just brought one of these, tidy auto 140,000km couple of problems with it A/C has plenty of gas but compressor wont turn on (checked fuses and relays all fine any ideas?) and it has a stuffed solenoid valve in the auto (which i will get fixed but $$$) (N88 Fault code according to VCDS) but the main thing is i am wondering if you can get a factory cruise control kit for these cars i know you used to be able to, got it real cheap so worth spending a little cash on.
tamarillo,
Feb 18, 8:59pm
I'm interested in this. Bought Audi a4 2.4 1998 with climate air problems booked in to nelsons audi doctor. His first response was they crap out fans easily and same unit as VW use. Also would love to add cruise control to it. There are after market ones so await experts thoughts on this. One was $1000 fitted!
tamarillo,
Feb 18, 9:01pm
Might be worth drive over to Nelson to let Audi dr look at it, he knows these cars and even wrecks them to get parts.
vtecnet,
Feb 18, 9:02pm
I'm fairly certain there was a cruise control option, so if you can find one being dismantled somewhere that had cruise control you should be able to rob the parts required. As for the A/C, it might need a new Drier Unit or something, best thing is to take it somewhere that repairs A/C and get it diagnosed, they can usually tell you what needs replacement.
is yours Quattro 4wd? my VR6 the fans work fine the A/C is full of gas but the compressor wont engage :S lights on but one home so to speak, mine isnt climate though, just manual A/C. you might just need a new climate control module on the Audi.
w202merc,
Feb 18, 9:03pm
done that, said it was an electrical fault, im going to get the valve fixed in the auto first though, any experience with that? its not very pleasant when your driving down the road at 100km/h and it slams in to 2nd :S awesome little car though i cant get over how well it goes and handles and ive come from a VZ V8 Calais!
tamarillo,
Feb 18, 9:10pm
Yes quattro and agreed different problem, I've got no fan and no heat, but as he said he can't work out rest until fans work. It's full climate and all the displays work. But he'll plug it in for fault codes so we'll see, have you had that done?
vtecnet,
Feb 18, 9:14pm
yeah they go well really, I sort of raced a VZ V8 Calais from 0-100 recently (merging 2lanes into one) and he couldn't get in front of me, it wasn't meant to be a race, but it sort of became one lol
tamarillo,
Feb 18, 9:14pm
Hah! In last year I've gone from brand new VF Calais V8, through accord euro wagon, a Fairmont 1995 (for sale) to 1998 Audi. And I dont mind! But I won't sell my bike!
w202merc,
Feb 18, 9:28pm
i have VCDS lite and a generic OBD2 cable my self so can scan and clear fault codes, i think the MK3 being old the A/C wont display fault codes mainly a mechanical system i think, the Quattro A4's are really nice cars handle like a train on tracks, mate had a chipped 1.8TQ that was an awesome car.
w202merc,
Feb 18, 9:29pm
Fair enough! do you like the Audi? a VF Calais V8 is also one hell of a car though! like you due to health problems (knees) i have to get a cheaper car (VR6) but i don't want to sacrifice the enjoyment of driving.
w202merc,
Feb 18, 9:31pm
to tell you the truth i was looking for a 530i like yours but the VR6 came up too cheap, if it keeps giving me shit i might sell it and buy a 530i HAHAHA.
w202merc,
Feb 18, 9:31pm
thats saying something for the VR6! they really get off their arse people underestimate them a bit i think.
w202merc,
Feb 18, 9:33pm
if you are around chch sometime i can plug the VCDS in for you?
vtecnet,
Feb 18, 9:41pm
The 530i is faster, but not by much, mostly due to being 5 speed auto vs 4speed for the Golf, also being that I had the Car in drive, it only went to 6000rpm in first gear.
Being that I live out in the country, I was able to do 0-120 ish Videos of both cars. (on a private lane that belongs to a dairy farmer friend) which is narrow and bumpy. but its ok for 0-120k ish, its only about 450m long, so I don't go too silly, too many quad bikes, tractors etc that can show up.
ah yes same scenario. Yes like Audi though not done lot of miles yet. Don't like steering when compared with older bmw cars I've run, but will exploit the 4wd. The little v6 ain't grunty but smooth and real nice sound plus like tiptronic. Ride is ok only as has 18 inch wheels which is too big for suspension tune. Wanted wagon and bmw wagons aren't as common plus time to try something different. Not impressed that it uses timing belt and its a big job to do, got used to bmw cam chains! We'll see. Calais was very good car, though I felt suspension tune was too soft and wish it was sports tune like an sv6. It was company car and enjoyed it but wouldn't spend my money on it. Don't need new cars myself and spend more on bikes than I ever do cars.
