Audi a4 tdi 01-05 opinions and usual issues

da6xsi · 11-03-2013 06:25PM #1

So im looking to pick up an audi a4 130bhp tdi very soon just wondering what to watch out for in them now ive had just about every petrol car their is from evos to civics altezzas to e46 bmws but this will be my 1st tdi so not so sure what to watch out for in these

whats the 5 speed and 6 speed boxs like which is better?

Ive heard a few bad things about this particular model so would like some insight as dont want to spend 4-5k and then be spending big money on regular repairs which ive heard is well known to happen with these audis

so fair ive been warned for clutch/flywheel issues turbo issues and suspension arms up the front is meant to be an issue aswell is their anything else hopefuly ill have a vagcom diagnostic with me to check if its been clocked but looking to see if theirs anything else i should wory about

Any feedback appreciated

ian87 · 11-03-2013 06:40PM

Check and see if its one of those Ireland only rs4 models and then avoid.

cpoh1 · 11-03-2013 06:45PM

What to look out for? Ditches. Cos the evos/civics/altezzas you have owned could never prepare you for the warp speed sensation a tdi will deliver.

da6xsi · 11-03-2013 06:48PM

cpoh1 wrote: »

What to look out for? Ditches. Cos the evos/civics/altezzas you have owned could never prepare you for the warp speed sensation a tdi will deliver.

I dunno whether to give out for the pointless comment or just laugh cause im already prepared for the dullness ahead :rolleyes:

cpoh1 · 11-03-2013 06:58PM

da6xsi wrote: »

I dunno whether to give out for the pointless comment or just laugh cause im already prepared for the dullness ahead :rolleyes:

I feel your pain I had to make the adjustment myself last summer. R32 GTR and mk2 mx5 vspec sold at the time and DC5 going in the next couple of weeks all to be replaced by a passat estate tdi.

Ive nearly hit ditches in her alright but mostly from boredom after falling asleep behind the wheel.

tossy · 11-03-2013 06:59PM

I had a B6 ( the shape you are looking at as my last car)

If it has a spurious/ill fitting 'quattro' kit avoid.The looks awful and are usually made from crap materials that don't last and don't fit well and will cause you trouble down the line.

The 130pd is a great engine but service history is a must esp on regular oil changes.Check when clutch and T belt were done last and use as a bargaining chip.

The suspension on these are a complicated swing arm set up,i'd say 90% of them probably have spurious lower quality arms in them,any kind of knocking from suspension on the test drive could cost you at least 100 euro to fix depending on which arm/joint is worn - again bargaining chip.

The suffer also from water getting into the CCM module (this module controls central locking/windows etc etc and is situated underneath the dash on the pass side,check there for damp carpets.The Water gets in from underneath the battery - the drain holes clog up and the rain water has no where to go.so check in there also - it's a very common prob and there is loads on google about it.

Edit: this is the kind of one i'd be buying - owned by an enthusiast.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4653890

cpoh1 · 11-03-2013 07:02PM

Seriously though - having virtually the same car, there is loads to go wrong. Timing belt is a bitch and most likely a bumper off job. Eats suspension parts (bushes and cv boots). Electrics can be a be wiry too.

Oil changes a must with this engine and they have to be kept topped up.

cpoh1 · 11-03-2013 07:04PM

tossy wrote: »

I had a B6 ( the shape you are looking at as my last car)

If it has a spurious/ill fitting 'quattro' kit avoid.The looks awful and are usually made from crap materials that don't last and don't fit well and will cause you trouble down the line.

The 130pd is a great engine but service history is a must esp on regular oil changes.Check when clutch and T belt were done last and use as a bargaining chip.

The suspension on these are a complicated swing arm set up,i'd say 90% of them probably have spurious lower quality arms in them,any kind of knocking from suspension on the test drive could cost you at least 100 euro to fix depending on which arm/joint is worn - again bargaining chip.

The suffer also from water getting into the CCM module (this module controls central locking/windows etc etc and is situated underneath the dash on the pass side,check there for damp carpets.The Water gets in from underneath the battery - the drain holes clog up and the rain water has no where to go.so check in there also - it's a very common prob and there is loads on google about it.

Edit: this is the kind of one i'd be buying - owned by an enthusiast.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4653890

Spot on with the advice tossy - one thing though isint the 2001-2005 model A4/passat the B5.5 not B6 range?

tossy · 11-03-2013 07:07PM

cpoh1 wrote: »

Seriously though - having virtually the same car, there is loads to go wrong. Timing belt is a bitch and most likely a bumper off job. Eats suspension parts (bushes and cv boots). Electrics can be a be wiry too. .

No disrespect to you but you are kind of wrong.

