Hi there all,

Been lurking on and off on the board for a while, and finally took the plunge and joined the allroad ownership community last week.

Got a 02 manual with 78K on it. I've just moved from California to Colorado, and am living at 8K so the ar was a no brainer. I'd been thinking of one for a long time, but finally had a good enough reason.

Looked and drove a load before I selected this one, boy there were a lot of dogs out there, knackered suspension, misfires, even drove an 01 that had every single warning light blazing and would not self level - salesman didn't seem to think it was an issue!

Anyhow ended up getting an 02 manual with 78K on it. Was a very clean car, best I'd seen and driven, although I was put off by the lack of history. No idea if the timing belt had been done, any air suspension etc... dealer (proper Audi) just shrugged his shoulders.

Anyhow so far I'm loving it, lived up to my expectations - almost forgotten the fun driving a real car can be. (been a blast to have a car you can actually power slide sensibly in the snow....)

So having experienced a few years of utter hell through range rover ownership I know how painful air suspension repair can be, and reading through this board - seems like in general there's an opportunity to repeat some of my RR pains again.

So questions I'd be really keen to hear any input on:

- Extended warranty, how much, is it worth it for this car?

- If it's 78K miles should I make any assumptions it's had the timing belt, and perhaps some suspension work already done? (please say yes)

- Seems again reading the board, running suspension mostly at level 1, with exercise now and again is sensible to save the compressor?

- First thing I did was stick Mobil1 in it, any other no brainer easy stuff I should do?

- Turbo's are quite noisy while cold, but once hot much better (radio drowns them out) there is a somewhat regular sounding whistle, doesn't seem bad - but paranoia is creeping in already!?

Very happy indeed with the car so far - and want to try and keep it that way!! Any advice at all greatly appreciated! Many thanks.

FYI I see a couple of folks from Boulder, CO - I've just moved here, so anyone who fancies educating me in the ways of allroad over a beer let me know...!

---

Past :
Range Rover 4.6
Jeep 5.2
Scimitar SE6 with 350
Scimitar SE5 V6
E-type S1 3.8 (in garage in the UK)
Fiat Panda 4x4 Sisley
Nissan Silvia Turbo
Triumph Spitfire Mk4
And various other junk including lots of time in an S4 and Elise...

 

I'd be happy to meet you for a beer and talk allroads sometime.

as for your questions:

with 78K on the car it will be expensive to get a warranty at this point. I'd take your money and set the money youd have spent on the warranty and save it to spend on repairs.

mine is at 95K miles now with running in L1 and occasionally higher, seems to be good so far.

find a vag com locally and have the engine scanned for codes would be my only other advice for now.

I wouldnt make assumptions about any work having been done unless you have the service records for it. the local dealer should be able to get you service records from the VIN.

as for the turbo sound, might be OK, might be bad. if we grab that beer, I'd be happy to give it a listen and share an opinion.

again, welcome.

 

via dealer inquiries or AofA. Usually, at least the warranty work is available, and more if you can track down the servicing dealer.

Enjoy your new ride!

Bruce
brucem105@comcast.net

 

aw forum members. My only 2 cents: since the manual recommends timing belt change at 104k miles, I would assume it has NOT been done. It is expensive if it breaks, just something to consider.
Cheers!

 

have access to good indy shops...Gragravar will help you out in any way he can...he's a great guy and you have a great deal of ar company driving around those mountains, enjoy

 

Congrats. Welcome.

 

Many thanks indeed for the responses!

Sounds like I've got the timing belt to look forward to.

So as you may have gathered I'm not a native of these shores, so am a little unsure of used car etiquette- I was amazed there was no service history with this car (first stamp in that book then that's it).

Sounds like I should be able to pull that from the VIN?

One final question that I am sure has been covered - should the suspension level of all 4 wheels be pretty much identical if I go around and measure on various settings?
--
gragravar be keen to meet up for a beer shoot me an email ankors@gmail.com

Thanks again!

 

in Level 2 the measurement from the fender to the center of the wheel should be 402mm +/- 5mm at each wheel.

it is possible to adjust that via vag-com if one or more is off.

I'll shoot you an e-mail shortly about getting together for that beer.

 

6spd is a great choice. I agree its important to know the history and get a solid used allroad - worth the wait.

I would do the T belt given year and mileage, you could probably examine the belt to see if it is worn, but I would assume it hasn't been done.

The turbo wistle when cold is common. I doubt thats an issue. I have had that random experience over the years and have had the turbos checked and my turbos crank fine at 10K more miles than you.

I always run at level 1. You may get some uneven wear on the rear tires though. Other than that no issues.

Good luck.

 

I'm a new owner too and there seem to be many allroad owners in this area, as well as skilled shops/techs.

glad to have you aboard.