Anything to look out for?
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1st Gear
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 34
From:
Anything to look out for?
I'm planning on purchasing an 1998 A4 1.8 Turbo. Sole purpose is going to be a commuter car. And of course...to make it look nice. Are there any mechanical problems to look out for?
5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 6,508
From: South Bay
RE: Anything to look out for?
welcome to the forums, shadyr78! here's a few tips for the test drive...
ORIGINAL: bentframe
make sure the suspension is good....worn control arms will squeak, tie rod ends will clunk when you hit bumps, cv joints will click during low speed turns (if you're on the gas)...open up the oil cap to look for signs of oil sludge. do the same for the power steering fluid, as well as the coolant. sometimes people top them off or refill them with regular fluids and that can cause big problems including sludge issues....test the cruise control, the switches are known to fail (typically it's an easy fix, a good way to knock a few bucks off the price
). make sure the sunroof is fully functional, as well as windows (check each door's switch individually)....oh, and leave the radio OFF during the test drive, test the speakers before or after driving....also consider the mileage on the timing belt, they should be done every 60-90k miles....service records are extremely helpful, check to see that it's been serviced properly....browse through the forums, there are tons of threads on all this stuff...
make sure the suspension is good....worn control arms will squeak, tie rod ends will clunk when you hit bumps, cv joints will click during low speed turns (if you're on the gas)...open up the oil cap to look for signs of oil sludge. do the same for the power steering fluid, as well as the coolant. sometimes people top them off or refill them with regular fluids and that can cause big problems including sludge issues....test the cruise control, the switches are known to fail (typically it's an easy fix, a good way to knock a few bucks off the price
). make sure the sunroof is fully functional, as well as windows (check each door's switch individually)....oh, and leave the radio OFF during the test drive, test the speakers before or after driving....also consider the mileage on the timing belt, they should be done every 60-90k miles....service records are extremely helpful, check to see that it's been serviced properly....browse through the forums, there are tons of threads on all this stuff...
