Mike

Hello,<p>This weekend, at 16,000 miles, I decided to rotate my wheels for the second time. The dealer did the first rotation at 5,000 miles, but according to my owner's manual's service schedule that's the first and last "free" rotation.<p>Boy, was I glad I did it! And it's really a very simple job. If you aren't doing it because you think it's too tough, you should try it. The archives have reports of brake dust eating through the clearcoat on our alloy rims and some wheels getting stuck on the car.<p>It's also better to learn how to replace your wheeles in a controlled environment than to try it at night on the side of the road. Besides, you also get to check the spare for proper inflation. It really sucks to put on a spare only to find that it doesn't have any air in it. I know! <p><br>Here's what I did:<p>Tools needed: None really - all the tools you need are in the trunk.<p>Optional tools: 1) Socket wrench (easier than the provided wrench).<br>2) 17mm socket (at least for my A4's lug nuts).<br>3) Torque wrench (I'm **** about under/over torquing things).<p>Location: Flat area with some space (2-4 feet) on each side of the car. A garage is ideal. But any other concrete area will do. I've found that jacks tend to "sink" into asphalt.<p>Steps:<p>1) Take spare wheel, jack and tool bag out of trunk.<br>2) Set parking brake and put transmission in first (park for tip)<br>3) Position jack under car at points designated in owner's manul and lift car. IT IS UNBELIEVABLE HOW EASILY THIS JACK LIFTS THE CAR!<br>4) Remove the lug nuts. The owner's manual lists some other steps that are applicable to different A4 models (lug nut covers, clips, etc.).<br>5) Take wheel #1 off.<br>6) Put spare on.<br>7) Install and tighten lug nuts and lower car.<br>8) Clean wheel #1. I had 16,000 miles of brake dust and 'goo' on the insides of my wheel. It was awuful! And if you have enough dirt in there, it could affect your wheel balance causing a vibration. (My girlfriend's Integra had a hunk of 'goo' in one of its wheels that did affect wheel balance.)<p>I used regular car soap and a sponge to get most of the dirt off, and then a _little_ simple green to get the most stubborn 'goo' off. After that a coating of Meguires carnuba wax, and the wheel is all done. Note: I tried to find P21S (instead of simple green), but no store even knew what I was talking about!<p>9) Go to the other wheel on the same side of the car (front to back, back to front rotation only!), and lift the car with the jack.<br>10) Remove the lug nuts and take off wheel #2.<br>11) Put the clean wheel #1 on where wheel #2 came from.<br>12) Tighten the lug nuts to the specified torque (my 98.5 1.8t says 90 ft-lbs). If you don't have a torque wrench, use the 'snug them up tight' approach. Remember too loose means the wheel may come off. But don't over do it.<br>13) Lower the jack<br>14) Clean the just removed wheel #2.<br>15) Using the jack, remove the spare and put on the now clean wheel #2.<br>16) Repeat for the other side.<p>It's really very easy, and the heaviest lift you will have to do is removing the spare from the trunk. The other wheels only need to be lifted an inch or two to take them off/put them on. But like all car maintenance, having a friend close by does help greatly.<p><br>Thanks, and hope this helps somone,<p><br>Mike<p>98.5 1.8tm<br>

Ed

Thanks for the info Mike, nice write up.<p>I had a couple questions regarding rotation:<p>How often should you rotate tires? (every 10K?)<p>When rotating, is it always front to back, or should you switch sides sometimes?<br>That is, Left front to Right rear, instead of Left front to Left Rear (as in your write up).<p>TIA<br>Ed

Matt Daniels

If you have non-directional wheels and tires, then you should rotate the sides too.<p>Matt

randall

Setup:<br>had taken car in to dealer under warantee to fix lifting dash. fixed<p>Now car is out of warrantee, its lifting again.<p>Back to the dealer, response is: sorry.<p>After much complaining, dealer talked to audi, they will replace dash at 50% participation. I.E dealer quotes new dash as $2000 (CDN) i pay half.<p>its a lease, i'll live with it for 3 more years, or try and fix myself. (like i am going to dump $1000 on cosmetics on a lease?)<p>---<br>follow up:<br>on seats rocking: dealer insists-within spec. I'll fix it myself.<br>on seat wear (leatherette)=audi participates ad 50% i am on the hook for about $350CDN. I am going to an upholstry shop.<br>on door now misaligned after windnoise repair, and hardclosing: dealer suggests talcum powder on seals--can u believe this!!??!<br>( i'll align it myself)<br>---<br>maybe i'll feel better later, but right, yech!<p><br>1996 a4 2.8 qm (12v) <-- cause i didn't want to be a shadetree mechanic anymore.

DavidG

And the Dunlop SP8000E tires which are standard on sport package are directional.

Paul N

Loosening the lug bolts, or nuts, before jacking up the car tends to help prevent the wheel from spining.<p>Paul N

Mike

The tire rotation frequency is a lot like which oil to use - everyone has a different opinion. For previous vehicles (all rear wheel drives) I was told by the vehicle mfg and the tire mfg that tire life is maximized by rotating every 5,000 miles. My service manual doesn't say this though. It says to rotate at 5,000 miiles and then only when the fronts are worn more than the rears. (I have a FWD - non-quattro). <p>I'm going to play it safe from now on and rotate every 5,000 miles.<p>The owner's manual says to rotate front to back. If you *know* your tires aren't directional, then you can cross them... I always used this method:<p>RR - RF<br>LR - LF<br>RF - LR<br>LF - RR<p>(RR - right rear, RF - right front, etc.)<p><br>Mike<p>98.5 1.8tm

HJohn

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Philip M

In Australia, you could lease a 5-10 year old Benz. Believe it or not, that's how much cars cost over there. I love Australia, but I'm enjoying the kinds of toys I can afford over here in the US! What a great place.

kjk

Do Audi owner's need step by step directions to take rotate their tires? I am assuming this would be the exception rather than the rule. I would hope that for most owners discussions regarding rotation patterns would have been sufficient. I never knew you had to remove the lug nuts to take off the tire.