Comments on: 1996-1998 Audi A4 1.8T

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:45:38 +0000

Hi Guys,
this is my first note. I own a Audi 2.0 A6, 1994 model. Do any of u know where I can get used parts? I am looking for a tri shaft (front left).

Regards
Dharma

By: Hafiz

Hafiz — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 13:11:24 +0000

i drive the 96 b5 1.8 na auto. got lots of problems. lower arms, water pump, gearbox to mention a few. but i love it through and through. handling, speed, and comfort is just wonderful. invest some time and money, it’ll be perfect. im planning on converting it to a 1.8t manual. and its quite expensive and parts are really hard to find.
so if anybody know where to find it, it would be really helpful.
and im also looking for audi b5 owners to hang out with.

By: Paul Tan

Paul Tan — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:05:25 +0000

I ended up getting a 1997 E39 5-Series

By: sirah

sirah — Sat, 15 May 2010 09:27:12 +0000

Hi….
Just need your advice.I just bought used Audi A4 ’99/00 recently and find out difficult to start the car and sound noisy. I live in Seremban n do you have an idea where should I send my car to repair at a reasonably cost. Most people saying the highest maintenance cost on repairing that car, so a bit scared cos this is my first time trying driving conti cars and hopefully this is not a nightmares. Thanks

By: buje

buje — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:35:55 +0000

some of my collge in the office are using it no problem it move like a jet so ve sent 4 one, every car need to be servics from time to time bcos their no car that can not give u problem

By: nexus

nexus — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:55:07 +0000

what is the recomended engine and transmission oil for audi a4 b5 1.8 year 2000?anyone can tell me pls….now i,m using castrol full synthetic 10w 30 for engine oil but engine not vry smooth and noise. i also install HKS air compressor to boost hp but does it contribute to the increase of noise in my engine?

By: Lionel

Lionel — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:47:44 +0000

Greetings! I'm thinking of getting an Audi A4 1.8T, but not sure about the differences between B5 (or 5.5) and B6. Anyone kind enough to share the knowledge of these 2 models? And how about the Fuel Consumption?

Cheers!

By: Dominic

Dominic — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:09:39 +0000

So Paul, what car did you get at last? The Audi 1.8t or the other ones mentioned or proposed. I'm thinking of getting the 1.8t too. Please advise me as I need your expertise if you did purchase one as well as the spare parts availability. Have a Great New Year!!

By: saiful

saiful — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:06:10 +0000

what are the common problems for an audi a4 1.8turbo with tiptronic that an owner must know?

By: Raymond

Raymond — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:39:54 +0000

I bought my Audi A4 1.8T since early 2007(almost 3yrs) but til now i don't know what is ment by letter T, some people say is TIPTRONIC and some say TURBO, so how do i distinguised my car wheather it is tiptronic or turbo. i want to know this coz i want to get repair manual book/CD and difficult to get spare part.

where can i get proper list of spare part and other accessories for my Audi , if i go to local dealer for sure it espensive.

By: saiful

saiful — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:46:21 +0000

hi,i want to BUY USED CAR AUDI A4 B5 1.8 TURBO YEAR 1999 AND ABOVE. Please to anyone who wants to sell their audi of this type. my no. is 013-3008374. EMAIL : unexus88@yahoo.com …tq

By: ahmad saiful 'a

ahmad saiful 'a — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:43:32 +0000

hi,i want to BUY USED CAR AUDI A4 B5 1.8 TURBO year 1999 and above. Please to anyone who wants to sell their audi of this type. my h/p no is +6013-3008374. EMAIL : unexus88@yahoo.com …tq

By: ahmad saiful 'a

ahmad saiful 'a — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:35:45 +0000

hi,i want to BUY USED CAR AUDI A4 B5 1.8 TURBO year 1999 and above. Please to anyone who wants to sell their audi of this type. my no. is +6013-3008374. EMAIL unexus88@yahoo.com …tq

By: ahmad saiful 'a

ahmad saiful 'a — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:29:48 +0000

hi,i want to BUY USED CAR AUDI A4 B5 YEAR 1999 AND ABOVE. Please to anyone who wants to sell their audi of this type. my no. is +6013-3008374. EMAIL : unexus88@yahoo.com …tq

By: todd blackwell

todd blackwell — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:05:52 +0000

I bought a 2003 audi A4 1.8T quattro. Has been reliable and gets good gas milage. It just turned 100k miles and I'm thinking I need to replace the timimg belt, but want to know if I can wait a while . When should I have it done to avoid catatstrophy. I think audi recommends it at 100K , but most recommended service is overkill.Need to know from someone that really knows what they are talking about.

