54 reg A4 - what to check?

[Christophski]

Hey guys wondering if anyone can help? My brother has and his wife have a baby on it's way so are looking for a new car and like myself they want an A4 avant (long story)
Nick has found a 1.8t sport line Quattro avant with 93k on it. He's a mechanic and knows about these engines so that isn't a problem but before he goes to view it is there anything I should tell him to check? Common issues etc??? This one says it's 190 bhp so is that mapped as i thought they were 180bhp engines?

Any advice greatfully received.

Cheers guys
Chris

[Ian_C]

Nah they were 190 from the factory. 2004 B6 S line should be on five spoke 'RS6 style' 18s. Much better car for quattro, very nice cars indeed.

Paperwork / history wise I'd be checking for regular oil changes and also the most recent cambelt / water pump. Will almost certainly be on the original clutch / flywheel. Check for broken glove box hinge, that all the DIS / trip functions work, that is comes with the factory full size spare wheel and tyre, load cover etc etc

[Christophski]

Ok cool cheers. This one does have the rs6 style wheels and thanks for letting me know about the bhp.
So basically it's common sense things really with no major common issues such as drive train or rust?

This one does look really nice tbh but it's almost £5k.... Is that about right?

[Cottis]

That sounds pricey to me. Things might have changed but I was looking at the diesel versions about 12months back. Rare as hens teeth but they held their money and I was looking at 5kish for a 1.9pd Quattro (100k-150k mileage) and i think they hold far higher values than the petrols. Having said that, petrol is suddenly very cheap.

If the prices stay low, I might be tempted with this sort of car myself. The diesel is just nice and lazy to drive though, not had a petrol car for my daily for many years.

[Cottis]

You got me looking at 4WD Turbo Petrols now ha ha. Seems £5k is the right sort of ballpark for that mileage. Surprised me a little. Thought it would have been a good grand less than that. Hopefully your bro can pick it up a little cheaper. Avants seem rare (as ever)

[dhali7376]

Front wings rust round the arches caused by the archliners rubbing on collected grit at the edges.
Tailgate rusts round the number plate lights, also if it has a number plate surround look underneath the edges of it as this is where grit collects and rubs through the paintwork (this happens on most cars over time ).
Check if rear wash wipe works as this is a common failure.
Engine wise 1.8Ts suffer from oil pick up issues due to sludge blocking oil strainer. There is a fix for this.

[Christophski]

Cheers guys. I will make sure we check them.

Haha Andrew, it happens! I want one of these but my girlfriend wants a newer one and diesel to boot so she wants to spend lots more I guess! Hey, her money, I get to play with a newer toy out of it though! I thought this was expensive but then again I don't know what's out there ATM.

[Cottis]

I might be holding you personally responsible for my future fuel economy Chris ha.

They reckon fuel is going to keep dropping, so who knows. I am kinda getting attached to my little Leon FR though. Think I will go look at some new fishing reels instead. Need to get this Petrol Quattro guff out of my system. I already have the S2 and that bleeds me dry enough as it is.

[sam80quattro]

I've just bought a 04 1.9 tdi quattro sport Avant for a bargain, however, glovebox hinge, front wings, heater flap motors were seized, rear wipers seize as they fill with water, check for water under the scuttle panel of the drains are blocked...
Gear linkage is a bit iffy on mine too
Nice car though and can't wait to tax it in January

[Christophski]

Haha... My brother is swapping out a mk1 Leon 1.8t for this. Must admit I would quite like an s4 for her indoors the way petrol is going so I blame me too lol.

Thanks, I'm sure we will check everything electric wise and hopefully it doesn't need much but will check scuttle too. Good luck with yours

[anthonys2]

I have a 53 plate A4 1.9TDI Quattro Sport the 130bhp model had it for 8 years now and this shape model is ultra reliable like the guys have mentioned check its history and mileage check. Front wings are weak as mine are cattle trucked and check for oil leaks underneath

[Ian_C]

Rust? With the exception of the front arches which are liable to chip on the edges as mentioned above, if the body has rust, walk away, it's been crashed and repaired badly

[sam80quattro]

What more of an excuse do we need for showing our other cars
Here's my 1.9tdi quattro sport Avant (doesn't seem to be many of these for sale, is it a rare model?)

[Cottis]

They are deffo not ten a penny. I wouldn't call them rare but it is definitely hard to find a good one second hand. Everyone in the know hangs on to the good ones. The engines do mega miles, the build quality is good and we all know about Quattro.

I spent the thick end of 12 months trying to find a good one without success. I only wanted a cheapo run around, so only really had £4k tops and this just would not buy a decent one. I saw a few sheds for around £3.5k but they were, well, sheds.

Compromised in the end and got a Leon FR. Same brilliant engine and box but with mickey mouse Spanish build quality instead. Must say, I am quite impressed with Sergio (apart from condensation inside but being a Coupe owner, I am used to that)

[Monkeymagic]

Cottis take pollen filter housing Off and seal with silicone gasket. That is most likEly the cause