Need some advice urgently

[Stuart1983]

Hello,

I have a 1995 Audi A4 standard 1.8 model.

We got the Car 3 years ago and it has done us well. We paid £650 for the Car from a Private Dealer.

Next month the MOT is due and then in January the Tax needs renewing. Now, here is my question. Going on the following list of what might need doing/faults, is it time to call it a day and get something a bit newer?

So, my current Audi has the following...

ABS light comes on and stays on
The mileage display doesn't light up
The Immobiliser is a nightmare. It will be ok for months, then somedays takes 20mins to sort out
No remote central locking, can only lock/unlock car via key in door
2 New tyres needed on both rear wheels
Awful shudder from brakes when braking at speed. (Had the back discs & pads done about year ago) Note: this doesn't happen all the time, only when braking at speed i.e over 50MPH
You seem to feel every bump & knock when driving. The ride isn't that smooth. (Had front Suspension struts done in last MOT)
On last years MOT advisory, I had 2 wheel bearings flagged which I haven't done yet.

The biggest one is the heaters within the car. They are crap. It takes about 40mins for them to start kicking warm air out. The car is mainly used by my partner and she takes our little boy to playgroup 4 times a week in the morning. She had a nightmare last winter and I was going to look at getting it fixed.

Time to change? Any help would be much appreciated as I need to sort this before the MOT in November.

[Stuart1983]

Forgot to add, I can't do the work myself so it would be taken to a Garage.

If anyone knows roughly what the problems might cost to fix, based on possible Garage charges, that would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[yaman]

Hi,

For parts and labour on all these things i think your
starting at £1200, and it could easily go to a lot more.

Regards
Jim

[Stuart1983]

Just looked on last years MOT again.

It says about 2 'ball joints' having play. One is near side and one is offside rear.

Would these be effecting the ride smoothness?

[yaman]

That would account for the shuttering brakes
and bumping and knocking.

Its quite dangerous to drive with well worn ball-joints,
they can pop-out and throw you all over the road.

Please change the car tomorrow :(

Regards
Jim

[Stuart1983]

I've booked it in for an MOT on Friday.

Going to see what they come back with. Obviously not all the things listed will fail the Car but once I know what I'd be looking at to get it on the road for another 12 months, I can make a decision.

Thanks for your advice Jim.

[iwaters]

You don't mention which ball joints have play, there are 4 control arms and 1 track rod end on each corner, each with a ball joint. Often if one or more are worn it is best to repalce the lot in one go.

I have just replaced my springs, dampers, all control arms and drop links on my A6. The springs and dampers were genuine Audi, the control arms were from ATP in germany. The parts alone came to £500 ish. I did the work myself, god knows that the labour cost would have been.

You say you have an ABS light on and the brakes are shuddering, it could be the suspension causing the shudder or it could be a fault with the ABS, likely given the light is on.

It is going to cost way more than the car is worth to get fixed. It also sounds dangerous in is current form, I am willing to bet it will fail the MOT miserably.

[Stuart1983]

It says 'Slight play in Track End Ball joints' for Near side and offside rear.

The ABS light has been on since I had the back break discs and pads replaced about year ago. When they took them off the old one's were in a right state. They were grinded to hell and the mechanic said he'd never seen any like that. Bit worrying.

I'm putting it into MOT just to see what they say really. Saying that, I will be a bit worried if they don't pick up on the track end ball joints as this does seem to be affecting the car if that is what the problem is.

[iwaters]

If the light has come on since the pads and disks were changed then it might just be that the wheel speed sensor has been knocked, or disconnected by mistake.

See what the MOT says, track rod ends aren't expensive and are pretty quick to swap. A fault code scan should able to help pin point the problem with the ABS.

Those are the most important bits to get sorted if you decide to keep the car.

[Stuart1983]

Ok, thanks for the help and advice.

I get worried sick every time any car I've owned is due an MOT. Always fear the worst.

If it does get through this MOT, will probably look to move it on in the Summer. It's starting to show it's age a bit.

Are the Track Rod Ends something that would effect the smoothness of the ride? We seem to hear every little knock or bump when driving. Would that also effect the brakes and make them shudder?

[iwaters]

Track rod ends are what connect the steering rack to the wheel bearing housing. If there is play in the ball joints it is likey to manifest itself as a vaugeness in the steering. If they are badly worn then they could be making a knocking sound when going over bumps.

The warn track rod ends (TREs) could cause the brake juddering, however I think it is more likely to be your ABS. The ABS light staying on means there is a fault with the ABS. Get a fault code read out.

The TREs are only about £60 and a garage shouldn't want more than an hours labour to change them so about £100. You will need a wheel alignment after so possibly another £30 on top.

If the TREs are responsible for the juddering and knocking sound then they must be on their last legs.

[Stuart1983]

Ok, thanks again.

Well, I've put a limit of £250 on this MOT. Being this close to Xmas and with the age etc... not throwing money into a lost cause.

I've had a look around and to be fair, where I live (Somerset), not too many 'decent' 2nd hand Audi's about. Did see a nice X Reg 1.8 SE (next model up from ours) for £1499 which looked very tidy.

Anyway, Firday will tell.

[yaman]

The juddering brakes, at over 50mph, is a sign of the
front lower rear suspension arm (banana shaped)
ball-joint. In fact its not the brakes that judder,
but applying the brakes causes the joint to vibrate.

Regards
Jim

[Stuart1983]

I suppose with the age of the Car, 1995 plate, and mileage 175,000, that all these things will catch up sooner or later.

I know some of these other things are common faults in these Audi's, such as Immobiliser.

[bannedbiker]

The TREs are only about £60 and a garage shouldn't want more than an hours labour to change them so about £100. You will need a wheel alignment after so possibly another £30 on top.


I did a TRE on my '96 A4 Avant a couple weeks back, they're ~£12 each from GSF...!

[iwaters]

£60 was an approximate price for genuine Audi parts. But yeah you can get aftermarket parts much cheaper.

I got a complete set of control arms, drop links and TREs from ATP in Germany for £160.

[Stuart1983]

Well, had it's MOT today and failed but only on Emissions. Everything else was fine.

I was advised to get to Halfords and buy some Tank Cleaner. Then give it a good rant over the weekend with this on board.

Then on Monday when it's going back in, to give it another rant and they will whack it straight into the bay and do the re-test.

I've got some Redex. Going to put 1/2 bottle in with half tank of fuel. Seen lots of other people have had this problem with other makes of cars and 9 times out of 10 it's worked, so fingers crosssed for my Audi!

[iwaters]

Unless the car was only just outside the limits some redex and an Italian tune up might not be good enough, but no harm in trying.

Given the other issues you have described I am surprised it passed. Having said that the MOT test is not particlularly stringent and is not really an indication that a car is roadworthy.

You have said previously that your partner uses the car to take your child to playgroup. Please get the ABS light and shuddering brakes issue looked as well as the suspension issue.

You obviously have a fault with the ABS system (hence the warning light) and the ratling brakes and the balljoints that you have previously been warned about could fail at any time.

[Stuart1983]

I did find it odd that last year the TRE's were flagged as an advisory, yet this year not a mention?!!

The only other things they flagged were bulb out on rear number plate and washer jet not releasing enough fluid.

As for the other issues, I have a friend who is a mechanic. Unfortunately, the garage he works in is a disgrace and rip people off, hence not taking it there. I might see if he can have a look at the other issues one weekend.

Will give the Redex a try. It wasn't that badly over, so might do the trick.

Thanks for the advice.