No 56k: New wheels: 1997 Audi A4 1.8

[lv2xlr8]

Try to find yourself a bottle of this for the smoked in interior. Will clean the smell right out.



Shame to see the mitsu go but nice upgrade. After some cleaning and fixing the oddspots it'll be a looker.

[Yaco]

Sad to see its not a Quattro, even if you don't need it or want it (then again I hear the Quattros have greater chances with their transmission failing). I loved my 1998 2.8 A4's looks, performance, feel and still wish to buy another one with a manual box but the lemon I had will put me off for a long time. I have seen a fair amount of that generation on the side of the road lately which makes me sad since I love the looks on the outside so much.

Warning to you about the 60,000-80,000 (or more appropriately the 120,000-160,000) mile maintenance: Make sure the timing belt was changed. They can turn out to be a serious problem I have been told by numerous mechanics.

Do not use the red Audi coolant, I have been told that it can eat things.

Originally Posted by IceBone

...the front and rear bumpers are dented, would need sanding down and respraying...

That year had the galvanized body so I think you will probably have that paint issue forever. I saw a 1996 Audi (fixed by an official dealer) with that issue ever since it got a bumper to it from a cop car.

Originally Posted by MadCow809

APR only deals with turbo powerplants.

I think IceBone bought the N/A variant.

I could have sworn the 1.8 engine always came with a turbo but the badge on the trunk backs you up.

Originally Posted by Small Guy

Nice car!
but I'm really not loving the alloys
I think something like this would be alot nicer.

I had those rims on my 1998 2.8L Quattro as standard. Collect brake dust like a magnet and if not cleaned will "yellow".

[prizrak]

Originally Posted by IceBone

Does that include stiffer suspension?

Sadly no. Stage 1 is just an ECU retune good for 215hp and 235tq IIRC. Here it's only $500 so well worth the price IMO.

APR only deals with turbo powerplants.

I think IceBone bought the N/A variant.

Hmm... I always thought that there was only the 1.8T but if you are right then


FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLLY DO NOT USE FEBREEZE ON THE HEADLINER!!! I tried in my car and now I have random stains, not very noticeable unless you really look but annoying no less. On separate note, anyone know anything that could be used for headliner cleaning?

[IceBone]

The 1.8 came in N/A and turbo variants, it only gained 25 bhp, though. I agree the alloys aren't the best looking ever, but they're better than hub caps. I'm not looking for a racer this time, anyway.

[Pr0_E]

Nice car, I just drove the same car and I think it was '97 too. It was in good condition and felt nice to drive, it was 2.8l model though.

[_HighVoltage_]

Originally Posted by IceBone

It was smoked in, it reaked on day one, but I've been busy cleaning it, spraying with those odour remover things and airing it as often as I can, so it's almost gone now. Should completely disappear in a few days/weeks.

I don't think it will, no matter what you use, especially that you have cloth seats. Good luck.

[Steve Levin]

Nice car. My experience with cars that been heavily smoked in is that with perseverance and spraying the inside, the odor will go away. Maybe take a couple weeks, though.

Steve

[IceBone]

I'll buy a few cans of this stuff:



Works great on my stinky shoes and has helped reduce the smell by about 90% already.

[MadCow809]

while we are on this subject...


how do you get rid of the bad smell from aircon?

[IceBone]

Gotta change/clean the filter and clean the pipes. Mould likes to grow there.

[public]

I get the smell of warmed up leaves/random residue when I turn on the heat.

There's probably a forest somewhere in there.

[Shawn]

I kind of like that car AC smell, if it's not too overpowering.

Ice, nice car you got there.

Febreze works best for odours if you can find it in your area, get the fabric fresehner and not the air freshener (the fabric one is the plastic bottle). Worst thing about smoked in cars is small burn holes in the carpet, hope you have none of those.

[IceBone]

Nope, none of those, luckily. It's really clean inside. The steering wheel will get some shoe polish, dad says it should work to fix the matte spots, but other than that, the interior's spotless.

[jayhawk]

Oh, how allegiances change, like the shifting of the winds....

Like I should talk. I broke the 40 year habit of my family buying Pontiac's.

[IceBone]

What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of the wind blowing.

[prizrak]

Originally Posted by IceBone

Nope, none of those, luckily. It's really clean inside. The steering wheel will get some shoe polish, dad says it should work to fix the matte spots, but other than that, the interior's spotless.

Your hands are gonna be black

[IceBone]

Nah, it's not regular one, it dries off after a while and won't leave marks.

[IceBone]

Just got new tires on it, the ones I got with it were completely shot, now it doesn't vibrate anymore and is a hell of a lot quieter too.

Also found a place that does in-depth interior cleaning that guarantees to get rid of the smoke smell, I also found a used AC compressor for sale that fits, 1/4 of new one's asking price and I can get my clutch plate replaced for just 35 euro. The only thing to do afterwards is to get the steering wheel centred and check if the wheels are aligned properly.

I'm gonna come through this a lot cheaper than I originally thought. HOORAY!

[matt2000]

Congrats, it looks really good in the photos, and the colour is good too. If someone smoked in it really heavily it's lucky not to have burns on the seats, someone looked after it well.

[Adunaphel]

Centering you steering wheel is not that hard. Just make sure that your wheels are perfectly straight, take of the steering wheel, and reattach it in the correct position. Just gotta watch out for the airbag and make sure you fasten the nut properly afterwards.