hi im new to the forums.. had a few question to ask since im not that great with cars.

i just bought a 98 audi A4 2.8 quattro from a private seller

accually my mom did.. she just came in the house and told me she bought me my first car..

i test drived it, and i noticed... couple problems with it.

first, the driver side door was a little weird, i think it was in a crash, the window is messed up, doesnt go all the way up, it goes up half way and i have to pull it while pushing the window up power button to get it all the way up.

the 4th gear transmission seems to be messed up, when it goes from 3rd to 4th gear i hear like a.... engine sound as if its on a neutral for a moment, then jerks forward as it changed to 5th gear.

the 6 cd changer, i bought a NEW cd, put it in, tried every 6 slots forward and backwards, and it just keeps saying error3.

also when i turn the car to get out of the parking lot, even before the wheels turn all the way, i hear the sound of front tire scraping on something.

well.. my question is can someone give me an estimate for fixing the driver side door... just to be safe, the cost to replace the whole door, cd player, and the automatic transmission? i have no idea what to do with the scraping sound on the front wheels...

well i cant even say anything to my mom... we're a poor family, my mom just wanted to get me a nice car and she just doesnt know anything about cars.. she bought the car for $9200 with 62000 miles on it, she thought it was good deal, the seller made it sound like the cars in a perfect condition.. and she bought it, now shes about to cry saying how stupid she was for doing it by herself... arrg frustrated =/ someone help me plz ~_~

 

that's really not a bad deal for a 30v with fairly low miles. the window problem sounds like a bad motor, but it may be something inside the door obstructing it. removing the door panel would be the first thing to do. there's five phillips screws to remove. the first is inside the door handle, towards the front of the car. remove the screw, then work the inner door handle trim loose. use some force, it's in there tight (pull down, not up). removing that trim will expose two more screws. the last two are on each end of the door (on the side), at the very top of the door panel. lift up and out, disconnect the 4-5 electrical connections, and start your investigation.

and welcome to the forums!

 

the tranny might not be that bad it might just need a fluid change or flush

and for the CD player just get an after market one and save your self alot of money

and the window might just be the motor or circut

and thats nice you have great parents
is your car FWD or Quattro

 

quattro

 

oh yea, forgot about the other two problems...if you want to replace your changer (it sounds like it's done for), i suggest checking out a phatbox from phatnoise...here's one on ebay for 185 bucks shipped. a new changer would be about the same price..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PhatN...spagenameZWDVW

the tranny thing doesn't sound like a mechanical problem, which is good. take panda's advise and get a tranny flush. you can do it yourself if you're willing to give it a shot. many people on the forums do most of our work ourselves to avoid getting raped by mechanics

 

but ya u did get a decent price on your car for the miles on it
do u kno if the timing belt has been dont yet

 

Yeah this does not sound that bad.

Flush the fluid in the transmission at the dealer. 200$. I promise it has never been done and the stuff ain't made to last forever.

The window sounds like a broken gear or something obstructing the track on the inside. If the door looks like it doesn't line up, it is probably in need of alignment, mine was aligned like 20 times before I bought it. I kind of like the look of being every so slightly open. Sorry back to the window, there is a stop mechanism so you do not close your hand in the window (auto up feature). If the track is messed up or the gear, it will stop it.

The CD changer, mention it at the dealer when you get the tranny flushed. It might just be a code or something. But yeah the actual head units on Audi's are crap.

The rubbing sounds odd. Check a few things and report back:
1. Any signs of rubbing in the wheel well or on the sides of the tires?
2. What size wheels and tires are on it?
3. Suspension in good shape (gently bounce on the car it should stop moving when you do (no time delay))
4. CV boots no grease outside and fully intact? (Cv boots are rubber, ascending in size, rings (but all one piece) Inside of it is grease to keep your CV boots lubed. Outside it should be clean rubber. The CV boots are on the axles about 6 inches in from the wheel and about 3 inches in from the transfer/ transmission.
5. Check out your steering system that is all intact.
6. Wheel bearings good? Best check is to push (short hard push) on the top of the tire it should not move.
If everything checks out ok, mention it to Audi when you have your fluid flushed. Oh and really have your fluid flushed by Audi. I know the dealer reems you for money, but finding a good mechanic takes some time. Total cost of the dealer 200 bucks for a flush, they'll look at the radio for free if they are already there, they might say you need a new one, that would cost a lot. And as for the noise, if the dealer checks it they will probably charge 45 bucks and fix it if it is that pesky protector rub, or they'll tell you it is one of the things above and want a few grand. Time to find a good Chilton Manual and learn how to work on Audi's.

 

yea i also think the car was bought for a good price for miles one it, just the way it drives.. seems a little off, my girlfriend drives a 2000 1.8 audi, drove hers alot... feels alot different.

also.. timing belt.. i have no clue... im not that great with cars either.. cant blame my mom for anything lol..

im planning to take it to a mechanic tomorrow, hopefully they arnt big problems...

and about the 3rd to 4th gear... a little more description...
when going on local, just pushing about 2000rpm~2.5 rpm, switching from 3~4th is jsut as i described a little stall sounding like its on neutral, and a sudden jerk then starts at 5th.

then... another one is, when im on the freeway.. or a long straight road, pushing the car to about 3~4.5 rpm, from 3rd to 4th gear, the rpm gets stuck at about 4000,~4500, makes a loud noise from the engine, then the car shakes as it changed to 4th...

and about the door, the window wasnt the only problem, i dont know how to explain it without pictures which i cant take at the moment... the... 2 sides of the door that holds the window, the doors a little bent(?). im guessing due to an accident, so i think it probably isnt somethign stuck in the doors... (imo) but.. i dont know jack about cars so...

can u guys help me out a little more? thanks alot for replying back

 

Yeah throw on the timing belt.

And come on, he is brand new to Audi, don't tell him to do his first repair as a tranny fluid flush. Man if he screwed that up, he'd be out a lot of cash.

I still feel bad for broadcasting that a timing belt change is not that hard and then having someone screw up their timing (and that was probably far from my fault). Although in all fairness, timing is easy, just count slowly and carefully and twice (or kiss your heads goodbye).


PS WELCOME TO THE 2.8er's

 

Totally the fluid.