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Audi A4 2004 and earlier

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Comments

  • lauk0dglauk0dg Member Posts: 563
    Scirocco, nah I was standing next to my baby when they changed the oil and they removed the pan and drained the oil from the plug. I doubt if any US dealers will use the suction method, if the Europeans actually suck the oil out from the dipstick hole.

    Yes you didn't drive enough and you haven't reached the point where the amount of brake dust starts to minimize.....haha. How many miles you got? Still 1500 miles? So you got yourself a new Forrester according to Karen? You lucky dude.

    Mgmyers, congrats! I got a 98 2.8 Avant Tiptronic loaner when I brought mine in for the 5k service....pretty good pickup with the Tip, not mentioning when it's coupled with a stick. And it's silver too.....what a good choice for color LOL. Yeah I like those 16" five spoke wheels and I saw some older 1.8T's with those wheels.....don't know if they come with sports pkg back then. The 98 2.8 Avant loaner comes with the current 1.8T 15" 9 spoke wheels.....dunno why, maybe dealer swopped the five spoke ones for those wheels.

    Billy
  • shaygirlshaygirl Member Posts: 15
    Hi there. My husband and I are hoping to be able to buy an A4 2.8 Avant over the next week or two. While at the dealership today, the salesman was explaining to us that the stock that they have is about it until the 2002 models come out next spring, they currently only have one tiptronic in stock in white. Does anyone have any ideas on what availability might be like(we are in the SF Bay Area, willing to travel up to 200 miles if needed). I am also wondering if we will have any negotiationg power since we are looking for a scarce item. Any input would be sooo appreciated. Thanks!
  • mgmyersmgmyers Member Posts: 13
    Shaygirl,
    Check post above regarding my experience buying a 2.8 Avant. The best way to check on availability is to have dealer do a locate. However, my guess is there are very few out there. I just got my Avant last week, fresh off the ship which carried the latest shipment of CA bound Audis, so there might be a couple more out there in the next week or so. I don't think you'll have much negotiating power on this model - I paid 6% or $2000 over invoice which is not great but I felt was reasonable given the supply and demand situation. good luck!
  • claydjclaydj Member Posts: 9
    I am a proud new owner of a 2001.5 1.8Q with the 17'' Sport Package - picked it up yesterday. Seems to be some left for those who are looking. For anyone who has not seen the 17'' rims - they are quite nice!
  • shaygirlshaygirl Member Posts: 15
    Thanks for the refernence to your other post. Seems like we have the opposite situation here in NoCal, dealer had 3 5-speed A4 2.8 Avants, but only one tiptronic. It was a very nice car, but it was white, and since our other car is also white, I wasn't so sure (I know, that sounds silly). It didn't seem like the Avants were too popular, they were all boxed in at the back of the lot. The one we test drove has a layer of dust on it and rain spots (it asn't rained for 2 weeks). There were only 14.5 miles on the car. I thin we are going to call around to check color availability at some other dealers. Thanks!
  • lauk0dglauk0dg Member Posts: 563
    Yeah usually when the dealers order their lot allocations they rarely put in Avants. At the Audi dealership that's closest to me, they had 18 A4's and 13 S4's with only 1 Avant of each. I'd agree that having the dealers to locate them for you will be the easiest, since it's very close to the end of Model Yr 2001.5.

    Good luck hunting!

    Billy
  • lisamplslisampls Member Posts: 20
    Just a quick note to thank all of you who gave me input on the differences between Audi and BMW. I just returned from the dealership with the intent of getting an A4 2.8, but instead ended up leasing the A6 2.7T instead. Have a great deal going on now...$499/mo for 39 months. I got white with grey interior, premium package with Xenon and Bose. I like getting a new car every few years, so don't mind leasing.
    I pick it up next Tuesday, so can't wait!!
    Thanks again! I'll put an update on the A6 board once I get it and drive it a bit.
    Lisa from Minneapolis
  • katherine190katherine190 Member Posts: 1
    Hi. I'm from the Chicago area and just got my A4 on July 3rd.. The dealer got in in pre-production mode 6 weeks ago, allocated to another region and switched to Chicago area as an order for me. The car is great! They said it was the only silver avant 5 spd. with black onyx they could find. Does anyone know....is this really a 2001.5? What is the difference between 2001? Also....do they come from the factory with synthetic oil, break-in oil, or just regular stuff? Should I switch to synthetic after 5 or 10,000 miles?
  • fdxboyfdxboy Member Posts: 45
    Clay..damn it! Do you have to rub it in that you got the 17' Sport Package!! I wish everyday that I got it!

