High mileage Quattro for £2k a good idea?
Discussion
I don't know why but I've decided my next car is going to be an Audi Quattro A4 or A6, preferably a 1.8T to try to keep mpg down. I know they're not a PH favourite, but I want one. I had a mk1 TT 225 18 months ago and really liked it.
I've got £2k to spend so I'm looking at cars 100k miles plus made around the turn of the century.
Am I mad and can anyone tell me how well the TorsenHaldex system handles higher mileage?
Cheers.
Edited cos my knowledge of Audi 4x4 systems is piss-poor.
I've got £2k to spend so I'm looking at cars 100k miles plus made around the turn of the century.
Am I mad and can anyone tell me how well the Torsen
Cheers.
Edited cos my knowledge of Audi 4x4 systems is piss-poor.
Edited by Emeye on Sunday 18th September 11:31
This is the sort of thing I'm thinking about...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUDI-A6-1-8T-QUATTRO-200...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUDI-A6-1-8T-QUATTRO-200...
I ran a '99 (V) A4 Quattro with 146k on the clock for about 10 months.
It drove like a car with 80k on the clock.
Only thing to be really careful of on the turbo models, is that the oil has been changed regularly and is clean.
They do suffer from sludge issues if the oil is not changed regularly.
Audi also recommend matched tyres (tread and of course size).
The only other issue mine had, was a noisy gearbox (slight chatter at idle and also a bit of a whine).
But I covered several thousand miles with it like that and had no issues.
You'll also find that the in dash display for the OBC has usually failed or has dead pixels (very common problem on the B5 series Audi models).
Finally, also check when last the cambelt was replaced - it's 60k intervals on these IIRC.
ETA: Just noticed you're looking at B6 models. I guess mechanically they aren't hugely different to the B5 models, although I thought the B5 had a different Quattro system? (Torsen vs Haldex?)
It drove like a car with 80k on the clock.
Only thing to be really careful of on the turbo models, is that the oil has been changed regularly and is clean.
They do suffer from sludge issues if the oil is not changed regularly.
Audi also recommend matched tyres (tread and of course size).
The only other issue mine had, was a noisy gearbox (slight chatter at idle and also a bit of a whine).
But I covered several thousand miles with it like that and had no issues.
You'll also find that the in dash display for the OBC has usually failed or has dead pixels (very common problem on the B5 series Audi models).
Finally, also check when last the cambelt was replaced - it's 60k intervals on these IIRC.
ETA: Just noticed you're looking at B6 models. I guess mechanically they aren't hugely different to the B5 models, although I thought the B5 had a different Quattro system? (Torsen vs Haldex?)
Edited by TonyRPH on Tuesday 8th October 12:47
Bitser said:
This is true, within 2mm of tread depth.
again, I call bulls
t on this, I ran 4 different tread patterns with differeing tread heights on a stter audi 80 quattro ( torsen diff- with diff lock!!) practically for the full life of the car - i didnt have much money so I skimped a lot at the time.The whole car fell apart around it but the transmission never gave a whiff of trouble - all the way to 201,000 miles, then I sold it.
hman said:
again, I call bullst on this, I ran 4 different tread patterns with differeing tread heights on a stter audi 80 quattro ( torsen diff- with diff lock!!) practically for the full life of the car - i didnt have much money so I skimped a lot at the time.
The whole car fell apart around it but the transmission never gave a whiff of trouble - all the way to 201,000 miles, then I sold it.
/\ +1t on this, I ran 4 different tread patterns with differeing tread heights on a stter audi 80 quattro ( torsen diff- with diff lock!!) practically for the full life of the car - i didnt have much money so I skimped a lot at the time.The whole car fell apart around it but the transmission never gave a whiff of trouble - all the way to 201,000 miles, then I sold it.
It's an Audi not a Vauxhall.
hman said:
Its a Myth about matching tyres torsen is bullet proof
Fluid diffs have issues if there is too much differential movement to take up.My brother is a fluids engineer (a very highly qualified geek 1st class hons, awards for his work etc) after a long description on how the molecular structure of the fluid works, he tells me that the issue is that the fluid can over heat if too much differential movement occurs for long or sustained periods (ie mismatched tyres). The heat changes the molecular structure of the fluid causing it to crystalise, it will then seize up progressively over time.
exactly, I dont think the geek is factoring in cooling from airflow over the casing nor the fact that most 4x4 systems are using the centre diff practically all the time (albeit in small amounts) as we dont drive in perfect straight lines all the time.
Audi's torsen system is the nuts and has proven to be bullet proof by numpties like me time and time again ( I've had 4 different cars with this system - no transmission failures !
theory and practical demonstration often differ due to all the variables not being present when the theory is written.
Audi's torsen system is the nuts and has proven to be bullet proof by numpties like me time and time again ( I've had 4 different cars with this system - no transmission failures !
theory and practical demonstration often differ due to all the variables not being present when the theory is written.
hman said:
exactly, I dont think the geek is factoring in cooling from airflow over the casing nor the fact that most 4x4 systems are using the centre diff practically all the time (albeit in small amounts) as we dont drive in perfect straight lines all the time.
Audi's torsen system is the nuts and has proven to be bullet proof by numpties like me time and time again ( I've had 4 different cars with this system - no transmission failures !
theory and practical demonstration often differ due to all the variables not being present when the theory is written.
According to the Geek (sorry Phil) the cooling effect is minimal, and just delays the point at which the fluid crystalises. The crystalisation apparently starts around the splines of the drive shafts (splines is the wrong word I suspect). He maintains that the small amounts from normal driving are fine, mismatch of tyres in particular rolling radius and grip differences is enough of a change to increase the risk. I will ask him if he has seen it demonstrated on a road car.Audi's torsen system is the nuts and has proven to be bullet proof by numpties like me time and time again ( I've had 4 different cars with this system - no transmission failures !
theory and practical demonstration often differ due to all the variables not being present when the theory is written.
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