mikefmcnally

Hi All,

I have to run a few things by you to see what you recommend.

I have an 02 allroad 6 speed manual, with 125k miles on it. It runs great but has a few leaks and the air suspension is giving me trouble. I am not sure if it is the air suspension sensor of if the air bags have a leak. I am torn between repairing everything or selling it at auction.

The car can be parked for days at any level and never lower so I am not sure if the air bags have a leak. I can even drive it around town for an hour and it is fine. When I go over 40 mph and it lowers, this is when the suspension light comes on and the car goes down to the first level and never comes back up. It will only get back up to 2nd or 3rd level after I turn the ignition off then back on. After this it will go up and stay up until the car automatically lowers itself again.

The next issue is a coolant leak behind the engine where the rubber hose goes into metal tubing before it gets to the heater core. This is pissing a good stream down the back of the engine and onto the transmission. I am not sure what the cost is to repair this. I had the auxiliary water pump changed out due to a heating issue last winter and this wasn't an issue at the time. My mechanic said he has to remove the engine to get to the tubing that needs replacement. Has anyone done this job?

I also had the valve cover gaskets/timing belt/ water pump replaced and still have a small oil leak that the dealer thinks is coming from the valve cover gasket and a seal. My mechanic said there is no sign of the gaskets leaking and think they are going by the OBDII reading and he thinks it's the turbo as this is where it is dripping from. The car has tons of power and no turbo smoking or weird noises so I am not sure. Maybe a turbo return line or something?

And finally, last but not least, both of my catalyst converters show up on the OBDII scan as static - so I am guessing it will not pass inspection. The quote I got for the full replacement of the cats was $3400.00 bucks.

My mechanic is guessing to fix everything it will run me around 6k. This is before knowing I could get the Arnott Air Suspension Parts for $1200.00. So maybe more like 4k.

Any information you have or even advice as to what you would do is welcome. I really love the car and how it drives and would love to repair it and keep it as long as it doesn't break the bank. I currently only put between 7-8k miles on the car per year. That's why I wasn't concerned with purchasing it with 118k on it at the time.

Thanks for any feedback you may have.
-Mike

rhskcdn

Wow, reading this forum is getting depressing

I'm not sure where you are located Mike but some indy shops are definitely better and cheaper than others. In the southern Ontario market, I've yet to see an allroad (even one that needs a fair bith of work) for less than $6K.

choptt

long story short,
flex heater hose, 20 bucks 1/2 hr labor.
air leak from pump or a short in the system/sensor. only vcds will tell you that. i have a good used cable that im willing to sell. genuine ross tech usb cable btw. and i work on audis/vws up here in VT.indy style.

also the same goes with the 02 sensors. only vcds will tell you that. static could mean 1,000 different things,

pm me.

mikefmcnally

Out here in Massachusetts they are going for between 7-9k.

Kneale Brownson

Yeah, but that's a slushbox. The 6MT still commands a higher price generally.

jay956

also looks to have bad front springs

rhskcdn

And the obvious interior wear. Probably has green coolant as well

I'm of the opinion that you are often better with the beast you know than the one you don't. Fix the problems if you enjoy the car, otherwise sell and move on.

mikefmcnally

I bought a scanner today and found the only code I have is the P0421.
Warm Up Catalyst Below Threshold (Bank 1)

A little research I found this is not always a full cat replacement like the dealership told me. I found some guys that started using premium gas was enough to resolve the codes withing a few weeks. Others had the ECM re-flashed by the dealer to fix the issue described below:

ECM requires Update - Programming (flashing) to correct:
MIL is ON with Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P0421 Warm up catalyst, bank 1,
efficiency below threshold, or DTC P0431
Warm up catalyst, bank 2, efficiency below threshold stored in DTC memory.
The Engine Control Module (ECM) may diagnose the Warm up Catalytic Converter
incorrectly under high engine load conditions. The diagnosis threshold has been changed in MY 2002 Engine Control Modules (ECM). Applies only to 2001 allroad quattro models with ECM Part No: 4Z7 907 551 or Part No: 4Z7 907 551K.

So that could be a significant amount of money that I don't need to spend.
My issue is I get one story from my mechanic and another one from the dealership. My mechanic just replaced the valve cover gaskets and the aux water pump. The dealership tells me the valve cover gaskets have a leak and my aux water pump is bad. I bring it back to my mechanic and he look over everything and says there is no sign of leaking from the gaskets and the aux pump is fine. The coolant is leaking from the supply line behind the engine. So this tells me the dealership would charge me for both the aux water pump and the gaskets, I would get the car back and still have both issues. I really think the oil leak is coming from the turbo on the drivers side as there are no other visible signs of oil on the engine. And since the aux water pump was replaced I have heat - so that does not need to be replaced.

I appreciate the comments as it has me thinking this is worth fixing now.

Thanks!

Mike B

First; <b><i>NEVER</i></b> use anything less than the best gas you can find. It says right on the fuel-filler door to use gasoline with a minimum RON octane of 91. Switch, maybe it will work. At the very least you'll get better performance and better gas mileage.
If your mechanic replaced the aux water pump and the valve cover gaskets then you can probably bet they are not issues anymore. If you still have an oil leak you can suspect the oil return line seals.
Good luck!

brider

And now you have heat?

I read your post from the beginning, you mentioned early on that the aux pump was replaced to fix a "no heat" condition.

I ran a post recently on MY no-heat condition, and the common wisdom there was that the aux pump has NO bearing whatsoever on the heating system.

So I am curious, and I don't want to sound like I'm challenging you or your mechanic's/dealer's diagnosis; I just want details on other's heating problems and their solution: What was your no-heat symptom, and did the heat come back when the aux pump was changed, and was there a coolant flush involved?