Son got a "new" car. 2002 audi a4 quattro

[slag]

He's almost 16 and has been wanting his first real car but has a small budget so we looked and looked and finally picked up a 2002 A4 quattro with the 3.0 liter engine. I had a generic vcds (vag com) cable and bought the $99.00 license for the software so I could check out the check engine lights.

Fixed the Airbag light. It was a connector under the driver's seat. Put new brakes on the back. Took out everything from the interior.. trim, center console, seats, carpet, etc, and thoroughly cleaned everything up. Fixed the low windshield washer fluid. The old pump had split and leaked out all the fluid. We replaced the snub mount, an ignition coil (still throws a cylinder 1 misfire though), and I'm in the process of replacing the B1S1 o2 sensor. There are lots of little weird things like the steering angle sensor needs calibrated and the car was hit in the front before so we purchased but still need to replace the bolt-in radiator mount that the headlights bolt up to.

Holy shitballs this oxygen sensor is hard to get to. I'm about 2 hours in and can finally get to the sensor but its a major PITA to try to get an o2 socket on due to location and the heatshield. Not looking forward to messing with it again tonight.

Overall, its a pretty cool car. There are so many bells and whistles which means there are a lot of things to go bad. The sunroof track is broken I think as the sunroof will tilt and go down, but not roll back. We need to get that figured out. Also the misfire still bothers me, but its very random. We need to replace the vacuum lines on the car as they are brittle and some are cracked. There's an entire laundry list of things still to fix, but its fun to work on the car with my son.

 

[sontakke]

Is your son in to cars too? If so, this would be a great father son bonding experience! I am assuming you picked it up for a song. I am jelly.

 

[Yuriman]

Not only are there a lot of things to go bad, but the failure rate for things in a VW are generally much higher than in domestic or Japanese cars, and much more expensive when they do. If he's going to be paying for maintenance, I'd have avoided an old European car, but you two will certainly get a lot of bonding time in over it.

 

[JulesMaximus]

You may have to replace the entire sunroof mechanism. We had a BMW 3 series that had a rattle in the sunroof but the only way to fix it was to replace the entire cassette (this is what they called it).

I used to work with a guy who had a 2002 Audi A3 with the turbo engine and he had nothing but problems with that car. It was in the shop every other month for major major repairs (transmission, engine, turbo, steering rack, dash board out for something or another). I think he replaced just about every bit in that car over the 10 or so years he owned it and spent tens of thousands of dollars keeping it running.

 

[slag]

Used to have a 2000 jetta and this brings back memories (not all good). I am hoping once we shake out the big stuff, everything else is just fluff. The timing belt looks new so I'm not going to replace it at this point. It's an aftermarket continental belt also which bodes well.

Yeah, my son is into cars. We do all the work ourselves as well, so aside from parts, the rest is gravy. Also, he currently drives a 2000 maxima and was ready for a change. My middle son is about to learn to drive so we wanted to get the car ready for him to learn on.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

If the maintenance doesn't bankrupt him, you got him a friggin' rocket ship. If he's as big a jerkwad driver as I was at his age, it'll be wrapped around a tree before his 21st birthday.

So... best of luck to you both. Don't be like me.

 

[slag]

He's been driving for about a year now and its only 220 hp new, probably more like 200 now. It has a ton of safety features, too. I like that it's AWD for winter. He bought it with his own money (mostly).

 

[sontakke]

Maxima 2000 had 190hp, so if your son drove it responsibly, there is no reason why he would suddenly become an ahole in this car.
Take the fuse out of the sunroof so that it will not accidentally open then get stuck. Frankly I have rarely opened sunroof in my cars since 1983 even though all had sunroofs.
Frankly, just disable the unnecessary junky stuff which is questionable and may cause problem. Just fix the safety and functional stuff and have him enjoy the car.

 

[HarryLui]

I hope you left room in your small budget for repair and maintenance.

 

[slag]

I hope you left room in your small budget for repair and maintenance.

oh yeah, we've been putting money into it already for stuff.

 

[olds]

The good news is your son will learn a lot about repairs. That's a good thing.

 

[desura]

I can second the problems of foreign cars.

Frankly, I've moved to domestic cars now away from foreign. Objectively, domestics have improved so much in quality that their advantage in repair costs is decisive. People who insist on foreign cars kind of do so out of a slight snobbery against the American working man.

 

[NutBucket]

Why do you say that? How many foreign cars are actually made overseas?

And how many American cars are actually made in America. There are lots of factories in Canada and Mexico.

 

[desura]

Why do you say that? How many foreign cars are actually made overseas?

And how many American cars are actually made in America. There are lots of factories in Canada and Mexico.

Even foreign brands assembled in the USA have significantly less components from the USA than overseas. And then there is engineering and corporate leadership.

 

[Torn Mind]

I can second the problems of foreign cars.

