A4 quattro avant tdi new owner

[slipperyox]

Hi all, been lurking here for a while... And having bought an a4 needing arms and other parts, I sold it and got my A4 avant quattro. Love it so far but have a few questions:

1. The idle seems a little lumpy? the clutch was changed recently and is very smooth etc so I don't suspect dmf. any other ideas?
2. the temp guage reads about 70 and only goes (and stays) to 90 when stationary.

Apart from that everything seems ok, the brakes are bad, pedal firm... but no bite. So I will check calipers soon, anso a piece of trim is off the front door near the sill, is there a fix or cheap spurious replacement? Thanks for any advice. Great to see an active site like this!

[mikeybutch]

Could be the coolant temp sensor has failed .Diagnostics would show this

[slipperyox]

Thanks for the reply, I have bought vcds lite ($99), but only wanted the registration as I have a cable, so will check when I get it.

[spartacus 68]

Door trim is fairly standard problem. On B5 models the metal section in the rubber door blade corrodes and it comes away from the door clips. Audi sell them as single strips. If clips are damaged - then replace too. To remove and fit, open door there is a small Phillips screw in the bottom of the door near the lower hinge, remove. To remove strip - slide it towards the rear of the car. Do not simply pull it off towards you if you're facing the door. Good opportunity to clean the door and wax it before refitting.

The brakes can be poor. The sliders are often neglected during pad and disc installation. Remove brake carrier and check sliders. If the rubber dust sleeves are damaged, then replace. I use Lockheed red grease to lubricate the sliders. Also rule out sticky pistons. Drive car for a few miles and coast to a stop. If brake discs are hot then you know there's a problem. Will require brake rebuild, clean caliper, new 'o' ring seal, etc. Audi do exchange units - if you don't want to rebuild. A brake fluid change works wonders too. I've been using Brembo/Zimmerman discs with Bosch pads. Works for me.

Thermostats are always a problem. If yours reads 90 degrees then it's fine. Mine only works when under load. Only fit genuine Audi part that's been tested. More of an issue for me as it's a V6, so getting it done along with timing belt next week.

Regards idle. You could try renewing fuel filter. Should be done every 20k. Kill two birds with one stone and run Forte diesel treatment through it. It will smoke like an E Class frigate on start up, but drive hard in 2nd and 3rd gears and it will clear. Helps injectors too. Renew fuel filter afterwards and top up with fresh diesel before starting. See if that does anything.