Audi A4 B5 2.8 V6 Quattro Estate
Discussion
I have been on the hunt for a winter beater so that I could take my e46 330ci Sport off the road during the colder months. I've never really enjoyed using it when we get frost and ice. Also the salty roads aren't kind to it's bodywork and they are renowned for rusting anyway!
So whilst browsing a local selling page this beauty came up. I have a thing for old cars that no one else would love. Last winter I ran a saab 9-5 aero. It's done 155,000 miles and was owned by a tree surgeon who used to use it to pull out old tree stumps! The seller I bought it off had took it in part exchange for an audi S4. He said that before he had the interior cleaned it smelt of 2 stroke oil and testosterone. Yum!
I have the full audi service booklet and it even came with 3 keys. All the levels are good and the oil is a good colour. It even has all the pixels working in the screen between the instrument cluster!
It drives very nicely. No nasty clunks or strange vibrations through the wheel. Runs straight with no wandering. Also with the high profile tyres it soaks the bumps up well. It pulls well and makes a lovely noise. Even played a little traffic lights Grand Prix with a new ford fiesta ST earlier and the driver looked very surprised to be behind the old boat
Plans are to find a replacement driver seat and maybe passenger if I can find a matching pair. The current seat has horrendous bolster wear and a weird stain on the base. I will also give it a service replacing plugs, fuel filter etc as it seems to have a little flat spot when pulling right up to the redline. Also need to find a replacement lower door trim as one is missing.
I'm also hoping for plenty of snow this year so that I can test out the quattro. This car ticks 2 boxes for me, I've never owned a V6 or 4 wheel drived car before!
Oh and I payed very much below shed budget money as these things just aren't worth much these days. Lets just say I could run it until the 6 months MOT ran out and scrap it and scrap it without feeling too bad. Anyway I'll stop boring people now and share some pics. These are from the sellers advert so I will get some better ones.
So whilst browsing a local selling page this beauty came up. I have a thing for old cars that no one else would love. Last winter I ran a saab 9-5 aero. It's done 155,000 miles and was owned by a tree surgeon who used to use it to pull out old tree stumps! The seller I bought it off had took it in part exchange for an audi S4. He said that before he had the interior cleaned it smelt of 2 stroke oil and testosterone. Yum!
I have the full audi service booklet and it even came with 3 keys. All the levels are good and the oil is a good colour. It even has all the pixels working in the screen between the instrument cluster!
It drives very nicely. No nasty clunks or strange vibrations through the wheel. Runs straight with no wandering. Also with the high profile tyres it soaks the bumps up well. It pulls well and makes a lovely noise. Even played a little traffic lights Grand Prix with a new ford fiesta ST earlier and the driver looked very surprised to be behind the old boat
Plans are to find a replacement driver seat and maybe passenger if I can find a matching pair. The current seat has horrendous bolster wear and a weird stain on the base. I will also give it a service replacing plugs, fuel filter etc as it seems to have a little flat spot when pulling right up to the redline. Also need to find a replacement lower door trim as one is missing.
I'm also hoping for plenty of snow this year so that I can test out the quattro. This car ticks 2 boxes for me, I've never owned a V6 or 4 wheel drived car before!
Oh and I payed very much below shed budget money as these things just aren't worth much these days. Lets just say I could run it until the 6 months MOT ran out and scrap it and scrap it without feeling too bad. Anyway I'll stop boring people now and share some pics. These are from the sellers advert so I will get some better ones.
Audi a4 with proper torsen. I've had 3 B5's, a 1.8t, a 1.8t Quattro and a tdi .
Lovely cars and so well put together, the V6 engine doesn't seem to have much love and the prices reflect it, they offer a lot for not a lot. I guess mid to low 20 mpg puts people off.
does it have matching tyres round as this seems to help the torsen in winter conditions.
Lovely cars and so well put together, the V6 engine doesn't seem to have much love and the prices reflect it, they offer a lot for not a lot. I guess mid to low 20 mpg puts people off.
does it have matching tyres round as this seems to help the torsen in winter conditions.
I did forget to mention that it came with new tyres fitted too! I think they are matching on axles though, not all round. I will check.
I've just read up on the torsen system. Proper 50/50 split unlike the haldex. I didn't realise this.
Yes the economy will probably put a lot of people off but I only average around 26 mpg in my 330. That's been my main car for the last 4 years and I've only put 13000 miles on it in my ownership.
I work away a lot and I've sometimes left the car that long the batteries gone flat when coming home.
I'm going down to Cornwall from Leicester tomorrow so against my girlfriends judgement I'm leaving her 4 year old car at home and taking this! I can't think of a better way to test out the new beast
lets just say I've got my AA cover ready to go.
I think she'll be fine.
I've just read up on the torsen system. Proper 50/50 split unlike the haldex. I didn't realise this.
Yes the economy will probably put a lot of people off but I only average around 26 mpg in my 330. That's been my main car for the last 4 years and I've only put 13000 miles on it in my ownership.
