Advice about potential A4 Avant purchase please?
Discussion
I'm looking at getting a practical car that can easily carry the kids, dogs etc. I've been offered a friends 1998 A4 TDi which has a FSH and is at about 80,000 miles. Price is looking at being about £3500 which seems reasonable from what I can find - similar petrol ones from that year seem to be about £3000 - £3500.
So, I was just wondering if that sounds a good deal really? Are these cars pretty bombproof if service regularly? Anything I should look out for on it?
Thanks in advance,
Mike.
So, I was just wondering if that sounds a good deal really? Are these cars pretty bombproof if service regularly? Anything I should look out for on it?
Thanks in advance,
Mike.
Should keep going for at least twice that if you keep changing the oil & filters.
There was a recall for track rod ends affecting A4, A6 and A8s of that age, best check if it needs to/has been done. VOSA ref R/1999/072.
80K is cambelt time for pre-PD TDIs as well, so price accordingly.
AdrianR
There was a recall for track rod ends affecting A4, A6 and A8s of that age, best check if it needs to/has been done. VOSA ref R/1999/072.
80K is cambelt time for pre-PD TDIs as well, so price accordingly.
AdrianR
What's Good
Handles quite nicely. Good looking, galvanised body. 14' 8" long by 6' 1" wide and weighing from 1,195kg. Avant estate from March 1996. Old 150 bhp 2.6 V6 is a nice engine and easily delivers 30 mpg. TDI 90 and TDI 110 deservedly popular, offering up to 50 mpg driven fairly carefully. 150bhp TDI V6 well liked. Other engines: 100 bhp 1.6, 125 bhp 1.8 20v, 150 bhp 20v Turbo, new 165 bhp 30v 2.4 V6; 193 bhp 2.8 30v V6; 265 bhp S4 Quattro. Comprehensively re-thought in Spring 1999. Got 115 bhp 'Pumpe Duse' TDI option from late 1999. Seventh most reliable car in 2001 Fleet News Survey of 620,000 fleet cars mostly under 3 years old. Limited production 350bhp RS4 marked end of the line. Low 3 out of 9 point death rate from accidents in A4s generally. Petrol 95-97 models average for breakdowns, problems and faults; 98-2000 petrol models average for breakdowns and faults and fewest problems in 2003 Which survey. 98-2000 diesels average for problems and faults and lowest for breakdowns in 2003 Which survey.
What's Bad
Takes a few days to get used to the steering, seats and over-servoed brakes. Weight of TDI V6 takes edge off handling. Limited market for 1.6s without sunroofs or aircon. Similar expensive front wishbone bush problems as A6 and Passat - eliminated late 1999. Average performance in NCAP crash tests. Heavy salted road spray may make brakes feel spongey. In Germany, deflectors are available FOC to cure this ('Auto Bild' magazine 24/11/2000). Poor AM radio reception. Last of the line, ultra quick RS4s suffered from 'soft' alloy wheels easily damaged by potholes. Lock of front passenger door can fail. According to J.A., the fix is to remove 3 screws that hold the door trim on, then remove or stick back the sound insulation inside the door to the outer door skin, making sure that none is jammed in the lock mechanism. In 95% of cases the door lock will now lock and un lock on demand. Total cost 15 minutes time. 1.8 20v engines are snapping their timing belts at 70,000 - 80,000 miles and the extensive damage this causes is not repairable. The car will need a replacement engine. 1.8 20v timing belt drives waterpump. Bosch 'hot film' Mass Airflow Sensors seem to be failing regularly. Protective rubber strips at bottoms of doors held on by mild steel clips which rust badly and disintegrate. Power loss on TDI 90s and 110s over 3,000rpm can be cured by replacing a thin hose that runs from the exhaust, near the turbo, to the ECU. Corrosion of alloy washers on rear brake caliper pipe unions can result in sudden and rapid loss of brake fluid. Joint third bottom in 2002 Which reliability survey of cars up to 2 years old; 53 cars surveyed. Average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 101.16 v/s lowest 31.93). Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk 95-97 diesels average for breakdowns and problems but poor for faults in 2003 Which survey.
