Recently purchased a 1996 audi a4 2.8 quattro, 5speed, 93k miles for..2850. Too good to be true right..well yeah now i know that. Originally figured it just needed brakes, went to put them on and the bolts were rusted and rotted to hell so couldnt get them off. Gave it to our trusting mechanic and says there is no way it will pass inspection as is. The engine cradle is rusted and rotted way to much and way too weak to pass inspection. Also needs 2 o2 sensors, not a big deal. But what should I do about this engine cradle issue. I was told it will cost thousands to get repairable. Any ideas, is this estimate wrong, should i just suck it up and save to get it fixed..I have a 01 mustang for the summer, this was just to commute to college in the winter and not looking good. Oh yeah the audi came with no warrantee

 

Call one of these guys:

http://www.shokan.com/

http://www.force5auto.com/


It should be fairly simple to replace it. See if you can get the whole assembly with suspension still attached. Will save money in the long run. If done right, theres no real reason to even pull the motor.

 

Thats the problem though, i was told the reason it will cost so much is the motor has to be pulled. I wasnt sure if maybe this can be just welded easily. my mechanic is on vacation till next week but said hed try it when hes back but no garuntees

 

the engine just needs to be supported from the top, not removed completely. then you just unbolt the bottom cradle and install the new one. it really shouldnt take a mechanic more then 3-5 hours for the whole job. you do need an alignment afterward though. a used part shouldnt be more then $200-300 if that. if hes saying 'thousands' find someone else who knows their head from their ***. it shouldnt cost you over 1000 at most.

 

^^ Yep. You can support the motor and trans from the top, unbolt the couple of mounts, 4 more bolts, maybe 2-3 more things and drop the cradle right out the bottom. Its how they get the motor and trans in in the first place - from the bottom.

 

So if it costs thousands do you think i should just scrap this and part it out or what. clueless on theese things

 

if it costs thousands you should find a new mechanic. that is an unreasonable price.

 

I have same car but automatic. Found golf ball size hole in subfame rht side. Its also called engine cradle. Checked two dealers, price 660.00 and 795. Then need new mounts and various bushings so close to 1000. for all new. Hopefully your control arms are ok. Then there's Labor, guessing min. 5 hours. they can't work for free, so realistically I'd say 1500.00 job. Also need wheel alignment when done. Used stuff of this age is probably rusted as well. Anyways that what my research tells me. good luck.

 

ps Go to sunsetaudioparts.com found through audi forums and study the parts diagram on front suspension, it'll show you exactly what engine cradle looks like. Found it very informative.

 

You can probably find the subframe for $100-$200 easy, people only really replace them if they rust out which is pretty rare so there's no shortage of good used ones. To install it really shouldn't take more than 2-3 hours, you support the motor from the top, maybe stick a jack under the tranny, then it's 4 bolts for the mounts, 4 bolts for the lower control arms, and 4 bolts for the subframe to unibody and it just drops down. You're also lucky that you have a 2.8, that means you can get a subframe from any 2.8 (auto or manual) or auto 1.8t, which is at least 70% of all B5's ever built for here.