Hi Folks,

I'm in the process of deciding on picking up an a4 1.8t, and just came back from a place that had two that are interesting. Both are quattro, manual transmissions, one's an 01 and other a 98. For background I'm coming from a BMW 323 coup, and pretty much try to do all the maintenance/repair myself where possible.

Here's the specific questions if I could bother you all for some advice. I've read through some of the posts and the newbie guide so in terms of the car in general I know what I'm getting into. For the two cars I looked at today:

I'm leaning towards the 98 because it is the only one with a maintenance receipt in the glove box. It's got 87k miles on it and at 79K miles the previous owner suffered a timing belt break. The receipt is for a replacement head (most likely used) and all the attached items - belt, tensioner, etc. However, it seems to have a bit of a tick coming from the valve train which is louder than the normal chatter of the 01 (I was able to idle them sitting side by side), and I can definitely feel the extra power in the 01.

I'm planning on taking it to an indy shop for a pre-purchase inspection (any recommendations in the nothern virginia/Fairfax area?) to figure out the tick, but in general would you trust a car which has had a timing belt snap and needed a new head? One the one hand, at least I know it's been done.

Also, compared to my 3 series, the clutch lets out really really high on the pedal stroke. Same on the 98 and 01 so I'm assuming that's normal, but is this adjustable?

Oh and the reason I'm leaning towards the 98 is because it's ~6500 vs 7500 for the 01 which has 97k miles on it and I know I'd immediately need to do the timing belt, so in reality it's 1500 more for a higher mileage car.

Thanks in advance for any input/advice. Please let me know especially if you can recommend an independent shop in the Fairfax, VA area that I could have it checked out at.

CP

 

Hey man I live in Sterling! I wish I could help about the shop but I'm still looking for one myself. At the moment I've been taking mine to a Shell station down the street from my place, the guy claims to specialize in German cars and so far i've been pretty satisfied, but in the end its still just a Shell station. If you find anything better than that, let me know!

As far as your cars, I would say go with the 98. A little tick is pretty normal with those motors as far as I know. But the concrete knowledge that the timing belt and that other stuff has been changed is totally worth it.

As far as the clutch goes, its normal for B5s, but I pretty sure it cannot be adjusted.

PM me if you find a good shop around here!

GL!

 

Go for the 98. The timing belt service is extreme peace of mind and a great cost if you don't DIY. It's also more mod friendly if thats important to you. As for the power difference, you can get it chipped (+~50hp/+~50tq) for $150-$350 depending on the company.

 

Great, thanks for the replies guys. It was easier finding good indy shops with the bimmer, I guess. So just for a follow up, with the timing belt break induced head replacement, is there any reason to worry that something is lingering from that surgery? I guess any bottom end damage would have become apparent in the 7k miles it's driven since the repair.

Is it normal that a 98 would have a louder valve tick than an 01?

 

How is a 98 more mod-friendly? AWM engines (01) come already with a K03S and variable valve timing. Add a chip, and it's making the same power as a 98 with K04 (upgraded turbo) and chip. I wouldn't let this decide your purchase.

I would look at options though. HIDs, heated seats, etc add to the value of the car. Additionally, the 01 has a nicer interior console.

 

DBC as oppposed to DBW, no tattle tale map sensor, forged rods, and larger intake ports are the main things. When I say mod friendly I'm speaking more than just a chip. The variable valve timing on the Audi's is not like vtech or whatever so that aspect isn't really relevant.

Also no n249 solenoid/valve to take over your DV operation.

Also no 2ndary air pump crap to relocate/remove if you want to use a fmic.

A chip on an 01 will not get you any more gains than a 98 w/chip. The only people that claim this is APR, and they are well known to over state their #'s. A k04 with a k03 chip isn't going to produce much if any more power than a k03 chip with a k03 turbo.
K03s still uses a k03 compressor housing so it's not all that superior to a k03 other than a more beefy internals.

 

Options wise they're pretty close. Actually the 98 is a bit better equipped with heated seats and a cd changer & the bose system. I'm not too concerned with those options. Seat of pants feel when driving, the 01 made me go whoa, the 98...huh, but the 98 has lower miles by ~10k and (figuring in the timing belt change on the 01) would cost me about 1500 less up front, and if I can take it from huh to whoa down the road for less than that it's ok, I don't need whoa over the winter

Really the main thing about the 98 is the fact that it has a replacement head (I'm not sure if there's anything inherently bad about that) and that tick, which hopefully I'll get more info on in the next day or so when I find an indy mechanic that knows audis.

CP

 

Bah! Details! It can all be worked around.

 

just be careful, that tick could be just your imagination (i cant tell you what it is without more info or hearing it for myself). or it could be something like sticky lifters not getting enough oil pressure due to sludge build up, or a loose cam chain tensioner which is a few hundred bucks. it may be cured after you dump a can of seafoam in there and change the oil, who knows. just FYI.

 

Hopefully it's my imagination, but I did have it idling right next to a 2001 on the same lot and it was noticeably different from the valve chatter on the 01. I've got it sitting at an indy mech right now for a pre-purchase inspection, if it's a matter of an oil flush to get the sludge out, I'm good with that, anything more than that I might just walk away. Just picked up a triumph m/c a few month ago that self destructed the head within 300 miles because of a bad chain tensioner....don't want to go through that kind of ordeal again.

Cp