Re: What to look for (first time quattro)

[Dave Eaton <dave.eaton@minedu.govt.nz>]

ahh, you poor misguided soul.  i prescribe a couple of aspirin and a good rest
;-)

seriously though, a good thread to start, and it should be a part of someone's
quattro home page.  buying a ur-quattro is only the start of a tempestuous love
affair that has afflicted many on this list.  at their best they are an awesome
road rocket which will be the equal of any car over a twisty road, at their
worst, they are expensive prima-donnas with a penchant for money...

however they are a legend, an automotive icon, and are genuinely collectable...

here's a start.

1) motor. 

early quattro's have a propensity for wearing their valve guides due to
inadequate valve stem lubrication.  expect to be replacing guides at about 80k
miles.  can be a reasonabily expensive exercise because you should do top end
at the same time.

bottom end is solid and just lasts.

rings and top end also seem to be strong so should be a major point of concern.

motor mounts are hydraulic and give out from time to time.  you can pick this
due to the increase in noise and vibration from the motor.

radiators don't seem to give trouble.  early motors run hotter than the later
ones.  radiator shrouds will need to be replaced with the early ur-q's. 
after-run fan rarely works, so get this checked first thing.  it will improve
the life of the turbo in non-water-cooled applications (pre 1988).

2) turbos.

with the pre-1988 cars, expect to replace a turbo (kkk k27) during your tenure
with the car.  you simply can't know how the previous owners have treated the
turbo and whether they've religiously cooled it down after a long run.  run top
oil (obviuosly).  check intercooler hose and end float of the turbo before
purchase.  listen for excessive whine.

post 1988 turbos (kkk k24) are water cooled and much less trouble.  also more
responsive due to the smaller impeller and higher compression ratio of the
motor.

3) gearbox.

strong and should go to 150k miles without work.  diff locks can freeze up from
time to time.  nothing major.

post 1988 and the torsen is a better transmission, better ratios, better
driveability and less understeer.

never heard of a broken ur-q gearbox.

4) body.

rust not a problem unless the body has been repaired.  body's never galvanized
though.  windscreen seals cause trouble in older cars.

body strong and solid.

(grp) bumpers are difficult to repair well and get the colour matching right.

5) misc

manifold.  ahhh the manifold.  if the manifold on an older ur-q is 'ticking' it
can't be an ur-q ;-)  expect to have to weld the sucker at some point.

exhaust.  very expensive ($1.4k nzd for the lot), although there are cheaper
alternatives.  rear box is the problem.  expect about 50k miles before
replacement.

brakes.  early single piston brakes are not the ur-q's best feature.  most
early ur-q's would benefit from 'blue printing' the brakes.  later (post
1987-88) dual piston brakes were better.  handbrakes can be a pain with binding
calipers causing the lever to skew.

suspension.  gradually improved over the life of the ur-q via various tweaks
and upgrades.  most quattros would benefit from replacing the suspension bushes
and dampers.

interiors. cloth seats sag and look ragged after a time.  colours can sometimes
be objectionable.  leather is excellent.  creaks and graons from the dash are
to be expected.  air-con is a good idea beacuse the early cars run quite hot,
with high under bonnet (hood) temperatures.  automatic radio aerial can get
stuck.


any other ideas out there?

-dave
'95 rs2
'90 ur-q


>Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 17:45:43 +0100
>From: Lee.Dormon@UK.Sun.COM (Lee Dormon - Sun Professional Services)
>
>I'm after a 85'ish turbo quattro coupe, so if anyones got any pointers,
>because I can imagine there are some fairly thrashed ones out there.
>
>Cheers for any help
>
>Lee