1999 Audi A4

Manual

WAUGB28D8XA013169

Power Windows

We're selling our beloved little quattro, partly because it's too small for our growing family (replaced with another euro wagon, just a bigger one) but now specifically because it needs some work. I could just say "it's a 1999 car" but instead I am going to list everything I remember about it, good and bad. Note there are a couple serious ones: there's a dent in the right door, and the clutch needs to be replaced very soon. It's not quite ready to be a daily driver tomorrow, but is perfect if you want to put in a little work, combine it with your crumpled up A4 B5, or turn it into a raceday car. Drivetrain:The only real issue is the clutch. Started slipping a little a few weeks back, has progressed rapidly. It needs a replacement, probably within a few hundred miles. While it's not yet dangerous, it's getting there. This appears to be just age, and is if anything a bit long in the tooth compared to others. As much fun as we've had with it, we drive it pretty gently, and the previous owners (we know them) are very sedate. Replacement can even be done yourself, so I hear, but I do not have the time for it so you get it all slippy. It's a quattro! This is why we're sad to get rid of it. Probably the best setup you can get for bopping around twisty roads without crashing. It will change your life. Anyway, the rest of the drivetrain works fine. My friend who owned (and repaired) his own ur-Quattro was approving of it's performance.Leaks up to 1 drop of oil every time I park it. From the front somewhere, but I have not looked as it's such a minor leak. And, the frame component up there is sorta covered in road dirt, oil, etc. so it's not easy to trace without some serious cleaning. I'd ignore it. One of the clippy screw-like things for the engine cover is missing. Always. I have one more spare if you ask me for it, but I haven't installed it as it will also just fall off. No idea why. Seems to not matter.The dipstick clip shattered, for no clear reason, so you have a 1 month old OEM replacement. It's very nice and yellow. I may even have the spare in the trash still if you want to see it for some reason. Okay, occasional old-car random vibrations, or it idles oddly at lights. Nothing that's a problem I can tell. Not a single problem Body:There's a solid dent in the rear passenger door, into the body work behind the door as well, but ending at the wheel well. The wife cut a corner too tight, and put the car into the bolt on the end of a fire hydrant (the one right in front of our house, if you must know). It also knocked a dent into the rear passenger alloy wheel. My local auto shop friend buzzed it off, smoothed it, checked for cracks, and replaced the tire. So, there's a tiny missing bit, but it holds. We've driven it a few hundred miles since then. It's solid. And not as ugly as you'd think. We don't otherwise crash into curbs, and they are not super low-profile tires. So, the wheels are in pretty good shape. Tires, meh. Need a change, but not yet to the wear lines or anything. Biggest reason is the rear passenger tire doesn't match (in brand; same specs). But, it drives fine still, so wait till you can afford performance tires. The trim bits at the bottom of each door, that always internally rust and fall off, have been replaced by me about a year ago. None of the clips were damaged, so it all went right on, and there's no rust on the body under that.Someone liked to load cinder blocks into the trunk. Or something. The paint on the rear bumper is scratched to hell on the loading area. Call it a design flaw that there's no plastic protector. Not too gouged up, so should be re-paintable if you want to bother. The front bumper has B5 syndrome, and of course doesn't stay attached. I tried the proper procedure twice, then gave up. It's now screwed on, up through the wheel wells, into the upper fenders. Solid, not attached to anything (or so firmly) it'll kill you or ruin the car extra bad in an accident, but firm enough it stays put. Reversible without visible holes if it annoys you. I presume part of the front-bumper-sucks syndrome on B5s also means the front wiper sprayers are dead. The servos and everything work, but the cylinder is molded into the bumper, and is cracked. Being the lowest part of the wiper fluid system, all the fluid leaks out, so I disconnected it and clipped it off. With wire ties. Totally reversible if you want to try to repair it, or if you get a new bumper. The grilles where the foglamps would go if I had any (I don't) have fallen off. One lost, one I have but the clips are broken. Buy more if you want.The turbo badge fell off the back, and the 4 has been put on sideways (a common A4 failure of repair shops, I gather) so is "backwards."There is a TIDGE of rust on the lower left corner of the tailgate. Nowhere else I can see, at all. And of course, the typical small number of scratches and scuffs all over. But it looks good from any distance, and the paint is not oxidized or anything. And, no more dents that I recall or see. It's in darned good shape I think. Everyone refers to us having shiny euro cars, and this did not disappoint. Brakes, Steering: The Brake idiot light blinks, all the time. And maybe the ABS light is solid. I forget as I've gotten used to it. I hear that this is a typical Audi "so, you did the brakes yourself" light, and just means there's some dirt on the ABS sensors. The effect is: the light blinks. ABS works fine, all the time. Steering is perfect. No leaks in the pump, no bumps in the rack, tracks true. Interior:The driver's seat has a couple cracks, which are taped up with quality 3M gaffer tape to keep them from spreading. All other seats are between fine and perfect. I replaced the handbrake plastic covers, as the previous owner's dog chewed on them. This is not really installed actually, and has the (obnoxiously large and hard to remove) dealer stickers on them still. This matters, as the clip is semi non-reversible, so when you want to clean up the interior, just take it off, then put it all together cleanly and permanently.I think I replaced some other interior bits, but cannot recall which.Most switchgear is in great shape, but the sunroof controls/dome lights are sorta worn and icky. Expensive new, and not replaced as all the junkyard ones are precisely as messed up, so I guess it's another B5 build quality issue. All works fine still, just worn looking. Accessories and other components:The fuel level sender unit was failed when I bought it, so I cleaned it, then ended up replacing it with a new OEM unit. Works fine now, and very accurate. Believe it. Do not run out of gas. The CD changer has progressively broken over the past few months. I haven't had time to fix it, but the child is sad there's some country CD of hers actually stuck. It seems to have no power, but also no manual eject. If you figure out how to get it working, please send the disk back. All else works, all windows work fine, the sunroof works fine, the stereo works other than the changer, the climate control works, etc. Actually, the A/C button on the climate control has stuck in the past, but I've cleaned it and it should be fine. If not, it has a hard stop behind it so pushing real hard won't break it. Just, push real hard and it'll un-stick. All the original tools are in place (even the gloves as I recall), and the (doughnut) spare is original and properly seated with all the original bits of foam and so on. None of the keys has the remote locking buttons or anything. We never got the keyfob, and it's super expensive, so didn't buy one. The one key with a button is fooling you, and (when working) had a little flashlight in it. Two keys are available for it. Actually, maybe three; we'll look before handing it over.Original manuals all in the car, in good shape. No particular maintenance records. The previous owner didn't have any, so I didn't bother with them. Sorry.