[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Author Index][Thread Index] RE: I was took...
Jo, As a rule of thumb: for every problem with the car the seller generously informs you of, assume there are three other, usually more serious ones he/she is trying to hide. I know it's somewhat too late to tell you that now, but keep it in mind should you ever be looking for another used car. Should you keep the car? Let's see: you paid $800 for it and spent another $1500 on repairs. Will anyone give you $2300 for a 11 years old car which still has many problems? Not likely. So if you decide to get rid of it now, you _will_ lose some money. And at least you know you have new head gasket, water pump (I hope they changed the timing belt as well), valves etc. I'd keep the car. You say you know nothing about cars, yet you was able to pull the door panel off. If you could do this, you prolly can do many other repairs. If you decide to stay on this list, it will provide you with tons of useful info on how to fix various items (we'd love to help a nice gal with her nice car, wouldn't we? ;-))) ) Even if you decide to go to the mechanic (stay away from the dealer - find a sincere, independent wrench) it's good to know what needs to be fixed and how much work does it take, so you can negotiate the price. As for paricular items: - Window held by a stick: you need a window regulator. New one is gonna cost $$$, but there's a fix involving bicycle cable if memory serves me right. We'll be able to dig it out once the search engine is operational. - Changing the transmission fluid: if it is a manual gearbox it's simply a matter of removing two plugs (17mm Allen wrench needed), draining the old fluid and pouring fresh one in. If it's an automatic, one needs to remove the oil pan, remove the filter and get it cleaned (the filter is a metal mesh that gets cleaned rather than replaced). New filter and pan gasket will be needed and if the fluid was very dirty, it is advisable to repeat the procedure three times in about 1000 miles interval to get all the old stuff out (once the filter gets cleaned, you can find a shop which has a machine for sucking the fluid through the dipstick tube for remaining fluid changes) - Low beams don't work: apart from the possibility that both fuses are blown, it's probably the switch: new one again is going to be expensive, but if you find a good used one you can replace it yourself (quite an easy job) - No break lights: if the fuse is OK, it's probably the switch, not expensive - No cold and no hot air: it requires some diagnosis work to find the cause: first we need to know what Audi model are we talking about. - Three windows inoperative: one of them is held by a stick, so we know the cause :-) Remaining two are either held by sticks as well ;-) or the problem lies in the switches: the switches are almost always repairable by cleaning them with contact cleaner. - Exhaust: it is possible that the previous owner "repaired" it with muffler bandage and hose clamps so it wasn't too loud - it's difficult to say something without looking. Of course, if you decide to go to the dealer for the repair they'll sell you OE exhaust for big bucks, but an independent muffler shop will do it much cheaper. - Temp gauge doesn't work: it's usually a faulty sensor, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility that the previous owner disconnected it to hide the overheating problem. - No radio: there's so many fine radios at good prices on the market now... Feel free to ask any other questions you may have. Aleksander Mierzwa Warsaw, Poland mailto:alex@matrix.com.pl 87 Audi 5000CS turbo (mine) 88 Renault Medallion wagon (mom's) 91 mountain bike (just in case both cars broke at the same time :-)
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