I’m new to the forums and I was hoping I could get good help and advise regarding my 2004 A4 3.0Q. I bought the car used in 2008 w/an extended warranty which is now expired. Now, I would rather do the regular/mandatory maintenance myself, but I find it difficult to find a reliable knowledge base on this particular Audi.
I would really appreciate if anybody could pass me along reliable advice regarding service or performance oriented modifications. In the future I want a mild horsepower bump (via ecu tuning coupled with less restrictive intake/exhaust) and a lowered stance on a good combo of wheels and tires. Followed by a more efficient braking system (better disks, pads, etc.).
Furthermore, if its easier to just throw me a link to a thread or group, I’d appreciate that as well. I love my car (and Audis for that matter) and I really want to do things right and make sure it has a long and happy life. Hopefully, one day I can pass along the info/knowledge to another proud 3.0 owner.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you very much for your help.
Maintanece is the most important thing, make sure that you do you timing belt service, regular oil changes and gennerally make sure everything is in check and not trowing codes. There is a wealth of information on this car at audizine you will just need to search around to find it, but it is there.
This is the forum for power, keep an eye on here to see what is happening with tuning. It is shaping up to be very exciting.
There are heaps of options for suspension and wheels out there, just need to pick what ever suits your budget tastes and lifestyle. Brakes: alot of people will upgrade to S4 brakes or you can go the JHM Cayenne kit or stoptech or Alcon all comes down to how much you want to spend.
Nice to have you, You came to the right forum if your looking for help.
Over the next few months I’ll put together a service interval post with recommended suggestions at each time.
I think in this posts we can best help you by having you tell us more about your car. I/we can then give you more things to look for and issues to be addressed.
So we have your year and make.
how about the
miles
type of transmission
last service work done
type of driving
plans for the car
I just uploaded some pics for your viewing pleasure! Let me know if you can’t see them… The car isnt exciting right now as it is bone stock.
Speaking of the timing belt, I do have to change it soon according to my maint records and the owner’s manual (@ 75k mi). I change my oil every 10k or once every year, but I find that some people do it every 5k. Is that necessary? Of course it would depend on how you drive the car right?
Ya I noticed there has been a lot of chatter about JHM and a 3.0 project. I was very excited to see that!
The Cayenne kit sounds enticing. Any idea how it stacks up with stoptech or Alcon performance wise?
That is one clean BB a4, makes me want to get the swirls outta my paint and paint the lowers!
Timing belt should be done earlier than that suggested interval IIRC. Also make sure you get a metal impellar water pump when you replace it instead of a stock plastic replacement.
I change my oil every 4-5000miles at the LATEST. I’d suggest doing it more often than 10k miles, prolongs the longevity of your car. 10k seems pretty infrequent regardless of how much you drive. it should be xxx miles or xxx months, whichever comes first. I change mine at least twice a year, and I am a pretty regular driver (I do under 15,000 miles a year in driving)
Cayenne kit is great, however you won’t NEED that much extra braking power unless you get significantly more HP than stock. Our stock brakes are good, just get good rotors, new fluid and ss brake lines. (I think vented rears would be good too but haven’t asked about that yet).
3.0 project is coming along well, check the many threads about it to learn more.
The service suggestions are welcome since it seems the regular intervals just wont make the cut.
Here’s more info in my car:
Bought it used with 29k mi on it.
odom: 69,126mi
tranny: (slush box) tiptronic
last service:
dealer oil change (according to maint manual 65k service @ Rusnak Audi, Westlake)
past other services: new center dash comp display and driver side window regulator @ 30k mi (warranty), new sunroof frame and rails @ 40k mi (warranty), new rack and pinion @ 45k mi (steering fluid was lost due to damaged boots and subsequently damaged the system, warranty), new fuel pump/filter and new rear brake pads @ 55k mi (warranty). -Thank god I bought the extended warranty.
type of driving:
city and freeway (and I dont go more than 70ish mph there cuz Cali freeways suck), took it to some canyon roads all over Cali less than a dozen times (but I don’t max it out or anything cuz the wear and tea r can take a toll), and Ive driven it up to NorCal 3 times (free way and pch, 3000+ mi). It is garage kept as well to protect against the elements.
