zero

Thanks Glenn. It is non turbo so I'm pretty sure its the 'ALT' engine. It has 78,000 kms, so when should the cam belt be done?

So my brother just got a 2005 A4 avant 2.0 last weekend. I will end up doing the servicing, but its so hard to find info on them. I cant find an Audi forum in NZ so thought I would try here. What oil is recommended? Any major problems to look out for, or any common faults? Vin is WAUZZZ8EO5A499091 Any help would be appreciated.

Unfortunately Babara has a two pack a day addiction now.

So as not to hi-jack this thread Ive made a new one for the diy smoke tester;

Updated with pictures now

A smoke tester is used to find vacuum leaks. I decided to make my own from stuff I had lying around. I got an old steamed pudding pot, but any pot and lid will do. I then drilled two holes in the lid with a step drill. Use a long bolt to connect the base of the pot to the lid and tighten it so its airtight. I used some rtv here to be sure. Then I got some old hose and I connected it from one hole in the pot to the brake booster vacuum pipe. The vacuum pipe just pulls straight out of the brake booster on the e46. I got a second shorter piece of hose and connected it to the nozzle on my vacuum cleaner (I just used duct tape so no air would escape) and set the vacuum cleaner to the 'blow' function. Now we need to block the inlet on the engine so we get a proper airtight seal. I removed the airbox and maf and put a rubber glove over the inlet pipe wrapped with a rubber band. Then its just a case of dropping something inside the pot that will smoke, turning on the vacuum cleaner and putting the vacuum cleaner hose in the second hole of the pot. If you don't have a vacuum cleaner with a blow function you can just blow into the hose with your mouth. I tried many different things as a source for smoke, from tightly balled newspaper coated in citronella, to engine oil, to transmission oil. In the end the thing that worked best was incense sticks. I bought a whole box from the dairy for $1 (which was also the total cost of this project). Then just start looking for where the smoke escapes from. I found it easier to see with the pollen filter compartment removed (just 4 torx screws), but with real tough to find leaks you might want to take off a few more covers. This homemade smoke tester setup discovered the vacuum leaks on both my cars - neither of which I knew for sure had vacuum leaks. I hope this is useful for the community

You can buy just the bushings (5) and press out the old ones, and press in the new ones and save yourself some money.

I guess I'm the odd one out as I like the front. I wonder what it would look like with the grills painted black.

Get it properly scanned by someone with the proper gear and the knowledge - it will save you lots of money. Glenn at Botany Motor Worx is a forum sponsor and is recommended.

Just use a hammer, and the tie rod will drop out.

Blue Betty wouldnt have quite the same ring to it.

Have you tried putting a thermally controlled fan behind the tablet. Hook it to ignition so when you first start the car if the tablet is too hot the fan blasts it. Wouldn't matter if it was a really powerful loud fan as it wouldn't run for long.

I'm pretty sure that Haltech has something similar, but I dont think its able to run other apps like maps etc; http://www.haltech.com/haltech-dashes-data-logging/

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2067845-Show-us-your-switch-panels-and-gauge-clusters I just did a google image search. I'm surprised its not more common.

Like, a good looking version of this

I mean put a big screen in the dash in place of the analogue cluster. Come along to the next coffee and cars meet. I'd love to see your setup.

That interior pic is awesome

Is it black or very dark blue?

Yes an update vid would be good. I'd love to one day have a tablet for my dash connected to torque showing speed, revs, temps etc. And maybe with an external steering wheel button (like in your other diy) you could switch between screen views, so one would be stock with speed,revs and temps etc, then one with gps and speed, one with track data for track days etc, one with music and speeds. It would proboably have to be a big tablet though

Just saw this great mod. What is the sound quality like?

That is awesome. You are very talented.

The plot thickens. Sadly shill bidding is all too common on trademe.

What do you need?

I would still do a smoke test, and i would buy the little gaskets and seals that normally fail as they don't cost too much if you buy from overseas. Things to check and replace if dry or worn are; Disa gasket Intake elbow and the second intake hose that sits between the elbow and the engine Two small vacuum lines coming off the intake elbow - the little connector can get brittle and break. Oil dipstick o-ring Rubber plugs on back of intake Brake booster vacuum hose Secondary vacuum pump vacuum hose (not all cars have the secondary vacuum pump - a better option is to delete it and put a blanking plate over it) There are others that I've probably forgotten. I cant stress enough just how valuable a smoke test is. I'll take some pics in the weekend of my homemade jobby.

Just make sure you use the correct glue, and correct fabric for best results. I did the wifes car earlier this year and it came out great.