    Karen..Congrats! You can join me and Laukdog as the Chicago people on the board. I think some of the simple changes on the 2001 and the 2001.5 is the worthless 3rd sun visor that was added. The inside door sills say Audi on metal trim. There is also something about the build date on car, I think after November is the 2001.5.
  • greg123greg123 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 A4 1.8T with the Sports Package. Has 4K on it. At about 2K, I started noticing on some cold starts, a rather loud rattling/vibrating noise coming from under the car, near the engine. The noise lasts for about 3 seconds then completely goes away. It doesn't do it on every cold start, just some. And it only does it on starts when the car has been sitting for over 2 hours.
    I've taken it to the dealer, and of course they could not replicate the noise. They did check for any loose clamps, bolts, screws, etc. under the car and found nothing wrong.

    Any ideas on what the cause could be? It's really an annoyance on a new car that I like so much.
  • shaygirlshaygirl Member Posts: 15
    My husband and I just got a blue A4 2.8 Avant this afternoon from Rector in Burlingame, CA. We got the leather, sport, celebration, bose, xenon and cold weather. We paid about $1000 less than we would have through carsdirect.com, so we were pretty happy with the deal. Can't wait to pick it up on Monday!
  • lauk0dglauk0dg Member Posts: 563
    Congrats go to Lisa, Katie and Shannon.....it must be the call for females to get the Audis this week :>

    Lisa, geez so I thought recommending the S4 was more expensive than what you want to pay....and you end up getting a bigger A6 with the same S4 engine.....GOOD for you. Nice leasing terms too.

    Yeah Katie, you can join me and fdxboy for Chicago gatherings. As for 2001.5, yeah the shipping charges cost a little more, got the aluminum sills, and the availability of the Quattro Celebration pkg for only $500. FOr synthetic, I just did my 5k service last week and I told them to use the Mobil 1 0W30 synthetic I brought along....they screwed up by putting in the dino Castro oil in and I told them to take it right out and put the synthetic I brought. According to the manual the oil in your engine now is 0W30 and that and 5W30 is also recommended. Since there's no dino oil in 0W30 weight, it gotta be synthetic. I usually follow what the manual says.

    Greg, I think a cold engine start is usually coupled with more vigorous vibrations.....since my theory is the oil is struggling to get around all corners inside the engine. Once they get around the vibrations will be gone. My Accord did that too.

    Shannon, the blue you are referring to must be the Santorin blue.....nice color.....but you guys gotta wash it every few days.....it's a color that can easily show the dirt.....but if it's clean it's gorgeous. Seems like AoA and the dealerships are running good deals on remaining stocks of cars on the lot. Congrats!

    Billy
  • scotrickscotrick Member Posts: 8
  • scotrickscotrick Member Posts: 8
    Sorry... hit the "enter" button on accident...

    Has anyone gotten their windows tinted? I've noticed that there is a slight tint already on/in the windows. I don't know if it protects against NV or if it is just cosmetic (appears dark). I'm thinking about getting them tinted cause the sun is a real scorched in Texas!!! (especially the back window which doesn't seem to have the tint at all).

    Also, I do notice a lot of build up of brake dust on my wheels. Is there anything that can be done to prevent this build up?

    I took my car up to about 90 mph during the first few hundred miles. The manual says not to exceed 3/4 of the top speed (which I didn't). I also try not to rev it up too high. Also, it says that when you are done driving, don't shut it off immediately... wait for a minute or two because of the heat/damage to components, yadda, yadda, yadda...you gotta be kidding me! Does this really cause damage? I would think that the things would heat up just standing still there idling. Any other suggestions from anyone? I want my A4 to last for many, many miles... any suggestions or comments are very much appreciated!!! Lovin this car so far!!!

    Scott
  • schwitzer1schwitzer1 Member Posts: 64
    I can't talk about tinting, since I know nothing.

    Brake dust builds up. You can install brake shoe things, but they will not allow heat to dissapate. This is bad. (sorry, I don't have the technical explanation).

