hi ya, im looking for some buying advice, im looking to buy my 1st audi a4 1.8T
just wanted to no what to look for etc...
help much appreciated
just wanted to no what to look for etc...
help much appreciated
a4 buying advice
- Thread starter razor_rich
- Start date
JohnboyC
Registered User
Expect 30mpg tops from the 1.8T thats why I did not buy one..........which is pretty poor considering I was getting 30mpg out of my old BMW 328 Sport Coupe....which is a much better drive as well !
JohnboyC said:
Johnboyc - Behave
One of the things to look out for is the common Oil sludge problem that can cause you a lot of grief and wallet raping, like it did to me...oh and try not to get theAVJ engine
....like I did also!!!
Teutonic_Tamer
GreasedMonkey HoofHearted
J7USS said:
Yebut - the oil sludge problem only affect cars whos' maintenance was neglected, specifically not using the correct oil in the turbo lump. Correct spec oils, changed at the appropriate intervals have never caused the sludge issue.
mpg aint my main concern as i only get 25-35mpg out of my golf.
whats the matter with a AVJ engine? and what type of engine should i be looking to get?
whats the matter with a AVJ engine? and what type of engine should i be looking to get?
Teutonic_Tamer said:
Yebut.... Mine has full dealer service history with stamped book etc, Maintained from the company that owned it from Day One.....but I still suffered the Oil sludge, Its that Audi Longlife Bullcrap IMO!!
....so there..
Don't get Teutonic Tamer started on that topic...
Things to look out for would be normal maintenance stuff like oil, plugs, filters etc. Make sure the car has service history, preferably from a main dealer for the first few years.
I have the AVJ engine, there's nothing wrong with it. I've had it remapped and done a few bits and bobs which has improved the driveability no end. The standard K03 turbo is pretty lame though, it dies after 5500 RPM.
Oh, and in factory spec 150bhp or 163bhp it will be painfully slow!
Things to look out for would be normal maintenance stuff like oil, plugs, filters etc. Make sure the car has service history, preferably from a main dealer for the first few years.
- These engines can suffer from sludging up and the oil pumps can go, leaving you footing the bill for a new engine in most cases.
- The 1.8T engines regularly suffer from failing coilpacks, which cause the car to run on less than the normal four cylinders. If a coilpack is ******** the car will shake violently and will struggle to go anywhere.
- The temperature sender also goes on these cars, causing the temp gauge to move erratically. ie it will move to 70c then, go back down to 0c and then back up again.
- There is a coolant flange (I know, I know) which is at the back of the engine which is known to leak coolant.
- The MAF can sometimes be past its best on higher mileage cars. A bad MAF will cause all manner of problems, such as lumpy idle, bad fuel economy, stalling at low revs, sluggish performance, flat spots etc.
I have the AVJ engine, there's nothing wrong with it. I've had it remapped and done a few bits and bobs which has improved the driveability no end. The standard K03 turbo is pretty lame though, it dies after 5500 RPM.
Oh, and in factory spec 150bhp or 163bhp it will be painfully slow!
...think Golf has covered it just about!
Ive had mine remap'd and gotta say I was impressed by the Gain but I feel its still lacking, Which is why I was thinking of the K03s turbo upgrade...but Im selling up next year so aint going to bother.
If you do go for the 1.8t then you must get a remap if you want decent power because as stated it will feel lame but I suppose thats a matter of opinion.
The coolant flange on mine recently went and I was losing Coolant pretty fast.
Dont suffer from the *ank audi Longlife rubbish. Service it as you would more sooner.
I only slagged off the AVJ engine because Ive had these niggly annoying probs in the past and because I had to find another engine, AVJ's are like rocking horse *****, It took me 3 weeks to find one and I phones over 60 companies/breakers, Sods law it was the last one on my list that actually had one and they knew they could charge me that extra because they are Rare as ****!!! My pants were pulled down and suffered a slight whipping on my ***...
BUT dont let my hassle put you off mate. Take note and take your time searching.
Good Luck!!:icon_thumright:
Ive had mine remap'd and gotta say I was impressed by the Gain but I feel its still lacking, Which is why I was thinking of the K03s turbo upgrade...but Im selling up next year so aint going to bother.
If you do go for the 1.8t then you must get a remap if you want decent power because as stated it will feel lame but I suppose thats a matter of opinion.
The coolant flange on mine recently went and I was losing Coolant pretty fast.