What to Watch Out For
Rear discs rust first. Rattling catalytic converters (especially on 2.6, which has two costing £650 apiece). Cats also fail on 1.9 TDIs built before August 1998. Quite a few coming off the fleets, so look out for signs of clocking and inadequate maintenance. Look for accident damage repaired with non-galvanised panels or with bad welds. Plastic water pump impellers on early 1.8 20v engines fail. Newer water pumps have metal impellers. Possible oil consumption problem with 30v V6s, so have emissions checked for excessive HCs before buying. Some A4s develop a fault with the immobiliser ignition switch transmission reader coil. Some develop faults with both the reader coil and the key transponder. If the car comes with two different keys, this is why. Creaks from front suspension indicate wishbone problem: budget for £500 - £700 to replace unless carried out under recall programme. Mixed metal corrosion at unions of flexible brake pipes to rear wheels.
Recalls
1997 (built Feb-March 1997): check front seatbelt top mounting height adjusters. (Built '95-'96): airbag may inflate while stationary. 1998: 4,574 2.4 litre V6 cars built Aug '97-Feb '98: possibility of throttle jamming. 1999: 'S' reg 2.5 V6 TDIs recalled for brake modification; 2.5 V6 TDIs recalled for major engine modifications. 2000: A4 manuals built July '94-August '95: brake pedal may become loose; A4s built March '98 to August '98: steering ball joints could fail. Also Recall 13A9 vibration damper, Recall 17B4 oil pump and Recall 46C7 brake pads. March 2001: Worldwide recall of 560,000 1999 model year A4s, A6s, A8s and VW Passats to replace steering ball joints (track rod ends). Announced Auto Bild 11/3/2001: Wordwide recall of all VW passats from 1996 to July 2001, Audi A4s from 1994, Audi A6s from 1997 to replace faulty front lower wishbones (this recall is not acknowledged or applied by Audi UK). Recall announced in Auto Bild 26/8/2001: The ball joint can fail and the the two other flex connections can fail. (These are the long arms that go from the bottom of the front hubs to the body.) 16-10-02: On cars with 3 spoke steering wheels airbags may not work. Airbag to be replaced, but affects only 79 of 4,400 cars. April 2004: Worldwide recall of 870,000 1996-1999 Passat, 1994-1999 A4, 1997-1999 A6 and 1994-1999 A8s for "free check for possible damage of the rubber bellows of the front axle. The problem could lead to premature wear and, in isolated cases, to the failure of the bearing arm."
Handles quite nicely. Good looking, galvanised body. 14' 8" long by 6' 1" wide and weighing from 1,195kg. Avant estate from March 1996. Old 150 bhp 2.6 V6 is a nice engine and easily delivers 30 mpg. TDI 90 and TDI 110 deservedly popular, offering up to 50 mpg driven fairly carefully. 150bhp TDI V6 well liked. Other engines: 100 bhp 1.6, 125 bhp 1.8 20v, 150 bhp 20v Turbo, new 165 bhp 30v 2.4 V6; 193 bhp 2.8 30v V6; 265 bhp S4 Quattro. Comprehensively re-thought in Spring 1999. Got 115 bhp 'Pumpe Duse' TDI option from late 1999. Seventh most reliable car in 2001 Fleet News Survey of 620,000 fleet cars mostly under 3 years old. Limited production 350bhp RS4 marked end of the line. Low 3 out of 9 point death rate from accidents in A4s generally. Petrol 95-97 models average for breakdowns, problems and faults; 98-2000 petrol models average for breakdowns and faults and fewest problems in 2003 Which survey. 98-2000 diesels average for problems and faults and lowest for breakdowns in 2003 Which survey.
