I would like your "Top 10" Opinions please!
#1
06-18-2013, 03:08 PM
I would like your "Top 10" Opinions please!
Hi Guys,
I just bought my first Audi. It's a 2001 A4 1.8T 5 speed (AWM B5 Ver. 2) and I was hoping to get some opinions on what you guys see as your "Top 10" lists of the following:
1. "Top 10 maintenance/check list for a new owner" **(mine has 260K mi. I know the timing belt and H20 pump were done at 200K, but that's about all I know)
2. "Top 10 Free/Cheapest mods."
3. "Top 10 known issues to look out for and prevent." **My DIC pixels are already gone, so you can skip that.
Any and all help is appreciated!
I just bought my first Audi. It's a 2001 A4 1.8T 5 speed (AWM B5 Ver. 2) and I was hoping to get some opinions on what you guys see as your "Top 10" lists of the following:
1. "Top 10 maintenance/check list for a new owner" **(mine has 260K mi. I know the timing belt and H20 pump were done at 200K, but that's about all I know)
2. "Top 10 Free/Cheapest mods."
3. "Top 10 known issues to look out for and prevent." **My DIC pixels are already gone, so you can skip that.
Any and all help is appreciated!
Last edited by A4TurboGuy; 06-19-2013 at 01:26 PM.
#2
06-18-2013, 04:15 PM
#4
06-19-2013, 04:30 PM
Welcome! The newbie guide has lots of great info in it, but to add to it with my personal experiences...
In no particular order:
1. Start getting ready to change your timing belt again. Recommended service interval is 60-80k, so if you're doing the work yourself now is a good time to start collecting parts. If you're not, now is a good time to start collecting money. If you're going to do it yourself, get a kit with all the goodies including a new thermostat and a water pump with a metal impeller. Also a good time to do cam/crank seals.
2. Control arms- At that mileage most of them should have been replaced already. If they haven't been, they probably should be. Indicated by creaking/clunking when going over bumps.
3. Shocks- Same deal here. They're probably all blown already, and if not they're getting there. Push down on each corner right above the wheel. If it bounces more than twice they're shot.
4. Oil filter/change- First thing I always do with a new car. Even if it looks new, change it anyway so you have a baseline to work from. Full synthetic every 3-5k miles is fine unless you have pre-existing sludge issues. There are two filters for the 1.8T, make sure you get the big one. Mobil-1 part number for the big filter is M1-301
5. Fuel filter- Everyone puts this off, don't put it off. Book interval for this is 20k miles, but you'd probably be fine doing it every 50k. It isn't a difficult job, and a filter is like $10, so there's no reason to put it off.
6. Coil packs- Common point of failure and common cause for misfires. They were recalled a while back, so you get a free set from the dealership if they haven't already been changed. Best to do them all at the same time.
7. Air filter/cabin filter. Everyone seems to forget that these need to be replaced, especially the cabin filter. If it's all gunked up it can cause your heat/AC to smell weird.
8. Wheel bearings- Another common problem as these cars get older. Kind of a pain in the *** if you don't have the right tools and a press, but you can pull the spindle and take it to a shop to have the old bearing pressed out and the new one pressed in. Usually identified by a groaning or "wub wub wub" noise on the outside wheels when cornering
9.CV joints- Again, common failure items. The joints can be had individually for <$100 and you can change them yourself. If you want to replace the whole axle shaft, go with reman OEM or Raxles. Stay away from the Chinese **** like EMPI and FEQ. They're known for using wrong-length axle shafts and shitty joints. AMHIK.
10.Last, but not least, the turbo- At 260k miles, it likely doesn't have a ton of life left in it. Pop the turbo inlet hose off and check for shaft play. There shouldn't be much. If you can wiggle the shaft in/out or up/down/side-to-side, start looking for a replacement. A used K03 or K04 with low miles is a direct bolt on, as is a Frankenturbo hybrid. The former can be had for a few hundred bucks in the classifieds here, on Vortex or the zine. The latter will run you about $1k for a kit including a new manifold and turbo inlet.
