Hi,

I'm new to the forum and new to Audi's in general. My car before this which I still own is a 1994 BMW 318 convertible 5 spd. I got my audi back in august with 80,800 miles on it. She runs great. It's an A4 Avant 1.8t model 5 spd. I am very pleased with it so far. I bought the car for going back and forth to college which is about 3 and 1/2 hrs away from my home. I have almost 89,000 miles on it already. I did an oil change which it called for at 84k and I'm due once again with the cam2 synthetic at 89k. I also put front disc's in her and she needs rears soon. My family owns a Body Shop so working on the car myself isn't a problem. I got a letter in the mail the other day about the engine sludge problem these cars may encounter. I'm guessing most of the people on this forum are aware of the problem. My question is... I'm just wondering what else I should be looking to replace at this point? What are some of the common things that go wrong with these cars? Thanks for the help...

 

TIMING BELT ASAP! I would seafoam the oil, fuel, and vacuum system. After seafoaming the fuel you should change the fuel filter.

 

I would also say the TB as well as the water pump.

I just rx'd my letter from Audi as well. I would also recommend a sludge maint. Other than that... the only other issues that I have had were the coil packs, malfunction headlamp switch, malfunction driver side power window, and the crankcase breather hose...

Enjoy!

 

Before diving in and just doing the TB, see if you have any record of a previous owner having done it (I had mine done @ 71K miles). If it hasn't been done yet, as others have said, it's definitely past due. Also check your vacuum lines - mine had a cracked one when I bought it at 62K miles, and they're a common failure point. Even if you don't have any that are broken, it wouldn't be surprising for there to be a few that are on the way and could stand replacing just to save you future headaches.

 

What kind of oil do you guys suggest using for my next oil change? I put cam2 synthetic in at 84k. What weight and brand should I use now? I recently found out about the engine sludge problems.

 

Hey I am new to the forum as well and I just want to say that I appreciate all of the help from the veteran owners. I have been looking over some of the threads, and it is really helping me out, so thanks.

 

yes if the timing belt wasn't changed before do it now. it's always nice to change the water pump at the same time as the belt too and it's easier for the mechanic as well.

i recommend mobil 1 0W-40 oil. it has enough detergents in it to keep everything clean. for gas use top tier: www.toptier.com

as long as you use VW (501/502) approved oils, you will not have a sludge problem. i also recoomend all OEM parts, even the oil filter.