Audi A3 1998 Model, Please Help all!!

[JRW]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of getting an A3 1998 1.8L Turbo soon.
I have a Honda prelude and was wondering if anyone suggests it as being a good idea or if its worth it!

Is there many troubles with the turbo's in the A3?
Do the power windows die after a while like in the Golf VR6's do after a while?
What's a reasonable price anyone would pay for one?
Are they smooth to drive? etc etc...

I'd appreciate it if everybody could give me a hand!

[Jmac]

Mate good choice IMO. No dramas with the Turbos as long as you keep the thing well serviced. Cam Belt a must and when you are in there fit a water pump, with a non bakalite impeller. Creaky sway bars but there is a couple of mods to stop that. To answer your question about windows well yes they did have some problems with window motors playing up, but lets face it most cars have their common things. Occasional Coolant fan trouble but most by now will have been rectified if they have been visiting dealers.
Like all Audis mate servicing is a must or they will let you down.
Cheers and good luck

[SoVeReIgN]

Smooth to drive - Nothing goes wrong with them - Easy to mod.



Got a facelift and interior update (amoung other things) in 01.

[Golf Houso]

I think with the mk3's windows dying is probably due more to the age of the car and the number of people on this forum more than anything else

Most cars have crappy window regulators or motors, I've seen 2 year old fords with power windows creeping at a snails pace. Also the golf ones are viciously fast windows mind you, no bloody wonder they cop out!

[h100vw]

I have an A3 turbo and the turbo's last as long as the car if it's well serviced.

The windows can break, one of mine did. It cost me $18 for 2 plastic clips from Audi and took me 30 minutes to fit them. audi-sport.net is a good resource.

Lots of common parts with the MK4 Golf, so nothing is really hard to get.

Make sure you have the fault codes read and any found sorted out. They should be cancelled and the car driven for an extended period to see if any return.

Good luck with the hunt.

Gavin

[Jmac]

The guys have summed it up mate.Great wee cars and good to work on.
Again good luck

[h100vw]

The MAFs fail quite regularly so that should be confirmed serviceable too, as they cost the best part of $300 at Audi.

That's a job for VAG-COM.

Gavin

Give us a better idea where you live and we can give you some idea who you can go to for info and service.

[SoVeReIgN]

The MAFs fail quite regularly so that should be confirmed serviceable too, as they cost the best part of $300 at Audi.

That's a job for VAG-COM.

Gavin

Give us a better idea where you live and we can give you some idea who you can go to for info and service.

I dont think a faulty MAF shows up on the vag-com.

I know mine didnt and others haven't.

I bought one from vagpartsUK for $150 delivered.

[Jmac]

No fault generally shows but you can still check the air mass via measured value blocks on VAGCOM im sure thats what h100vw meant. The reason no fault shows is because it is still operating within parameters ( which is crazy when the readings are all over the place) but thats how a code is logged. When a sensor falls out of the desired range. 08 measured value blocks allows you to check the mass. VW and Audi Readers dont explain what the reading should be - you must follow with the elsa info, thats the great thing about VAGCOM the readings are listed.
So yes the Air mass meter can be checked
Cheers

[JRW]

ok guys lol i have no idea what a MAF is..

and yeh i thought the windows would konk out as the Golf's do eventually..

So it is a good car then
I think that lowers my options down then

thanks all

P.S. if neone else has nething to add please do, i could use all the help i can get

[h100vw]

MAF is the Mass Airflow meter, it's in the intake pipe bolted to the air box lid.

They don't throw a code to the ECU but you can see that the airflow is low/intermittent/non-existent using the measuring blocks. On the Ross-tech website there is a formula for working out power based on airflow. Something like, if you see 120g/s airflow that's enough air for the engine to be producing 150 horse power.

If you suspect the airflow meter may be faulty, unplugging it will often make it run better.

Substitution is the best way to prove it's bad.

I had one on a mates A4, some days it ran ok others it was dead average.

Once I had chipped it, it was obvious something was up. It ran exactly the same. Under boost the airflow was dropping to zero intermittently, so the ECU had no chance of getting the fuelling right. No codes were seen during scans.

A new one fixed it.

Gavin

[Jmac]

Yeah mate they are shockers ans sensitive mate hey. They affect boost and auto trans shift patterns too. Once you have seen all these characteristics you jump at it hey mate. Just one thing unplugging it it runs good but that goes into a set default map right??? Man try and explain the need for a new one to someone after that hey. I done one and it ran great and is still disconnected but like i say shift is crap. But even with the crap shift try and convince a person he needs to spend the dollars can be harder than the diagnosis sometimes hey mate. You can see where they are at when their car is running 90% better. But it wont be 100%
Hmmm
Cheers again!!
Jimmymac dont suppose you know anyone with front cuts or rad supports with all the attachments for an a4 b5??? Yeah the mangled A4 still tossing up what to do