Hi all,
I bought a 2000 A4 B5 Avant (1.6 ARM) last week and have a few questions about it:

Question 1-
When I bought it, the battery was dead, but the seller told me that that had nothing to do with the car - the battery was very old. I checked it, and indeed it was very old.
So I drove the car home and replaced the battery with a new 60Ah Varta Blue.
No problem starting with the new battery, but soon after it started showing an ABS fault message.
I turned off the car, and even after removing the key, something was still running under the bonnet. The noise was coming from the ABS module - a continuous, loud buzzing/humming. Since this continued for almost 2 hours, I decided to disconnect the battery (and reseated the 372 relay), otherwise it would run it down. Later that day I reconnected the battery, drove for a while and this time there were no ABS related messages, nor did the ABS module stay on after turning off the car.

The only similar issue I found on these and other A4 B5 forums was an apparently common problem with the secondary air pump which would not stop running after turning off the car, thus draining the battery. This problem seems to be different, but I reseated the 372 relay anyway.
Is this a known issue?
Does anyone have any idea of what could be wrong, or if this means that the ABS module is dying?

Question 2-
The centre console (the plastic bit between the two front seats) is cracked, so I would like to replace it. Can I install a centre console from an A4 B6, or perhaps an A6 C5 without having to do any major adaptation? Same for other interior parts, like door cards/panels, seats, etc?

Question 3-
At 200 000km (roughly 125 000 miles), what would you say are my top priorities as far as maintenance, preventive work is concerned? I'm thinking of doing the timing belt (along with water pump, thermostat, AC belt, etc), all brake pads, discs, filters, oil. Should I also consider a complete suspension overhaul?

Question 4-
The rear of the car seems to be a bit high. In case I need to replace the shock absorbers, coil springs, etc, exactly which components will affect height?

Thanks in advance for your help.

cheers,
chicotico

 

If you search this forum, you will find information about the ABS module. It is possible that the small circuit board within the module has a crack or other fault.

The interior of the B5 and B6 are very different as is the centre console and other parts. If your centre console is cracked, it may be far less trouble to find one in a breaker's yard or on the Internet.

Unless you know the service history of this vehicle and trust the seller's word, it is wise to replace the timing belt and associated parts sooner rather than later. The front suspension in the B5 can become worn requiring the replacement of the control arms and roll bar bushes. They are available from a number of reliable vendors over the Internet. Be sure you get quality parts and not the junk made in China.

It is entirely possible that the front springs/suspension may have a problem, thus the lower front and higher rear. It is also possible that incorrect or seized parts are the problem with the rear suspension.

 

many thanks for your reply.

Yes, there is information about the ABS module, but I couldn't find anyone with the same symptoms: module not switching off for hours after stopping the car. Have you ever seen a similar situation?

In any case, should I just play the waiting game and wait for the same thing to happen again, or is there some troubleshooting within my reach?

And if it happens again, what should I do? I may very well not be the module itself, but perhaps some relay that gets stuck in a closed circuit, no?

I expected that to be the case, but how about the A6 C5?



I don't. Which is why I am definitely doing that in the coming week - already ordered all the parts.

I always buy either from the OE supplier for a specific part (which is usually easy to find for BMWs, but not so much for Audi, at least for me, since I'm new to Audi cars), or from suppliers I know from the BMW world, eg Lemforder, Hella, Contitech, Brembo, ATE, Meyle, Bosch, etc. they should be ok for Audi parts, no?
About the suspension, usually Febi is ok and cheaper than Lemforder, but I've seen people complaining about the Febi control arm kits in this forum. Is it a general consensus that the Lemforder and Meyle HD kits justify the price premium over the Febi? I can get the Febi kit for 250€ versus almost 400€ for the Meyle HD or Lemforder.

 

If you experience that symptom again, it could be either a poor earth connection or a faulty relay.

The A6 C5 is also significantly different due to the size of the interior dimensions. Again, it may be less trouble to locate a used centre console.

I have successfully used Ocap control arms, which are made in Italy, as replacements for the original VAG parts. Pricing appears to be similar to the Meyle parts, but it seems one gets what one pays for ! So far, no complaints about the Ocap parts.

Since a good number of the replacement parts for the older B5 chassis are now sourced from China, it can be difficult to get the quality of the European parts. Even parts from *** or SKF may be made in China such as wheel bearings. Other members of this forum report failure of timing belt tensioner bearings within 400km of installation from parts made in Slovakia.

 

Its important to mention that timing belt kit came from Blauparts.

Jim Blau, the founder of the company wrote a personal apology letter to the member and replaced the kit. Then again, his sorry wont repair any internal engine damage created by that faulty belt.

And here I thought the Slovakians made good products.

 

I have found a centre console for an Audi A6 C5 which looks reasonably similar to mine - even the colour. It's here:
Audi a6 t c5 2000 center console | eBay

The are two places where things can go wrong - the place where it connects to the upper centre console (where the gear shift **** is located) and the location of the handbrake, which could be different - is it?

Do you know if it will fit, or know of anyone who has ever swapped an A4 centre console for an A6 one?

 

I have no experience with this type of operation, but perhaps another forum member has performed just such a swap and can comment.

Of course, you can take the chance it will work since the colour is the same and if properly cut/trimmed, it may work.

The handbrake location may prove problematic, or it could just fall readily into place.