Potential A4 Avant Quattro 190 Purchase

minimadmotorman

minimadmotorman

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Ok!

The missus and I have been looking for new motors and aside from a C5 A6 (which looks like they are certain money pits) we kinda like the B6 A4 Avant.

OH does limited mileage (less than 8k per year) so we have decided upon a petrol.

Our requirement are:-
Estate
4WD
"Some Poke"
"Premium Brand"

All this has led us to the B6 Avant and the 1.8T 190bhp version looks to be the pick of the bunch to us.

Found a few online and locally between £3-£5k (around 100k miles) so would like to go and view a few over the coming weeks.

I am looking for a buyers guide/things to look out for list, from googling around I have found the following trouble points (along with general stuff you look at when buying a used motor)

1. Makes sure all doors lock/speakers work, as wires tend to break at the hinge point of the B6
2. Check the glove box lid (commonly broken)
3. Make sure the wipers aren't 'slow' (this points to the mechanism being ready for replacement)
4. Aircon works and as you direct the flow it comes out of all selected vents.
5. Make sure the engine undertray isn't missing or hung off.
6. Look out for clutch slip in high gears
7. Driveline judder when pulling away can indicate quattro/DMF issues
8. Coolant flange leak on back of block (can cause heater not to work and slow warm up on temp gauge)
9. Look for Full Service History (be wary of long life oil change intervals as oil pickup can become sludged up)

Anything else particularly pertinent to the B6 (or specifically the 1.8t quattro). Any advice/pointers would be much appreciated.

I would imagine that @ 100k the cars "may" be getting ready for things like turbo's, clutches, lambda sensors, maf, cts, suspension components etc. But hopefully not all at once!
 
Good service history.
A fairly common issue with the longitudinally mounted 1.8T is sludge buildup, this can then restrict the oil strainer.
A straightforward fix but can often be avoided with regular oil changes of a good quality.
 
Yeah Alex, that's one on my list to look out for.

I think if I bought it I'd be tempted to change the pickup at my earliest opportunity.
 
Mate dont worry about changing it unless you are not happy that it has been serviced regulary (atleast once a year) I would leave it be if so and worry about it if the oil pressure light comes on the dash. All these people worried about it as long as its been regulary serviced and not on a long life you should be fine, ive had mine nearly 7 years and it gets a filter and good oil change every year and touch wood ive not had an issue with it yet.

Focus you money on the things you know are wrong that need fixing IMO.
 
Cheers guys, if there is anymore it would be appreciated. The red one looks nice but it's been fiddled with which puts me off :(
 
I would also consider looking at diesel models too. This will give you a much broader choice. Please don't think the 1.9 or 2.5 are slugs!

All cars have faults. 1.8T coil packs fail and there is a recall on them. Packs ending part number 'R' tend to be the good ones.

It would be worth test driving a few different ones and getting a feel for which power setup you prefer.

Good luck in sourcing your next car.

Dan
 
I like the 1.9tdi 130 in the A4 my friend has one which is just coming up on 200k with no real problems.

We are also looking at a couple of Quattro A6's with the 2.5 V6 TDI in them but I read horror stories about the fuel injection pumps, clutches, camshafts etc. I may put a quick thread up on the C5 section about them asking the same.
 
I have the 1.8t (190) quattro sport avant and it's a great car. It's done 169k and no problems.Not the fastest and not the cheapest to run but it's great fun. Remember with a quattro it's heavy compared to the FWD. It looks like you have done ur homework so not much I can add.
 
Right around the wheel arch where the liner meets it and also the bottom where it meets the sill. It's very common for them to rust.
 
Great car imo, had one sold it loved it, if you can get one with the gmbh bodykit, one of the prettiest cars made by audi
 
Going to have a look at one with the GMBH kit on actually! Got 6 cars on our to look at list!

2 x B6 A4 1.8T 190's, a B6 A4 1.9TDI 130, a B7 A4 2.0TDI 140, a C5 A6 2.5TDI 180, a C6 A6 3.0TDI 230 and finally a Passat 2.0TDI 140 4Motion
 
Heres my 1.8t 190 quattro...



Lovely car and would buy another. Ill list my problems of the last 18 months!

•Temp gauge kept dropping off to 50deg from 90deg. New coolant temp sensor fixed it.
•EPC light on dash came on (limp mode). New crank sensor fixed it
•Randomly dumps engine coolant! Worrying at first but found the leak when changing the crank sensor, its a loose pipe connection. Still to
Be fixed!
•Passenger window doesnt go up from drivers door switch. Still to be fixed!
•Rear window washer sounds like it works but no water comes out! Probably blocked?
•Stereo speakers a bit crackly when loud!

Might be more but cant think of them right now!
Ideally you need to scan the car for fault codes before purchase, but this isnt always possible.
Check every switch works and check that there is a great big rear diff underneath!
 
That is a good looking car :)

What is the ride like on these late s-lines with the big wheels?
 
Jp-tqs said:
•Rear window washer sounds like it works but no water comes out! Probably blocked?
Click to expand...

It's probably worth looking at that sooner rather than later, usually the leaking screenwash kills the rear wiper motor.
 
Heres mine on her winter wheels!

She has had the common faults like drivers door wires broke,rear wiper arm,coolant leaks and air bag in front seats but love the car.Some say the quattro's ride is hard but i didn't find it so and it has 18's on.
 
Nice looking car too!