Frankly, I've moved to domestic cars now away from foreign. Objectively, domestics have improved so much in quality that their advantage in repair costs is decisive. People who insist on foreign cars kind of do so out of a slight snobbery against the American working man.

Japanese cars from their big two(Honda and Toyota) and Euro cars are way apart in terms of what they provide, or at least the makes that make their name. A Corolla is not the same as a Benz and are bought for different reasons.

 

[desura]

Japanese cars from their big two(Honda and Toyota) and Euro cars are way apart in terms of what they provide, or at least the makes that make their name. A Corolla is not the same as a Benz and are bought for different reasons.

To be fair, yes, Japanese cars are different from European cars. Generally more reliable and more practically engineered. Still, pretty much zero reason to get a European car IME. They're nothing but trouble.

 

[FelixDeCat]

My parents bought a couple of old used Audis back in the day. Both had so many problems and turned out to be virtual lemons.

 

[HarryLui]

I can second the problems of foreign cars.

Frankly, I've moved to domestic cars now away from foreign. Objectively, domestics have improved so much in quality that their advantage in repair costs is decisive. People who insist on foreign cars kind of do so out of a slight snobbery against the American working man.

2016 Production-Based Index (2016 AMI Rank)

1. Honda Accord (2)
2. Toyota Camry (1)
3. Toyota Sienna (3)
4. Honda Odyssey (4)
5. Honda Pilot (5)
6. Chevrolet Traverse (6)
7. GMC Acadia (7)
8. Buick Enclave (8)




https://www.cars.com/articles/the-2016-carscom-american-made-index-1420684865874/

 

[slag]

Got the passenger cat off yesterday and was able to get the oxygen sensor off. Will put the new one on tonight, time permitting. Also got the front radiator support ordered and it will be here tomorrow. Hope to have it all buttoned back up and functional by Sunday evening. Busy weekend with work, alma mater homecoming, and boat winterizing, along with replacement of my M3 headliner and working on his audi. Something else we are going to do is replace all of the vacuum hoses. A couple are so brittle that they broke when we were working around the engine and so I ordered 20 feet of 3.5 mm ID tubing to replace all the vacuum lines. There's a good writeup on the audi forum and with the front clip off, now is the time to do it. Also picking up some G13 coolant. I noticed the transmission tail shaft seal is seeping as well so I'm going to replace that. Lots of little stuff that, once fixed, should make for a great car.

 

[96Firebird]

Don't let him stance it.

 

[slag]

Don't let him stance it.

That will never happen. Stance isn't even a word in our household. Cars don't have stance.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

He's almost 16 and has been wanting his first real car but has a small budget so we looked and looked and finally picked up a 2002 A4 quattro with the 3.0 liter engine. I had a generic vcds (vag com) cable and bought the $99.00 license for the software so I could check out the check engine lights.

Fixed the Airbag light. It was a connector under the driver's seat. Put new brakes on the back. Took out everything from the interior.. trim, center console, seats, carpet, etc, and thoroughly cleaned everything up. Fixed the low windshield washer fluid. The old pump had split and leaked out all the fluid. We replaced the snub mount, an ignition coil (still throws a cylinder 1 misfire though), and I'm in the process of replacing the B1S1 o2 sensor. There are lots of little weird things like the steering angle sensor needs calibrated and the car was hit in the front before so we purchased but still need to replace the bolt-in radiator mount that the headlights bolt up to.

Holy shitballs this oxygen sensor is hard to get to. I'm about 2 hours in and can finally get to the sensor but its a major PITA to try to get an o2 socket on due to location and the heatshield. Not looking forward to messing with it again tonight.

Overall, its a pretty cool car. There are so many bells and whistles which means there are a lot of things to go bad. The sunroof track is broken I think as the sunroof will tilt and go down, but not roll back. We need to get that figured out. Also the misfire still bothers me, but its very random. We need to replace the vacuum lines on the car as they are brittle and some are cracked. There's an entire laundry list of things still to fix, but its fun to work on the car with my son.

Welcome to every day for as long as you own that car. When Audis age pretty much every piece breaks, you're going to be replacing that car bumper to bumper. They're sweet rides, but you can't get too attached to them. Like big dogs, hope for faithful companionship for 8-10 years and then eventually you have to put them out of their misery.

 

[NutBucket]

Don't let him stance it.

Eh. If its his money then I say let him have at it. If my folks had their way I would have never modified my old Accord. Financially it was dumb but it sure was fun!

 

[Torn Mind]

Euro cars and difficult to reach parts simply go hand-in-hand. This car would be a back breaker if it was intended as a DD and had to be repaired by a shop.

 

[Fenixgoon]

i've helped my brother on his 02 a4. they're not terrible to work on. enjoy the father-son time!

if he decides to modify the car, tell him there is 1 rule he must obey - it has to look like it came from the factory floor.