New A4 1.8T Quattro owner in Nor Cal
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 171
From: San Francisco, CA
New A4 1.8T Quattro owner in Nor Cal
Hey guys/gals,
Bought a used lower mileage '98 A4 1.8T a few days ago. It's Quattro but with the Auto transmission. The interior and engine are in great shape as the owner was a nonsmoker and very diligent in maintenance. She kept all records and spent over $10K in maintenance in the last several years. Pretty much I have a new car but the battle scars out the outside show it's age. However, I'm planning on freshening it up. In any case, I'll be here to look at DIY's and would like to fix up the exterior of this car. It has dents on the hood, trunk and both bumpers need to be repainted. If anybody's here from SF/NorCal, give me a shout out, it would be nice to meet some fellow Audi fanatics who know their stuff. Pretty much, this will become my daily driver given the gas prices and also take me to Tahoe when ski season returns.
Main things I'm concerned about so far from my perusal of these forums and looking for advice for are:
1) Auto Transmission service schedule - I feel that it holds the gear longerthan it should (i.e. at 60mph, it feels like it's still in 3rd gear b/c it's at 3K RPM) -is that normal b/c the engine isn't super strong on torque? I'm used to driving a manual transmission car so it could just be me.
2) Oil Sludge prevention items - Anything Ican do to prevent oil sludge? From what I've read is to use the larger oil filter, change the oil on time and check the dipstick often. Is Seafoam safe on these 1.8T's?
3) Timing belt servicing - I've read some posts about timing belts just breaking. The prior owner had that happen to her and she had to incur a hefty bill for a new cylinder head from the dealer at about 65K miles. I just don't want this happening to me anytime in the near future and from what I've seen on one post, it looks like the timing belt can bea DIY weekend job.
4)Shortage of places to get replacement bumpers - replicas are fine as long as they are good quality. BMW E36M3 bumpers can be found pretty much anywhere and as cheap as $115 shipped for good quality ones from a reputable vendor. I wish the same could be said for B5 S4 bumpers...
5) Most bang for the buck performance upgrades. I'm sure many of you are going to say get a chip but I'm not familiar with the chip vendors. I guess maybe I'll have to look at the FAQ's unless someone wants to chime in. Then again, my car is an auto so I dunno if I will get the extra performance I hope for since I have owned several powerful cars in the past with over 300 horses.
In any case, drop me a line if you've got any comments and advice for a nooby.
Bought a used lower mileage '98 A4 1.8T a few days ago. It's Quattro but with the Auto transmission. The interior and engine are in great shape as the owner was a nonsmoker and very diligent in maintenance. She kept all records and spent over $10K in maintenance in the last several years. Pretty much I have a new car but the battle scars out the outside show it's age. However, I'm planning on freshening it up. In any case, I'll be here to look at DIY's and would like to fix up the exterior of this car. It has dents on the hood, trunk and both bumpers need to be repainted. If anybody's here from SF/NorCal, give me a shout out, it would be nice to meet some fellow Audi fanatics who know their stuff. Pretty much, this will become my daily driver given the gas prices and also take me to Tahoe when ski season returns.
Main things I'm concerned about so far from my perusal of these forums and looking for advice for are:
1) Auto Transmission service schedule - I feel that it holds the gear longerthan it should (i.e. at 60mph, it feels like it's still in 3rd gear b/c it's at 3K RPM) -is that normal b/c the engine isn't super strong on torque? I'm used to driving a manual transmission car so it could just be me.
2) Oil Sludge prevention items - Anything Ican do to prevent oil sludge? From what I've read is to use the larger oil filter, change the oil on time and check the dipstick often. Is Seafoam safe on these 1.8T's?
3) Timing belt servicing - I've read some posts about timing belts just breaking. The prior owner had that happen to her and she had to incur a hefty bill for a new cylinder head from the dealer at about 65K miles. I just don't want this happening to me anytime in the near future and from what I've seen on one post, it looks like the timing belt can bea DIY weekend job.
4)Shortage of places to get replacement bumpers - replicas are fine as long as they are good quality. BMW E36M3 bumpers can be found pretty much anywhere and as cheap as $115 shipped for good quality ones from a reputable vendor. I wish the same could be said for B5 S4 bumpers...
5) Most bang for the buck performance upgrades. I'm sure many of you are going to say get a chip but I'm not familiar with the chip vendors. I guess maybe I'll have to look at the FAQ's unless someone wants to chime in. Then again, my car is an auto so I dunno if I will get the extra performance I hope for since I have owned several powerful cars in the past with over 300 horses.
In any case, drop me a line if you've got any comments and advice for a nooby.
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