Considering 98? A4 Avante

[Mark R]

Others will add to the list.  The break point for the newer dash is mid-year
1999.  So they're often referred to as "1999.5 cars."  You didn't mention if
it were Quattro (AWD) or not.

On any multi-link suspension Audi, check the suspension.  The various links
can add up to quite a bit of money.
The 1.8T engines had a lot of sludge problems due to small oil line to the
turbo and owners who followed Audi's recommended maintenance of conventional
engine oil being changed every 10,000 miles.  Audi later updated the
specifications to synthetic oil only, but the damage was done.  Every
1.8Towner I know changes their oil at least every 5000 miles with
synthetic.
Sometimes you can see sludge evidence by looking down the oil filler cap.

Any used car should be checked out and have a full factory scan tool
assessment completed.   This can yield insight into sporadic issues.  Have
some knowledge interpreting the results will help.  By "factory" I also mean
"equivalent," such as the VAG-COM from: www.ross-tech.com

Otherwise, it's just like any other used car purchase.  Inspect, don't
expect.  Also, join the Audi Club!  Being in Maine (from your e-mail
address), your local chapter is:  http://www.naaclub.org/

Good luck,
Mark Rosenkrantz

On Nov 19, 2007 8:48 AM, <staylo2 at maine.rr.com> wrote:

> I am new to Audifans and would like input on known issues with an
> early 99 perhaps 98 style A4 avante. I have found a car with only
> 45,000 miles and it appears to be an early year model as side lights
> and console are different than a later 99 model.  Car is a 5 speed
> stick with 1.8? engine.
>
>
>
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