    Regarding turbochargers, and cooling them down...do it. The turbo spins really really fast, and gets glowing-metal hot. Taking a minute or two before shutting down allows cooler oil from the pan to circulate through the turbo, getting the heat away. If you don't do it, there is a chance (I'm a math teacher, and have no idea how much of a chance) that the oil can coke (become black, sticky, and burnt on) up on the turbo parts.

    Perhaps one of the other intrepid readers will supply further insights.
  • dej0dej0 Member Posts: 36
    Hi Gang,
    I admit to being a lurker on this board for a while now. I own a '97 A4 1.8T w/ quattro. It is santorin blue (which does need to be washed often, but it looks great). I love the car. I have had a few problems with it, but they are water under the bridge. The biggest complaint I have is that the only Audi dealer is 40+ minutes away and it seems to take a week to get parts for the car, not matter what the problem is.

    Anyway the car is still great to drive, even after 4 years. I have noticed that when taking turns at speed (say 40+ mph) that I hear a funny low frequency rumbling, especially on banked highway turns. It is not loud, it can be drowned out by the radio. I don't know enough to tell if it is an alignment issue or something else peculiar to the car. It happens on turns in both directions, but I thought it used to only happen on turns towards the left. My wife says it has always been there, I am just hearing it now. Anybody else hear this?

    Congrats to all new owners. My wife and I have really enjoyed this car for four years and I am sure all of y'all will enjoy yours as long as you have it.
  • 1intensea41intensea4 Member Posts: 5
    1) I've only been driving stick shift for a short while and realized that the clutch on my 2000 A4 1.8T is extremely high. This is the only complain I have about the car because all the other cars have shorter clutch and lower friction point, so it's easier to obtain that short shift. Do anyone know how I can "adjust" it? Or should I just be a man and get use to it?

    2) How come I'm getting different opinions to the ideal time of the turbo engine after driving? What does Audi say about it?

    3) Anyone going to that Quattro challenge event at Chicago? Do you think it's worth the drive to go from MD? It looks very interesting! How long is it exactly?
  • lisamplslisampls Member Posts: 20
    I hear you Billy! I was thinking that I couldn't go over the $35K mark too, but when I decided that leasing was an option for me and went back to the dealership, the lease on the A6 was just too good!
    The deal is $499/mo for the 2.7T Quattro or $439/mo for the 2.8 Quattro. I drove the 2.7T (as did my husband) and we decided that the extra power was something we wanted. I went for 15K miles and took the A6 off the showroom floor that has the Premium Package, Bose, Xenon, and probably a few other goodies. White with the Advance interior, Tungsten Gray. It's very nice! My husband is in love with this car!!! He is a long-term Ford (sorry to say the F-word on this board) owner, as he needs room to haul around his camping and hunting gear. I expected him to give me the general "Sure Honey, if you think you want to spend that much..." But instead he's gushing about it to everyone who will listen!
    We pick it up in just over 3 hours (but who's counting!)
    Thanks again for all of your input. I now see what all the fuss over Audi's is about!!!
    Lisa from Minneapolis
  • claydjclaydj Member Posts: 9
    sorry fdxboy
  • kyingkying Member Posts: 61
    Hello, I am new here.

    I have been driving stick shift for 25 years now, and I think the clutch in our 2000 A4 1.8T is too darn high. But my wife, who's 5'3", thinks it's fine. Considering I was the one who taught her how to drive a stick!!! I had the A4 die on me several times because I let the clutch go too quickly, and they all happened when my wife was sitting in the passenger seat. And of course, she laughed at me!

    By the way, I thought brake dust is a given for Audis. We have it on the wheels of both of our A4 and 2001 TT. Is it something I have to worry about?
  • william0203william0203 Member Posts: 1
    Love the design and the warranty when it was new.
    Now my car is 4 years old this month and has 67,000 miles. At about 64,000 mi. the cluch started slipping. One dealer told me this was not uncommon for VW products. Another dealer said they had not replaced an A4 cluch. Had it repaired at the second place. A Seal in the transmission went out and soaked the cluch with transmission fluid. The cluch and seal was replaced along with a rear wheel bearing and the tie rod ends. Total Bill $2335.06. I'm not pleased. No help from Audi USA. My recommendation is to sell your Audi before the warranty ends. this is the worst quality car I have ever owned.
  • ebnkebnk Member Posts: 8
    I talked with the dealer who informed me that my car is in port getting an initial inspection. She also informed me that the car will be at the dealership this Thursday or Friday. It looks like my long wait is finally about over. Saturday will be the big day that I bring my new baby back home for the first time. If I don't write for awhile...it's only because I'm too busy breakin' her in ;)

