Audi A4 2004 and earlier

mmcbride1

I checked it in my parking garage (which is level, at least at a glance), and also after it had been parked at home for a couple of hours in my garage. Same reading both times. I'm pretty sure I got my Mobil 1, I think I just got too much of it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I always was told that you can only truly see your oil level if the car has sat for a couple of hours and all drained down into the oil pan.

Geez, between the no tire rotation, the oil mess and the little joyride, I'm quite disappointed in my first Audi service experience.

scirocco22

*lol* ...had to laugh but he's got a point and if his assumption is correct, then it's not that big a deal overfilling by 1/3 to 1/2 quart:

http://forums.audiworld.com/a4/msgs/131552.phtml

--'rocco

scirocco22

Yup, that's why I'm seriously considering skipping taking mine to a dealer even though it's free.

And yes, you are correct, that's the only true way of measuring your oil level... ideally, it should be checked first thing in the morning, I suppose.

--'rocco

mmcbride1

My service advisor called back. He agrees that if the oil reading is where I say it is, they need to remove some oil (I'll have them doublecheck it).

As for the tires and joyride, he says they rotated the tires. I can't tell (should have marked a tire), but I don't think they did. The front tires appear to be a little more worn than the rears. As for the ride, he says that everytime I bring my car in, they'll have a "QC manager" drive it to check for leaks, etc. That's all fine and good, but I don't want him out hotrodding my car. I think next time I'll tell them I don't want ANYONE to drive it, except from the lot into the shop. I'll take responsiblity for any leaks. I told him how I knew the car was driven hard and he had no response other than to repeat that the QC guy always drives the car. I got the impression that he really doesn't care. I don't care if he cares or not, but he sure as hell better at least PRETEND that he cares if he wants an excellent survey. I honestly don't know how I'd respond to a survey right now.

lauk0dg

I checked my Mobil1 in the bottle and it's transparent and yellowish. And of coz I checked the oil in the engine and needless to say it's a brown rusty color after 4400 miles. I don't know how the oil will hold up after the 10k miles for another 10k miles as you know the next recommended service after 10000 is 20000. Better keep an eye on that.

As for what that service advisor says, tell him/her to get the service manager and tell him/her that if his/her service dept wants an "Excellent" grade in the survey, they better fix the situation right away. I knew they rotated my tires cuz the one that was replaced in my minor "accident" when the car was three days old does not have a balancing weight on the outside of the rim. It was the rear tire and now it's the front tire. AoA won't pay for tire rotation after that and I guess I will do my own thing at 20k. I don't know if they (or you) have washed your car after the service but *usually* the fronts have more brake dust than the rears. It's a vague estimation, but hopefully that should give you an idea. Or *maybe* you have slightly scratched a rim *somewhere* and that'll also give you an idea the location of the wheels. One of my wheels has a tiny imperfection, a tiny little dot of extra clearcoat observed when I clean the wheels. From now on I will use that as an indication.

Another thing about the oil reading.....I don't have the manual with me now, but I thought we should read the oil like driving the car for 5-10 min to let the oil lubricating everything before reading it. I might be wrong on this though.

Billy

mmcbride1

He says I'm OK and that we don't need to drain anything (he looked at it), but he did admit it was high.

Didn't have time to talk about the other issues with him, though (I was in a hurry).

davking

Had the first service on my 1.8T and guess what? Overfilled the oil. I had asked the service advisor about the "controversy" and just what was the capacity, 3.7 or 4.3 qts. He said, "Approximately 4." How is that for middle of the road. I suspect I got 4 qts. The oil level is at the top kink of the dipstick which is 1 cm above the top of the hatching. I presume they use bulk oil, not bottles, so it is difficult to understand why they seem to consistently overfill. But is an 8 percent overfill something to worry about?

They rotated the tires as called for by Audi, but didn't adjust the tire pressures.

Service advisor also recommended synthetic oil after 10,000 miles and Mobil 1, 0-40w, specificially.

audibon

Hello All! Have been reading all the posts from the beginning of the year to present and have learned a lot. Proud owner of an A4 that my wife and I picked up on 7-17 and we have 3500 trouble free miles so far. Sorry, silver fans ours is Santorin. I am originally from the Chicago area, now live in WI. We got a good deal not in terms of % over invoice but the dealer paid off our trade and we were upside down. Any members have experience with service at McGrath Acura /Audi or The Audi Exchange? Thanks for your time. Look forward to talking with everyone.

lauk0dg

Welcome guys.....great to have you here.

Davking, about the 0W40 weight he suggested, also ask him where he can get it cuz it's not available in any local auto store. I've heard that local Porsche dealers carry that oil because that's what they use to fill Porsches. I've only found and seen 0W30 but not 0W40 in the Chicago area.

