[A4] Repair or walk away - advice for an Oil Sludge victim?

[sdewitt at stx.rr.com]

Audi has a campaign on these cars, might want to start there.
I've heard of several examples like this and the owners got reman 
engines installed at no charge by Audi. I'm not sure of the details, 
so check with and Audi dealer.

If you go with a used engine, expect to pay between 1500-2500 for a 
good used A4 AEB engine with a warranty from a reputable yard. The 
failure of these engines due to oil sludge and timming belts has kept 
their price elevated.

But i would make sure it's not just a sensor or electrical problem. 
You can typically identify oil sludge issues by putting a borescope in 
the oil drain hole and having a look around (or remove the oil pan).

if you do decide to walk away I can offer you a decent price on your 
car.



----- Original Message -----
From: Kent McLean <kentmclean at mindspring.com>
Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 6:18 am
Subject: Re: [A4] Repair or walk away - advice for an Oil Sludge 
victim?
To: a4 at audifans.com
Cc: CoasterJames at aol.com

> CoasterJames at aol.com wrote:
> > I have a '97 A4 1.8T (Not Quattro) needing repairs and I need 
> > to decide if  I should fix it or walk away. The car's oil light 
> > started to come on intermittently.  We minimized  use of the 
> > car and on our last drive the Check Engine light came on.  
> >  
> > I had it towed in.  The service tech at the dealership advises 
> > me that  at  minimum I need to replace the oil pump and related
> > components to the tune of about $2500.  
> 
> I would get a 2nd opinion.  Find a(nother) independent mechanic
> and have them look at it, but don't tell them what the dealer
> found.  Let them make an independent assessment. It may be
> something else, like being low on oil, or a bad sensor, or
> bad wiring.
> 
> If the problem really is due to sludge, and you have followed
> Audi's maintenance schedule with appropriate oil and filters,
> and can document it, then I'd contact my local consumer group
> (attorney general or other).  You may find a remedy there.
> 
> If you still want to keep the car, I'm sure you can find an
> inexpensive used engine to swap into your car.  Try these
> guys:
> http://www.karquattro.com/ - Audi specialists in MN
> http://www.force5auto.com/ - Audi used parts, for an engine
> 
> As for the mechanics interested in buying your car, of course
> they are.  I can hear their story now. "It's a ten year old
> car worth $6000 if it were running. It needs $7000 of work.
> I'll give you $1000 for it, which is more than you'll get
> trading it in."  They spend $500 on a used engine, spend a 
> day swapping it in, and sell your car for $7500.  Profit!  
> Run away from these guys.
> 
> Good luck.
> 
> -- 
> Kent McLean
> '94 100 S Avant, "Moody"
> '89 200 TQ, "Bad Puppy" up in smoke
> 
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