Ok, i took a trip the other day and there were two problems
first off I have a 1997 Audi a4 1.8t automatic with 118k
i bought it with 105k (at an auction, i don't know any history) and have done no major service since.

The two problems may or may not be related.

The first thing i noticed was the climate control was not working, the AC was slightly on, but the display was blinking red with no numbers lighting up.

towards the end of my trip, i noticed at highway speeds, driving at about 3000 rpms, I was not maintinaing RPMs, they kept dropping to 2500 and then going back up.

Any one have any ideas of whats wrong?
are the problems related?

i don't have much money to spend, so i'm trying to figure out what's wrong before i take it anywhere

thanks!!

 

Do you have a CEL, or have you checked for codes? Probably a handful of them stored up... Hopefully you got an awesome deal at the auction.

 

the last time this happened to me, I ended up with a blown engine. my suggestion is take it somewhere to get it checked up. better safe than sorry.

 

The reason you might have bought it with 105K mi is because that's the mileage at which A4's need major service done. Timing belt replacement, as a matter of fact. You need to get your belts checked immediately, I cannot stress this enough.