Hi all!

I bought my first car just a month ago with the money that I had earned for a year. I'm free from the bus that comes an hour after hour. Exciting!!!
It is 00 A4 1.8T mannualwith 91000 miles on it.I took it from a dealer for $5500 .
I know nothing about cars since it is my first car ever(I'mturning to21 in this december).So Itry to know about the general information of cars as well as my audi.I've justfound herethat theinfo display failure is the common problem of A4s.

It wasreally hard for me to learn how to drive the mannual transmission car. Thought I can drive now, yet I'm still a beginner.1.5 years of drinving automatic didn't help me at all .

I have a question at this moment.

When I drive, I usually shift up the gear when the rpm reaches about 2000~2500. Am I on the right track? if not, do I have to push it up more?
I'm asking this because I feel too slow compared to other automatic cars when I start from rest.Before I reach to third gear, I'm a turtle ona road....
Do I need to giveextra gas when I shift from first to second and second to third or doI need to shiftit as soon as possibleto getthe third?


Sorry for any error or misspelling. English is not my first language.[sm=smiley24.gif]

Have a nice day all!

 

when driving a stick, every time you shift a gear, you release, then repress the gas. how far down you press will adjust how fast you accelerate and how the car feels @ higher rpms. the further down, the easier the car feels @5000rpm. as crazy as it seems, i learned to drive on a manual transmission w/a fuel efficient upshift light. the light came on, it was time to shift. i shifted @2500rpm for 3 weeks before to figured out that pushing the pedal further down raised the rpms and the shift light came on later allowing faster acceleration.

 

I shift around 3000 RPMS so your doing fine. Compared to going against other auto's yeah they will beat you if your not trying to go fast. But if your going to race and rev up to about 4 and 5 thousand rpms you will beat the automatic everytime just work on getting through the gears dont worry about going fast in a stock A4.

 

I'd just like to say that I'm proud of you for buying a manual transmission and learning to drive it, rather than getting a tiptronic just because you didn't know how to drive a manual! Way to go!

Knowing when to shift will become like a sixth sense to you after a while, you just have to get used to the feel of the car. I usually shift around 3k rpm for just regular driving; lower if I'm going slow like in a parking ramp or higher if I'm trying to accellerate quicker.

Also, that is a HELLUVA bargain! An '00 with 91k miles on the clock for $5500? That's $500less than I paid for my '97 with 114k on the clock! [:@]

Welcom to AudiForums!

 

Nice buy on the car, thats good that you taught yourself how to drive a manual, and like one of the guys was saying that he used a shift light when he first started driving a manual. That might be the way to go for you or any driver thats trying to learn how to drive a manual.

 

Congrats on your first car! And a stick at that! Keep practicing with the shifting... it will come to you eventually. I've driven stick for years, and I don't even look at the tach when shifting... I just listen to the engine. It all comes from experience. I usually shift around 3000-3500 rpm for regular driving, or higher if I'm trying to accellerate. Audis in general have a pretty high friction point, so you don't have to push your left foot in too much to disengage the clutch. 1.8t cars are pretty weak in stock condition, so if you want additional power, get the car chipped. Do a search on here, and you'll find tons of information on chips.

Please tell us if the car came with quattro.

 

I thought I'd mention something; I noticed veloracer's comment about the high friction point on Audiclutches, so you don't have to push it in very far to release it. This is true, but you should definitely get in the habit of ALWAYS pushing your clutch ALL THE WAY DOWN when shifting or braking, or when the car is sitting still (even if the stick is in neutral; it's just a good habit). The only time your clutch should be halfway is while you are transferring TO the gas pedal, and as soon as the clutch has engaged, TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE CLUTCH and leave it off until you need to shift or brake again. Do NOT brake without pushing the clutch down. When not shifting, keep your left foot on the dead pedal, and your shifting hand on the steering wheel.

Follow these rules, and your clutch will thank you.