Marks Audi A4 B7 Avant Quattro Special Edition

[ttelracs]

After picking up one of these with a full service history an 154,500 miles I knew when I test drove it there was very little urgency when trying to accelerate, compared to my previous A3 TFSI Special Edition, although that had a very mild remap. I need an estate and have owned Saab Aeros and BMW E36 & E46 estates too, but not an Audi one.

Two changes made a big difference, a change of DV to the latest revision and replacing the fuel filter as it looked like the original since it had the Audi logo on it and nothing in the service book showed it had been changed. It's like a different car to the way it drives and picks up now as it feels like its now been remapped. I've added a pic of the colour of the fuel that came out of the filter when changed and it really was that dark. I will be taking the plugs out to clean and refit as they were only changed 6k miles ago but I suspect that dirty fuel will not have done them any good.

The other changes that helped the running was using Mannol oil flush before changing the oil and using electrical cleaner on the temp sensor in the inlet manifold as well as changing the cam follower which had the black coating worn away. If you haven't changed your fuel filter do it using a good quality brand with better filtration (I used Bosch but rate Mann too), check/replace your diverter valve and do the same with your cam follower.

Has anyone used a stronger spring in the diverter valve and or tightened up the arm on the wastegate with any noticeable positive benefits?

I need to replace the front suspension arms and links as the rubbers are split on both set of arms as well as the headlamps due to misting and also the speedo and rev counter dials since the pixels are starting to go. I've replaced the read pads, bled/replaced the fluid and will bleed the fronts replace the steering fluid and still have the gearbox and diff oils to change. I always do a full fluid refresh on all my cars to get them at OEM+ before any other 'sensible' performance mods. No lowering springs, no 'performance ' panel filter, I say no remap but its' possible and possibly Bilstein B4 shocks as again OEM+.

Pics of the old and the new and just like me, look better from a distance.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Fuel filters are always overlooked and should be replaced straight away on higher mileage cars if there is no evidence of previous replacement.
If you still have all the original front suspension fitted inc linkages along with dampers and springs at that milage then it's time to replace the whole lot inc rear dampers/springs and bushes where required.
It is highly unlikely that your rear springs are the originals, they may be audi parts but I doubt very much they are the originals fitted at the factory, they just don't last that milage without snapping, and most owners find them broken within the first 50-70k miles., been there on both rears as have many other owners.

S-line suspension was never that good from new, so many better options available these days.
Don't mess around with the HPFP , just replace the follower top hat and leave it alone, only change to uprated internal etc if upgrading the engine.
check the pcv , worth fitting the newest revision .


The latest DV is ok but its not the best one to fit , just leave it alone and same applies to wastegate linkages unless they are showing signs of wear and are loose etc.

 

[Charlie Farley]

If this is your first venture into b7 ownership whatever the variant just take some time to look through the the b7 forum and you will get a better overview of potential issues whatever the milage and also some specific to either petrol or diesel-engined variants.

Most B7's are getting on in years now so will suffer from either higher milage and years or both and all the issues that go with that but that doesnt mean they are any less worth while owning.

If you need more special edition info etc or b7 in general just ask me or anyone others on the forum for help.

 

[Charlie Farley]

The BUL engine in the special edition and DTM run a specific ecu map from the factory which is good to start with and does drive a bit more spritly than the other 2.0T tfsi engines in the B7 , it still can benefit from a remap but not really needed in standard tune.

 

[Charlie Farley]

There are two ways to look at the situation with higher mileage B7's, many do two times even or more what yours has done provided they are well maintained in all areas, so in theory a lot of the areas that are prone to early failure or wear and tear may have been replaced or upgraded in which case you have a sound base to start with, sadly a lot don't have such a well-maintained life and each new owner becomes weighted down with continuous bills for repairs.
And let's not overlook the age factor, many have lovely mint low mileage examples but are still plagued with age-related problems such as failing wiring in looms and tired electrical motors and mechanisms, aged rubber trims and seals.

Hopefully, you won't have too many, but don't be surprised if you still have some.

 

[Charlie Farley]

On a side note, if you have not done so yet, drop the intercooler hoses on both IC's and see what comes out, most likely a fair bit of black oil so dont be surprised, if they hav'nt been drained for a while there will be oil in both which you want to drain out.

 

[Charlie Farley]

contents of my Lh and RH intercooler in 2017 are not nice and far from ideal, not what ones needs having oil vapour of any description sucked into the inlet manifold etc.

needless to say a pcv delete stopped that straight away soon after .

 

[ttelracs]

After picking up one of these with a full service history an 154,500 miles I knew when I test drove it there was very little urgency when trying to accelerate, compared to my previous A3 TFSI Special Edition, although that had a very mild remap. I need an estate and have owned Saab Aeros and BMW E36 & E46 estates too, but not an Audi one.

Two changes made a big difference, a change of DV to the latest revision and replacing the fuel filter as it looked like the original since it had the Audi logo on it and nothing in the service book showed it had been changed. It's like a different car to the way it drives and picks up now as it feels like its now been remapped. I've added a pic of the colour of the fuel that came out of the filter when changed and it really was that dark. I will be taking the plugs out to clean and refit as they were only changed 6k miles ago but I suspect that dirty fuel will not have done them any good.

