Ok people, I just replaced the starter motor on my 2008 Audi A4, 2.0T, Avant quattro and thought I’d share some real-world notes that should be useful for any home mechanics doing this job. I found conflicting information about getting the starter out of the car, a couple of which said that you have to undo part of the exhaust and remove a motor mount. Baloney. Just remove the heat shield above the passenger side axle to give yourself access to the starter. The starter will come right out from the bottom of the car.
1. Disconnect the battery then jack the front of the car up and remove the splash shield(s).
2. Remove the heat shield just above the passenger side axle, 3 allen-head bolts.
3. You'll need to remove the starter first so that you'll have enough room to get the electrical connector off. So first remove the two bolts holding the starter to the bellhousing. You’ll need an allen socket on a long extension for the one facing forward and that you can easily see from below. The other one is a very long bolt that you can actually reach when lying directly underneath the starter. You won’t be able to see it but I was able to find it and get my 3/8” ratchet with a short socket on it to remove it.
4. Remove the electrical connections on the back of the starter. 10mm socket, 13mm socket, a right angle pick tool and inspection mirror are what you’ll need. To remove the pain-in-the-ass black electrical plug, get an inspection mirror and a small right-angle pick tool. Using the mirror find the small orange locking tab on the plug and slide it up and into the open position. While simultaneously pushing the plug towards the connector press in on the inner most part of the orange locking tab at the back end of the connecter, THEN try to pull the plug away from the connector. If you know a better way to remove these diabolical plugs I’d love to hear it.
That’s basically it. Once you have the mounting bolts and electrical connections off you should be able to easily slide the starter out from below. Installation, as they say, is the reverse of removal.
One note, while trying to put the black electrical plug back onto the new starter I noticed that the little metal pin on my starter was slightly off center and wouldn’t allow the plug to go back on properly. Check to make sure your little pin is straight, always good advice, and the plug should slide right back on with a click.
BTW: I bought the new starter for $51 from discountstarterandalternator.com and it's been working perfectly.
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