Dont suffer from the *ank audi Longlife rubbish. Service it as you would more sooner.
I only slagged off the AVJ engine because Ive had these niggly annoying probs in the past and because I had to find another engine, AVJ's are like rocking horse *****, It took me 3 weeks to find one and I phones over 60 companies/breakers, Sods law it was the last one on my list that actually had one and they knew they could charge me that extra because they are Rare as ****!!! My pants were pulled down and suffered a slight whipping on my ***...
BUT dont let my hassle put you off mate. Take note and take your time searching.
Good Luck!!:icon_thumright:
i understand bout the MAF sensors as they went on my golf.... as above also how do i look for the sludge?
also one more thing will 5-7k get me a decent a4?
also one more thing will 5-7k get me a decent a4?
5-7k is quite a broad price range, but yes, it will get you a decent model. 5k will be pushing it for a 1.8T with under 100k though.
Sludge is when the engine gets build up of oil, water and other combustion by-products, and oil formed primarily during low temp engine operation.
The best way to check for sludge is to pull of the valve cover, if sludging is an issue then it will be covered in thick black gunk. If you don't want to take the valve cover off then take off the oil cap, and have a good nosey about in there. If you can feel lots of carbon build-up then you may have a problem.
To avoid sludging isues, always, always use fully synthetic oil. It's slightly more expensive but nothing compared to the cost of a new engine or a complete rebuild.
Sludge is when the engine gets build up of oil, water and other combustion by-products, and oil formed primarily during low temp engine operation.
The best way to check for sludge is to pull of the valve cover, if sludging is an issue then it will be covered in thick black gunk. If you don't want to take the valve cover off then take off the oil cap, and have a good nosey about in there. If you can feel lots of carbon build-up then you may have a problem.
To avoid sludging isues, always, always use fully synthetic oil. It's slightly more expensive but nothing compared to the cost of a new engine or a complete rebuild.
jase0851 said:
if your suffering from lumpy idle, bad fuel economy, stalling at low revs, sluggish performance, flat spots etc.
then yes change it... if in doubt run the car up on a vagcom, the diagnostics will tell you if its ******.
Just to clarify, the MAF has no effect on whether sludging will occur or not.
The MAF may cause problems such as the ones previously mentioned. A general rule of thumb is if the car runs better with the MAF sensor disconnected then the unit itself is not running correctly. You may also see a decline in performance and an increase in fuel consumption.
If the MAF is not operating normally, it will be accompanied with an ESP traction control light which will stay on permanently.
The MAF may cause problems such as the ones previously mentioned. A general rule of thumb is if the car runs better with the MAF sensor disconnected then the unit itself is not running correctly. You may also see a decline in performance and an increase in fuel consumption.
If the MAF is not operating normally, it will be accompanied with an ESP traction control light which will stay on permanently.
Oil sludge usually occurs by a Blocked oil pick up pipe - or whatever its called, They are only £12ish for new one, Its just the fitting. Thats what causes the Oil sludge when eventually blocked then you in trouble.
Razor rich, if you can go for the 190 sport. Allthough it's only 27 bhp more than the 163 it does make a considerable difference plus it's got 6 gears aswell. I recently swapped a 51 plate 1.8 T(163) for a 53 plate 1.8 T(190)6 and that little extra power is noticeable. The problems i had with engine were the temp sender and water pump went, not at the same time thou. Great cars thou and not bad m.p.g. average 30-35 mpg. Would recommend the 1.8 T to anyone.
Teutonic_Tamer
GreasedMonkey HoofHearted
J7USS said:Yebut.... Mine has full dealer service history with stamped book etc, Maintained from the company that owned it from Day One.....but I still suffered the Oil sludge, Its that Audi Longlife Bullcrap IMO!!
....so there..
Actually, it has nowt to do with the LongLife schedules.
It is highly likely that the stealer used the WRONG oil in it.
I've had repeated battles with my local stealers (Audi and VW), and also the supplying stealers too. They repeatedly recommend using the WRONG oils in them. My B6 S4 was supplied with the wrong oil in the boot (should have been 503.01 oil, but they supplied 503.00). Whenever I have tried to buy oil from the stealer for it, they repeatedly try to fob me off with blatantly wrong oils.
