WHAT TO LOOK FOR
MAINTENANCE MATTERS
Look behind the offside corner of the front air dam, at the oil cooler and the unions on its pipes. These corrode, leading to oil leaks. If the engine runs badly or won’t start, check the boost gauge. A permanently high reading means the inlet manifold pressure sensor has packed up; replacements are £150 and fitment is easy enough. The cambelt should be replaced every 45,000 miles or five years, but it’s not an easy job, so is sometimes overlooked. Turbos have been known to fail: the telltale signs are poor performance and blue exhaust smoke.
CHECK THE GEARBOX OUT
The transmission is incredibly durable. The synchromesh wears eventually; and with a gearbox rebuild typically costing £1000, most owners live with it or fit a used gearbox for about £300, plus 10-12 hours’ labour to fit. Clutches typically last 150,000 miles, but will wear much quicker if abused, so check for slip. Make sure the pneumatically operated diff locks haven’t seized up; activate the switch in the centre console, then ensure the light on the dash has lit up to say they’re activated. If not, they’ll need freeing off and lubricating; an easy job.
SEE HOW IT HANDLES
The suspension bushes wear with the front and rear subframe bushes bearing the brunt, along with the wishbone bushes. By no means should this be a dealbreaker: a new polyurethane wishbone bush set is a modest £100 and it’s an easy job to swap them over. Abused 20v Quattros can suffer from a cracked rear subframe; replacements are £800. Vague steering and uneven tyre wear suggest the wheels are out of alignment; each corner can be adjusted for camber and toe in/ toe out. This should be attended to as a priority.
TOUGH TEUTONICS
The 2226cc 10-valve model gives the best balance of cost and reliability, but engines on all models are generally tough. Rebuilds are expensive and spares can be hard to find, so beware of project cars. However, a WR unit (the most troublesome of the three configurations of the five-cylinder engine) can go 150k miles before needing attention if it’s been looked after. When you get to inspect the car, listen out for ticking from the exhaust manifold as the engine warms up. This indicates a cracked manifold, with replacements unobtainable.
LOOK FOR SIGNS OF ROT
Rust isn’t too much of a problem, but it’s important on all quattros to check where the A-pillar meets the scuttle and inspect the sunroof panel for rot. Rust is likely to be the biggest issue on the earlier, pre-galvanised cars
– in addition to checking the metal around the windscreen, also inspect around the rear screen and boot floor. However, you’d have to be very unlucky to find anything particularly nasty. It’s also worth noting that, when checking underneath a 20v quattro, an abused example may be hiding a cracked rear subframe.
DO THE ELECTRICS WORK?
The most common problem with early cars is corroded connections. Tracing them can be a pain; check the fusebox, which can crack. Post-1983 cars with the digital dash are problematic when they go wrong. Check all the dash lights come on with the ignition and go off when the ignition is switched off. Don’t dismiss a non-functioning speedo or dashboard illumination as trivial. You could be looking at a £750-plus fix. New interior trim is extinct, so it’s definitely worth paying a premium for a car with a really good cabin.