logicalloonatic

I have searched high and low all over the forum and nobody seems to have an answer for me. After researching the car and its abilities, i purchased one. It was only after troubleshooting little problems that i realized my car doesn't have ABS installed in it. No ABS light on power on self check, Even the fuse terminals dont have wires to them. This is standard equipment for my 98 A4 quattro 2.8 v6 so where is it?

During 98 production, abs system is required in the form of EDL for the quattro to work. Being 4th gen torsen, it has open diffs in front and rear. no brake to slow the spinning wheel then no torque to go to its left/right opposing counterpart. so its not an all wheel drive, its a 2 wheel drive. How can this be permitted?

This whole venture has become a nightmare. transmission pump bushing spun on day 1. Car starts roaring and puking tranny fluid. trans repair shop quotes $1000 just for labor for the 11.8hrs required just to drop the s.o.b.

without that much money just lying around spare the day after i buy the car, i'm forced to take the alternative route, and do it myself. Only working on domestics all my life. this car is completely alien to me. everything is tetris packed in so tight, you have to practically dismantle 1/2 the car to remove a screw.

typical age related breakdown: headlight washers dead, cruise control dead, dinky cup holders broken. Then theres missing pieces, turning into the most expensive jigsaw puzzle. not a single engine bay cover panel. bose cd changer cartridge missing, the speakers rattle anyways. missing front bumper lip, fog light button inside but outside no fog lights and one of those panels gone. the list just keeps going. Only 1 key and its not a keyfob, wonder if it has keyless entry system.. dont have abs. Why didn't I see any of this when i was standing in the sellers back yard in the dark?

Dismantling tho, told me a lot of this car's past. cats cut off and pieces of pipe just welded in their place. Whole exhaust system has to be dropped now. Decide for change of pace, i would look into some maintenance.. Oil fairly fresh..why? the 5qt jug of 5w30 in the trunk makes me aware. it might leak somewhere. close examine of valve covers shows excessive use of silicone glue. stripped, mismatched replaced bolts. somebody has had her open trying. Check the anti-freeze.. its green. so none of the proper fluids have been used. And it feels like not only dont i have abs. i wonder if i have power brakes. you gotta really put your foot down to get any response from that hard as rock brake pedal. Brake booster bad?

Relieved to find a dealership sticker under the hood saying differential fluid changed and one saying timing belt has been replaced, but you guessed it, they didnt fill out the stickers with date or mileage when serviced. no records in glove box. examining valve body after removal shows part of serial number ground off and a new one etched into it. Whats happened to you?

Here we are end of january, almost 3 months after i bought the car. car is laying in pieces, tranny pump face has gone through the lathe and new oversized pump bushing pressed in. pump back together, hopefully get it back in the tranny soon. then tranny back in, exhaust back on, subframe and suspension reattached. cherry picker release its chained support grip. Battery disconnected for months. no owners manual, where the hell am i going to find the stereo unlock code once power is restored???

Damn german engineering.

RNtoNP

Man, what a bummer! I bet the seller "had" to have you over during the night? There's no telling what the hell that car's been through -- ? ground off serial?

Have it running yet?

dk2852

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I usually warn people away from buying older model Audi's, but that is just ridiculous.

I would say the car was definitely in some serious trouble at some point in it's life.

Have you ordered a vehicle history report? That would be a good investment in finding some history on the car, and it is worth it imo.

raj99

I would say that you didn't get ripped off, but instead received a life lesson.

You made some cardinal mistakes when buying a used car and from those you can learn something for the next vehicle you buy. Fortunately for you, the monetary cost wasn't enormous, due to the age and type of vehicle.

Rookie mistakes such as:
- buying a car at night
- not doing a complete PPI (pre-purchase inspection)
- not getting the car on a lift

And one thing I tell people over and over, when buying a used car you are buying the seller as much, if not more, than the car...you can tell a LOT about the care and car based upon the seller. When I purchased my C6, I saw the sellers house, the way he kept things immaculate, his current stable of cars, etc...Hopefully you can use this as a great opportunity.

BTW, the least of your concerns is your radio code, that's simple: with your VIN and the radio AZ code (found on the back of it), you simply call Audi of America and they will give you the code for the radio.