I work away a lot and I've sometimes left the car that long the batteries gone flat when coming home.
I'm going down to Cornwall from Leicester tomorrow so against my girlfriends judgement I'm leaving her 4 year old car at home and taking this! I can't think of a better way to test out the new beast
lets just say I've got my AA cover ready to go. I think she'll be fine.
I love a B5 A4. I had a TDI Avant, which is possibly my favourite car I've owned.
One thing to look out for, make sure the plenum underneath the windscreen isn't full of water. The drain holes get plugged, then it fills up with water and can soak the ecu, or as it did in my case run through the ecu cover and onto the brake switch causing the car to go into limp mode.
Just pop the rubber parts out of the drain holes to stop them getting bunged up.
One thing to look out for, make sure the plenum underneath the windscreen isn't full of water. The drain holes get plugged, then it fills up with water and can soak the ecu, or as it did in my case run through the ecu cover and onto the brake switch causing the car to go into limp mode.
Just pop the rubber parts out of the drain holes to stop them getting bunged up.
Well the old girl drove faultlessly down to Taunton today from Leicester. Luckily checked the tyre pressures before I set off and they were all down to between 27-30 psi! Book figures said 36psi unloaded and 42 fully loaded. Settled at 40psi.
Managed to average 34mpg (on the trip computer) with 3 people and a boot stuffed full. I'm happy with that. It's a good motorway cruiser and makes for easy overtakes with the big old V6.
It's certainly growing on me. I will definitely keep it to see me through the winter.
Also thanks for the note about the drain holes. I will have a look.
Managed to average 34mpg (on the trip computer) with 3 people and a boot stuffed full. I'm happy with that. It's a good motorway cruiser and makes for easy overtakes with the big old V6.
It's certainly growing on me. I will definitely keep it to see me through the winter.
Also thanks for the note about the drain holes. I will have a look.
Still plenty of love for B5s; strong cars and they've aged well.
V6 commonly leaks from the cam cover gaskets that can find its way onto the exhaust manifolds and smell. There's a chance that's what the seller was talking about.
You should do a whole interior for <£200:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-a4-v6-s4-full-black...
V6 commonly leaks from the cam cover gaskets that can find its way onto the exhaust manifolds and smell. There's a chance that's what the seller was talking about.
You should do a whole interior for <£200:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-a4-v6-s4-full-black...
I was hoping he meant from lugging chainsaws about 
I really wanted to keep the cream and it has a dark blue dash show didn't want to change too much.
I have noticed it takes a while to warm up compared to my other car. Took maybe 8-10 miles of motorway driving yesterday until the needle hit the middle. This may be normal as I have never owned one. Don't really like the idea of a thermostat swap as it seems a fairly big job.
I really wanted to keep the cream and it has a dark blue dash show didn't want to change too much.
I have noticed it takes a while to warm up compared to my other car. Took maybe 8-10 miles of motorway driving yesterday until the needle hit the middle. This may be normal as I have never owned one. Don't really like the idea of a thermostat swap as it seems a fairly big job.
Dms86 said:
I have noticed it takes a while to warm up compared to my other car. Took maybe 8-10 miles of motorway driving yesterday until the needle hit the middle. This may be normal as I have never owned one. Don't really like the idea of a thermostat swap as it seems a fairly big job.
An ebay copy of VCDS might be helpful; a temperature sensor is a doddle (and cheap) but either will cost you fuel if the ECU sees temperature being weird.Dms86 said:
Don't really like the idea of a thermostat swap as it seems a fairly big job.
That's an understatement. Whoever decided to put the thermostat housing behind the timing belt on an engine that is mounted right up against the slam panel deserves a slap.Mind you, the sense of achievement when you finally get it out...
You can probably just see where it sat, between my right hand and the alternator in that picture.
As much as I love getting my hands dirty that just doesn't look fun
Cardboard wedged in front of the radiator it is then. Although it did seem to warm up quicker when I used it yesterday. Il see what happens when the temps really drop.
Treated it to a few bits. Cream leather dye to see if I can do anything with the drivers seat, open cone air filter to release the inner chav inside me, and a head unit Iso adapter lead so I can fit an old school wharfedale head unit with matching red illumination. The original concert head units volume knob seemed broken on one volume which ever way you rotated it. And that volume was loud!
Bits should be with me when I'm back from Cornwall and il get cracking.
Cardboard wedged in front of the radiator it is then. Although it did seem to warm up quicker when I used it yesterday. Il see what happens when the temps really drop.
Treated it to a few bits. Cream leather dye to see if I can do anything with the drivers seat, open cone air filter to release the inner chav inside me, and a head unit Iso adapter lead so I can fit an old school wharfedale head unit with matching red illumination. The original concert head units volume knob seemed broken on one volume which ever way you rotated it. And that volume was loud!
Bits should be with me when I'm back from Cornwall and il get cracking.
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