Turlough

I’m sorry Charlie I don’t know what else you could change but I’ll be very interested in learning what the final solution is. Good luck! Turlough

Thank you Ian, this is what the forum is about, sharing our knowledge and experiences. Well done on getting your Matrix sorted, it’s one of those components I think of with dread every time I put my heater on but hopefully ill never need to change it🤞 but if I do I know there’ll be support on the forum! Turlough

Hi Malachy i would concur with everything Gareth has said! Terry.

There should be a label in the boot possibly on under the carpet or in the spare wheel well. It should also be inside the front cover of its service book. hope this helps.

Hi Imran I have a 1997 80 cabriolet which has alloy trim around the wind screen and along the side and round the roof compartment, it was badly tarnished when I bought it and I tried everything to remove it including commercial tarnish remover, it didn’t work! I eventually tried a woodturners wax that contains a very minute amount of very fine grit in it, it worked wonders at removing the tarnish and brought the trim back almost like new. I applied it by wrapping a clean cloth round my index finger, picking up some wax and working it in small circular movements, leaving it for a few minutes then buffing it, not only did it remove 95% of the tarnish but also left a protective coat on the alloy to prevent it from tarnishing again. I have attached a pic of the wax i used, it should be available on EBay or you could try any of the woodturners supplies sites. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of hunting this brand down you could look for an alternative wax but just be careful of its abrasive content, the wax I used worked very well and you wouldn’t want to use an abrasive wax that would damage the finish. The wax I used is called “U Beaut” EEE-Ultra Shine. ‘Hope this helps! Turlough.

I take it you’re asking if you should order some paint in to do the repairs yourself. As with everything it’s your call and a lot depends on how perfect you want the paint work. If the work is carried out professionally you can rest assured a rust bubble or two won’t suddenly appear under the repairs in six months time, plus the work will come with a warranty. In my experience it’s very difficult to get a good professional finish on chip repairs carried out by an amateur. I also have a 1997 dark blue Cabriolet and where paint work repairs are concerned I’d prefer to use a specialist.

Correction! Sorry the cable tensions are not adjusted at the window carrier but where they go onto the pulleys. 👍

I have cross fitted them and have never had any problems, the very early regulators (91-93) may need tweaked a bit but nothing too complicated. They are basically the same item though the frame structure may differ slightly. Worse case scenario you can transfer the motor and cabling onto your own frame though I have never needed to do it. I’m on my fourth 80 cabriolet, and I changed regulators on three of them. Tip! When you install your replacement regulator check you have the cables tensioned reasonably taught but not like a guitar string, they adjust where they connect to the window carrier. Theres no magic wand here, everyday is a school day, take your time and before you dismantle anything take a photo for reference, go for it you’ll be fine!

There are plenty of Audi 80 Cabriolet’s being broken on Ebay.

Well done Greg! The hardest part of the heater matrix is stripping out the dash but once in there it should be straight forward, good luck and keep us posted👌

I see they recommend that “If in doubt, consult a specialist for advice.” I would do that before I buy anything not after! good luck!

Hi Dylan, The only thing that qualifies me in attempting to help you is that I have had many a head scratching session over electrical anomalies in classic Audi 80 Cabriolets. is there any noise coming from the rear left window? If there is it is possibly a broken steel cable or pulley in the windows mechanism, If you can’t hear a motor running then it could be the actual motor, a relay or a broken cable, it may also be the switch in the driver’s door. The windows master switch only operates in one direction, I think this could be the switch or one of the master switch relays, as far as I’m aware there is a master down relay and a master up relay. The first step would be to test the switch, then the relay, then the wiring. Sorry I can’t be more definitive, I’ve attached two diagrams that may be of some help. Turlough.

Gareth is spot on, either refurb it, or adapt it. Sorry I can’t be of more help but please do come back and tell us how your issue gets resolved. good luck! Turlough

That’s great information IHK 11, thanks a lot!

Hi Vinpetrol, I’m so sorry for not getting back to you I somehow missed your post.. I didn’t get around to changing the bulbs last year, but intend to change them in 2023. The above post from IHK 11 is very helpful in relation to changing bulbs. sorry again, Turlough

Thanks IHK 11 I never did get those bulbs changed before the winter came in but certainly intend changing them during this year. Thank you for the advice and insight! Turlough..

I agree with Steve Q, if it’s at all possible I’d keep it or pass it on to a friend or family member who you think would appreciate it and look after the car. The cars value is hard to estimate form one photo and limited information but I recently sold a silver 2000 2.6 v6 that had 85,000 miles on it for £3,500. it was in reasonable condition with a folder of receipts and MOT tests.

You’re very welcome thanks for coming back to let me know! T

Hi Sonny1 I am no expert on Cabriolet electric roofs but when I have had similar problems I usually keep trying different things and usually get the problem resolved. I would try to reset the roof by putting the roof down manually making sure the boot lid and the roof compartment cover are closed properly, turn the ignition off then on and try raising the roof electrically. Micro switches on the boot lid and the roof compartment cover latches play a big part in the smooth operation of the roof. hope this works for you! Turlough.

Hi Sonny1 would you like to say what the problems are.

My instinct tells me to test 1, the cigarette lighter itself for a short and 2, the unit the cigarette lighter goes into. Sounds as though there’s a short in one or the other.

Yes I was going to suggest Woolies, good fortune!

Thanks for that Steve Q, I’ll follow Gareth’s advice and use E5 when available.

Thanks for your wise words Gareth. As E10 is only now being seriously introduced here E5 is becoming more rare and my local stations all seem to have moved completely to E10. Petrol here can be cheaper by a couple of pence but is usually priced similar or slightly more in rural areas than Briton because of transport costs. Audi UK’s technical department have referred me to the government website but I have replied to them and refused to be fobbed off, it’ll be interesting to see what non committal reply they come back with. I’ll take your advice Gareth and use E10 when necessary but buy E5 when available. Thank you!

Somebody must have the answer! I live in N.Ireland and the dreaded E10 has just been rolled out here so I’ve asked the question from my local Audi agent, “can I run my 1997 2.8 Audi Cabriolet on E10 fuel?”. They weren’t sure and referred me to the government website which does mention a few Audi’s but not mine. I want someone to say that my specific car can run on E10, this is one of the problems of driving a class is car in that new rules and regulations tend to ignore older cars partly in the belief that they’ve all gone to that big garage in the sky by now. I then called Audi UK and had an interesting conversation with an android who eventually suggested I go to Audi.co.uk and have an online chat, I did this but because my Cabriolet is 25 years old it didn’t come up on their pre-scripted computer programme and so the query has now gone to their technical department who apparently wouldn’t answer their phone, I’m now awaiting an email that will hopefully answer the question. In the mean time is there anyone out there how knows the answer, Can I run my 1997 2.8 V6 Cabriolet on E10 petrol without causing damage to the engine? Thank you.