97 A4 purchase questions

MCTXR4 at aol.com MCTXR4 at aol.com
Sun Aug 20 10:13:33 EDT 2000


I bought a used 97 as well, but in '98 with 21K miles on it. 
Look for a few things. 
1) Has the turbo  had the wastegate actuation rod recall done? I.e., has Audi 
replaced the entire turbo yet? This is a common failure among 96 and 97's, 
and may account for the lack of mileage.

2) Check the Antifreeze reservoir for sludge. This is an indication of 2 
things; 1 - Possible head gasket leak or 2- mixing of Audi certified 
Antifreeze with non-Audi AF thus producing sludge and reduced cooling 
capability.

I wouldn't worry too much about rust. My 97 has seen 72,000 miles of semi 
rust belt use without any sign of rust or oxidation. 

Since it is a quattro, drive it like you stole it. Listen for any clunking 
sounds or other odd noises coming from steering or driveline.

Ask the dealer you're buying it from (assuming it's an Audi dealer) to see 
the service history. Since it has only 28K miles, the PO should have had all 
maintenance done for free by an Audi dealer, and thus is in the Audi national 
database. I bought my car from Carmax and went to the nearest Audi dealer 
with the VIN # and got them to run the history in 5 minutes. 

Also get a carfax report, that will also give you a history of the title.


Good Luck,
Mike Torio
Centreville VA




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