    Here are her specs:
    2001.5 A4 1.8T Quattro w/5 spd.
    Laser Red w/Onyx Leatherette
    Quattro Sport Pkg. w/17" alloy wheels
    Celebration Pkg. w/sunroof
    Cold Weather Pkg.
    ESP
    Xenon

    I think that's mostly everything...she's gonna be one sexy little sports car. Don't ya think? I'm going to bed now...when I wake in the morning, I'll be one day closer to my new friend :) I know this message gets a little corny real fast, but I'm pretty psyched right now!! :) eb.
  • lauk0dglauk0dg Member Posts: 563
    Scotrick, I have window tinting on my silver 1.8T sedan. It looks great, and when you tint yours, specify a complete one sheet for the rear window. I got the 35% Llumar Platinum tint and it stops both sunlight and UV rays. Of course part of doing this is because of cosmetic reasons. I paid $225 for all 7 windows (excluding windshield and sunroof), which is kinda expensive but the shop is famous for good worksmanship.

    Oh yeah I don't like the high clutch too. And yeah I choked the engine like 4 times in the first month of so, and everytime my girlfriend was in the car. Of course she laughed at me and I swore I wouldn't do it again. It worked :>

    Yeah when I got a German car I'm prepared to pay for expensive maintenance after the warranty period. I am thinking, I will keep my eyes open after the 50,000 mile mark and if the maintenance costs is too high, it won't be a happy sight but my Audi got to go.

    Congrats Lisa.....I luv the A6 2.7T too.....I just saw a new A6 2.7T in the lot at work and I will see if that's you haha.

    Billy
  • prmckinnyprmckinny Member Posts: 2
    To schwitzer1,
    I have looked into the turbocharger and how it is cooled. Audi has chosen a turbo that is cooled with water as well as oil for the bearings. The turbo has a water jacket and is cooled with the normal engine coolant. As far as letting the turbo cool this is what I do. If I have been having fun with the car ie. high revs. When I am about 3 minutes from my destination I keep my rpm's lower and the turbo will cool just fine. I have talked to Audi about this. I feel quite comfortable about the turbo system in my 1999.5 A4. ( I am a pilot and a jet aircraft mechanic for over 14 years). Have fun!!
  • panamaltd2panamaltd2 Member Posts: 162
    Wow, I just saw the 2002 A4 on TV and I do believe it is the most beautiful car made, and it doesn't coast an arm and a leg! It really makes the 3-series look cheap in comparison. Very impressive! Anyway, can someone tell me where I might find more info on this car maybe even a brochure? Has anyone put down deposits yet? I want one, I want one, I want one!

    -Sam
  • ryankcryankc Member Posts: 2
    I am about two days away from picking up my 2001.5 1.8T, and reading some of the above posts has raised my curiosity. Does Audi offer an extended warranty? If so, has anyone purchased it and when, at the time of purchase or later. Or, has anyone bought an extended warranty from a different company? Any advice?
  • parker74parker74 Member Posts: 2
    Hello all,

    I'm hoping to pick up my new A4 within the week(it's pretty much the same as ebnk's above, plus Bose and in Santorin blue), and I have a couple of questions. First, the car was supposed to be here a month ago, but my dealer said there was a fire on one of Audi's transport ships that put it out of commission, so all deliveries were delayed. Does that make any sense at all? I haven't read anything about that here or on AudiWorld. I'm wondering if it's just BS. Second, when I met with the dealer a month and a half ago, we settled on a price and agreed on a trade-in allowance. She wrote that information on an order form, which I have a copy of. What I'm wondering is if the dealer will now try to 're-evaluate' my trade since almost two months will have passed, and it will have another 1500-2000 miles or so. I mean, technically it's probably worth a little less with the added mileage, but can they change it now that it's on paper? I just want to know what to expect when I go in there.