By: bob

bob — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:11:54 +0000

own a 1.8T A4 manuel 1996 Audi- highly recommend- great fun car to drive- sports seats, hard suspension, nice transmission, goes like a rocket, the 4 wheel drive makes this car very safe- can take the corners quickly with confidence. Only drawback is the expensive maintenance- cam belt and abs parts are pricey.

By: Basky

Basky — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:09:41 +0000

Guys,

Is there a good Audi mechanic in Ipoh? My A4 1.8 is giving some problem. It does not engage to higher gear.

Thanks

By: hisham

hisham — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:29:44 +0000

if am asked to rate this car i will give it 10 over 10 in everything except for fuel consumption , it's really bad

’m only getting = 60km per galon that's bad ..

By: yip

yip — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:38:58 +0000

hey,

im a 21yr old kid planning to get an Audi 1.8 (even a kid like me…. XD)

i’ve red it in the mag, Audi 1.8 yr 95-97 cost around 22k – 23k and full loan is arrangeable, full loan for a car this old, should i? how much per month? i estimated bout 400-500 per month (if im not wrong la coz my math shucks)

and, how do i know it comes with a turbo or not because the details arent very detailed, like, whats a TIPTRONIC? MULTI FUNCTION STEERING?

i’ve red all post in this section, some say good some say no good, but this name ‘Audi’ somewhat sounds more, or for me, VERY promising than a new Waja or any proton or MyVis.

Sifus! i need yours advice! (i come across some1′s post saying to form an AUDI club, that sounds good!)

By: esvaran

esvaran — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 11:11:32 +0000

I will share what I have gone through with my A4 1.8(NA) 1997. True enough I had problems with the gearbox "after going around the town to check for a reliable Audi specialist who gives a good deal – does not mean they are cheap" where I had send it for an overhaul which set me back by about RM6k. The previous owner/second hand car dealer who is based near Sunway somehow seem to have fixed a wrong ECU in the car that I bought which was not meant for this model which also contributed to the problems I had which I also confirmed by calling up EuroMobil and few other guys – so had to replace with a new ECU. All these comes with a year warranty and no limit on the mileage. I had no problems since then. If you are a buying second hand Audi, please take it to an independant Audi specialist for a check up – especially the gear box and the ECU as by looking at the ECU seriel number, an experienced Audi mechanic would be able to tell what you will have to commit to if you are buying the car. And yes, A4 B5 1.8T has lesser problems.

Whatever said, it was worth spending the money in this car.

Cheers buddy.

By: benfkb

benfkb — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 21:00:56 +0000

Hi, I'm contemplating buying a used Audi A4 and thought a 2000 make 1.8 (A) would be an ok deal at about RM67k. But after reading about the gear box of the normal A4s – would it be a better option to go for an older '97 model but A4 1.8 T? Wouldn't a more recent make i.e. 2000 vs 1997 be more reliable?

Appreciate if any of you guys could offer some advice…

cheers!

By: ingolstadt

ingolstadt — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 20:55:30 +0000

That is a common thing for Audi A4 NAs. It will take a much longer time to suit itself to your driving style (fuzzy logic gearboxes) and all Audi A4s are like that. It happens most often on slight slopes, whereby although you are not flooring it hard, the gearbox seems to want you to lift your foot then only it will change in. Its more of a characteristic rather than 'problem'

ALL Audi A4 B5 1.8 NA behaves like that. Dont worry. Maybe its something to do with its 4 speed auto gearbox. However A4 B5 1.8Ts wont have such characteristics, cos its utilizing a different gearbox, and with 5 speed auto.

Cheers dude, its hell of a nice car you are driving, if you want a gearbox as creamy as a Camry's, you'd hav bought yourself a camry right? But you know you are different.

By: esvaran

esvaran — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 15:41:04 +0000

Hi,

I am not very good when it comes to cars but always wanted an Audi. I bought a 2nd A4 1.8(NA) year 1997 clocked about 138k kms and have been driving it for a about 10 days. In fact before confirming the purchase, I did take an Audi specialist to check the car and bought it once he certified its condition. But, I have this wierd problem where the gear doesn't change when I am driving in 'D'. I took it to the dealer and he sent me to his audi specialist for the check up and it was found that the 'gear valve' needs replacement. I was lucky that the car dealer absorbed the expenses for it. It was ok for 2 days but after that the gear does not seem to change again – this happens off and on.

Did anyone of you had the same problems ? Any advice ?

Cheers.

By: ingolstadt

ingolstadt — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 00:25:42 +0000

Why you wanna sell it? How long have you own one? mind sharing the maintenance costs? i mean a deliberate breakdown of those common ones?