Plans:
Well I am currently unemployed so money is an issue and always will be when considering future modifications. If things financially improve I would like to do mild upgrades all around (ecu, intake/exhhaust, suspension, wheels, tires, maybe even ultra sport trim if I can find it). It doesnt hurt to plan and do research though!
Current Problems (from least to worst):
The interior is in pretty good shape: the dash cup holder’s fragile components are broken and I simply took them out, the center console/arm rest latch linkage (for the compartment) is broken on one side, there’s a small cut on the driver’s seat bottom, some chips on the the climate control buttons, the buttons on the steering wheel no longer light up, but thats it. All the interior lights still work, I vacuum the carpets/seats AND wipe down all the surfaces when I wash/detail the car (at least once a month).
Also, it seems Im going thru rear brake pads twice as fast as the front…
Finally, right now the air conditioner is giving me a head ache just this past month. Some days it works and some days it doesnt- it will work one day and not the next, but again the day after. The light on the ECON button still goes on and off, but I still think there’s a communication problem. When it does come on I hear the radiator fan and compressor, but no sounds when it doesnt. Any ideas?
Thanks for the complement Meistah! Matching paint on the bumpers really is a beautiful thing. I really dont see too many like this in SoCal, or maybe Im not looking hard enough. As far as the paint I def do my best to take care of it and the results are clear!
Wow you put on a lot of miles… I put less than 10k mi/yr. I believe you when you say to change oil at least every 5k. There are many who do the same. It just drives me a little crazy that audi doesn’t enforce that, but I think I’ll def do that now. What brand of oil do you use/prefer? How often do the spark plugs and air filters need to be changed? Right now Im going along with the maint schedule which is every 20k I think.
I think new and rear ventilated disks are sufficient. I was going to say the porsche rotors are kinda overkill for my application since I don’t track my car or anything, but I guess they are nice to show off.
Not too sure about your a/c issue, might just need a recharge?
As far as performance and aesthetics go. If you can save up enough, I would do the ecu tune and suspension, then go from there. If you are still on stock suspension it’s probably due for replacement anyways. (get your control arms checked out too they might be on their way out). I think you would be the most happy with those 2 things, you get a lot of extra performance along with improved look and ride. I currently have the JHM tune and will be doing suspension next on my list.
Yes the painted lowers make a huge difference for sure, I’ll be shopping around for rates after the winter.
Haha I like to think I put on LOW mileage compared to most people. I did the math after posting that, I actually only put around 12k miles a year on, I think the average is usually around 15k for most drivers. Under 10 is quite low I’d say.
As far as maintenance intervals go I’m not even sure what mine are on things like that. I keep a close eye on how my car is running, just check the spark plugs visually same w/ coilpacks to see how they are doing. I find the recommended intervals are always too few and far between. With little things like that it’s way better to spend an extra few bucks replacing them frequently, then not and end up with big problems down the road.
Can’t remember the brand, just know its 5w40 hahah.
Oh and change your timing belt!!! Do the timing belt service interval asap, that thing is a ticking time bomb at that mileage.
As for as my a/c, I hope its either just the switch/button or just a recharge.
Thanks for the warnings and tips on the suspension. I already noticed the bushings are making noise… I try to inspect my timing belt lately and I dont see any signs of fraying or cracking, but Ill heed your warning and change it anyway- like you said it will save me in the future.
Man I just realized JHM is in Norcal… does that mean I would have to bring my car up there if I wanted their tune and parts?
