR450
[MAINT] Fuel filterR450
Misc. expenses (nuts, bolts, washers, etc.)R200

That's a grand total of around R9000 in parts/labour that I've had to add on to the car, and around R4500 in maintenance. A lot of the maintenance entries were big ticket items that won't crop up for at least a few more years, and I am sure I am forgetting about a few things here and there, but this is the gist of it. I still need to tackle a couple more things, but I'm taking things as they come.

Would I buy this car had I known about these issues? Honestly, no. I would have walked away, but what's done is done and at the end of the day, it drives really nicely and I'm still enjoying it and this 'experience' is providing me with a very good opportunity to go over the car and fix things as I find them. I do my own wrenching so I have no labour costs, which I imagine would drive the price up a fair bit. A big part of me wishes that I had sprung for the A4 Avant with the 3.0 TDI engine that was up for sale in my area a few months prior to me purchasing this one, but the cam chain job was due and that is a much bigger job than I am willing to take on at home since it involves complete engine removal.

Next up on the list will be to tackle the leaking coolant flange, change the gearbox oil and try and find a spare intercooler that I am missing. I didn't detail all the fixes here as that would make this wall of text even longer, but most were simple fixes that I could do in my spare time (the fog light fuse was missing, and the fuel pump seal needed tightening, for instance).

I can see why there is a stigma around 'cheap premium cars', but if you are not scared to get your elbows greasy, the CTO isn't too bad, but if you are in a similar position, I'd highly recommend you have the car taken to an independent mechanic for a once-over. Unfortunately, I bought this car from someone one province over, so I only had a friend's word to go on, and I wouldn't have expected him to go digging around the car in too much detail. Lots of the flaws wouldn't have been apparent anyway. So I can only emphasize that one do a very thorough check on cars like these. Best case, you walk away from a lemon, worst case, you have some room to do negotiations:D
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How in the **** does one not disclose a missing intercooler?
 
Neuk_ said:
How in the **** does one not disclose a missing intercooler?
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That is quite hectic, I’m assuming that also means all the brackets and piping is missing?

Buying used vehicles is a minefield, my experience is that what a seller describes as excellent condition is often a near write off when you see it in person. Unfortunately the 2hnd market in South Africa is hyper competitive, deals are few and far between and seemingly near every seller feels nothing to try rip you off.

In 1st world places like US or Uk without to much looking you can score epic deals, especially on vehicles 10yr+.
 
Neuk_ said:
How in the **** does one not disclose a missing intercooler?
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It takes all kinds. To be fair, it still has one intercooler, on the left side. The right side one is just…gone. Replaced by a 90-degree metal pipe. The bracket is still there, so it’s just a case of finding a right-side SMIC and installing it again.

I’m going to go out on a whim and say the guy was probably oblivious and bought it from someone else and didn’t know any better.

So I guess I’m an owner of an A4 with a unique mod - we’ll call it the 0.5 SMIC mod. Could also be an excuse to ditch the remaining 0.5 IC and install a proper FMIC:unsure:
 
PhireSide said:
It takes all kinds. To be fair, it still has one intercooler, on the left side. The right side one is just…gone. Replaced by a 90-degree metal pipe. The bracket is still there, so it’s just a case of finding a right-side SMIC and installing it again.

I’m going to go out on a whim and say the guy was probably oblivious and bought it from someone else and didn’t know any better.

So I guess I’m an owner of an A4 with a unique mod - we’ll call it the 0.5 SMIC mod. Could also be an excuse to ditch the remaining 0.5 IC and install a proper FMIC:unsure:
Click to expand...

Which engine does your A4 have? My B6 A4 had twin SMIC’s but I haven’t seen a similar setup in a while.
 
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