2002 A4 B6 1.9TDi 130 - Ditch or Keep!?

[rkthornley]

I've wanted an A4 B6 pretty much since they came out so last year I finally bought one.... it's been the worst car I've ever owned! The list of faults I've rectified has included most of the common ones but the ones that remain are below... along with questions... and ultimately the big question of should I call it quits and get rid of the car!?!

Front Wheel bearing? Intermittent classic worn wheel bearing noise, seems to be coming from front NS. Varies from nothing to quite noisy going round corners then nothing to LOUD on a straight motorway run!

Starter solenoid - intermittently sluggish pulling the starter motor in... spins freely then high pitched grind as it slowly engages. Think this is from oil leaking on to it from the EGR valve and gumming it up; just clean it and re-fit?!

As per above the most worrying issue; oil leaking from EGR valve!! There's also slight metalic rattle that seems to relate to the turbo, so is this oil getting past a worn out bearing and hence... is my turbo on the way out!?! Or could the wrong oil choice (too thin) also cause this?

Aircon went from icy cool to non-existent in about 30mins. I figure if it was just in need of a re-gas then it would have deteriorated more slowly; ideas? Leaks common?Compressor failure!?!?

Handbrake doesn't really hold on hills! Replaced the rear pads for a slight improvement, discs look pretty shot so should I invest in new discs (and more pads) or is there another issue that could be causing this?

Clutch on the way out - fair enough, wear and tear, but how big is this job (Labour wise)? I can see kits for about £100 not sure if they include the release bearing.

During the winter water collects on the door sills and freezes ALL the doors shut!! Should I strip the door cards and re-seal or could something else be causing this?

The car has done 160K miles but I figured Audis should just keep going, was I wrong? Can't really afford a new car but selling this one and buying something else might actually be cheaper with all of the above combined - and that's ignoring the possibility that the turbo is shot!

Essay over!! Any comments gratefully received!

[Monkey117SE]

First of all sorry to hear about your woes. Its sounds as if the car you bought hasnt been maintained by its previous owner all too well, or maybe they thought it had but the garage wasnt great. All depends on the money you want to spend, everything is fixable. With 160k on the clock things will be worn out, if you get the clutch done get the flywheel done as well.

I think you need to source a good reputable indy garage and get them to have a good look at it, even if you are handyish with spanners there is a lot of work there. The b6 a4 is a very good car and maintained right will last a long time. I too have the same water/door sill issue so would be interested to hear about that as that is something you could do yourself. Hang in there!.

[rkthornley]

Yes, I think it had a hard life... in hindsight I should have walked away from it but there you go.
Wow, the DMF adds a hefty hit to my "potential bill" calculations! I have it booked into a local garage I trust on the "have a look and price it up" basis. It's difficult because I could do the bare minimum and it would probably go for another year or two no problem.... on the other hand, with winter ahead, it could be a complete liability! I'm worried I'm letting my love for Audi get in the way of good sense...!

[gavsman]

euro car parts have 25% off all car parts in july!

Code = JULYB25





Audi A4 1.9 2002


LUK Dual Mass Flywheel
Part Number: 336440460

In Stock


Home Delivery
Available
£275.99




Update


£275.99

Remove



Audi A4 1.9 2002


LUK Clutch Kit
Part Number: 641441650

In Stock


Home Delivery
Available
£136.79




Update


£136.79

Remove

Protecting our customers with Secure Shopping


SubTotal:£412.78

Gift Certificate/Promo Code



Coupon Benefit: -£103.20
(25% off all Service Parts )


GRAND TOTAL (inc VAT): £309.58

[mikeybutch]

You have been really unlucky.I would ditch but try to find a good unabused one

[rkthornley]

So I have one vote of "hang in there", one very helpful answer about sorting the clutch and one vote of "ditch it".... I was all set to ditch it but then I drove it again.... Life is so unfair!!

[nevo]

As long as the clutch and turbo aren't to bad the others are fairly cheap to fix if you can do yourself,starter,get one from the breakers,handbrake ,the cables are stretched,adjust them ,aircon need more info, doors not a major problem again check the rubbers,get a another set from the breakers.

[danclyon]

Right - time for me to dip my toe in this one. I don't have a manual, so I can't speak for the clutch/DMF - I have the other cash-sink - the Multitronic But I second ECP - great bunch and the price isn't actually that bad....but there's a fair few hours labour in there to do the clutch/DMF.
Handbrake - cable - it's that old it's probably just stretched - adjust/replace - again can get from ECP.
Wheel bearing - are you sure it's that? If it was on it's way out it would be progressive and getting worse.....B6' are a nightmare when it comes to noises like that relating to tyre wear....what state are the tyres in? I had something similar, took it to an indy (ex-main dealer) and he said he'd bet the house on it being tyres rather than wheel bearing - he was right....
EGR valve - they all do it, you can strip/clean - plenty of it on here - or get a new one....ISTR main dealer price for it replaced when mine was done under warranty was about £160....ECP may be able to supply that too....
Air-Con - get a freebie check/test thing done and see what they say?

I love my B6 - I keep thinking about replacing her, but every time I drive her I realise I never could....

D.

[frankc]

With the rear discs in poor shape I would suggest this could point to the pistons & pins needing a good clean as the caliper is obviously not clamping the disc to their full capacity. This would also lead to poor hand brake performance.

Good luck whatever you decide

Frank

[plumo]

i have a 51 plate b6 1.9tdi 130 and all i have had is problems the brakes are now dogy and its the abs control module....

£1500 FROM AUDI !!!!!!! the cars only worth 3500 !!!! on 135000 miles !! dont think ill be getting one of them !