Life with '90 200 TQ Avant

["Lawson, Dave" <dlawson@ball.com>]

Recently someone asked about the reliability/ownership of the late 
'80s 200 series of cars. My friend DeWitt gave some good honest 
advice and I thought I would share my experiences on buying, driving
and maintaining on of these cars over the past year.

A little over a year ago, a phone company van ran a red light and 
plowed into my 1986 coupe GT which my wife was driving. The GT
did it's job, sacrificing itself so my wife could walk away. As a 
replacement, we bought a 1990 200 TQ avant, black with grey leather.
I bought the car from small used car lot in Denver which deals 
primarily in Audis. The car had no records and the title showed
true mileage unknown since the speedo had been replaced. The 
car showed about 85k miles and a search of the Audi records showed 
that the car had the speedo replaced at 50k. That makes for a guess 
of total mileage around 135-140k. I checked out the car, it seemed
pretty straight and stock, with a few problems expected for a 200
at this age and milage. Everything worked including windows, sunroof,
even heated seats. I drove it a few more times and bought it.

Over the past year I have done the following. Much of this work
is preventative maintenance to avoid unsheduled problems. Other
work was needed. I will list an S-scheduled service, P-preventative,
U-upgrades and N-needed service to show how I am dealing with this car.
 
-(S) switched to Mobil 1 oil
-(S) cleaned out crankcase vent pipes and hoses
-(S) cleaned ISV
-(N) replaced lifters
-(N) replaced valve cover gasket, front camshaft seal
-(N) replaced valve cover with a spare I had
-(N) replaced fuel injectors and o-rings
-(P) installed new fuel pump
-(S) installed new fuel filter
-(S) installed new alt/PS/AC V belts
-(P) installed new 4 pin coolant temp sensor
-(P) cleaned up/replaced vacum lines
-(N) installed SS brake hoses
-(S) bleed brakes and switched to ATE super blue brake fluid
-(S) installed Redline synth gear oils in tranny and rear diff
-(S) installed new air filter
-(S) installed new tri-elctrode spark plugs
-(S) installed new cap and rotor
-(U) installed 911 CIS plug
-(P) lubricated starter
-(N) fixed chaffed wiring in rear hatch hinges
-(U) installed euro headlights and hi power relayed harness
-(U) blackedout chrome trim on front grill/headlights
-(U) installed mudflaps
-(N) installed new alternator
-(N) installed new battery
-(P) installed new front sway bar/locating link rubber bushings
-(P) installed new front wheel bearings
-(P) installed new all metal radiator
-(P) installed new radiator fan switch
-(P) instaleld new metal heater valve
-(N) installed new clutch/pressure plate/throw-out bearing/metal sleeve
-(P) installed new rear crankcase seal, tranny mainshaft seal
-(N) installed right/left tranny output flange seals
-(P) installed center driveshaft output flange seal
-(N) installed new bearing in torsen center diff
-(P) installed new tranny mounts
-(N) replaced light in heated seat switch
-(U) installed custom MAC14 prom code and 1.8 bar WG spring
-(U) installed grey leather sport seats with phone armrest
-(U) installed grey rear cargo cover
-(U) installed '91 200 TQ 15x7.5 BBS wheels
-(U) installed Yakima double cross racks on the factory roof racks
-(U) debadged rear tailgate

Work to be done
-(N) install new bilstein shocks
-(N) fix rear window defogger
-(P) sunroof needs adjustment
-(N) window switches need cleaning
-(N) install new WOT switch
-(U) install samco hose and bypass valve
-(S) clean out intake plumbing
-(P) install new water pump/o-ring
-(P) install new thermostat/o-ring
-(P) install new timing belt
-(P) install new front crankshaft seal
-(P) replace all cooling system hoses

This gives an idea of what I think needs to be done to create a
reliable daily driver 200 TQ. I am performing this work so that I
can drive the car for 4-5 years which will get me to the point where
the S6 avants will depreciate enough so that one will find a home
in my garage, preferably black/black.
-
Dave Lawson