1. Wash, clay bar, cut and buff. The paint on these cars is good stuff, it will clean up nicely. (Free, less car washing supplies which any self respecting car guy should already have)
2. Clear corner your headlights (free)
3. Paint lower mouldings (<$100)
4. Lowering springs(Got mine for $100 used)
5. A8/TT brakes. Great bang-for-buck upgrade, you can buy a kit from ECS Tuning for ~$300 or piece together your own for less. I picked up a set of A8 rotors on sale for $80 and got TT carriers from a part out on craigslist for $100. This is the braking setup these cars should have come with from the factory
6. New coolant expansion tank. Vastly improves the looks under the hood and a new tank is $35
7. Goes along with #6, but clean your engine bay. Nothing worse than looking in there and seeing all kinds of dirt and grime and nastiness. (free)
8. Debadge. This is very subjective, but I think taking all of the badges and **** off the trunk lid looks very nice, and its free.
9. S4/RS4 grille. Not free, but they can be found used for under $100
10. Not necessarily cheap, but a chip will wake up your car and you will not regret the purchase price I promise. Another great bang-for-buck mod. Check out companies like Speedtuning, Revo, APR, GIAC, etc. You can often find used ECU's in the classifieds for a few hundred bucks from guys who upgraded to larger turbos. There's a guy on Audizine who sells custom Maestro tunes for ~$200. I'm running one of his tunes and its great. Plus that gives you a spare ECU.
Pretty much covered this in the first checklist above, but in addition:
1. Always carry extra parts. **** WILL break, its just a matter of when. I carry 4 spare coilpacks, a quart of oil, a gallon of coolant, a bottle of power steering fluid, a bottle of clutch/brake fluid, tools, an impact gun, etc..etc...
EDIT: Sorry for the wall of text, but that should get you well on your way
1. Start getting ready to change your timing belt again. Recommended service interval is 60-80k, so if you're doing the work yourself now is a good time to start collecting parts. If you're not, now is a good time to start collecting money. If you're going to do it yourself, get a kit with all the goodies including a new thermostat and a water pump with a metal impeller. Also a good time to do cam/crank seals.
2. Control arms- At that mileage most of them should have been replaced already. If they haven't been, they probably should be. Indicated by creaking/clunking when going over bumps.
3. Shocks- Same deal here. They're probably all blown already, and if not they're getting there. Push down on each corner right above the wheel. If it bounces more than twice they're shot.
4. Oil filter/change- First thing I always do with a new car. Even if it looks new, change it anyway so you have a baseline to work from. Full synthetic every 3-5k miles is fine unless you have pre-existing sludge issues. There are two filters for the 1.8T, make sure you get the big one. Mobil-1 part number for the big filter is M1-301
5. Fuel filter- Everyone puts this off, don't put it off. Book interval for this is 20k miles, but you'd probably be fine doing it every 50k. It isn't a difficult job, and a filter is like $10, so there's no reason to put it off.
6. Coil packs- Common point of failure and common cause for misfires. They were recalled a while back, so you get a free set from the dealership if they haven't already been changed. Best to do them all at the same time.
7. Air filter/cabin filter. Everyone seems to forget that these need to be replaced, especially the cabin filter. If it's all gunked up it can cause your heat/AC to smell weird.
8. Wheel bearings- Another common problem as these cars get older. Kind of a pain in the *** if you don't have the right tools and a press, but you can pull the spindle and take it to a shop to have the old bearing pressed out and the new one pressed in. Usually identified by a groaning or "wub wub wub" noise on the outside wheels when cornering
9.CV joints- Again, common failure items. The joints can be had individually for <$100 and you can change them yourself. If you want to replace the whole axle shaft, go with reman OEM or Raxles. Stay away from the Chinese **** like EMPI and FEQ. They're known for using wrong-length axle shafts and shitty joints. AMHIK.
10.Last, but not least, the turbo- At 260k miles, it likely doesn't have a ton of life left in it. Pop the turbo inlet hose off and check for shaft play. There shouldn't be much. If you can wiggle the shaft in/out or up/down/side-to-side, start looking for a replacement. A used K03 or K04 with low miles is a direct bolt on, as is a Frankenturbo hybrid. The former can be had for a few hundred bucks in the classifieds here, on Vortex or the zine. The latter will run you about $1k for a kit including a new manifold and turbo inlet.
2. "Top 10 Free/Cheapest mods."
2. Clear corner your headlights (free)
3. Paint lower mouldings (<$100)
4. Lowering springs(Got mine for $100 used)
5. A8/TT brakes. Great bang-for-buck upgrade, you can buy a kit from ECS Tuning for ~$300 or piece together your own for less. I picked up a set of A8 rotors on sale for $80 and got TT carriers from a part out on craigslist for $100. This is the braking setup these cars should have come with from the factory
6. New coolant expansion tank. Vastly improves the looks under the hood and a new tank is $35
7. Goes along with #6, but clean your engine bay. Nothing worse than looking in there and seeing all kinds of dirt and grime and nastiness. (free)
8. Debadge. This is very subjective, but I think taking all of the badges and **** off the trunk lid looks very nice, and its free.