The other changes that helped the running was using Mannol oil flush before changing the oil and using electrical cleaner on the temp sensor in the inlet manifold as well as changing the cam follower which had the black coating worn away. If you haven't changed your fuel filter do it using a good quality brand with better filtration (I used Bosch but rate Mann too), check/replace your diverter valve and do the same with your cam follower.

Has anyone used a stronger spring in the diverter valve and or tightened up the arm on the wastegate with any noticeable positive benefits?

I need to replace the front suspension arms and links as the rubbers are split on both set of arms as well as the headlamps due to misting and also the speedo and rev counter dials since the pixels are starting to go. I've replaced the read pads, bled/replaced the fluid and will bleed the fronts replace the steering fluid and still have the gearbox and diff oils to change. I always do a full fluid refresh on all my cars to get them at OEM+ before any other 'sensible' performance mods. No lowering springs, no 'performance ' panel filter, I say no remap but its' possible and possibly Bilstein B4 shocks as again OEM+.

Pics of the old and the new and just like me, look better from a distance.

On a side note, if you have not done so yet, drop the intercooler hoses on both IC's and see what comes out, most likely a fair bit of black oil so dont be surprised, if they hav'nt been drained for a while there will be oil in both which you want to drain out.

Thanks for your responses.

Already done a lot of lurking/background reading on here and have to agree with the remap point. Unsure if really needs it, but maybe in a few months I'll be of a different opinion.
I'll definitely drop the hoses and annoying was under there last night when I changed the DV so could've done it then but will be under there again soon to refresh the gearbox and diff oils with synthetic 75/90 GL4/5.

I've order the full suspension arms to refresh the front and a considering getting shock and springs too, but it's all adding up so may wait until the New Year when it's properly cold and wet before doing them.... But the car cost me £1200 and I had to replace the thermostat since it barely got 75 degrees, but I knew that before I purchased it. I'll let you know how bad the oils look when drained and any improvement I notice afterwards.

 

[Charlie Farley]

If you are going the full suspension overhaul it would be way better to do damper/spring etc when you do the linkages, just makes sense to do it in a one hit.

You only need to pull the hoses on the IC bottom connections to drain out residue, ideally both ICs should be cleaned out and left to dry to get the best results but just draining will help .

 

[ttelracs]

contents of my Lh and RH intercooler in 2017 are not nice and far from ideal, not what ones needs having oil vapour of any description sucked into the inlet manifold etc.

needless to say a pcv delete stopped that straight away soon after .
View attachment 271546

I ran a catch can on my previous E39, but I did keep the PCV system in place and that prevented all manner of nastiness being drawn into the inlet manifold. I read some of your pcv delete thread with interest and am in two minds to replace the PCV and run a catch can or do the full PCV delete and catch can on it's own. Sooo many threads with different opinions and you assume they've all done it correctly with no leaks, non-return valves etc no wonder so many stick with the OEM setup.

 

[Charlie Farley]

I ran a catch can on my previous E39, but I did keep the PCV system in place and that prevented all manner of nastiness being drawn into the inlet manifold. I read some of your pcv delete thread with interest and am in two minds to replace the PCV and run a catch can or do the full PCV delete and catch can on it's own. Sooo many threads with different opinions and you assume they've all done it correctly with no leaks, non-return valves etc no wonder so many stick with the OEM setup.

My current setup has been and still is spot on to be honest, part deletes are ok but dont really address the EA113 engine fully but anything is better than nothing as these engines do drink oil just by design.

 

[Charlie Farley]

On the DV side of things, the latest revision works ok but isnt the best performance-wise, but the last of the diaphragm DV's hold boost pressure much better overall and the difference is noticeable, the downside in longevity, but most diaphragm DV's last 30-50k miles easy and are only £50 ish

 

[ttelracs]

Received and understood.
Food for thought.

 

[ttelracs]

@Charlie Farley I took your advice and drained out the intercooler hoses and yes, a goodish amount of black oil out of both whilst I drained and refilled the gearbox oil.
And it ran so much smoother but then the oil pressure light came on and it sounds like a diesel, so not good. Oil level is still good too so I really need to drop the sump and check the oil pick up pipe but the weather is not looking good for the next couple of days. It might be as good as dead.
I've had low oil pressure lights before on cars but not having it sound like a bag of bones afterwards...

 

[Charlie Farley]

Sorry to hear your having issues.
I noticed in your first post that you had used an engine flush , i wasn't going mention it and give you the bad luck but you are not the first to suffer oil pressure issues after doing a flush , a lot of guys have done the same and suffered the same issues.

The fact you have sufficient oil level would suggest oil pump failure and/or oil starvation possibly due to clogged oil suction pipe., which in turn would cause issues with the cam chain tensioner etc.
Ultimately what ever the source of the problem and if it is oil pressure/supply related the resulting damage maybe considerable i'm afraid.

drop the sump and see what the situation is with the oil pump and suction pipe, depending on where the noise is coming from may indicate more, don't run it anymore.