I think I'm pretty sold on a 190 A4 to be honest, just hope they are good ens! Already found myself looking at the forge intake pipe, 007 diverter, pipercross filter and a shark remap! lol

Don't think I would bother going any further than that!
 
quattrojames said:
It's probably worth looking at that sooner rather than later, usually the leaking screenwash kills the rear wiper motor.
Click to expand...

Im waiting for spring and dry weather to get some bits done! Only once i tried using the rear washer, and when i saw nothing happened, i hav'nt used it since! So fingers crossed there's no motor damage.

OP.... Be aware of high mile cars on long life servicing schedules. Long life seems to = short life. Regular fully synth oil changes keep the engine as good as bullet proof!
And on the subject, my previous b5 1.8tqs had an oil pump low pressure failure (~£600!). I did an engine flush to clean it up a couple of months previously, but im pretty sure i just dislodged a load of crap that blocked everything up! That car was on long life, one owner, fsh 80k miles when i got it!
So remember... Good oil and lots of it!
 
I usually have my car's serviced by a specialist every 12mths for the stamp in the book. However I typically change the oil & filter every 6mths anyway (car will do less than 10k per year).
 
A few choice bits do make a difference. A remap makes a big difference and well worth doing. One thing I have fitted and lots of others have is the rear ARB off a RS4,makes it handle so much better. Hope you find the right car, it took me a year before I found mine but then I waited until the right one came along. As said a long life service isn't good for 1.8t's but some sort of history would be good. Give it a good look all over like any car and give it a test drive. The 190's do seem slow for the power but they are big and power comes in smooth. You should be able have hear any knocks and bangs as the car should been quiet,only a little tyre noise. Good luck
 
The ARB sounds like a good mod for the future as I hear they are relatively cheap to buy new?
 
About £100 for all the bits from Audi and a straight swop. I do have a 2013 a4 Quattro avant aswell but don't like it as much so the wife drives it.lol. If you can find one with lots of factory extras( leather,sat nav,lighting pack,bodykit to name a few) it's a bonus.
 
Both the ones I am looking at are 1/2 leather & one has the GMBH kit. Not bothered about Nav as it quickly gets out of date IMHO (modern phones do a good enough job for me).

If it has a CD player thats enough! I guess retrofit is always an option (can you do this with cruise?)
 
Yes, a lot have added cruise control. There are posts on here about it,not done it myself ,it's on the to do list! Six disc cd in glovebox in some and can get a iPod to play aswell with a kit. Most options can be retrofitted.
 
To be honest I may just get a bluetooth handsfree kit with A2DP and a mount on the dash to use it for nav.
 
Some Bluetooth kits won't work if you have the Bose sound system ,if ur thinking of build in ones like parrot! I try to get one fitted to mine and told it won't work because of the amp.
 
Great car, would suggest having keeping an eye on the forum and see if anyone thinking of selling. I bought mine from ian2012 and is always worth getting one that has been owned by an enthusiast.

Here's mine
 
Well! We went a looking today.

First of the day was a 2004 S-line 1.8t 190 in dolphin grey with the GMBH kit, 18's and on 95k and full history. Was in great condition inside and decent condition out (showing signs of being driven hard with plenty of stone chips etc). No arm rest, puddle lights and winding windows in the back.

Took it for a drive and it was decent. Clutch didnt slip but was on/off in the last 1/2 of pedal travel. Bit of graunch from the rear diff when pulling away and went really well. However when dropping the hammer in 2nd/3rd you could hear a strong sucking noise and the car holding back(after driving another come to the conclusion it was remapped) I think the intake pipe was collapsing.

Left this one to go look at an 04 TDI SE 130 Quattro in black, now this car looked in significantly better condition outside was on 110k and had a comprehensive history. This drove a lot better than the first car (obviously with much less power). However it either had a failing rear wheel bearing or the diff was goosed as over 40mph there was a loud drone. Also the rear wash wipe was leaking into the boot lid. Lifting the lid yielded an audible sploshing noise followed by the amp and sub getting a shower behind the right hand panel. So this one was also abandoned.

Decided to take a long trip to look at the last of the day. Another 04 1.8t but a Sport this time on 17's. This one was in moro blue pearl on 110k. This was the best car of the day externally with very few marks on it. 110k again with a full history and the dealer doing the last 4 services. Took it out and compared to the first 2 this was a revelation. Not as quick as the 1st but much smoother, better clutch and brakes. Only bad point was that the heater only worked on the screen.

Managed to do a deal with the dealers to fit a cam belt, fix the heaters and 12 months rent in the window. Picking it up next Sunday :)
 
It sounds good and getting cam belt and the rest was good thinking. I have a sport and apart from a few badges it just the same as a sline. Most A4 b6's with sline badges on are not sline's. Mine has them on, guess the first owner put them on. Also have the kick plates. Well bet you can't wait to get it. Well done and enjoy.
 
Unfortunately it isn't for me it's for the missis. I have to make do with my 12 plate A3 Black Edition 140 :p
 
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The stripey seats and carpets had gone by the time we viewed it. Assume that must be from valeting.
 
Nice! Much better spec'd than mine and a great colour! Hope it treats you well. Now... You need to debadge the rear and get it mapped! Still waiting to get mine mapped!
 
TBH I'm thinking just to keep it standard (maybe retrofit cruise/lighting) and get everything perfect on it.
 
audi upgrades
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