9. S4/RS4 grille. Not free, but they can be found used for under $100
10. Not necessarily cheap, but a chip will wake up your car and you will not regret the purchase price I promise. Another great bang-for-buck mod. Check out companies like Speedtuning, Revo, APR, GIAC, etc. You can often find used ECU's in the classifieds for a few hundred bucks from guys who upgraded to larger turbos. There's a guy on Audizine who sells custom Maestro tunes for ~$200. I'm running one of his tunes and its great. Plus that gives you a spare ECU.
3. "Top 10 known issues to look out for and prevent." **My DIC pixels are already gone, so you can skip that.
1. Always carry extra parts. **** WILL break, its just a matter of when. I carry 4 spare coilpacks, a quart of oil, a gallon of coolant, a bottle of power steering fluid, a bottle of clutch/brake fluid, tools, an impact gun, etc..etc...
EDIT: Sorry for the wall of text, but that should get you well on your way
Last edited by CCA4; 06-19-2013 at 04:32 PM.
#5
06-20-2013, 08:47 AM
Welcome! The newbie guide has lots of great info in it, but to add to it with my personal experiences...
In no particular order:
1. Start getting ready to change your timing belt again. Recommended service interval is 60-80k, so if you're doing the work yourself now is a good time to start collecting parts. If you're not, now is a good time to start collecting money. If you're going to do it yourself, get a kit with all the goodies including a new thermostat and a water pump with a metal impeller. Also a good time to do cam/crank seals.
2. Control arms- At that mileage most of them should have been replaced already. If they haven't been, they probably should be. Indicated by creaking/clunking when going over bumps.
3. Shocks- Same deal here. They're probably all blown already, and if not they're getting there. Push down on each corner right above the wheel. If it bounces more than twice they're shot.
4. Oil filter/change- First thing I always do with a new car. Even if it looks new, change it anyway so you have a baseline to work from. Full synthetic every 3-5k miles is fine unless you have pre-existing sludge issues. There are two filters for the 1.8T, make sure you get the big one. Mobil-1 part number for the big filter is M1-301
5. Fuel filter- Everyone puts this off, don't put it off. Book interval for this is 20k miles, but you'd probably be fine doing it every 50k. It isn't a difficult job, and a filter is like $10, so there's no reason to put it off.
6. Coil packs- Common point of failure and common cause for misfires. They were recalled a while back, so you get a free set from the dealership if they haven't already been changed. Best to do them all at the same time.
7. Air filter/cabin filter. Everyone seems to forget that these need to be replaced, especially the cabin filter. If it's all gunked up it can cause your heat/AC to smell weird.
8. Wheel bearings- Another common problem as these cars get older. Kind of a pain in the *** if you don't have the right tools and a press, but you can pull the spindle and take it to a shop to have the old bearing pressed out and the new one pressed in. Usually identified by a groaning or "wub wub wub" noise on the outside wheels when cornering
9.CV joints- Again, common failure items. The joints can be had individually for <$100 and you can change them yourself. If you want to replace the whole axle shaft, go with reman OEM or Raxles. Stay away from the Chinese **** like EMPI and FEQ. They're known for using wrong-length axle shafts and shitty joints. AMHIK.
10.Last, but not least, the turbo- At 260k miles, it likely doesn't have a ton of life left in it. Pop the turbo inlet hose off and check for shaft play. There shouldn't be much. If you can wiggle the shaft in/out or up/down/side-to-side, start looking for a replacement. A used K03 or K04 with low miles is a direct bolt on, as is a Frankenturbo hybrid. The former can be had for a few hundred bucks in the classifieds here, on Vortex or the zine. The latter will run you about $1k for a kit including a new manifold and turbo inlet.
