2000 Audi A4 Quatro Turbo AWD

sorry for the long thread, I just need advise on this car before I go any further...

I just went and drove this A4 today (I hope the link works), it's a 2000 1.8TQM, with sport package; 110,000 miles for $4,400.

Known problems:
- Coolant leak (?not sure where from)
- CD player doesn't work (?is this common?)
- LCD screen has dead pixels (don't they all) and goes completely out sometimes, apparently.
- Ripped seat (aren't they all...)

Other than that it drove pretty nice, temp stayed in the middle at 190*F even after driving it somewhat hard (for a fairly short period of time, maybe 15 minutes).

The coolant reservoir was really low, and he says it has a known leak, he didn't say what but I think it's coolant. He says if it sits for a couple of days there is definitely fluid on the ground.

Besides finding what the coolant is leaking from, which I have no idea because I didn't see it drip at all while I was there...

If it is leaking coolant, and they were having to refill the radiator and overflow reservoir frequently, how harmful is it if they were not using G12? like what if they were using cheap prestone or water or something instead?

~~~

want to get a buyers inspection done on it tomorrow but I'd like some of your expert opinions first!

Thank you for any help! want to get into an A4 so bad...

 

In case no one gets to you before you get the inspection (it's easy to troll forums when you're procrastinating a paper)...

Mixing coolants or not using G12 would be bad until you get the system flushed a couple times. The coolant will gel up if I recall correctly and that would be bad, but I don't see it doing permanent damage until something starts to overheat. Why risk it though

CD Player not working is odd to me. You'd probably want to get an iPod/auxiliary adapter to replace the CD player so the clarity will be better than a cassette adapter.

LCD dead pixels and the ripped seat is common, yeah.

Now from trying to remember from having read past posts, leaking coolant ends up in the oil. Upon changing the oil, you would see a milky color instead of a healthy oil color. I think this happens when the...valves or pistons have play in them and coolant seeps in (something like this) and the engine needs some major work.

I would have the mechanic thoroughly check for the leak. If what I've described is the case, you'll probably end up regretting buying it, especially if they're refilling the reservoir frequently.

My advice to you is think long term. Waiting a bit longer for a healthier Audi sounds appealing to me. People typically sell cars when they don't want them anymore.

 

Looks fairly clean for a 2000 a4. Pretty low mileage for the year. It definitely needs a good detailing and what not. As for the mechanical aspects, first thing to check is pop off the upper timing cover and look how the timing belt looks. As for the coolant leak, it is most likely the coolant flange on the back of the cylinder head. Cheap part, only about $20, but can be very stressful to change if you've never done it before. As for the coolant, if the owner put in prestone or water it is not going to do any harm. A lot of people will disagree with me but as long as you don't mix prestone with g12 it is fine to run prestone if you have to. I've used it in 2 of my previous audi's with no problems. But once you fix the coolant leak you might as well do a coolant flush and refill with g12 + distilled water. I think it looks like a fairly good buy, I would try to get him down in price at least a couple hundred dollars more though.

 

Having anyone"look"at the timing belt,is the worst method,when checking to see if one is due for a timing belt job.

Records..Records....and more Records! The seller must,provide documentation that the belts have been replaced. Furthermore,i noticed the Craigslist ad,didn't mention anything about t-stat,water pump,tensioner,dampener,rollers or seals,being replaced,when the timing belts were,replaced.

Some might say,that anyone doing a timing belt job,will replace these parts as a given,as they should but never take anyone's word for it,if you don't see any documentation on what was replaced,assume it wasn't.

It looks like you have a decent amount of disposable cash on hand,i advise you to pass on this one,these A4 B5's are popular the world over and as such,there is always someone selling one,i see several in my local area on Craigslist.

Look for another one in better shape,without any serious issues,with a body in great shape and no electronic issues,those are the worst ones to deal with.

I mean yeah,most 10 year old cars will have wear and tear and a leak here or there but you don't want to adopt one with problems out the gate.

I really feel,that the original owner,neglected the car,despite what she claims.

My nickel's worth of advice...skip it,look at another A4 B5,these cars are too gorgeous,to look like ****.

 

Documentation is another issue. I figured you knew a lot of that anyway judging by your post count.

If there's no documentation of the timing belt job, you're looking at spending another $300 in parts and around $800 in labor unless you do it yourself. The belt can visibly look fine, but it's the tensioner that typically fails, not the belt.

Again, the coolant issue seems like it would get annoying pretty fast

 

Obviously if he has documents of when the timing belt was last done that would be the best form of proof. If he doesn't, which most people selling cars on craigslist don't, a visual inspection is always a good idea. I'm not saying just because it looks good it doesn't need to be changed soon, I've went to look at cars before and seen the timing belt completely worn, with chipped teeth, fraying, etc... If you see obvious signs of wear I would probably stay away and not even drive the car.

 

He claims the timing belt / water pump was done at 95k, says he did it himself with a kit from the web. No idea on receipt of purchase though, I think I am going to walk off from this one too, I don't have the money to buy the car and end up having to put 2 grand into it.

Think I'll just hold off for one around $5,000 and get a cleaner one... thanks for all of the replies, it's just so damn hard to find clean ones for under 6-7k

 

Use their lack of documentation for major jobs like control arms and the timing belt to talk them down.

 

Also, if you haven't before, I would check the classifieds on Audizine and VWVortex. You might find a well kept car there that would be worth spending a little extra on

Take this one for example (though MA is no where near you, but you get the idea): 2000 Audi A4 1.8t Quattro 5 Speed Black - The Audizine Classifieds

 

Here's the one I'm looking at next.

1998 1.8TQM 125k

1998 Audi A4 5 speed 125k