    Thanks everybody,

    Parker
  • mgmyersmgmyers Member Posts: 13
    ryankc
    For tons of info on extended warranty and discussion of pros and cons check out www.audiworld.com - use the search engine and you'll get pleny of info.
  • parker74parker74 Member Posts: 2
    Hello all,

    I'm hoping to pick up my new A4 within the week(it's pretty much the same as ebnk's above, plus Bose and in Santorin blue), and I have a couple of questions. First, the car was supposed to be here a month ago, but my dealer said there was a fire on one of Audi's transport ships that put it out of commission, so all deliveries were delayed. Does that make any sense at all? I haven't read anything about that here or on AudiWorld. I'm wondering if it's just BS. Second, when I met with the dealer a month and a half ago, we settled on a price and agreed on a trade-in allowance. She wrote that information on an order form, which I have a copy of. What I'm wondering is if the dealer will now try to 're-evaluate' my trade since almost two months will have passed, and it will have another 1500-2000 miles or so. I mean, technically it's probably worth a little less with the added mileage, but can they change it now that it's on paper? I just want to know what to expect when I go in there.

    Thanks everybody,

    Parker
  • private1private1 Member Posts: 11
    in mpls, i'm looking for a4 1.8t, loaded what kind of lease am i looking at for 36 months w/ $1000 down. Any advice? thanks
  • mmcbride1mmcbride1 Member Posts: 861
    Don't put anything down on a lease - get out of there with as little out of pocket as possible. At the end of April, I got a 2001 A4 1.8T Quattro, 5 spd, Metallic Paint, Celebration, Xenons, Cold Weather, Bose (MSRP of about $29,600 incl. destination). I got it for $425/month before tax and only had to pay the first payment at inception, there were no other fees and no deposit, so my total OOP at inception was $440.

    One of the only other available options on my car was the sports package, which I chose not to get. If you want it, add about $900 to the MSRP.

    You should be able to do about the same. Just don't let the salesperson talk you out of using Audi Financial. They have some outstanding lease rates right now.
  • varigvarig Member Posts: 99
    No info in North America, but I have found info at the European web sites. If you can read German, visit www.audi.de ; or you can visit the British site www.audi.co.uk

    Keep in mind that there are more engine choices in Europe than in NA, so you'll have to just look at the engines (1.8T, 3.0) that will available in NA.

    Happy Surfing.
  • aegus1aegus1 Member Posts: 29
    One of my test drives was an Avant 5 speed that had the dreaded high clutch pedal. The salesman said he'd never noticed it. It almost soured me on the A4 until I tried a few other cars. All of the other cars I test drove were fine. I would think that there should be some kind of adjustment for that clutch linkage.

    Keep us updated if you find out anything. If my Avant comes in that way, I know I'll be back on the dealer's lot before I have 2 miles on the car.
  • 1intensea41intensea4 Member Posts: 5
    The guy whom I bought my 1.8T from has an extended warrenty to 5yrs/ 70,000mi warrenty which costed him an extra two grands. According to him, I'll get the money back if I don't use the warrenty after the 5 yrs is up. It's a long shot but I thought it's a pretty fair deal.
  • fdxboyfdxboy Member Posts: 45
    $2K for the extended warranty??? Can you say highway robbery!!! When I was buying my A4 this past March, the dealer was gonna let me have it for around $800 for an extra year added and 10K in miles. I did not get it due to the fact that I will NOT have this car past 4 years and I only put about 9K per year on my cars. Ok, now to be fair...perhaps the extended warranty was on a pre 2001 Audi, which had a shorter warranty. Does this extended warrany include scheduled maintaince??? An extended warranty is kind of a rip off in a way. It is PURE profit for a dealer and if you dont pay more than $2K in repairs withing the extended warranty time it is a $$$ loser, but then again...if you look up the post...you can see where you can get a nice bill for over $2K. I guess it depends how much piece of mind you want.
  • lauk0dglauk0dg Member Posts: 563
    Yeah I checked some extended warranty sites and they all quoted about $1900 for warranties up to 6 yr/100k miles. It doesn't include scheduled maintenance though, so it's only covering stuff like blown turbos or freak repairs, but I think it does include replacing water pump and belts so I guess watch for the fine print if you want to have that peace of mind. For me, I will keep a close eye on how frequent the car needs maintenance at around 40-50k. Too much and too bad, it needs to go.
  • patrikkpatrikk Member Posts: 13
    I've been looking for preowned A4's in the above captioned years (98, 99). I assume sport package consisted of stiffer suspension, bigger wheels and a diff steering wheel maybe?

