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  1. Potential new owner seeking guidance 
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    Hello everyone,

    My name's Netti and I am hoping you can help a girl out with a few technical matters. I am going to look at a 1997 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro manual and I am wondering if you can advise if there are any common faults I should be looking out for when I view/test drive? I am reading about minor things such as wheel bearings, drop links and bushes and more annoying stuff like fault lights relating to brake parts, that need an Audi dealer to rectify - anything else to add to that check list? Talking to the few other A4 owners I know, they seem to be pretty bombproof.

    One specific thing I am wondering about is cam belts - the car I am interested in is due a change. I have a pretty fearless tame mechanic to tackle this for me but I have a few hundred miles to drive it home in the mean time. I am a little paranoid about it letting go on the way back, after my last car had a tensioner fail and became an uneconomical repair. Are these 2.8 engines prone to anything like this? Again I seemed to read about drive belts or water pumps going but not specifically cam belts.

    Finally - official figures for this car says it will do 35mpg on a run. Is this accurate? Not all that bothered about it tbh as my last car was a twin turbo Subaru (as per user name) and I have discovered I simply cannot live without a large, fast car and plenty of torque

    Any further information, hints, tips, etc you care to give would be most appreciated.

    Please and thank you in advance.
     
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  2. Re: Potential new owner seeking guidance 
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    Hello Netti,

    The 2.8 30V is a very good engine and with regular maintenance, can soldier on for 200K+. Weak points are few but oil leaks from cam covers and cam actuators are common. Check breather system on high mileage engines - blocked breathers can make oil leaks worse. These engines can but not always have high oil consumption. Audi's official line is it's normal for up to 1litre per 1000km. In fact mine does use about 1litre per 1600km. So regular oil checking is a must. The cambelt change is involved as you may have read. Contrary to the stratospheric price of many Audi parts, the premium on genuine parts from Audi for a cambelt change, is minimal or even cheaper than some Ebay ripoff artists. So I'd recommend genuine parts.

    You will need the basic cambelt kit which includes the belt, tensioner pulley and idler pulley and a bolt. In addition, replace the water pump, thermostat, auxiliary belt and power steering belt. You need fresh G12++ or equivalent spec. coolant. [EDIT: The hydraulic tensioner/damper unit is not a service item, and unlike the water pump etc, is not essential to replace. However, it should be inspected for any sign of oil leakage from the piston and replaced if necessary.]

    I advise you or your mechanic to check carefully when refitting the front of the car, that if fitted, the A/C pipework does not rub on anything. I found out the hard way as my A/C shat itself 2 months later. A £300+ repair!

    MPG - 35mpg is feasible but not so practical as you would have to drive like Sister Mary (like 50mph) on the motorway. At a steady 75-80mph on the M/way, I can around 32mpg in cold weather and at least 30mpg in hot weather. A-roads you're looking at 25-26 mpg, and short/urban 20-22mpg.
    Honestly not bad compared to most 1.8 4-pots.

    Suspension bushes are a bugbear apparently. Early ball joints had polyurethane sockets. They dry out, characterised by squeaking when driving along and turning the wheels. If left they quickly wear out. Audi modified the plastic to improve lubrication, however the material is softer so the joints still don't last. If the joints are good but squeak, you can fix the problem very cheaply by injecting grease with a hypodermic grease needle through the rubber boot of the ball joint (5 per side BTW).

    Good luck.
    Last edited by ike; 01-08-2010 at 10:03 AM.
     
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  3. Re: Potential new owner seeking guidance 
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    Thanks Ike, that's very helpful. Why should the thermostat be changed when doing the belt? Access? I take it there are 2 belts - aux belt and power steering belt? I'm beginning to see why it's an all-day job now!

    What spec of oil do these engines use? I'm guessing they will need fully synth?
     
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  4. Re: Potential new owner seeking guidance 
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    Thermostats may last but may not. Failure is all to common on Audis. The problem is that whereas on many other makes of engine, where you can easily access the thermostat, Audi in their infinite wisdom saw fit to locate it and the water pump behind the cambelt. So it makes sense to always replace it when replacing the cambelt. It only costs £12.

    The auxiliary belt is the long serpentine belt i.e. crank-alternator-tensioner-water pump-A/C compressor. The power steering pump is in the vee driven by its own V-belt.

    Given these engines use plenty of oil, it doesn't make sense to use too expensive a grade. I use 10-40W or 15-40W semi-synthetic - absolutely fine for what is after all, an older generation engine.

    PS: Edited the OP re. hydraulic damper and oil consumption.
     
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