hi, i am about to buy a 1999 a4 1.8t that had a maf problem and oil leak by the oil pan. it has a 2.5 straight pip, GIAC CHIP, intake, intercoolar, turbo guag, koni coilover, rs4 rims, and after market clutch. my concern is from the maf air leak. when i gas the car i can hear a larg amount of air going into the engine. it also has a bad idle where it goes up and down hard. at sometimes dies at stop and at some point it idle normal but only in a period of time. when it dies it does not have problem turing on. the owner had it scan and told me that it has a bad maf. the turbo is pushing 16-18psi, is this normal. what kinda test should i use before buying the car. suggestions would be great. thanks

 

If it has any apparent problems, I would walk away (unless you're getting a really really really good deal on it and know exactly how to fix it.). Who knows what could be wrong thats not apparent, especially on an audi.

 

ask him to replace the MAF and then see how it drives.

 

Since it is modded, you also don't know if its been beat on. I just think that someone who would sell a car with these problems might have also neglected it.

 

If nothing else, at least lowball the crap out of him, cause you'll probably need to put some jack into it.

I bought mine with a ton of mods, but it was from a doctor that was a huge audi enthusiast, so I felt pretty good about it. It was obvious he loved the car and cared for it though.

I like the ide of making him replace the maf before you buy it, only fair.

 

i have a 99 1.8t with apr chip and 710n with 81k if you are interested. The only thing is it need a new injector for cyl. 2. It missfires rarely under hard exeleration.

o and it is a tip

 

i am getting it for cheap, let say $3500. body is in top shape and same with interior. is there any physical technique to narrow the problem? what i found so fare is disconnection the maf and maybe leaving the key in ignition mode without turning the car to see if it is in safe mode or something. any suggestion would be great.

 

in my research i found that many people have this problem but their car just shakes angerly, in my ordeal you can hear the engine going up and down from 300-1200rmp. can mass air flow cause this?

 

Yes it can, so can air leaks, so can a lot of things.

At least get the codes pulled.