Audibon, it's ok, we silver guys play with Santorin guys :> I didn't buy mine or service mine at McGrath or Audi Exchange (did both at Schaumburg) but if you wanna post at AudiWorld I know some of my friends serviced theirs there. They can give you a better idea what's good and what's bad.

Oh, I have a heartbreaking news to report. I was washing my car and lifted the wiper blades. Next thing I saw, some water dripping from the front of the hood so I wanted to lift the hood up. Next thing you know, the wiper blades are in the path of the hood. SNAP.....blades put 2 nice scratches on the edge of the hood. One of the scratches was pretty deep.....paint was actually peeled off, and it felt like cuts in my heart. I guess I better get some touch-up paint next time when I am at the dealership. Stupid me.

Billy

davking

My service advisor is also the Porsche service advisor so he has access to the 0-40w oil. He uses it in his Toyota pickup. I looked at Pep Boys yesterday and didn't see any. I might be able to get it at the dealer and simply pay for it. We'll see.

I once brought the garage door crashing down on the hood of my Integra. Sure makes you feel like a fool. A good body shop made it almost like new so that most people couldn't see that anything had occurred.

scirocco22

David-- wow! ...interesting! I just went to the Mobil 1 web-site and was surprised to find that 0W-40 is actually "formulated" for European engines, specifically, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Saab, Volkswagen and Volvo. It also states that it "provides superior sludge and wear protection under severe, short-trip operation." Sounds as if it's made especially for me! ...I want this oil! Yup, I've never seen it at Kmart or Target but hopefully I'll be able to find it or at least order it at maybe an auto parts store. I don't really like the idea of just telling the dealer or a shop to put in a specific oil because there's no way you can tell if it's actually being put in. Ideally, I'd rather put it in myself. Even bringing the bottles to the dealer is risky as Mike alluded to earlier. Now as I posted earlier, I've concluded that all 2001's come from the factory with synthetic (0W-30) so there's no need to wait until 10k (or 5k as some have reported) to put in synthetic. http://www.mobil1.com/products/trisynth/oil_0w40.jsp

Billy-- ooops, jeez! ...sorry to hear about that. I'll remember not to do that *lol* Don't worry though, I could write a book on all the stupid things I've done :-b

Brian-- Welcome! It took you 2 months to find us, eh? Yep, nothin' wrong with Santorin... it's great looking if kept clean. I've always wondered if I'd be happy with the Hibiscus that I almost bought ...but at least they aren't seen every time you turn around as the silver is. So do you have the sport package? ...and what else? Keep us posted.

--'rocco

davking

Rocco -- I read, I think in the Quattro Club magazine, that it is not good to use syn oil during break in. But then, of course, we all think the Audi comes with synthetic oil. But maybe it is a hybrid of synthetic and mineral oil. The anecdotal evidence was that a guy used syn from the start and it wasn't until after he had participated in a driving school, i.e. hard driving, at about 10,000 miles that his engine quit using oil. The host of the tech advice column then suggested the reason above. The thinking being that syn is "too good" to allow proper seating of the rings.

scirocco22

David-- but don't Porches come from the factory with Mobil 1? But yeah, I've heard the same advice that you've referred to many times. I don't know ...maybe I'll call AoA tomorrow and see what they have to say. As I said earlier, 2 out of the three dealers that I contacted said that a 2001 1.8T comes from the factory with 0W-30 synthetic. What gives???

--'rocco

audibon

Must be a 2001.5 because it has the Celebration Package, Cold weather and regular stereo. No Bose, no sport package and no xenon. Would like to chip it and get stiffer shocks and anti-roll bars but no springs because most springs lower and with snow in WI I don't think being lower is a good thing. I had the same thoughts as others, when the tires wear out the 15" rims become my winter rims and maybe pick up some 16" or 17" Audi rims and the tires I want. No one had xenon or the sport package in Santorin. That color was a pain to find! When is the next Krispy Kreme run down in Elk Grove Village? Or have we missed out? I hope not...

tim_hooligan

since the 2002 A4 is coming out in a matter of days, would you expect dealers to be letting go of their 2001's for invoice or close to it?
I've always loved the A4, but it was just out of my price range before. But, if I could find a 1.8T Auto quattro or not, I would be a very excited guy!!! I live in the DC area, which has several dealers so the number of cars available is still great.
Just wondering is anyone knows how dealers are pricing right now...

(hoping to be the next Audi owner!)

lauk0dg

Audibon, our last KK run was about last weekend. If you want to come to our next KK run, let me know your email address by sending me an email at iambb8@hotmail.com. I will include you in the mailing list.

