But man,these cars do have their issues,only a select few have gotten away from the B5's repair curse....

I was bored,so I downloaded the Kelly blue book app for my iPad 2,put in my 2001 A4 B5 AWM with 169k mikes and see what the value was.

5,188.00! Was the private sale

Retail was 6,638.00

Trade-in was 3,518.00

not too shabby for a 11 year old car,wouldn't you say ?

My car is now is excellent condition far as kbb is concerned.

I finally replaced the arm rest lid and hazard,cup holder and fog light bezel.

see before and after pictures below:





My interior is now back to mint status!!!

Bezel = 56.00
Arm rest lid= 212.00

I also ordered a stock lower front bumper valance/lip for $113.00 shipped,the clips on the sides of my current bumper lip are broken on both sides and i needed to replace it,Audina doesn't look good with her skirt sticking out like that.

I bought it from rmeuropean see the pic of that below also,even though its still in a huge box,until i bring it to my auto body guy to install it and paint a few things,fix a few things all around the car to make it mint again.

******* insane esctuning charges,I swear esctuning is a front for Audi to sell their **** fr the same price you can get it,directly from a Audi stealership.

I ordered a timing belt kit,control arm kit,valve cover gasket kit,spark plugs,two rear wheel bearings....whew!

Fcpgroton gave me a 15% discount too,I recommend them.

Anywho....Back to the B5 horrors I read on Kelly blue book,I read the user reviews and lots of people had issue galore,I know some had to do with people not executing preventive maintenance but some did take care if their Audi.

Breaking down with anywhere from 30-60k miles is just down right awful and there is no excuse for that...Volkswagen!!!

I did see some users prase the B5 but I didn't know if it was a B5 they were reviewing or a 2002-2004 for some strange reason,when you select a 2001 a4,it gives you user reviews for any A4 from 2001-2004,most people didn't even mention which year or cylinder,so I couldn't get a sense if which A4 they were trashing or praising,only when they actually typed 2001 or 1.8T I would know its a b5.

I honestly think,100% that depending on where your car was manufacturered,depends on wither or not it will have lots and lots of issues.

I know for a fact that some of our B5's were made in Canada or Mexico,Mexico turned out cars with serious issues as a result if bad manufacturing.

Check out the reviews fellas and you'll see what I mean:

Kelley Blue Book

 

I Couldn't fit all the pictures in one thread,had to add the rest in this post...here are the before pictures of the broken arm rest lid and bezel.

The bezel would actually sit on the dash but i could just pluck it off,now it clips into place and can't be removed,the clips broke off,when i had a shop install my pioneer head unit,******* were careless.

 

Here is the link to the video i attempted to post a day or so ago,uploaded to Metacafe. Sorry about the YouTube link not working...



This is a Video of My Favorite Automobile Manufacturer... Audi - Video

 

FYI:

Very few dealers will give you anything close to the KBB Trade-In value. It's a pretty useless metric these days, with the current used car market. Autotrader has a more complicated calculator, and a lot of dealers use that as a better rule of thumb now.

I mention this because KBB said my '99 2.8QT w/ 90K miles was worth $6K+. Autotrader said $2500. I got $2200 at the VW dealership when I traded for a new GTI. Granted, the docked me for the ABS light, and the airbag light, but even if the car was perfect they wouldn't have given me more than 3k.

That said, if you have the patience, time, and equipment, the B5 is a great car; capable of lasting a very long time. Biggest problems with my car (only had it one year) was the front control arm bushings and the steering rack.

And yes, mad props for FCP Groton. I work in Groton, CT so they are wicked convenient.

 

Yeah,I was just posting their estimates for the heck of it,I know it isn't what you would get at trade-in but everyone should always do a private sell,opposed to trading in as you will get more money for your car.

Lucky you,living in Groton,CT. Very fast shipping for you but I live in Stamford,CT. So not very long shipping times.

My shipment went out today actually,prolly Saturday it will arrive.

 

ive had very little problems with my car knock on wood. ive had it since 115k and it has 150k on it now. there are a few small things but nothing major besides the clutch pressure plate coming apart, but it was due for a clutch anyways. but i know my car was made in ingolstadt, germany so maybe thats a factor? i hope to make a pilgrimage one day. but im gonna mess it all up once i get enough parts to go bt

 

The shocks and my new oil dip stick came in today (anyone else had their dip stick break in pieces yet?) see pics below,the tall box has my OEM front bumper valance/bumper lip in it.

Still waiting on the 2 rear wheel bearings and the Meyle control arm kit, timing belt kit,valve cover gasket and spark plugs from FCPGroton

 

Yeah redline,i really do believe that the origin of our cars,means well built or poorly built,i haven't had any other issues,other than the tranny i replaced and the rear main seal and oil filter seal,which is common on our cars anyway.

