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Audi A4 2004 and earlier
6042 messages, Last post on Sep 20, 2011 at 4:33 PM
You are in the Audi A4 Forum.What is this discussion about? Audi A4, Sedan
#5468 of 6042 2004 Audi A4 1.8Q 6spd by AlexWalex
Aug 28, 2003 (4:53 pm)
We just took delivery of our 2004 A4 Quattro. It's a 6 spd manual, Dolphin Grey w/platinum interior and Cold Weather And Premium Pckg. Apparently in our area (NorthEast), most dealers ordered initial batches of A4s w/optional 17 inch wheels (no sports package though) and finding us a car was a big effort on the dealer's part. But we got it. I was previously familiar with 1.8 engine as my father owns Passat 1.8T. It feels even smother with 6 speed manual. Otherwise, besides a diferent radio antenna (to allow for optional Satellite Radio set ups) and standard 16 inch wheels, there are no other differences from 2003. My wife, who will drive this car primarily, is thrilled. As lawys, clutch is very forgiving as far as I am concerned, the ride is very supple and well controlled and the new transmission is quite precise (better precision than in VW). Standard radio sound is very good to excellent (VW's standard radio is almost as good) and all other features are nice, but it's hard to assess them in full yet as the car has been driven barely 20 miles from the delivery. Tires are Michelin Pilot. I will not anticipate them lasting longer than 40 K miles. They were worn out by 45K mark on 1998 Passat and the Audi is havier. I will keep people posted as experience unfolds.By the way, in Europe 2004 Audi 1.8T got boost to 190hp standard
#5469 of 6042 Re: Good Dealers in NE Ohio by cyberpmg
Aug 29, 2003 (6:44 am)
Hi Dane!I've got some good info for you on dealers in our area. Send me an email (it's in my profile), and I'll give you the details. Thanks!
Paul
#5470 of 6042 wood trim by frenchy2002
Aug 29, 2003 (11:39 am)
FRom visiting the Audi website, it looks like that the wood trim is not available on the 1.8T A4.Is that correct? Can it be installed afterwards?
Thank you
#5471 of 6042 Pilot tires by markcincinnati
Aug 29, 2003 (1:28 pm)
If your new A4 has the optional 17" wheels and I presume "max performance" tires, the lifespan will probably not be 45,000 miles. Usable life will, unfortunately, probably be about 1/2 that. Perhaps less.You can try a couple of extra pounds of air and frequent (7,500 mile) rotations.
Dream on if you think 45K miles is realisitc with these tires -- they are designed to enhance the performance of the car, not last a long time.
#5472 of 6042 AFAIK, wood trim...... by andys120
Aug 29, 2003 (1:30 pm)
has never been available on the 1.8T. See your local custom shop for availability of aftermarket veneers.Quattro eats tires, I doubt any tires will go 40k on a q-equipped car unless they're really hard and not very conducive to wet handling.
#5473 of 6042 A4 aftermarket product installation by frenchy2002
Aug 30, 2003 (10:51 pm)
Has any one installed an aftermarket wood trim on their A4 1.8T? Was it an Audi product (and therefore dealer installed) or was it purchased somewhere else (if so from where?).Has any one got the Audi rear window sunshade installed on their A4 1.8T? Is it a manual sunshade or a power one?
#5474 of 6042 quattro's eat tires. . . by markcincinnati
Aug 31, 2003 (1:49 pm)
I quarrel not with the conclusion that we come to when we say "quattro eats tires." I just dont happen to think that the design of quattro itself eats tires.The Maximum performance tires that often come on Audis, BMW's, Vovlo's, etc. inherently -- by careful engineering, design and manufacture -- "decided" they would lend themselves to high speed, cornering, braking, wet weather traction, etc. -- a certain self-destructive or better said self-sacrifice is the price these tires pay.
They [these tires] live relatively short lives, but they enchance the performance perhaps more dramatically than any other single "removable" (i.e., not part of the suspension, per se, but part of a system) component.
My friends, who at my urging purchase Audi's and other fine European cars, generally replace their first set a number (in miles) that begins with a 2 -- and the second digit is usually a 0.
I see no particular reason that a quattro drive train is the root cause of the allegedly short tire life of Maximum performance summer tires.
So, as you may see, while we agree that the tire life will be by some measures "short" -- we disagree that the cause is the drive train.
Ask some Porsche owners if they wouldn't love to get 20,000 miles out of a set of their tires -- and pay the price for Audi shoes.
A new set of tires every year+ is about what these things need (assuming 15 - 20K miles per year).
#5475 of 6042 New A4 owner by jjha4
Sep 01, 2003 (12:20 pm)
I'm joining the the ranks of A4 owners this week, picking up a Certified 2000 A4 quattro 2.8 Tiptronic with 35K miles on Friday for my wife.The car comes the CPO 2 year/100k warranty. The dealer is offering an additional 24 months (we'll be below the mileage limit so the time will be the cut-off) for the powertrain for $1,070, or Comprehensive (everything but rubber parts, exhaust and brakes) for $1720. Based on owners experience, do either of these seem to be a good investment? We plan to own the car for at least 5 years if it behaves well.
#5476 of 6042 Quattro eats tires cont.. by andys120
Sep 01, 2003 (12:48 pm)
In my experience it's not just a problem of the short life cycle of ultra performance tires like the Goodyear F1 Steels that lasted less than 20k on my '98 A4Q/2.8.These were replaced with all-season Dunlop Sport A2s. These now have 17k on them and are showing some signs of wear. I doubt I'll make it to the 30k mark with these.
If anybody has a suggestion for tires that would last for a while(35-40k) on a Quattro while giving decent pewrformance I'd like to hear it.
#5477 of 6042 Jjha4, see post #5384.... by andys120
Sep 01, 2003 (1:00 pm)
For help in deciding whether to go for the extended warranty. Good luck with your A4, they're fantastic cars.Vorsprung durch technik!
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