Whats up everybody

I just got my 98 A4 2.8 quattro last week and am still getting used to the car. However in the week or so that I have been driving it, I have noticed a few things that concern me.

1. When making tight turns (like pulling into/backing out of a parking spot) there seems to be a rubbing noise coming from the vehicle. Im assuming it has something to do with the quattro system. Does it need some sort of lubrication? The car only has 83k miles on it. Seems odd to me. Is this sound normal on older AWD cars or should I get it checked out ASAP?

2. The clutch is very different from my 96 passat i used to drive. Where in the passat you had to push the clutch down to the floor to engage fully, in my A4 only the first 1/4 travel of the pedal will engage the clutch. It makes for somewhat jerky driving on my part because i am not used to such a tight clutch. Is there any way to adjust this? How about a clutch pedal stop? Do they make these for audi's?

3- When starting the car cold, sometimes there is a very noticible valve tap. Should i be worrying about a timing belt?

Thanks and sorry for all the newb questions!

 

The rubbing, could have somthing to do with your control arm/s and/ or jonts. as for your clutch, I have no clue as I have had two Tiptronic A4's. As for your cold start noise, I had the same problem on my '01, and it turned out to be my camshaft adjuster, which was very pricey to fix......

 

My 01 2.8 engages the las 1/4 travel i dont know about he clutch pedal stop.

 

Thats odd. The cold start thing does not happen all the time. Only sometimes.

As far as the clutch is concerned, i guess its possible the previous owner had it replaced somewhat recently?

I will have the suspension looked at when i take it in to get my new brakes/tires put on.

Thanks everybody!

 

1. Could your tires be rubbing on something in your fender liner?
2. The clutch is normal. Audis have a very high release point.

 

For #1: Could also be a weak tie-rod

 

I don't know anything about 2 and 3, but I have experienced something similar to your first issue. On my A4, it's just the steering wheel rubbing the plastic behind it (or somewhere inside). My Prius did the same thing and so does my mother's Subaru. If you can isolate the source to the steering wheel itself, I wouldn't worry about it.

Edit: I guess I should clarify, the sound I sometimes hear is a soft sound (like pushing a stack of papers across a desk) and like you said, it only occurs during tight maneuvers.

 

1. Definitely could be wheel rubbing. Try turning the wheel all the way to one side or the other and then look at the wheels and see if they're contacting anywhere, then turn them the other way and check that too.

2. Audi's definitely have avery high release point, took me a few weeks to get used to it.

3. Timing belt should be changed around 90k miles, since you've got 83k on yours, I'd definitely get that done as soon as possible. Have them check out the valve tap while they're in there.