I haven't had any gremlins like the posts i've read on Kelly blue book,user reviews or on audiforums for that matter.

 

I just got Audina back from my friend,that happends to be a mechanic.

Things that were done to her:

Timing belt kit from FCPGroton,came with water pump,t-state,tentioner damper,seal,cam shaft seal,serpentine belt.

Both rear wheel barings ( one didn't fit and was destroyed,when pressing it out,told him to get one for Autozone,cost 90.00 ) one from autozone fit.

I called FCPGroton and they gave me no hassle and sent me a RMA to send in the replacement for a refund,its in 3 separate pieces,hope they don't freak out and refuse to refund me,based on the condition.

Replaced Rear and front shocks with sacks brand socks

He said the cabin and engine air filters were not dirty,so he left them be

All Vacuum lines replaced with silicone.....

Replaced the whole front suspention with a complete Control arm kit with sway bar from FCPGroton,(when driving Audina back,i felt the difference in the ride,right away. I turn the wheel slightly and the car reacts more quickly.

All fluids flushed and replaced:
G12 coolant fluid
Power steering fluid
Rear differential fluid
oil change with mobile 1 synthetic with large oil filter

Does the Center differential,share gear oil,from the rear differential,just like the transmission and front differential,shares ATF?

Valve cover gasket done(drove it for 20 min,i stopped at a gas station for gas and noticed that there was still smoke,coming from the headlights as it did before,

I told this to my mechanic and he said,there was oil spilt all over and it just burning off the manifold and to not worry,its just going to burn off and stop smoking) is this true?
NGK Spark plugs replaced
Camshaft seals replaced and applied RVT to keep the seals from leaking

Changed all brakes and rotors all brand new,courtesy of autozone,being i have a life time warranty on the brakes and 2 years on the rotors,free of charge,when you provide them the core parts.

when i got in the car in front of my mechanic's house,i put the key in the ignition and turned,i noticed the ABS was lit,the car was running and not with just the key in the ignition,where the ABS,battery and brake light,stays lit.

I asked my mechanic and he said it was because he bleed all the breaks and flushed the old brake fluid,so it was normal for the ABS to trigger,being it had to adapt again with the new brake fluid. He said to simply clear the code with my vag-com.

I did and it went away,is that normal for this to happen?

I think thats it,dropping off audina to another friend,autobody guy.

I am having my front and rear bumper painted,the front bumper cover,needs to be repaired and i'm having him install a brand new bumper lip/valance.

Couple other minor scratches to be buffed and sanded.

For this summer,Audina can finally say"Alright Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup"........... "Alright Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup" - YouTube


VAG-COM Version: Release 311.2-N


Chassis Type: 8D - Audi A4 B5
Scan: 01,02,03,08,15,17,25,35,45,55,56

Address 01 -------------------------------------------------------
Controller: 4B0 906 018 CH
Component: 1.8L R4/5VT G 0001
Coding: 16251
Shop #: WSC 63351
No fault code found.

Address 02 -------------------------------------------------------
Controller: 8D0 927 156 DF
Component: AG5 01V 1.8l5VT USA 1010
Coding: 00002
Shop #: WSC 06435
No fault code found.

Address 03 -------------------------------------------------------
Controller: 8E0 614 111 A
Component: ABS/EDS 5.3 QUATTRO D10
Coding: 0273004284
Shop #: BB 24334
1 Fault Found:
00287 - ABS Wheel Speed Sensor: Rear Right (G44)
35-00 - -

Address 08 -------------------------------------------------------
Controller: 8D0 820 043 P
Component: A4 KLIMA
Coding: 00140
Shop #: WSC 63351
Note: Excessive Comm Errors

Skipping Address 15-Airbags

Address 17 -------------------------------------------------------
Controller: 8D0 920 980 Q
Component: B5-KOMBIINSTR. VDO D12
Coding: 02444
Shop #: WSC 19411
No fault code found.

Address 35 -------------------------------------------------------
Controller: 8L0 862 257 N
Component: CV-Pump, Alarm, RC D16
Coding: 16232
Shop #: WSC 63351
1 Fault Found:
00991 - Interior Lights
28-00 - Short to B+

Address 45 -------------------------------------------------------
Controller: 4B0 951 173
Component: Innenraumueberw. D03
Coding: 00101
Shop #: WSC 63351
No fault code found.

End -------------------------------------------------------

 

Sounds like the stuff I've been doing lately, slowly but surely my car is getting where I want it, hopefully urs too man, good luck!