Re: help resuscitate an old Audi

[hsapir <hsapir@multiverse.com>]

No, that's not a fair price. A rebuilt rack should cost around $250. The
headlight switch & headliner are both available used cheap. The hydraulic
system on this car is an evil Nazi plot that probably dates back to Hitler &
the SS. Knowing that they would lose the war, they designed a car that yuppie
Jews would buy in the 80's which would drive us to the brink of suicide trying
to fix. Sorry about that. Regardless, try Brandywine Foreign Auto
301.372.1000.

steveb@cme.nist.gov wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm a new list member.  Sorry to bomb the list with this question,
> but the web page search engine is down and there are hundreds of
> messages in the archive; I just can't read them all.
>
> I have an '85 5000S (5sp) that I inherited and I need to get it through
> Maryland inspection.  It "only" has 112k miles, but there's quite
> a laundry list of things I need to fix to get it to pass inspection.
> I need some advice on several of them:
>
> - steering rack.  Seems to be leaking inside the boots on the inner
>   end of the boot.  (Both sides).  Shop is quoting me $750 for a rebuilt
>   rack, not counting labor.  Fair price?  What's the best source for
>   these?  I saw the writeup of the replacement procedure and it looks
>   doable but more than I want to get into without a garage to work in.
>   How many hours labor should I expect?
>
> - other hydraulic items:
>    - hydraulic fluid appears to be being pushed out the reservoir cap.
>    - there's a possible leak underneath the brake booster/master cylinder
>      junction.
>    - one shop thought the pump might be overpressurizing the system?
>    - what's a reasonable cost to get all this fixed?
>    - who designed this thing anyway?
>
> - front wheel bearings
>    - what's a good parts price?  How many hours labor?
>
> - drum brake cylinder leaking -
>    - I've never worked on drum brakes before.  Can I just replace the
>      cylinder, or ...?
>
> - The headlight lever is broken off.  You can still turn the lights on
>   and off but of course it doesn't pass inspection.  They're quoting me
>   over $300 for the whole switch assembly.  Time to try a salvage yard
>   I guess, unless anyone's got an old worn out switch that I can pull
>   the lever from?
>
> - The headliner is sagging.  I was going to try tacking it up with those
>   corkscrew-shaped upholstery pins, but the insulation seems to be tougher
>   than the pins I bought.  In a past (Saab) life, I found that the 3M
>   spray-on adhesives don't seem to work that well.  Other ideas?
>
> - Anyone in the Rockville, MD area care to volunteer some garage space
>   and Audi expertise if I decide to take any of this on myself?
>
> No, it wasn't meticulously maintained like most of the listmembers' cars.
> It's otherwise in very good shape; once I get these problems ironed out,
> I should have a real Audi again.
>
> Thanks.  Sorry if these are in an FAQ somewhere; I did look for it first!
> Steve