Hello - sorry if this has been covered before, I'm on the road and my phone doesn't seem to like the search function.... A friend of mine is looking to buy a 2001 A4 1.8T - its a one owner, 80k miles car that just had the TB and water pump replaced @ 74k. The only potential issue I can see with it is that the owner has run nothing but Quaker State 5w-30 conventional oil in it every oil change since new - every 3000 miles. What sorts of potential sludging / oil pump screen issues might develop because of this, if any?

 

conventional oil is the devil to turbos. atleast he changed it at regular short intervals. ask him if he knows how to let the turbo cool down before turning off the car. if he says no then tell him about all the damage hes been doing to the car with conventional oil since new. how much does he want for the car?

 

Your friend could do a seafoam treatment to help prevent sludge.. but that won't really help if the turbo already has damage from cheap oil.

DIY links:
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...threadid=62927
http://www.audiworld.com/tech/eng89.shtml

 

Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. The guy wants $7,000 which seems to be about an average price for A4s here in Montana. I bought mine for $6,000 with 100k miles on it. Turns out I bought mine without looking into it too much and it's somewhat of a cobble job (paint came off the hood, fenders don't line up) but I've put almost 12k miles on it and it runs perfectly.

 

From what I know it's hit or miss and can vary with each individual person. But to be safe, you should always run synthetic in the 1.8T engines. But if your friend does decide to buy the car, I would go and swap out the oil pick up tube for peace of mind. But it's not an easy job. You need a lift for sure.