tamarillo,
Feb 18, 9:48pm
Thanks that's kind of you but audidr will do it I assume. And why don't you have a merc?
tamarillo,
Feb 18, 9:54pm
Same tastes. I do want a approx 2001 530! Probably next car though not many wagons and the wagons look a bit ungainly. Used a 330 2002 for a while and that was great but had full m sport tune with low springs, big wheels, and ride was just stupidly hard and ended up being too much hard work on bumpy roads of South island. Put me off it and decided I'd not get the m sport version, whereas on older 3 series I preferd m sport versions. Maybe I'm getting old.
thejazzpianoma,
Feb 18, 10:12pm
The MK3 is really a bit old to be much in my area of expertise. However, I fixed an AC fault on a MK5 Golf with similar symptoms. What it was, was a failure of the tempurature sensor on the evaporator. It was outputing a constant 0 degrees so the car wasn't engaging the compressor because it thought the evaporator was iced up. Now this was super easy to diagnose with VCDS on the newer cars because it covers the majority of the A/C system, actuators etc. Not sure how much will be covered with the older ones.
However, there is nothing to stop you hunting that temp sensor down and checking it's output with a multimeter, the spec should be able to be looked up online. It's something to knock off your list anyhow.
With regard to cruise control, speaking in general for late model drive by wire cars, because the computer already has all the hardware and control it needs, they can often be as simple as just fitting a used cruise control stalk to the steering column and telling the computer it's there.
Going back to Mk3 though. off hand I think they are still cable operated in the throttle body department so there is likely going to be actuators and bit's and pieces to fit. I have not done an old one. I would probably just get a list of parts and order them used from ebay or a wreckers or something but if the kits are cheap I guess that's a good way to go too.
Sorry that's about the extent of my knowledge that might be applicable.
Oh, and just as a side note, I find the newer MK5 cars are MUCH better cars and MUCH easier to diagnose issues with as the onboard diagnostics are phenomenal (with the full version of VCDS). Given the fairly negligible price difference, it makes more sense IMO to start looking at buying these newer cars next time around. I have seen Audi A3 3.2 Quattro's (like the MK5 Golf R32) go as cheap as 6K in 2 door form. It's something to think about, their is also a bid economy difference too.
EDIT. meant to say too, yes the MK3 VR6 definitely had cruise control available, presumably as an option as I have seen them advertised on here with it in past.
vtecnet,
Feb 18, 10:19pm
I keep looking at R32 Golfs, I had a MK5 Golf GTX (Same engine etc as GTI but boring looking version), it was brilliant to drive, but had 2x the road noise of my previous Merc, so the road noise annoyed me, but if I had it now i'd probably not be worried. That 6 Speed DSG gearbox is just brilliant.
Actually the main reason I sold it was the Biege Leather interior and fake wood steering wheel, what was I thinking hehe.
But i'd still be tempted to go with the GTI model over the R32, fuel economy being one major factor, also the R32 has less boot space thanks to being 4wd.
Its likely I'll end up with one of those again, the 2007 + model being the one to go for,according to the net, the 2005-2006 has the proven to be less powerful with the coded AXX engine, despite both having the same specs on paper.
bigfatmat1,
Feb 18, 10:21pm
Check the round plug on the gearbox its mounted vertically on a bracket close to engine towards back. it has a clip on it that breaks plug comes loose causing solenoid faults. usually a few cable ties stratigically mounted is a ok fix
bigfatmat1,
Feb 18, 10:24pm
Check pressure switch for a/c Re comment about audi dr. DONT
thejazzpianoma,
Feb 18, 10:27pm
Fuel economy with the R32 is entirely dependant on the type of use. Even with that engine in the heavier Passat I can still average 8l/100km on my daily commute, but that commute is a lot of open road and quite free running. I can't generally do any better than that on the same run with the GTI.
However. if you are doing lots of city work, then you will have an economy difference and usually quite a noticeable one!
A bit of imitation dynamat (I sometimes just use the stuff from the building supplies store) can be a big help for road noise. You don't have to do the whole floor, just start adding some around the wheel arches etc until you are happy with it. The MK5 golf isn't too bad for road noise, I suspect tyres or aftermarket wheels may have played a bit of a part, but then Merc's can be super quiet cars.
Oh. and my guess was it was a Japanese import? Could be worse, could have been one of those 4Runners that were top to bottom red velour topped off with a wooden steering wheel. uuuggghhh! But yeah, I get your point.
tamarillo,
Feb 18, 10:40pm
Don't what? I've been very impressed with work.
bigfatmat1,
Feb 18, 10:47pm
Fixed alot of stuff ups very unimpressed with work
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