The have a name for eating suspension parts but only because of the amount of them fitted with the cheap done deal type suspension arm kits - not worth a sh!t you might as well make swing arms out of paper mache'd 50e notes.

Timing belt is not a bumper off job,you just slide the bumper and front panel out to what is called the "service position".

cpoh1 wrote: »

Spot on with the advice tossy - one thing though isint the 2001-2005 model A4/passat the B5.5 not B6 range?

The 2001 - 2005 A4 is the B6.

da6xsi · 11-03-2013 07:55PM

tossy wrote: »

I had a B6 ( the shape you are looking at as my last car)

If it has a spurious/ill fitting 'quattro' kit avoid.The looks awful and are usually made from crap materials that don't last and don't fit well and will cause you trouble down the line.

The 130pd is a great engine but service history is a must esp on regular oil changes.Check when clutch and T belt were done last and use as a bargaining chip.

The suspension on these are a complicated swing arm set up,i'd say 90% of them probably have spurious lower quality arms in them,any kind of knocking from suspension on the test drive could cost you at least 100 euro to fix depending on which arm/joint is worn - again bargaining chip.

The suffer also from water getting into the CCM module (this module controls central locking/windows etc etc and is situated underneath the dash on the pass side,check there for damp carpets.The Water gets in from underneath the battery - the drain holes clog up and the rain water has no where to go.so check in there also - it's a very common prob and there is loads on google about it.

Edit: this is the kind of one i'd be buying - owned by an enthusiast.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4653890

Cheers for the responses

i knew the suspension issues but the whole ccm module is something i had not heard of will be sure to keep an eye out for that

I wouldnt buy one without service history to some extent as between clocking and irish peoples poor maintenance of cars its coming to stage now i may go up north and bring one down vrt is less than 500 and ive seen some with full service history from day 1 advertised around 3000 sterling which is a fair price in my eyes but its the hassle of vrting it getting it down etc that has me put off

Your right on the kits a lot on donedeal look very poor quality alright i did like the one posted in the link exactly what id like but in this day and age i know good ones can be got cheaper a lad i play 5 a side with picked up 1 in sligo in red 138k full history from 60k on spotless car for 3700 so am biding my time as a lot of scrap on donedeal and my budget is 4000 maybe 4200 at best

cpoh1 wrote: »

I feel your pain I had to make the adjustment myself last summer. R32 GTR and mk2 mx5 vspec sold at the time and DC5 going in the next couple of weeks all to be replaced by a passat estate tdi.

Ive nearly hit ditches in her alright but mostly from boredom after falling asleep behind the wheel.

Yeah im hoping the money i save with this will allow me to pick up a dc2 sir as a track car

plenty of em going for 1000-1500 now so i can enjoy best of both worlds

ION08 · 11-03-2013 07:58PM

- clutch and dmf
- knocking/rattling from suspension
- water ingress into footwells
Also
- check temp needle goes up to halfway point (coolant temp senders are a common weakpoint on these)
- fully service history
- check ECU box is still sealed as water can get in here too and it can fry ecu/relays

Really hard to find a good example out there as most are really tired and worn out.

I have an absolutely mint 02 Sport one myself with 128k miles, by far the most realiable car ive had and it drives and looks like its done 60k

I think the one in the dondeal link tossy posted is horrible and also overpriced

You just need to have patience to find the right one... might take a while tho with the amount of knackered "RS4 TDI's" out there

da6xsi · 11-03-2013 08:07PM

ION08 wrote: »

- clutch and dmf
- knocking/rattling from suspension
- water ingress into footwells
Also
- check temp needle goes up to halfway point (coolant temp senders are a common weakpoint on these)
- fully service history
- check ECU box is still sealed as water can get in here too and it can fry ecu/relays

Really hard to find a good example out there as most are really tired and worn out.

I have an absolutely mint 02 Sport one myself with 128k miles, by far the most realiable car ive had and it drives and looks like its done 60k

I think the one in the dondeal link tossy posted is horrible and also overpriced

You just need to have patience to find the right one... might take a while tho with the amount of knackered "RS4 TDI's" out there

Yeah thanks for that will add them to the checklist

second person to mention this rs4 model and to avoid any particular reasons why?

George Dalton · 11-03-2013 08:08PM

ION08 wrote: »

Really hard to find a good example out there as most are really tired and worn out.

This sums the situation up perfectly. Buy a good one and look after it and you will love it, buy the usual tired donedeal example and it will break your heart.

scamalert · 11-03-2013 08:16PM

because knackerheads like to badge them as rs4 :pac: tdi all 3 red

and so on.Also watch out for break lights ,as ive seen couple having issues with brakes,dunno whats wrong but seems common on them,and expensive job altogether.It really depends whos selling the car.

