Hello all, Newbie here having just purchased my first Audi. I have always been a fan, and found a great deal on a 1997 A4 Quattro. The car is a blast to drive with the 2.8 30v, a five speed, and I think a sport package. It has 130k on it, and I hope to get many happy years out of it. The Audi has happily replaced my diesel Merc for the daily commute....I didnt know driving could be such fun. The Audi is in really good shape, but does have a few issues that I will be addressing. The rear speakers are there, but have no wires going to them, and I cant find them in the trunk. The illumination screen for the climate control head unit needs some attention. And of course , the CEL is on. Came on three days and 200 miles after I bought it, of course. I am not discouraged though, I am going to get the codes pulled and hope for something simple. I hope I didnt get a good deal on it because of the CEL...but who knows From everything that I have read, these cars are very robust...and like someone on the forum said, 'beats the heck out of a 97 Civic'! Stay tuned!

 

first off you wish it was a thirty valve! 97's are only 12v but i hear they are more reliable, who knows...
for the rear speakers if there arent any wires i would suspect a previous owner installed an aftermarket amp, but we would need to get some more info. for the cel, get them codes and post em! i bought mine last september and my cel went on a couple weeks after i got it. figured out, with the help of audiforums, that it was just the maf. simple fix. havent had a single problem since (knock on wood). and i believe it was me who said it beats the hell out of a civic seriously, even though ive only had mine for about nine months, i seriously believe there will always be at least one audi in my garage until the day i die

 

redline is right, if its a '97, its a 12v. I know because i have one lol. first, congrats! second, it would be very beneficial for you to download VAG-Com so you don't have to drive to Auto-Zone to get your codes read. Don't wanna sound like a pessimist, but you're gonna need it lol.

Third, you're right. The 12v is one of the more robust Audi motors. If you change the oil regularly, you're not gonna have any problems. That said, don't neglect the regular maintenance. How many miles on the clock? Timing belt job? there are a few more pieces to this puzzle before you'll be a HAPPY Audi owner

 

+1

Same here, tho I've had mine a happy year this month

OP: welcome to the brand and the forum. Treat your Audi right and she'll love you for a long time. Do like CC says, keep up on regular maintenance and you'll save thousands in the long run and be much happier

 

Well, i am on my way to happy Audi owner. I took it by a local performance shop and they were nice enough to check the CEL. It came up as a temp sensor and the guy reset it for me...great guy! So I only have a 12v...my bad..I love it though. The car is a blast to drive! The car has 130k on the clock and has had the belt done.

As for my rear speakers, there is something hanging down that I am assuming is the original amp. I dont know what happened, there are two large gauge wires in the trunk and one green narrow gauge. I am assuming that they are the power, ground and light? for an aftermarket amp. The thing is, I dont know what I need to do to get the speakers working.

Also, my car puts out NO heat..is that bad? I am used to a Mercedes diesel that put out a lot of warm air, but this car seems to do nothing.

Great forum..Thanks to all!

 

if you have an amp, it should be behind the carpeting on the driver's side in the trunk. there are no large gauge wires running to or from it though. what you're seeing could be wiring for an aftermarket one somebody was using in the car. which is awesome because now you can just hook them up to an amp and woofer(s). you should get the temp sensor fixed first. it's an easy fix, go to autozone and buy the sensor and make sure to get a new clip and o-ring. the sensor is right behind the head on the passenger side by the firewall. you can see it if you take the flexible intake hose off. no heat could be heater core since you're not reporting any weird temp gauge activity.

 

Congrats man . I will say if it's your heater core you might be a little peeved after that job. The core is cheap enough it's the labor and what they do to your dash that will scare the crap out of you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngi2cNWyWTk

 

Welcome to the world of Audi. Cool stuff on the Mercedes diesel..I currently have a 1998 Audi A4 and a 1983 240D!

 

No heat might be a plugged heater core (possible to flush without replacing, replacing isnt fun like stated above), also might be bad blend doors which you can diagnose with a VAG or http://www.audiworld.com/tech/int.html this.. Congrats on your purchase though.

 

HA! I am looking for a used injector pump for a 240D, and a block for my TDT.....I am not to worried about the no heat issue...through the summer anyway I am more worried about getting my back speakers working. I am going to get some pics of the dangling parts for you guys to see whats going on. Thanks!