[200q20v] 90k service

[Phil Rose]

At 12:04 PM -0500 1/31/02, Mark Trank wrote:
>Can any listers advise as to what maintenance services they have done at the
>90k mileage interval?  I'm at that point (actually, 2k over it) and,
>according to the AOA-recommended schedule, the following should be done:
>
>replace: engine oil/filter, air cleaner/filter, spark plugs, brake fluids.
>check:  V-belt tension and condition, adjust as needed; transmission,
>brakes, drive shaft boots, front axle dust seals on ball joints, tie rods
>ends and tie rods; battery electrolyte level; coolant and washer levels;
>on-board diagnosis system fault memory and purge if necessary.
>
>Timing belt was done at 60k; no need to do it at 90k, right?
>
>Spark plugs--replace at 30 or 60k intervals?
>
>Other than the above, this list looks pretty reasonable.  Any thoughts or
>suggestions?  Many thanks,

Mark,
As you well know, the need for worrying about Audi's recommended
items depends on how long it's been since _previously_ doing what's
on the list. You mentioned the t-belt was done at 60K, so of course
that's no concern--unless that 60 kmile event happened 6 or 8 yrs ago
(see my recent post) :-)

As to the other stuff--oil/filter??  If not due, then no need to
bother now. Air filter depends a lot on driving conditions--probably
not needed if it's normal city driving and has been changed within
past 30 Kmiles. You could check and change yourself in 15 minutes.
Fuel filter--I wonder why that isn't on the list. I think a 30 Kmile
interval could be prudent, although Bernie probably might recommend
something closer to 300K. :-)

What about tranny oil level? That's good (and easy) to check out
while the car is "up"--especially if not been  done in the past few
years. No need to replace it, however.

Tie rod ends? Yeh, why not check, especially if you complain of any
steering problems? Or, if you plan to have an alignment done
soon--that would surely make frozen tie rod ends a concern. Otherwise
probably not a worry except should try to keep 'em unfrozen by
periodic squirts of penetrating oil--I do it whenever I've have a
front wheel removed for other things (snow tires, checking brakes,
etc).

Spark plugs? I suspect they probably can last 60 Kmiles. I wouldn't
worry at 30K unless the car has not been running well. They're
expensive enough--especially bought/installed at a dealer--to perhaps
inspect but not replace unless truly in need. The plugs do tend to
loosen up, so inspecting is probably a good thing if for no other
reason than to have them re-tightened according to specs.

Oxy sensor: if you're still on the original it's on borrowed time, IMO.

Brakes: if you have the front pad-wear indicator circuit
connected--that ought to give you reasonable warning, However you
will need to check about the rear pad condition. The rears could be
badly worn if original--especially if the hand-brake mechanism has
been seizing and causing premature wear. You might want to check if
the hand-brake cables are freely operating--especially if you live in
the "salt belt". I finally replaced my rear calipers last summer--as
the most direct route to getting back a reliably operating hand-brake
(cables were OK).

Last summer I had a front (outer) CV boot fail (at 127K miles), so
I'm sensitive to that messy situation. The inners were fine, but I
assume it's quite possible (likely?) that you'll find severe
age/stress cracking on one (or both) of the outer rubber boots, so
best to catch that before they tear open and things go from bad to
worse.

Perhaps you have a reliable indy shop to use for a check up? Some
dealers, I'm sorry to say might charge $150 labor and come up with
recommendations for $1000+ of (un)needed repairs. When I bought the
red car last November I took it to a local independent (Audi/VW
specialist) shop to get it up on a lift and have a pre-purchase
inspection. He spent 90 minutes (while I looked on): test-drove the
car, removed all wheels, inspected everything on your list (including
a battery condition/charging check) plus he ran compression checks on
all cylinders. Total cost of $100 (incl tax). He didn't check for
stored fault codes though. That's not a bad idea to have done,
especially if you don't do that yourself and/or don't have the "check
engine" bulb installed. On my Lago car I have the "Check engine" bulb
installed in the IC and have wired up a little push-button switch so
I can check codes (daily if need be) with no effort at all. I need to
do that for the new car, too.

Phil
--

Phil Rose				Rochester, NY
'91 200q	(130 Kmiles, Lago blue)
'91 200q   (57 Kmiles, Tornado red)
	mailto:pjrose at frontiernet.net