Audi A4, S4

since 2000 release

Repair and operation of the car

Acquisition of spare parts

The important role at repair work is played by use of the spare parts and quality expendables intended for your car.

In general spare parts can be subdivided into two big groups:

Original spare parts

These spare parts extend through official representatives of producers of cars. They always have original packing and marking of the producer of the car. Quality conforms to all requirements and is guaranteed by the producer of the car. The official representative of the producer of the car has in assortment all spare parts for this car. If any detail is absent in a warehouse of the representative, it in short terms is delivered from the central warehouse.

Stereotyped spare parts

Definition "stereotyped" tells nothing about quality of spare parts. It means that they are on sale not in packing of the producer of the car and extend not through the official representatives trading in cars. The main frame of this group is made by known firms the producers of spare parts delivering to a detail on assembly conveyors of car makers. As their equipment and technologies allow to make spare parts and for cars of many other producers, they let out details not only for the assembly conveyor any one or several autocollectors, but also for sale in the free market. These details have packing and marking of the producer of the spare part. Quality does not concede to original spare parts, and the prices can be incomparable below, than at original the Range is a little more modest, than at original spare parts. The program includes the most running and the details which are in the greatest demand.

Wholesale western merchants spare parts and collectors of cars use own packing, buying the big range of stereotyped spare parts in large lots directly from producers and selling them under own trademark.

Information on interchangeability and the primary source of the made details can be found in the TechDoc program.

Stereotyped spare parts, as a rule, extend through free shops of spare parts, free automobile repair shops and service stations.

The special attention should be paid to quality of the acquired spare parts. It is necessary to avoid purchase of very cheap spare parts (in comparison with original and stereotyped known firms) as often they do not meet standards of quality and safety. If the decorative molding of poor quality negatively influences only appearance of the car, installation of low-quality brake shoes or an oil filter can become threat for safety of passengers or cause huge damage to the engine so costs of repair many times over will exceed the sum saved upon purchase of the cheap spare part. Therefore it is necessary to use or services of official representatives (original parts), or well proved sellers of stereotyped spare parts.

There is also a possibility of acquisition of the restored details, thus you return an old detail. It first of all belongs to difficult, expensive details, such as the engine, the generator, a starter, etc. Such opportunity is offered sometimes by both official representatives, and free sellers of spare parts.

It also saves some part of your means, in most cases quite significantly. Thus the firm selling the restored unit gives on it almost same guarantee, as well as on the new.

Identification of spare parts

The producer of cars constantly improves the production, constantly making to a design changes. Can happen so that within one series and one option of execution of the car some knots and units can differ slightly from each other, and the spare part from one, for example, earlier option will not be suitable for another. Therefore at acquisition of spare parts it is very important to provide to the seller the fullest information on the car. The more exact data on the car, you will provide, the probability of a mistake is less.

Besides a standard data set, including year of release, body type, option of execution of a body, number of the chassis (number VIN), number of the engine, etc., the seller can be interested in the following data:

If for any reason the documents reflecting these data no, it is recommended to consult about it at experts, for example, having stopped by at the firm center.

Sometimes, buying this or that spare part, happens it is very useful to take with itself the old detail which is subject to replacement for comparison.