The oil pump assembly are known to go tits up so maybe the source ,but until you look you cant be sure .
hopefully it wont be to bad but be prepared for the worse.

let us know how you get on.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Removing the sump on the quattro is a pain aswell due to the subframe .

 

[ttelracs]

Yep thank you @Charlie Farley . It's definitely a lot of top end noise. I did notice since driving it on the motorway before it seemed fine up to about 80mph but then it wouldn't really go much faster and I thought maybe like the 4k limp mode but maybe I bought a duffer and I just brought the issue forward. I'll designate a day this week to drop the sump, clean everything out including the pick up pipe.
If it starts and runs a lot better, I'll do the cam tensioner etc. If bad, I'll get rid off, take the hit and move on.

 

[ttelracs]

Soooo, I bought this, not a Special Edition but a boggo SE TFSI.
Although this one does have follow me home foglights , auto headlamps and windscreen wipers, but no BOSE just standard Concert single DIN head unit which is on the way out.

First job over the weekend, come rain or shine will be a sump drop, cleaning out of the oil pick up pipe, no flush just an oil change.
If I can get a freewheel in time I'll do the balance shaft delete too.

Move some parts over such as the replacement brake pads etc, possibly the cam follower if the protective coating is still on there and any pther parts I've forgotten about then sell the Special Edition as spares/repair. May even swap the wheels or simply sell with the full leather including heated seats etc. Let's see

 

[Charlie Farley]

Did you progress any further with the source of the engine issues?

 

[ttelracs]

To be honest, I didn't even bother looking into it any further and bought the other one.
I'm sure the oil pick up pipe has starved it of oil, it's not terminal as it starts on the button and runs but I'm not going to kill it as I drove it less than 5 mins after the oil pressure light came on.

It may well be very much 'saveable' with a sump drop etc but with it being the quattro it's just so much trickier with the subframe to be moved and the engine raised etc. In fact I'm fairly confident with this, a couple of oil and filter changes and maybe the top end tensioner checked it'll be all good. But a bit like when you find out your girlfriend may have cheated on you, that trust and faith in the relationship has gone.

Someone could get it on the cheap spend a little time and money and be laughing at my misfortune and their gain. On the other hand...
Plus it's getting colder and more importantly, wetter and I'd rather not do this outside the front of my garage.

 

[ttelracs]

An update as I have to keep starting and moving the Special Edition as it's parked in front of my garage and what I've noticed is that each time I start it up it runs a little bit quieter to the point where when I started it this evening, I couldn't the difference between this one and my other Avant. No I won't be driving it as all I do it move it backwards and forwards 10 metres.

Talking of the other Avant, after changing the oil, it started losing oil and I could see it running down the top of the gearbox. Further investigations led me to believe it's the vacuum pump at the back of the engine. What a pig to remove that last lower screw on the left hand side, I spent about 2 hours on it last night and gave up, but managed to remove it after only an hour on just this one... I've ordered the replacement seal kit and will replace each, reassemble and put back.

I've attached two pics of it disassembled and cleaned, I should've taken one of it before cleaning but it was half full of oil and leaking onto my garage floor which I didn't expect. I do know I'll need to do this on the Special Edition too if I'm able to resurrect it once I've dropped the sump and cleaned out the oil pick up pipe. Not something I'm looking forward to but in a way I am looking forward to it as if I'm doing it this means it may/will live again...

 

[ttelracs]

The seals turned up earlier so I rebuilt the vacuum pump, refitted it and all good.
One seal I couldn't replace was the one where the brake booster pipe attaches to the pump itself. There is an o-ring which can be replaced but I couldn't get the little pipe out without the risk of breaking it, so left it. But the difference once fitted is quick noticeable, the brakes feel like they've been upgraded and definitely worth the hassle of removing it.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Good work chap, it can be a bit fiddly, and even worse with hands like the hulk, been there so know what its like..

 

[ttelracs]

I'm starting to come to the conclusion that although the Special Edition starts and runs well enough, it's seems nowhere as smooth and powerful as my boggo SE Avant. I think I'll move the good bit over to the SE such as the, leather as it has the heated seats, wheels, possibly discs, pads etc then sell the Special Edition. Either that or break it. I'll make the decision in the next week or so as I'll need to SORN it.

Any advice, input gladly appreciated as I know I'll easily get my money back through the seats, wheels and brakes plus a few choice bits. It's whether I can be bothered to spend hours moving everything over instead of selling it as it is.

 

[NM07]

It would be a shame to lose another working B7 to break it for parts. Swap the goodies over to your preferred B7 and sell the SE if I were you!

 

[ttelracs]

Agree with you @NM07 as I do so much prefer the Special, but I will let my head will make the decision.
Who knows, if I can get half decent money for it, I'll sell as is, decisions, decisions, decisions...

The thought of doing two sump drops, with the Quattro being a known pig of a job doesn't fill me with joy at all.