JohnBoy26 · 11-03-2013 08:30PM

cpoh1 wrote: »

Spot on with the advice tossy - one thing though isint the 2001-2005 model A4/passat the B5.5 not B6 range?

The passat of that era was a different car to the 2001-2005 a4. The passat was based more on the first generation a4 as it was basically just a revised/facelifted version of the 1997-2001 passat. Both these cars only had semi independent rear suspension. The B6 2001-2005 A4 featured a fully independent setup and feels stiffer than the passat imo.

sunnysoutheast · 11-03-2013 09:37PM

da6xsi wrote: »

Cheers for the responses

i knew the suspension issues but the whole ccm module is something i had not heard of will be sure to keep an eye out for that

I wouldnt buy one without service history to some extent as between clocking and irish peoples poor maintenance of cars its coming to stage now i may go up north and bring one down vrt is less than 500 and ive seen some with full service history from day 1 advertised around 3000 sterling which is a fair price in my eyes but its the hassle of vrting it getting it down etc that has me put off

Your right on the kits a lot on donedeal look very poor quality alright i did like the one posted in the link exactly what id like but in this day and age i know good ones can be got cheaper a lad i play 5 a side with picked up 1 in sligo in red 138k full history from 60k on spotless car for 3700 so am biding my time as a lot of scrap on donedeal and my budget is 4000 maybe 4200 at best

Yeah im hoping the money i save with this will allow me to pick up a dc2 sir as a track car plenty of em going for 1000-1500 now so i can enjoy best of both worlds

The brake light switch fails on and, because the brake lights come on with the keys out, the battery can drain overnight. Very easy fix.

Plenum chambers block and overflow into the cabin. If the water gets into the electronics module in the passenger footwell problems will result. If you want to check (on a dry day) pour water on the screen and there should be three separate streams of water coming out underneath the car. Get a torch and check that the area under the battery has no pools of water.

Rear wiper motors are a very common failure on Avant models.

Overall a lovely car. Will be sorry to see mine go.

Good luck.

tossy · 11-03-2013 10:14PM

George Dalton wrote: »

This sums the situation up perfectly. Buy a good one and look after it and you will love it, buy the usual tired donedeal example and it will break your heart.

Hence thereason i posted the one on Dungdeal,i haven't search donedeal but i doubt there is a better example on there.Haven't recently helped a mate in a search for a 3/4K TDI VAG saloon i know that 4 out of every 5 ads on DD are absolute sh!t boxes and are never as described in the ads.I'd be aiming to cut out all that nonsense and go an enthusiasts car.

ION08 wrote: »

I think the one in the dondeal link tossy posted is horrible and also overpriced

Find me a better spec'd and better minded A4 on dungdeal for similar money and i'll agree,there are a few styling cues that won't be to everyones taste but the are easily changed,and as with all cars what the are advertised for and what the fetch are two different things,but if i was in the market for a TDI B6 A4 i'd buy that one,well i wouldn't i'd buy another V6 avant quattro actually cheaper to buy and better to drive....

Not for nothing but that A4 won car of the show at a big VAG show last summer,ok it has been stripped of a few things since but still serious level of TLC involved.

da6xsi wrote: »

second person to mention this rs4 model and to avoid any particular reasons why?

See the first part of my sig

ION08 · 11-03-2013 11:05PM

tossy wrote: »

Find me a better spec'd and better minded A4 on dungdeal for similar money and i'll agree,there are a few styling cues that won't be to everyones taste but the are easily changed,and as with all cars what the are advertised for and what the fetch are two different things,but if i was in the market for a TDI B6 A4 i'd buy that one,well i wouldn't i'd buy another V6 avant quattro actually cheaper to buy and better to drive....

Not for nothing but that A4 won car of the show at a big VAG show last summer,ok it has been stripped of a few things since but still serious level of TLC involved.

Having looked at the Ad again, its not as bad as I thought. I wouldnt be a big fan of the interior, the dash trims look like theyre made of MDF Wood (although im sure they look better in person) and i'm not sure whether the tail lights have been tinted intentionally for style or smoke-tinted by the soot coming from the twin exhausts ... everytime i see dark tail lights on a diesel I think poofs of black smoke from the exhaust :P

Apart from that it looks like a pretty good one to be fair (apart from the hole in the drivers floor mat) :pac:

@OP: A lot of A4's also have really worn out buttons on the climate control, cd player and window switches where the finish has essentially flaked off to reveal the white plastic beneath. It makes the interior look pretty tatty when theyre like that so might be worth asking whenever you ring for one

Audi a4 tdi 01-05 opinions and usual issues

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