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FCP Euro Service Kits

FCP Euro Kits

As a car enthusiast, theres nothing quite like the feeling right after you purchase a new-to-you car! After I purchased my high-mileage Audi A4 Avant, to be honest, I was feeling nervous that something was going to go wrong on it the second I was on my way home! In any case, there are a few things you can do to your car to begin building a good relationship and understanding of your vehicle.

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My New-to-me 04 Audi A4 Avant

 

Oil & Filter Change

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Even if the previous owner said he or she changed the oil the day before you took delivery of the car, change it. As enthusiasts, many of us have done Ph.D levels of research on what type of oil we like to run in our engines. It is a good idea to ask the previous owner what kind of oil and weight was used in the car during their ownership as it would not be wise to start using a drastically different viscosity or going from synthetic to conventional. I have had great success using Pentosin & Castrol oils in my Volvos whereas the previous owner liked Mobil 1, so, I decided to do an oil and filter change and I was a little more comfortable knowing my Audi was running a personally tried and trusted oil in it.

Doing an oil service will also allow you to watch the engine's oil consumption (if any) over a new mileage interval. I also recommend doing an oil analysis on your old oil when it is time to do a second change. An oil analysis can provide you with a comprehensive checkup on the internals of your engine based on certain ion concentrations as well as how your oil is performing. Blackstone Labs can do this service for you with their free sample kit.

 

open-uri20150219-24835-1axnizd314300Interior & Exterior Complete Detail

Chances are if you purchased your car second hand, the previous owner, if they were feeling generous, might take the car to the carwash for you and have the interior vacuumed. I recommend either taking your car to be detailed by someone professionally or you can budget a morning or afternoon and do it yourself. I like to do this because now I can start my normal car cleaning regimens with a clean car and not have to be surprised by cookie crumbs left by the previous owners kids wedged between the seats and just clean my new dirt!

 

Cabin Air Filter Replacement

One of the first things I do is replace the cabin air filters in my new to me cars. You might be surprised, but, many owners don't even know what they are and in many cases they are original and have never been serviced, as was the case with my Audi. Not only will changing the cabin air filter help to keep air toxins from entering your cabin through the HVAC system, but you may also notice an improvement in the smell of the interior air while the air conditioning is running. My A4 had a light musty smell when the A/C was running and post-cabin air filter replacement the smell was gone. You can cruise around comfortable knowing the air inside your car is being newly filtered. I recommend purchasing a charcoal  filter for your car if one is available.

 

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Read The Owners Manual & Purchase a Service Manual

Seriously! Reading your owners manual can help you learn about little helpful features you car has. It can also provide you with important information regarding fuel type and coolant/oil requirements. I spent about 45 min trying to figure out how to reset the trip computer in my Audi before I cracked open the owners manual and in less than a minute figured it out. Another things you could do is just one day sit in your car, in the driveway, with the ignition on and just play with things. See what certain buttons do, how things operate and how to change between different settings. Its much safer to learn how the defroster works sitting in your driveway than on a suddenly humid day while your on the highway. This is especially important on newer cars which are full of different tech and all have somewhat of a learning curve to them (think early BMW iDrive systems!).

For the DIYer, a good service manual is a must. There are a few different brands out there. I personally have the Haynes manual for my Volvo 850 and purchased the Bentley Publishers manual for my A4. Even though there are many online DIY guides, a service manual is a great supplement and has things such as torque specs and other useful information.

 

Drive it!

During your first few days of your new-to-you car ownership, drive your vehicle a lot! Many modern cars have electronic throttles as well as TCM (Transmission Control Modules) which "learn" and adapt to a certain driving style. Chances are, you and the previous owner drive differently and the car needs to get use to this. So you may notice things like your gearbox "hunting" for the right gear.

Furthermore, you want to know what is "normal" for the car so you can start to judge when something is going wrong. Does the A/C get cold slowly on a hot day? Does the car idle at 1200rpm and then drop to 800 at start up? Do the brakes squeak a little when cold? Questions like these can be answered from simply driving a new car repeatedly until you can establish what is normal. You also get a chance to find out any of your car's quirks. Perhaps your rear door takes a little extra force to shut or the power mirrors take a few tries to get them to move. There are things that are not quite right, but they're something you'll just live with.

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I suppose that describes European cars in general: "There are things that are not quite right, but they're something you'll just live with" :)

 

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Written by :
Noah Jenkins

Noah Jenkins is attending the University of Connecticut studying Electrical Engineering. He’s been around Volvos since birth. His knowledge and interest in European vehicles expands to Audi, BMW and Land Rover as well. He currently drives and maintains a 2004 Audi A4 Avant and a 1996 Volvo 850


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