1. Wash, clay bar, cut and buff. The paint on these cars is good stuff, it will clean up nicely. (Free, less car washing supplies which any self respecting car guy should already have)
2. Clear corner your headlights (free)
3. Paint lower mouldings (<$100)
4. Lowering springs(Got mine for $100 used)
5. A8/TT brakes. Great bang-for-buck upgrade, you can buy a kit from ECS Tuning for ~$300 or piece together your own for less. I picked up a set of A8 rotors on sale for $80 and got TT carriers from a part out on craigslist for $100. This is the braking setup these cars should have come with from the factory
6. New coolant expansion tank. Vastly improves the looks under the hood and a new tank is $35
7. Goes along with #6, but clean your engine bay. Nothing worse than looking in there and seeing all kinds of dirt and grime and nastiness. (free)
8. Debadge. This is very subjective, but I think taking all of the badges and **** off the trunk lid looks very nice, and its free.
9. S4/RS4 grille. Not free, but they can be found used for under $100
10. Not necessarily cheap, but a chip will wake up your car and you will not regret the purchase price I promise. Another great bang-for-buck mod. Check out companies like Speedtuning, Revo, APR, GIAC, etc. You can often find used ECU's in the classifieds for a few hundred bucks from guys who upgraded to larger turbos. There's a guy on Audizine who sells custom Maestro tunes for ~$200. I'm running one of his tunes and its great. Plus that gives you a spare ECU.
Pretty much covered this in the first checklist above, but in addition:
1. Always carry extra parts. **** WILL break, its just a matter of when. I carry 4 spare coilpacks, a quart of oil, a gallon of coolant, a bottle of power steering fluid, a bottle of clutch/brake fluid, tools, an impact gun, etc..etc...
EDIT: Sorry for the wall of text, but that should get you well on your way
In no particular order:
1. Start getting ready to change your timing belt again. Recommended service interval is 60-80k, so if you're doing the work yourself now is a good time to start collecting parts. If you're not, now is a good time to start collecting money. If you're going to do it yourself, get a kit with all the goodies including a new thermostat and a water pump with a metal impeller. Also a good time to do cam/crank seals.
2. Control arms- At that mileage most of them should have been replaced already. If they haven't been, they probably should be. Indicated by creaking/clunking when going over bumps.
3. Shocks- Same deal here. They're probably all blown already, and if not they're getting there. Push down on each corner right above the wheel. If it bounces more than twice they're shot.
4. Oil filter/change- First thing I always do with a new car. Even if it looks new, change it anyway so you have a baseline to work from. Full synthetic every 3-5k miles is fine unless you have pre-existing sludge issues. There are two filters for the 1.8T, make sure you get the big one. Mobil-1 part number for the big filter is M1-301
5. Fuel filter- Everyone puts this off, don't put it off. Book interval for this is 20k miles, but you'd probably be fine doing it every 50k. It isn't a difficult job, and a filter is like $10, so there's no reason to put it off.
6. Coil packs- Common point of failure and common cause for misfires. They were recalled a while back, so you get a free set from the dealership if they haven't already been changed. Best to do them all at the same time.
7. Air filter/cabin filter. Everyone seems to forget that these need to be replaced, especially the cabin filter. If it's all gunked up it can cause your heat/AC to smell weird.
8. Wheel bearings- Another common problem as these cars get older. Kind of a pain in the *** if you don't have the right tools and a press, but you can pull the spindle and take it to a shop to have the old bearing pressed out and the new one pressed in. Usually identified by a groaning or "wub wub wub" noise on the outside wheels when cornering
9.CV joints- Again, common failure items. The joints can be had individually for <$100 and you can change them yourself. If you want to replace the whole axle shaft, go with reman OEM or Raxles. Stay away from the Chinese **** like EMPI and FEQ. They're known for using wrong-length axle shafts and shitty joints. AMHIK.
10.Last, but not least, the turbo- At 260k miles, it likely doesn't have a ton of life left in it. Pop the turbo inlet hose off and check for shaft play. There shouldn't be much. If you can wiggle the shaft in/out or up/down/side-to-side, start looking for a replacement. A used K03 or K04 with low miles is a direct bolt on, as is a Frankenturbo hybrid. The former can be had for a few hundred bucks in the classifieds here, on Vortex or the zine. The latter will run you about $1k for a kit including a new manifold and turbo inlet.