Tim, as far as I heard, people are getting 2001.5's at a few hundred bucks over invoice. As the 2002 pricing should be available Oct 1 and 2002's should be available not long after, I would expect dealers to try to get rid of all remaining 2001.5's. The 2002's are a lot tighter and packed with lots more standard equipment, and I would expect most people will take the 2002's rather than the 2001.5's. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the 2001.5's, just saying if people are ok with the new styling they will definitely love the new car with good handling and equipment.

Billy

tim_hooligan

i figured they would be. but rumors have msrp moving upstream by 10%. same engine, but better handling and goodies. i'm partial to the 2001.5 styling personally. sounds like i'll be able to get a good deal. besides, i have a first-run car right now, and i "ain't doing that again!"

i'm going to brave the 'young guy at a lux dealer experience' and get a price. keep ya posted.

aegus1

Billy,

Sorry to hear about the scratches. We've all done it though. I bike alot and I'm always moving bike gear in and out of the car. So, I've pumped up the tires and I go to toss the pump back into the hatch. Well, klutz that I am, I catch the bumper with the base of the pump. Ouch! Nice little gouge. Actually on closer examination I notice it's completely through the plastic/vinyl cover on the bumper. And your right, that touch-up paint is on my list for my stop at the parts dept. Good luck with your touch-ups.

Audibon,

I really liked Santorin. I also knew I'd be hard pressed to keep it clean enough to ever see it in all its glory. So I went with Laser Red. At least no one will be able to say they didn't see me coming.

-Barry

tgif888

Did you consider leasing? Audi is having a leasing special in the A4 2.8 Quattro. $399 for 4yr/10K miles per year.

My sister-in-law just lease one yesterday. It is an A4 with automatic transmission, Celebration package, Sport package, Leather seat, and BOSE audio system. And she got the mileage bump up to 12K per year. Total drive off is around $1500 including first payment, and other fees. She got it for $488 including California sales tax. So, before tax would be around $450. I think is pretty good deal. It is because the money factor is very low. It is .0008.

Good Luck.

lauk0dg

OUCH....yeah that one on the bumper sounds pretty bad too. Oh well, get a bumper sticker and you will be done LOL j/k.

Yeah I like Laser Red too.....BUT if I were to get an A4/S4, I'll get the Nogaro with the Alcantara. It's so awesome looking. With the aluminum mirror housings, I am all set.

Billy

lauk0dg

$399/month with 10k miles per year on an A4 2.8? Well I didn't lease mine but I've heard for maybe $50 more/month you can lease an A6 2.8 or even the 2.7T with 12k miles per year! The A6 is a lot nicer inside with all the goodies. Something to think about too.

tgif888

Well, this advertise lease always quote you the lowest. Like manual transmission with no add on. If you add what you want, it will be higher between A4 and A6.

tim_hooligan

Thanks for the info, but I personally am not a leasing guy. I really don't have much of a downpayment for a car since I'm closing on my house this week and I'm going to need the extra $ since I'm upsidedown on my current ride.
Right now my credit union is offering 6.5% for 60 months on new cars, so that would mean I could get an A4 1.8T nice loaded for just over $500/month.
I know it's all a personal thing, but I'm really hoping to keep this car for a while and drive it quite a bit, so leasing isn't my best option.
so, what's a good chip for this bad boy? :-)
(i'm being positive here!!!)

thanks all!

tgif888

Well, congratulation on your new home. Good luck on your car shopping.

One note, I really wish the A4 could use some leather on the door trim, too. While I sat in my sister-in-law car, I noticed that all the material for the door trim is using vinyl.

davking

Before bringing my 1.8t in for its first servce and finding the C 17-01-02 TSB online, I sent my question about oil capacity to AoA via their website. The reply just came, 4 liters or 4.3 quarts. So I have replied citing the TSB and the 3.7 figure and suggesting that everyone ought to be on the same page by now.

lauk0dg

I agree that the actual A6's lease cost will be higher than the advertised rate. However I heard that from an actual guy who leased an A6 not long ago. Oh well, different cities have different lease rates too I'm sure, so it's all on a case-by-case basis. Hehe vinyl on the 2.8 doors? You should have sat in our 1.8T's.....can't even opt for leather, however the leatherette has fooled a lot of people who thought I paid $1200 for leather.

Davking, I bet whoever replied your email just got that 4.3 quart number from the owner's manual. I can say for sure it's not 4.3 qt, as I got 1.3 quart back from the 5 qt I brought and the oil dipstick said it's happy with the amount in it. I dunno who answers those AoA emails but maybe they're just people who got a bunch of owner's manuals in front of them.