As far as coil packs- I forgot to mention those were just dealer changed @ about 60k mi because of some recall. But a visual inspection seems adequate. Any special tools for extracting the coil packs tho? It seems one of them isnt as flush or as low as the rest of them. Is that a concern?
I simply vacuumed the cabin and entire air intake system a month ago for now- found a load of crap in the snow screen, air filter, and air box my god…
Haha 5w40 synth for sure. Thanks again for your advise!
The JHM tune you can just send in your ECU. The fact that you have a automatic isn’t bad due to the fact JHM can tune your transmission to shif much faster. This takes some of the >:( out of owning the automatic. The ECU and TCU seem to be a great combo.
I diffinitly suggest not going 10k for the oil. Any of these cars that use oil pressure to run the cam advance should be changed much sooner. Also the lifters in the heads are much different then domsestics. So that can also take a ware on the oil.
The timing belt is a great thing to change. A big must is the upgrade on the coolant pump.
Oh good to know that I can just send in my ecu. Do you happen to know what the new figures are regarding that tune? Ya I wish the car was stick, but too late now…
Thats good info to know about the cams and lifters. I noticed on cold starts theres a lot of “clicking” noises from the engine. Dealer claims its the injectors, but I think it has to do with low oil pressure and the cams. What do you think?
I would agree that the coolant pump upgrade is necessary if I want a higher output and its more convenient to change since I need a new timing belt anyway. You got more info on the pump? Price/where to find?
Also, do you know if the Bentley Publishers B6 Audi repair manual covers timing belt replacement?
Thanks a ton. Im glad theres a lot of people who know what theyre talking about/doing.
coilpacks are the easiest thing to take out of your car, just pull up! they are kinda suctioned in but just work them slowly, try not to bang the metal sides (think the boardgame “operation” lol) I have 1 that looks like it sits a bit higher too (cyl 1) , not sure if its just the viewing angle or something else though.
Regarding the coil packs: I see. Sounds simple enough. Any idea how much to torque down the spark plugs? I wish I had that BP repair manual right about now…
It seems that replacing the water pump (and thermostat in some forums) should absolutely be replaced at the same time of a timing belt replacement. Also, it could cost $1000+ if all that is done by a mechanic and even more through a dealer. There are some kits that include all the parts and there are one or two diy tutorials out there so thats nice. Just afraid that I wont have the right tools and/or knowledge. Once again, need that manual! Im gonna call some places tomorrow to get some quotes anyway.
for spark plugs I think its 22lbs? However from what I gather, most people don’t actually torque down spark plugs, just turn finger tight then 1/4 turn after that. This is what I do… However I wouldn’t recommend it in case something goes wrong…
Timing belt job on our cars isn’t cheap, a lot more to it than just the belt. Reasonable cost for parts and labour would be around $1000. TAKE IT TO A RELIABLE SHOP! I went through hell dealing with a shady shop on this one (they mistimed it). Unless you are pretty mechanically savvy I’d stay away from DIY on this one.
This site is here to be your BP repair manual.
for the most part just ask and there are several paid members that will give you what ever you need. For your work it might just make sense for you to drive to JHM you can get all the work and ECU stuff done at one time and the more work and parts you get at one time you should get a discount for that.
Spark plugs are tightened to this spec. tighten them till they start to get semi tight and then go 1/4 turn. Easy rule of thumb for those that don’t always have a TQ wrench around.
Went to Audi today and as everyone says, a timing belt service will cost me about $2000. They do however replace everything and more which is nice, but I forgot to ask what kind of water pump they replace the old one with (someone here mentioned the plastic oem is bad).
Speaking of oem. In terms of replacing parts like air filters, spark plugs, brake pads, and other normal wear items. Which parts should be kept to (or as close) in quality as OEM, if not all? I looked up prices at Audi, Pep Boys, and Napa Auto Parts and not surprisingly Napa offered the cheapest parts (even cheaper if you have a AAA membership), but Im afraid theyre parts arent up to par.