    I typically search online for used cars and private owners always know their cars and can tell me what options are on the car, but if the car is at a dealer, they typically do not know if the car is equipped w/sport package or not. I'd like to determine this before I go look at the car.

    What questions should I ask the dealers on the phone to determine if the car was equipped w/sport package from the factory? Should I make it a priority to get a sport package equipped car, i.e., is it worth the extra expense?
  • JBaumgartJBaumgart Member Posts: 890
    I can speak to the 1998 or 1998.5 A4 2.8 models. The sport package includes 16 inch wheels with 7 spokes. Cars without the sport package got the standard 15 inch, 5 spoke wheels. Sport Pkg.-equiped models also got Dunlop 8000E "Z" rated tires and of course the sport-tuned suspension which together promotes more aggressive handling with less body lean. The Sport Pkg. was a bargain-priced $400 option that I thought was the best deal as far as options went for that model year.

    '98.5 A4Q w/Sport Pkg
    '01 allroad
  • nschulman3nschulman3 Member Posts: 125
    As a previous owner of a 97 a4 1.8t quattro, i can tell you that the "97 a4 sport package had no suspension upgrade. I had an a4 with sport and it consisted of 16' rims and tires, albeit all-season rubber, the sporty good-looking steering wheel that is now standard on all a4 models and the sport seats in satin jaquard cloth. The rims were the same as the ones now used on the a4 2.8 w/0 sport package and are quite nice looking. Probably the best thing about that year's sport package was the steering wheel and the great seats that have better support than the current seats and are now close to impossible to get. The suspension was very floaty and not any firmer than the run of the mill a4.
  • equalizer1equalizer1 Member Posts: 177
    I think you all should look at warrantybynet.com. I believe it is around $1100 for a 6 yr/100,000 warranty, and that includes everything except maintenance. Alot of people on Audiworld have gone through them.

    As far as the extended warranty being extra dealer's profit, you can argue that in some cases, but just wait until something significant happens to the car. You will wish you had it. It also offers peace of mind, which is priceless.

    Just ask my husband, who purchased one on his Jeep. We would be living on Kraft macaroni and cheese if he didn't!
  • gravity13gravity13 Member Posts: 2
    I'm going to look at a 98 A4 tomorrow but I need some help in specifics to look for while examining the car. I have taken a look at Edmunds Used Car Buying Tip sheet, but I was wondering if you guys know about any specifics that I should look for. Problem areas?