Billy

aegus1

I'm just out of the break-in period and starting to enjoy my 17" Michelin Pilot Sports, but winter isn't far away. The Tirerack favorite appears to be the Dunlop Winter Sport M2. I think C& D also liked it when they did their sport wagon comparo. Any opinions. But don't tell me I won't need them. I'm definitely riding on Three season rubber.

-Barry

varig

Anyone know when the prices for the 2002 A4 will be available? I had thought it was going to be by mid-September. Also, in light of the economy, anyone care to venture if dealers will go below MSRP? I know that the initial demand for a new model may hold prices steady at MSRP, but if car sales are down, you'd expect the buyer to be in a better negotiating position. From casual conversations with the local dealer (read no competition), they didn't indicate that they would even want to drop the price. Any comments?

keninplacitas

I have a 2002 1.8T Quatro on order. The dealer tells me that they'll know the price in early October. I hate to see the economy doing what it is but the scary economy will hopefully keep Audi from trying to gouge us too much on the new A4 (One of the Great Britain Audi sites I read said the new A4 there was selling for less than last year's).

jarb1

Curious to hear how everyone is doing with MPG. I have yet to calculate city driving, but on a recent road trip it appears that we were averaging around 30 MPG’s.

goral

Well, my '98 is starting to show it's age
Yesterday, I went to get my tires put on and found out I have a bent rim (not much, but enough to make the balancing impossible)! I can either get that repaired (Wheels America will do it for $109) OR buy a used one from my friend for $150
On top of that, one of the CV joint boots is broken and needs to be replaced ASAP! The boot costs $35 @ the dealership, and I can probably do the job by myself. Does anybody know the CV joint nut size? Is it 30mm?
Like that wasn't enough, while driving on the expressway, a stone hit my hood SO hard, that it actually punctured it! It can be fixed, but will cost $300-$400! Aaahhh!!!!!!!
]

lauk0dg

Man, the stone punctured the hood? Wow, sorry to hear that. The stone must be travelling as fast as a bullet.....

goral

I know I was driving ~60mph or so, and all I noticed was some piece of debris flying toward my car and bouncing off of it. It didn't even make that much noise! It hit ~4-5" from the grille...
Oh well... Nothing I can do now

teller

The new download info for the 2002 A4 arrived in today's email (9-26-01), and with all the pages of info on specs, features, options, etc., there is no reference--anywhere--to a sunroof, even as an option. Nor can one be seen on any of the photos throughout the site. I'm assuming this was an oversight on the part of the website designers, rather than the car designers. Can anyone help on this one?

lauk0dg

Emmmm.....I think the one that I test drove at Quattro Challenge had the sunroof.....can't make that out from the pic I took that day.....but again that's an Euro spec 3.0Q because it has the 5-speed instead of the 6-speed. Maybe you can "remind" AoA that they screwed up :>

Billy

keninplacitas

teller ... You're right, there's no mention of the sunroof on any of the 9 pages of the features and options printout (I think it's mentioned somewhere else in the download though).

The following is the 2002 A4 that I expect to be picking up from my dealer next month. This is the way it's listed on the build plan.

. Car: 8E2525 4G4G LE A4 1.8T Sedan 4-Dr
. 5 Spd Quatro
. Amulet Red exterior - Beige interior
. 3FE (Glass Sunroof)
. 8RY (Bose Radio)
. NOC (Leatherette Interior)
. PPX (Premium Package)

When I first put my deposit down, my dealer mentioned that he believed that all cars in the first group of 2002 A4s for the U.S. are being built with sunroofs.

Finally learned more detail about the features on the new A4 in this download. I found lots of nifty little things like having a range of 150 feet on the remote; having multiple (7) sensors for the dual-zone climate control plus sun and pressure sensors; there are smog sensors that automatically put you in recirc mode; there are power adjustments for lumbar support; and there's auto shutdown of engine & fuel in an accident (also turns on lights & unlocks doors); and the list goes on. IMHO, The design team for the new A4 definitely did their homework.

lauk0dg

Yup the 02 A4 design team definitely asked the owners what they want and went out and surveyed all the cars outside. BMW already had the crash sensors (and unlock doors and turn on hazards) in their cars for a couple of years. The new 4-way power lumbar is well, more useful than the current 2-way power lumbar but I seldomly find myself using it. They still keep power seats away from the 1.8T, which I don't understand why. With the power difference between the 1.8T and the 3.0, people should have a choice between power and manual seats and different engine configs. The dual-zone climate control is something I wish the current one has. 150ft on the remote? Dang, I don't want to be even close to the remote module with all the radiation shooting out from the swingblade :> So let's see, the 01 car will relock itself if you don't open the doors in 1 min....so i guess you better make that 150ft in less than 1 min :>

Billy

lauk0dg

Post at AW:

http://forums.audiworld.com/a4/msgs/799676.phtml

Here's the details in that post:

Hopefully all of you remember... or for those

of you that don't know... Every Thursday night

we have a Car meet at:

Uno's Pizzaria parking lot at

Golf rd. & Meacham by Woodfield

Mall in Schaumburg at 8:30 p.m.

