You'll hear them... most people report a sqeaking noise when going over bumps... with the 96 I dont think it ever squeaked... it was more of a clunk, it just felt sloppy up front. But I mean, if you're buying a 96 - 01 A4... control arms are just something we gotta deal with... sometimes they go at 60K miles, other times at 100+... who knows. But keep some cash on reserve. Meyle makes a kit for just under 600 bucks, and it covers all the control arms, and is upgraded from OEM... Figure on a few hundie for labour though, and the inevitable alignment.

What is this guy asking -- if you're talking him DOWN to 7500? Do they really get that much $ in USA? Yikes!

 

depends on the location audi's go for alot in colder areas because of the AWD and still bring a nice price in the warm areas

on Autotrader.com I saw these

97 audi a4 red 1.8t man. bad motor - 3500
96 audi a4 black 220,000 - 4500
98 audi a4 black 1.8t man. 80k 10K

 

that post was confussing

 

Umm, I'm in canada... we get snow... ...
And the price of 12V's is in the gutter, HUGE.

 

Agree with all that is said above.

Check out the control arms by going slowly over speed bumps or drivewa curbs, if you hear a a squeek or worse a clunk, the control arms will need to be replaced. Timing belt change is coming up soon.

Even if the car is in great shape, I'd plant on some preventive maintenance, like swaping out all fluids (power steering, gear oils, transmission, differential and brake. A few hundred upfront can save you thousands in the long run.

 

Thanks a lot. I ll see if I can hear those today.

 

I test drove it just a little bit ago, and I am planning on buying it Tuesday. There were no sounds from the control arms of any sort. I went through a school parking lot and hit about 5 speed bumps. It was such a nice car I have to buy it. Thanks for all the info.

 

I bought the car. I like it so much more than the GT mustang. Handling is awesome and its still pretty fast. I was looking through the service records and the upper control arms have all ready been replaced, so that is great news.

 

Great news indeed! Congrats on the purchase... and just so you know, if the lowers havent been replaced, there is a recall out on them.

If the uppers were changd at an audi dealer, then the lowers have definately been inspected... but if an independent shop did the uppers, swing by the dealership to have them check out the lower control arms.

 

Congrats on the car, didnt notice you bought it already!!