    The price has lead me to speculate about any possible problems (he's asking only 17999 w/ 42k miles). Please respond with what you know about trouble spots that I should look at, thanks...
  • JBaumgartJBaumgart Member Posts: 890
    My '98.5 hasn't had any problems after about 37,000 miles - other than routine maintenance we've only had to replace the front brake pads which Audi paid for. So I can't give you any specific advice based on personal experience with our car. If it were me, though, I would check the service records and have a good mechanic (the servicing dealer?) take a good look at it before you close the deal if otherwise it looks and drives great (free of vibrations, rattles, unusual drivetrain noises, etc.).
  • zonolitezonolite Member Posts: 1
    Hi guys, longtime lurker, first time poster, in peril! I recently scratched the front fender/bumper (whatever its called) on my 2001 A4. The scratch looks like a slight gouge that extends horizontally about 6-8" on the side, just making its way around to the front, just below the headlight lamps. I've never had to deal with minor scrapes before -- is there a cheap option for fixing this or am I going to have to replace the whole front piece on the car? In other words, can I take it to a body shop, or should I absolutely take it back to the dealer? THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!
  • lauk0dglauk0dg Member Posts: 563
    Well I had a similar situation with my rear bumper during a minor accident on my 2001.5. The bodyshop buffed the bumper and touched it up, and I couldn't even see where he started buffing it. The cost was about a few hundred bucks, but I don't know the extent of your damage so can't say, as my scratches were about 2" by 12", so yeah it's kinda big. Also I got a 0.5" by 0.5" dent, so they also took that out. And no, you shouldn't need to replace the bumper, unless there is a huge dent.
  • JBaumgartJBaumgart Member Posts: 890
    My guess is that your "slight gouge" is probably too deep for just the buffing to do the job, but you can give it a try if you can find a shop that believes it'll work. I've had our silver A4 repaired twice for minor accidents (not at fault!) and each time the body repair shop had a difficult time matching the paint, at least initially. In each case they realized it themselves and kept the car a little longer until they were satisfied that they had it done right.
    My advice would be to get three different bids from reputable body shops, understanding the approach that each would take to make it look as good as new again. Then before accepting the work when they are done, look very critically at it from several angles in outdoor light, and if you can see any evidence of a remaining imperfections, demand that they try again.
  • sixpinessixpines Member Posts: 4
    Hello all. I'm a new owner of a 2001 A4 1.8T. So far the car is much more then I ever expected. Still learning about it and discovering its potential. A quick question about the stereo, the standard Symphony system. There are a few hidden settings that the manual briefly mentions. They are accessible by holding the p-scan button and then pushing the on-off button. The hidden settings are then accessible by repeatedly pushing the p-scan button. the one I'm questioning is the "vol" setting. The manual says it sets the "on/off volume" It allows it to be set from 1 to 5. The problem is I have no idea what this actually does. The volume when I turn the radio on always starts at what I left it set at when last used. So what does this setting control? This is my first post here. I've been reading the board since 6/25 when I got the car. I check here daily for tips I might be able to use. I never realized what a performance vehicle this little wonder is.
  • scirocco22scirocco22 Member Posts: 721
    Well, I've haven't been on this board in awhile and it looks like we've got a lot of new people posting now! ...that's good, welcome! ...and Joel's back too! I don't have quite as much time anymore to read and post but I'm going to try to makes some time, every-now-and-then, to read what's happening here on this forum.

    Tom-- At first I thought you might have been describing the GALA feature. I haven't fooled with mine yet so I didn't really know. But after reading the tech article that I saved from over at AW, what you described obviously isn't the GALA setting. Man, I haven't even read my owner's manual since the first week I had my car! ...sheesh. I keep meaning to fool around with both the hidden equalizer and the GALA settings but haven't gotten around to it yet ...jeez, I'm pitiful! :-P

    regarding the "high clutch" issue: yup, VW/Audis have always had clutches with high engagement points. I remember asking the dealer to adjust the clutch so it would engage lower on my Scirocco when it was new but they advised against it... something about it being the way the VW engineers designed it and if they adjusted it so that it wouldn't be within the factory tolerances/specifications, it could void the warranty if I should have clutch problems later on. So when I got the A4, I didn't even bother asking about it. It is really difficult for me to adjust to the high engagement point because my last few cars have been Japanese. Toyotas are known for the super smooth clutches and the 4Runner I owned had a clutch engagement that was as smooth as butter--I've never driven a vehicle that has such a silky smooth clutch. On my new A4, I just can't get it to engage, starting from a stop, as smoothly as I could on my previous cars. It's not quite a "chatter" but it just doesn't engage in first gear with the smoothness that I'd like. Maybe after I drive it a few more thousand miles, I'll get a better "feel" for it, lol (Billy, I finally broke the 1,000 mile barrier! yay!) Keep in mind that I'm a long time manual transmission user and I still can't quite adjust to this Audi clutch! *argh!*

    --'rocco
  • mmcbride1mmcbride1 Member Posts: 861
    I'm the same way with my clutch. I can get smooth starts from a stop about 50% of the time. The other 50%, I either bog a little of shoot off the line like a rocket (except I'm not racing anyone)!

    And I've driven manuals my whole life...
  • scirocco22scirocco22 Member Posts: 721
    Mike-- lol@"shoot off the line like a rocket (except...") but yah, me too... I've never owned a car with an automatic--hate 'em. Well, that does make me feel a bit better knowing that someone else feels the same way. I guess it's just the way they're made :-(
  • mgmyersmgmyers Member Posts: 13
    If it's any consolation I'm also having some issues with the clutch, even though I've been driving manuals for about 20 years. If I let the clutch out really slowly it engages smoothly for gears 1-3, but any loss of concentration and there's a slight "clunk." Since I've only just broken 500 miles I'll assume it'll get better with time ;-)
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