Everything from Vipers to WRX's to Audi's.

As long as you're an enthusiast, come on down.

Bring a jacket!!!

Hope to see ya there!

Billy

mmcbride1

FWIW, the service guy at the Audi dealer strongly discourages chipping. He says he's seen a ton of problems with cars that have been chipped. If you want to mod, he recommends www.scracing.net. You can still get up in the 225 hp range, it just costs $1,700 instead of $400. they offer exhausts, intakes, etc.

He also says it's real easy for them to tell if the car's been chipped and then the stock ECU was put back on. He said a guy came in last week with a TT that had 3 pages worth of error codes in the ECU (he had put the stock ECU back in before coming in for service). All of the error messages related to overboost and other chip-related problems.

After all that, I'm leaving mine stock and just waiting for the 2004 S4 Avant when my lease is up.

redirector

From the .pdf Technical Specifications download on the new A4 site:

P4 - Interior Dimensions (1.8t)
Headroom f/r 38.4/37.24
w/ sunroof f/r 37.3/37.09

Ditto for 3.0 on P7

From the Features and Options .pdf,
"Comfort and Convenience"
- convenience open/close feature for windows & sunroof...

It has a sunroof. Pics in the brochures show overhead console with sunroof control.

jrichrds

Hi everyone,
Can someone direct me to a place that would have reliability ratings for car manufacturers? I'm interested in the '02 A4 and would like to find out more about Audi's reliability rating.

Thanks!

keninplacitas

The consumerreports.org site (in the section that didn't require membership) had a listing of most reliable cars and cars to avoid. The Audi was on neither of them. You could probably go to your local book store and look in one of the Consumer Reports books for auto purchasers. Just keep in mind that Consumer Reports' numbers are sometimes considered suspect (for instance, do they take into consideration the type of driver that might buy a given car?). My own experience with Audis is that 'electrical' can become a problem once the car has logged a few years on it.

jrichrds

Thanks for your opinion and advice!

messydesk

Does anyone know if Audi has a program similar to Volvo, Saab, and BMW whereby you can take delivery of a car destined for the US while in Europe at a non-insignificant discount to what you may pay in the US? These deals for the other labels include all warranties that you would get if you were to buy the car here as well as freight and customs. I drive past Ingolstadt on my way from Munich to Erlangen when I'm in Germany for business, so this would be a viable option for me.

varig

What is a non-insignificant discount? Is it better than can be had with a US dealership? Any downsides? If not, looks like a nice way to get in a little sightseeing while getting a deal.

nitpicker

Jeff -- Consumer Reports' last auto issue gives these reliability ratings for the A4 2.8 (no ratings given for the 1.8T):
1996 model year: average
1997 and '98: better than average
1999 (latest ratings): average

John -- According to postings on Audi World, Audi offers no comparable program for European purchases. Sorry....

tim_hooligan

Just bought a brand new 1.8T FrontTrak , sport package, celebration, Automatic, and in metallic blue for $25,000. I think I got a great deal. Love this car! I know the '02's are almost out, so the 01's are a great deal since I'm not too hot on the new one.

Dealer said the pricing will be up about $1000. Out of my range, but most people will like it.

for now, time to pick up my new car!

godeacs

on your new Audi....do you mean the Santorin Blue?

sachino

Well, I have crossed the 1000 mile point on the car. Still doing great. However, I seem to be having a problem with my trip computer. My instantaneous mpg is way off. It keeps jumping anywhere from 4mpg to 96mpg. Initially the road trip mpg was working fine, but now it works intermittently. It freezes up quite often and I have to reset it. Finally, at one point the temp sensor for the outside environment was giving temperators that were way off, but now it seems to be fine. So apart from these problems, still loving the car. I will definitely stop by my dealer, McGrath Audi, to discuss the mpg on the trip computer.

mmcbride1

I think your instant MPG is right on. Under heavy load and heavy acceleration, your engine is using a lot of fuel. Conversely, if you're coasting downhill, you're using very little. Mine fluctuates from ~8 to 96 mpg as well. It's usually in the 20-40 range, though.

I would have the other stuff checked out, though. Good luck.