I got so pi$$ed off with them, I went and got the book pack out of the car, and showed them the owners manual, which clearly stated 503.01. They gave me some ****** about looking in the service book, stating that a whole range of oils could be used. They even tried to tell me I could use 506.01 - and I had to remind them that 506.01 was a PD diesel LongLife spec, and that S4s are V8 petrols. They really were/are clueless.
I also had to tell them that the service books are "generic" books, which cover the entire model range for that year - hence the variations in oil specs.
Furthermore, SWMBOs GTI was never supplied with any oil, even though the stealer programmed it on the PDI for LongLife, when we categorically stated not to (if a VAG car is on LongLife, they must provide a litre top-up in the boot). Again, the local VW stealer tried to push 502.00 oils on us, when it should be 504.00 oils.
My B7 RS4 was the only one to be supplied with the correct oil - probably more by chance than judgement!
Finally, some stealers have an oil contract with Mobil. This is very worrying, as Mobil NEVER had any LongLife 1 or LongLife 2 approved oils, so how the **** were they carrying out LongLife services????
Teutonic_Tamer
GreasedMonkey HoofHearted
golf said:
Ha ha - once bitten, twice shy!!
I'll not go there again . . .golf said:
All VAG motors eventually suffered with the dreaded coil pack failure, but the 1.8T seemed particularly prone. BTW, if a coil pack has gone south, the EML will light, and go into "limp home mode". A pain in the aras when that happens.golf said:
golf said:
All good advice, but one crucial issue you missed - timing belt changes. Make sure there is clear documented evidence that the timing belt, rollers and tensioners, along with the water pump was/is changed at the recommeded intervals, or before if poss!
Teutonic_Tamer
GreasedMonkey HoofHearted
golf said:
No it's not! 
The sludge issue which affects the 1.8T was caused soley by the incorrect oil being used. The 1.8T requires a specific fully synthetic oil.
The actual "sludge" issue only occured when either mineral oil, semi-synthetic oil, or the wrong spec (read cheap shyte) fully synthetic oil was used. The detail of the sludge occurance was infact the oil "coking", or breaking down and turning into hard carbon particles. This happened in the extemely high temperatures within the turbo bearings. The main effect was for these hard particles to physically block the oil pick-up strainer in the sump. In some instances, it also damaged the oil filter element (usually when cheapo filters were used), and tearing the paper filter substrate. This then caused either oil starvation, or allowed unfiltered and heavily contaminated oils into critical main and big-end bearings.
golf said:
Yeah, that will sort of work. If you can feel hard carbon, then that is not good. However, if you feel soft, gungy deposits, or a creamy-white "mayonnaise" like substance, then that is more indicative of the oil not reaching full operating temperatures, caused by short journeys. The soft deposits shouldn't really indicate a sludge issue.
golf said:
Agreed - with the proviso that the "fully synthetic" oil is actually approved by VW to the appropriate standard.
Teutonic_Tamer
GreasedMonkey HoofHearted
golf said:
That ^^^^^^ is poor advice. Unless you have access to a stealer 5051/5052, or a VAG-COM, unplugging the MAF and running the car will simply throw a DTC, and will simply cause the ECU to go into "limp home mode", until the codes are cleared.
golf said:
Not true. A MAF problem will have absolutley no effect on the ESP/ASR lights - these are triggered from completely different conditions.
Furthermore, a "faulty" MAF may still not trigger any DTCs, as they may still be operating within the very wide parameters required to trigger a DTC. The classic test of a faulty MAF, is when the engine becomes sluggish above 3½k revs, and refuses to reach the red line.
Teutonic_Tamer said:
Erm, no it won't.
Disconnecting the MAF is a good way of being able to determine whether it is working properly or not. Obviously, it's not advised to drive around more than necessary with the MAF unplugged, but if the car drives OK then the MAF may be faulty. It won't have any adverse affect on the ECU.
Teutonic_Tamer said:
Wrong. Disconnecting the MAF will nearly always trigger the ESP light. If I can ask all 1.8T owners to go and disconnect their MAF's and try and start their cars I'm sure they'll find the warning light for ESP permanently on.
Teutonic_Tamer said:
That is not the classic test, sluggish performance and refusing to reach the red line could be due to any number of factors such as a boost leak, crapped out DV, failing coilpack etc.
golf said:
Here here, My thoughts exactly but its hard telling someone that wont admit they are wrong....so I aint gonna bother, You've done it for me Golf!!
We know what we are talking about at the end of the day so
....
