I need some help!!

john.reid86

Hey I need a bit of help.

Bought an Audi A4 recently. Wasn't a bad price. but since driving it I have discovered a few problems and not wanting to get my money back im choosing the option to repair it.

So heres the help I am looking for. First off, I need to get an estimate on pricing. Now I am no mechanic but I know enough to get me by.

I need a new clutch and gearbox. (may as well do both as the gearbox seems dodgy) need an airflow meter(a mechanic and the guy i bought the car off said it costs around €30, but MY mechanic says its about €100) need the timing belt done (the cars at 123,000 miles, and cant see any markings saying its been done recently) and just a general service. I also need a new lightbulb in the dash as you cant really see the speedometer at all when its dark.

So basically I need a price (pretty much worst case scenario) and if anyone knows how much of this I can do myself that would be a great help as I dont want to pay my mechanic to do work that I can do myself.

Thanks for checking this out. Any help would be much appreciated. :D

Big Nasty

Sounds like a lot of work and a lot of money!

Is it worth it? What year is the car?

john.reid86

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Sounds like a lot of work and a lot of money!

Is it worth it? What year is the car?

The car's a 96. It only cost me €550. and like this way I'll know myself that the works done, rather than paying about 1500 or so for a car and it having the same problems.

The car drives alrite. Just it needs this work done. From what I can tell anyway.

Mr Benevolent

I hope you have the mechanical ability to replace clutch, gearbox and timing belt, because otherwise it's going to cost well over €1000 for a mechanic to do it. Have the water pump replaced while you're at it. How do you know the gearbox needs to be replaced?

john.reid86

Confab wrote: »

I hope you have the mechanical ability to replace clutch, gearbox and timing belt, because otherwise it's going to cost well over €1000 for a mechanic to do it. Have the water pump replaced while you're at it. How do you know the gearbox needs to be replaced?

Unfortunately I cant do any of that work.. I dont mind paying for it... Ah just the way it feels.. when i was shifting into 5th it felt really weird.. like mad loose..

Big Nasty

Here's the gig, and I may be shot down on this by the Audi Boys here, but in my experience many Audi's over 120k miles are money pits. Of course you can say this about any car but they're at the stage that stuff will wear out and need to be replaced and with Audi's that tends to be expensive.

You're looking at the guts of €2k or more to put all this right and for that money you can buy yourself a decent enough 5series.

Captain Slow IRL

john.reid86 wrote: »

... Ah just the way it feels.. when i was shifting into 5th it felt really weird.. like mad loose..

That could be down to worn linkages and bushings, they'd be a lot cheaper to replace than a gearbox!

kyote00

I don't mean to sound harsh but....

A car that needs a new gearbox, clutch, timing belt and maf is a false economy - even for €550.

If you have €1500 to spend, buy a car that in the best condition, with lowest milage and with nct that you can find....there are loads of 2nd car on sale for good value....

I'd run a mile from the vehicle you described (but I also hate all audi's )

john.reid86 wrote: »

The car's a 96. It only cost me €550. and like this way I'll know myself that the works done, rather than paying about 1500 or so for a car and it having the same problems.

The car drives alrite. Just it needs this work done. From what I can tell anyway.

mondeo

kyote00 wrote: »

I don't mean to sound harsh but....

A car that needs a new gearbox, clutch, timing belt and maf is a false economy - even for €550.

If you have €1500 to spend, buy a car that in the best condition, with lowest milage and with nct that you can find....there are loads of 2nd car on sale for good value....

I'd run a mile from the vehicle you described (but I also hate all audi's )

+1 , sell it for whatever you can get for it and take your 1,500 and find something half decent.

Nonoperational

Second hand box and new clutch at least €500. Fitting €300. Timing belt kit and water pump + fitting €500. air flow meter €100. The cheap air flow meters are crap stay away from them. A lot of money on a 15 year old car.

Ban Ki Moon

gpf101 wrote: »

Second hand box and new clutch at least €500. Fitting €300. Timing belt kit and water pump + fitting €500. air flow meter €100. The cheap air flow meters are crap stay away from them. A lot of money on a 15 year old car.

+1
All these things that need to be done with your car are costly for any car let alone audi which seem to have an added 100% cost.Get your car sorted by someone that deals with vw/audi cars.Make sure you check the price for any parts required and buy them yourself where they are cheaper,ask the mechanic for part numbers.

mickdw

If you can drive it through the gears and it goes ok, I would just keep driving tbh.
its a 500 quid car. If you goes bang after one month, well it was expensive. If it lasts 6 months, you are doing ok & anything more is a bonus. I wouldnt spend more than oil, filter, and have a look to see if anything simple wrong with gearbox. If it was simply a bush, well then the car might be useful & you could consider the belt work then.

john.reid86

Well I took it to my mechanic today. he said its gonna cost me the guts of around €1000. Timing belt kit + fitting is €400. Clutch is €350. Air Flow Meter +fitting is about 150. so that's €900. and it needs a service so thats another 100.

It does drive. Just as I had one already and the timing belt snapped I dont wanna risk it. Looked at the service history and it hasnt been seen to in about 20,000 miles. so timing belt is top priority. and an engine clean. other then that I think the money I'll put in is worth it. I love Audi's, and would prefer getting this kind of work done myself. At least that way I know it's done. rather than someone telling me it is and in reality it isnt.

itarumaa

What exactly is the problem with the clutch and gearbox.

Is the clutch slipping now or do you think that it will go soon, also the gearbox, maybe you just have a worn linkage and gearbox itself is fine.

It is madness to change the whole gearbox if the gears go in place, specially if the cause might be something simple to fix.

Same goes to clutch, as long it is not slipping then why bother, timing belt is the important one here, but are you sure that there are not any markings in the engine bay or any receipts for the job.

Just to give you an example, I bought a 98 2l Volvo for 850e, I spent 220e for shocks, 40 for thermostat and 90 euro for balljoint (all jobs in garage) and now the car has 2 years NTC. I think that is quite good value, spending a 1000e for your car is not.

TestTransmission

Sounds like a waste of money IMO

jaffa20

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Here's the gig, and I may be shot down on this by the Audi Boys here, but in my experience many Audi's over 120k miles are money pits. Of course you can say this about any car but they're at the stage that stuff will wear out and need to be replaced and with Audi's that tends to be expensive.

You're looking at the guts of €2k or more to put all this right and for that money you can buy yourself a decent enough 5series.

:eek:

Ahem,

I have an a3 01 with almost 130k and it is running fine.

Things will defo need be replaced with audi as with other car of course but if i was choosing between an audi or a renault/peugeot/fiat with similar mileage, i'd much rather choose the audi. Parts may be more expensive but tbh a car will serve you well if you serve it well which the seller that sold the OP the car obviously didn't do.

kakee

I also need a new lightbulb in the dash as you cant really see the speedometer at all when its dark.

You might not need a new bulb. You can actually adjust the brightness level by twisting the knob on the cluster panel.
In relation to the work needed you would be better off taking the 1500 and buying a newer car and keep the current one for parts. This car was up for sale yesterday http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1180628. Its diesel but might be worth a look.

To poster who says audis are money pits, thats rubbish. My 98 a4 has 161k miles and the most expensive thing I done was the timing belt when I bought it at 115K miles. If people take time to search they can find parts really cheap. Often these parts are directly from the factory who supply the likes of Audi, VW etc. A new oil filter is actually cheaper from the main dealers than the motor factors now.