generic A4 questions

[Taka Mizutani]

Did they fix the control arm issue with the B6? I've heard of issues with
them
when I was working at the dealership, but I never really investigated the
extent
of the problem w/ regard to the B6.

Actually, my '91 200q was about as problematic as our '99.5 A4 1.8T,
although
I had the 200 from about 110k to 165k and the A4 from 0k to about 60k.

The A4 needed:
new radio (display went out in cold weather), coolant temp sensor, rear diff
seals,
front control arm (bushing wore out), rear wheel bearing (my fault, not the
car's),
clutch, cylinder head and a few valves (spark plug failure) in the 5 years
or so that
we had the car.

The 200 needed:
instrument cluster ground trace repair, exhaust system (mufflers rotted out
from the inside),
catalytic converters (substrate broke up and clogged the cats), alternator
(wore out),
radiators (main one failed, replaced both to be safe- 11yr. old plastic),
motor mounts (wore out),
e-brake cables (corroded and stuck), multifunction temp sensor and altitude
sensor. Most of
that was due to old age and wear.

I'd skip the V6 A4s until the current generation (B7 w/ 3.2FSI). They're so
dull, dynamically,
get worse fuel economy and are harder to work on.


Taka

On 2/5/07, thejimrose <thejimrose at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
> interestingly, every tech i spoke to would also moan / grimace / wince
> in pain when i mentioned that the other car i was considering was a
> 200 20vtq.
>
> i would def get a well maintaned 1.8 over the 6. it's smooth but dull.
> and HEAVY. and no tuning options. which is no fun. =) also a PITA to
> work on if you DIY.
>
> the turbo's also are good for at least 80k. they're not unreliable.
> mine let go at 120.
>
> i aslo agree that the b6 is a more sorted chassis, depending on your
> budget, you can get a nice b6 car [02-05]. they dont have the same
> issues with the front suspension, abs pump, airbags, etc as the b5's.
> altho at this point i can change control arms in only a little more
> time than it takes to change oil.
>