1. Wash, clay bar, cut and buff. The paint on these cars is good stuff, it will clean up nicely. (Free, less car washing supplies which any self respecting car guy should already have)
2. Clear corner your headlights (free)
3. Paint lower mouldings (<$100)
4. Lowering springs(Got mine for $100 used)
5. A8/TT brakes. Great bang-for-buck upgrade, you can buy a kit from ECS Tuning for ~$300 or piece together your own for less. I picked up a set of A8 rotors on sale for $80 and got TT carriers from a part out on craigslist for $100. This is the braking setup these cars should have come with from the factory
6. New coolant expansion tank. Vastly improves the looks under the hood and a new tank is $35
7. Goes along with #6, but clean your engine bay. Nothing worse than looking in there and seeing all kinds of dirt and grime and nastiness. (free)
8. Debadge. This is very subjective, but I think taking all of the badges and **** off the trunk lid looks very nice, and its free.
9. S4/RS4 grille. Not free, but they can be found used for under $100
10. Not necessarily cheap, but a chip will wake up your car and you will not regret the purchase price I promise. Another great bang-for-buck mod. Check out companies like Speedtuning, Revo, APR, GIAC, etc. You can often find used ECU's in the classifieds for a few hundred bucks from guys who upgraded to larger turbos. There's a guy on Audizine who sells custom Maestro tunes for ~$200. I'm running one of his tunes and its great. Plus that gives you a spare ECU.
Pretty much covered this in the first checklist above, but in addition:
1. Always carry extra parts. **** WILL break, its just a matter of when. I carry 4 spare coilpacks, a quart of oil, a gallon of coolant, a bottle of power steering fluid, a bottle of clutch/brake fluid, tools, an impact gun, etc..etc...
EDIT: Sorry for the wall of text, but that should get you well on your way
Great info!! Thanks!
#7
06-20-2013, 11:30 PM
I'm just going to add that you should take care of problems/broken s**t as soon as they happen. I have learned the hard one that if you leave something broken for a little too long bad things will happen. Any check engine light or other lights? Get vag-com or atleast an eBay cable and vcds-lite and run checks regulary
#8
06-21-2013, 08:10 AM
Thanks.I'm just going to add that you should take care of problems/broken s**t as soon as they happen. I have learned the hard one that if you leave something broken for a little too long bad things will happen. Any check engine light or other lights? Get vag-com or atleast an eBay cable and vcds-lite and run checks regulary
#9
06-22-2013, 12:19 PM
I am relativley new to the forum as well,and it seems like you are already doing this but reading random post, weather its something you have going on with your car or not there is more than a wealth of knowledge. The more senior members really know there stuff.
audidiy.com has alot of direct links to how-to's for both cheap/free mods as well as some of the more advanced stuff.
my personal recomondation for first things to do would be upgrade brakes, and the rear fog/brake light mod found here B5 A4 99.5+: Dual Rear Fog Lights. i like the brake light mod because when someone is riding your back side and you hit that rear fog light button and both sides light up they tend to back off. and i may get flamed for this but tint, for me i think it adds that little bit more luxury look, and if you can do it yourself it's not that expensive.
audidiy.com has alot of direct links to how-to's for both cheap/free mods as well as some of the more advanced stuff.
my personal recomondation for first things to do would be upgrade brakes, and the rear fog/brake light mod found here B5 A4 99.5+: Dual Rear Fog Lights. i like the brake light mod because when someone is riding your back side and you hit that rear fog light button and both sides light up they tend to back off. and i may get flamed for this but tint, for me i think it adds that little bit more luxury look, and if you can do it yourself it's not that expensive.
#10
06-23-2013, 12:50 PM
I am relativley new to the forum as well,and it seems like you are already doing this but reading random post, weather its something you have going on with your car or not there is more than a wealth of knowledge. The more senior members really know there stuff.
audidiy.com has alot of direct links to how-to's for both cheap/free mods as well as some of the more advanced stuff.
my personal recomondation for first things to do would be upgrade brakes, and the rear fog/brake light mod found here B5 A4 99.5+: Dual Rear Fog Lights. i like the brake light mod because when someone is riding your back side and you hit that rear fog light button and both sides light up they tend to back off. and i may get flamed for this but tint, for me i think it adds that little bit more luxury look, and if you can do it yourself it's not that expensive.
audidiy.com has alot of direct links to how-to's for both cheap/free mods as well as some of the more advanced stuff.
my personal recomondation for first things to do would be upgrade brakes, and the rear fog/brake light mod found here B5 A4 99.5+: Dual Rear Fog Lights. i like the brake light mod because when someone is riding your back side and you hit that rear fog light button and both sides light up they tend to back off. and i may get flamed for this but tint, for me i think it adds that little bit more luxury look, and if you can do it yourself it's not that expensive.