Full timing belt change ?

Gearbox (Any problems? If so, how much?) ?

TREs ?

Control Arms ?

Shocks (whats wrong with them? they looked innocent… ) ?

All, full fluid change ?

Thanks~~

By: kwkw

kwkw — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 14:58:50 +0000

Incidently, I'm a proud owner of the '97 A4 1.8T. It's the kind of car that makes you smile every time you look at it, especially so when its just been washed and polished.

I think Bobby hit the nail on the head with his comments. Well researched. I've had tie rod ends, control arms, timing belts, shocks replaced since I bought it 2nd hand. Drives like a charm now.

Feels good to know that there loyalists that are interested when I eventually sell this car!

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 21:56:17 +0000

Yes, we can find 97' A4 1.8Ts. But quite rare, there is one in PJ, nearby Assunta Hospital. Selling for RM65k. 97' 1.8Ts are very rare, only 125 units were brought in in year 1997 by Auto Dunia as CBUs (Complete Build Unit)

If you've owned a E30 and to you the maintenance is reasonable, go ahead with the A4. However i'm not that fond of the 1.8 NA unit, i love the 1.8T thou. The gearbox is tonnes smoother.

By: OOI

OOI — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 00:17:22 +0000

Can we find 1997 B5 A4 1.8T in Malaysia? I think only A4 1.8.

How reliable is A4 1.8. I saw one A4 1.8 1996 in Ipoh, very good condition, mileage 136,000km. But, afraid this 9 years old car may give problem. As I have not experience on Audi car. I owned a E30 318i for about 15 years since new, still in good condition, maintenance reasonable.

My BWW foreman advised me not to buy the 1996 A4 1.8.

Any comment from Audi car onwer, especially A4 1.8?

Thank you & Happy New Year!

By: Robert Wang

Robert Wang — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 18:08:05 +0000

If you want cheap Audi parts, get it from Guangzhou,China. China has many Audis on the road so there are alot of parts available for A4 or A6. Go to chinese internet sites if you know Chinese. As Audi has been in China for over 12 years (A4 andA6 is locally assembled), parts from the market are readily available and much much cheaper than the U.S. (which also source fm. here). I just recently bought a new A6 2.0 TFSI and its been pretty reliable except for some slight noise from under passenger seat and aircon. The interior is much better than BMW and will last longer. My view is problems with any car will also depend on your driving style, if you push it to the limit all the time then its going to wear much faster. Japanese cars are really not that reliable, its just that most of their owners don't drive fast. But continental cars do need extra maintenance, I have owned a BMW 525i before and it was just as expensive to maintain but great to drive. So be prepared to allow for maintenance.

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 00:43:53 +0000

Very helpful! thanks Keith!

By: Keith Tan

Keith Tan — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 11:59:43 +0000

Hi, I happen to come across this discussion while googling on A4 1.8T, which I have owned since '97. Btw. I'm a Malaysian and lived in Toronto, Canada many years. I bought my '97 B5 A4 1.8T Quattro new , which at that time cost about CND32,000 which approx. translated to about RM100,000. It's probably very cheap by Malaysian standard. But it's true to all cars in North America as auto industry is very very competitive here. A merc C240 here sells for abot CND36,000 and a BMW 330i 38'ish. A new Audi A4 2.0T is about 35 thou. now.

I have enjoyed driving my Audi and have no intention of parting with it. In fact, I have made an appointment tomorrow to chip my car with APR and change the diverter valve (to allow for a bigger boost). This will add 50 HP (to 200 HP) and 50 lb-ft of torque (to 245 lb-ft). I think I'm going to enjoy driving it more. I used to take long road trips with my familiy cross-border to the US or

to places in this vast land of Canada.

As for maintenance of this car, it has not been any more than others. Many of them have been mentioned by other posters. The usual problem was control arms, but in North America, there was a recall and Audi fixed them free. For a new Audi, it has a 4-year free maintenance (free oil change and parts replacement and labour). Beyond that, you can either continue to maintain your car at the dealer, which is expensive ($95 an hour labour and expensive original parts), or at private mechanic (there're many good ones) and parts can be sourced throughout North America. There are many after-market parts, which you can find out thru the internet. I once bought a lower control arm for $80 Can. (Original $300 plus) After-market parts can cost 50% or more less than the original parts and the quality is pretty good.

Paul, I'm not sure about parts availability in Malaysia. You can easily purchase the required after-market parts from US and Fed-Ex/DHL over . Don't thing the courier cost that much. If you can find a good mechanic, then it's worth while to own an Audi. It's much better car than an equivilent BMW, just my opinion.

Good luck!

Keith