Audi A4 - General - Facepunch Forum

Hey fellahs, I'm looking at purchasing myself an Audi A4 B5 (1999-2001) model, and I was just wondering if any of you have driven the car, know of any specific problems you could encounter with the car and such experience. I've got a list of a few to pick out from, and I was just curious of some of the major problems the car might have and cost to get fixed. Thanks :3 EDIT: Specific model is Audi A4 B5.

My dad has one (1.9 tdi quattro) and it's pretty great. I haven't really used it very much, I've driven it many times but not for long journeys and whatnot. I can tell you that the seats aren't really great. I get a backache easily from them. A common problem I know is a plastic thingy that looks like this: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Mc40zN0.jpg[/IMG] When it gets a few years old it cracks and coolant starts leaking. As far as I know it's a pretty cheap part and is easy to replace yourself.

[QUOTE=KillerTele;40812127]My dad has one (1.9 tdi quattro) and it's pretty great. I haven't really used it very much, I've driven it many times but not for long journeys and whatnot. I can tell you that the seats aren't really great. I get a backache easily from them. A common problem I know is a plastic thingy that looks like this: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Mc40zN0.jpg[/IMG] When it gets a few years old it cracks and coolant starts leaking. As far as I know it's a pretty cheap part and is easy to replace yourself.[/QUOTE] Is that connected to the radiator? My brother owned an Audi A4, and his engine was literally burning all the oil.

[QUOTE=Gfoose;40812556]Is that connected to the radiator? My brother owned an Audi A4, and his engine was literally burning all the oil.[/QUOTE] Yeah, the coolant runs through it. I think the temp. sensor is inside it as well.

Oh thats nice to know, thanks I'll make sure to look at any warm on rubber parts like you said.

Sounds like a good idea. Oh and it's made of plastic, not rubber. It should really be made of metal instead.

What could not to wrong... High lighted parts : Valve Cover Gaskets Control Arm Bushings Timing Belts Coolant lines CV joints ( all 4 ) urrrrr funny thing is all of the above has happened to my A6

Ive heard they have some electrical problem, dont forget that part will be pretty expensive.

[QUOTE=alx12345;40816326]Ive heard they have some electrical problem, dont forget that part will be pretty expensive.[/QUOTE] This is a half truth and half lie. I've never had a electrical grimlin since I've owned mine... Except that one time my windshield wiper relay fell out of its holder...

Is it easy to replace the dash lights? I've had my brothers old audi ones die off.

[QUOTE=Gfoose;40823933]Is it easy to replace the dash lights? I've had my brothers old audi ones die off.[/QUOTE] Its not how hard it is, almost everything is self explanatory when your working on it, their is tons of tech articles telling you step by step instructions on how to do everything. Its just how much time you have to offer. Unless you mean "dash lights" as the center LCD Screen that loves to fade out on all euro car(s). Its a quirk on the car just gotta read a article and to some fix'n.

Nah not dash lights, its the speedometer and rpm backlights. Thanks, I'll have a look into it.

And it's probably gonna smell like crayons inside like every other VW from that era :) Dash pieces can get a little fragile and brittle, no big. They're such a popular car there's tons of info about fixing things that break on them, though. Some things can be a little frustrating, since it's Euro (us dumb Americans dun like Euro workins). Just go over it well before you buy one.. There's some real junkers out there. A friend of a friend bought one down in Chicago and the front suspension was loose as hell, airbag light was on, vacuum pump for the doorlocks didn't operate properly, and had a bunch of burned out dashlights.

I love when you buy a car, look under the seats and you find crayolas, candy wrapers, cheap toys out of a kids meal... Kinda brings a tear to my eye about my childhood dreams of sticking my hand out the window and doing the air dynamic thingy and spilling those little rubberish candy hamburgers once my dad hit a bump or something. I wish I could sit in the back of my wagon... I would be so comfy... GAAAAAAH BACK TO TOPIC I believe the most important thing is to run a vin check... Just in case your seller loves turning over a profit.

I will do a check everything about the car and the inside and hopefully take it for a test drive before purchasing the vehicle. The cars shown on my car dealership website look very we'll looked after and the interior looks in good condition.

[QUOTE=DPKiller;40836302]I love when you buy a car, look under the seats and you find crayolas, candy wrapers, cheap toys out of a kids meal... Kinda brings a tear to my eye about my childhood dreams of sticking my hand out the window and doing the air dynamic thingy and spilling those little rubberish candy hamburgers once my dad hit a bump or something. I wish I could sit in the back of my wagon... I would be so comfy... GAAAAAAH BACK TO TOPIC I believe the most important thing is to run a vin check... Just in case your seller loves turning over a profit.[/QUOTE] Damn, I could have gotten a happy meal toy? all I got was a comb :(

[QUOTE=DPKiller;40836302] I believe the most important thing is to run a vin check... Just in case your seller loves turning over a profit.[/QUOTE] This, for the love of god. [editline]3rd June 2013[/editline] Allah, or science. Whatever your into.

So if I were to inspect one of the cars before purchasing what should I look into to ensure the engine has been regularly serviced and won't break down a few hours after buying it? Other than the plastic parts mentioned for the coolant.

You know what... That's truly a damn good question. The only thing I can say for is on most Volkswagen is the Valve Cover Gaskets do enjoy to leak... If you notice a strong oil burning smell after running it for ~15min they could have been cheaping out. Also side note on this some times the gaskets will remain fine on normal driving conditions, make sure to push the car around a little to create some extrea oil pressure... Uhhhh rough idle, Check Engine Light... Just point out the nick picks.