What's Bad
Takes a few days to get used to the steering, seats and over-servoed brakes. Weight of TDI V6 takes edge off handling. Limited market for 1.6s without sunroofs or aircon. Similar expensive front wishbone bush problems as A6 and Passat - eliminated late 1999. Average performance in NCAP crash tests. Heavy salted road spray may make brakes feel spongey. In Germany, deflectors are available FOC to cure this ('Auto Bild' magazine 24/11/2000). Poor AM radio reception. Last of the line, ultra quick RS4s suffered from 'soft' alloy wheels easily damaged by potholes. Lock of front passenger door can fail. According to J.A., the fix is to remove 3 screws that hold the door trim on, then remove or stick back the sound insulation inside the door to the outer door skin, making sure that none is jammed in the lock mechanism. In 95% of cases the door lock will now lock and un lock on demand. Total cost 15 minutes time. 1.8 20v engines are snapping their timing belts at 70,000 - 80,000 miles and the extensive damage this causes is not repairable. The car will need a replacement engine. 1.8 20v timing belt drives waterpump. Bosch 'hot film' Mass Airflow Sensors seem to be failing regularly. Protective rubber strips at bottoms of doors held on by mild steel clips which rust badly and disintegrate. Power loss on TDI 90s and 110s over 3,000rpm can be cured by replacing a thin hose that runs from the exhaust, near the turbo, to the ECU. Corrosion of alloy washers on rear brake caliper pipe unions can result in sudden and rapid loss of brake fluid. Joint third bottom in 2002 Which reliability survey of cars up to 2 years old; 53 cars surveyed. Average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 101.16 v/s lowest 31.93). Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk 95-97 diesels average for breakdowns and problems but poor for faults in 2003 Which survey.
What to Watch Out For
Rear discs rust first. Rattling catalytic converters (especially on 2.6, which has two costing £650 apiece). Cats also fail on 1.9 TDIs built before August 1998. Quite a few coming off the fleets, so look out for signs of clocking and inadequate maintenance. Look for accident damage repaired with non-galvanised panels or with bad welds. Plastic water pump impellers on early 1.8 20v engines fail. Newer water pumps have metal impellers. Possible oil consumption problem with 30v V6s, so have emissions checked for excessive HCs before buying. Some A4s develop a fault with the immobiliser ignition switch transmission reader coil. Some develop faults with both the reader coil and the key transponder. If the car comes with two different keys, this is why. Creaks from front suspension indicate wishbone problem: budget for £500 - £700 to replace unless carried out under recall programme. Mixed metal corrosion at unions of flexible brake pipes to rear wheels.
Recalls
1997 (built Feb-March 1997): check front seatbelt top mounting height adjusters. (Built '95-'96): airbag may inflate while stationary. 1998: 4,574 2.4 litre V6 cars built Aug '97-Feb '98: possibility of throttle jamming. 1999: 'S' reg 2.5 V6 TDIs recalled for brake modification; 2.5 V6 TDIs recalled for major engine modifications. 2000: A4 manuals built July '94-August '95: brake pedal may become loose; A4s built March '98 to August '98: steering ball joints could fail. Also Recall 13A9 vibration damper, Recall 17B4 oil pump and Recall 46C7 brake pads. March 2001: Worldwide recall of 560,000 1999 model year A4s, A6s, A8s and VW Passats to replace steering ball joints (track rod ends). Announced Auto Bild 11/3/2001: Wordwide recall of all VW passats from 1996 to July 2001, Audi A4s from 1994, Audi A6s from 1997 to replace faulty front lower wishbones (this recall is not acknowledged or applied by Audi UK). Recall announced in Auto Bild 26/8/2001: The ball joint can fail and the the two other flex connections can fail. (These are the long arms that go from the bottom of the front hubs to the body.) 16-10-02: On cars with 3 spoke steering wheels airbags may not work. Airbag to be replaced, but affects only 79 of 4,400 cars. April 2004: Worldwide recall of 870,000 1996-1999 Passat, 1994-1999 A4, 1997-1999 A6 and 1994-1999 A8s for "free check for possible damage of the rubber bellows of the front axle. The problem could lead to premature wear and, in isolated cases, to the failure of the bearing arm."
Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff