Is buying a 100k mile audi a bad idea?

[kerryxeg]

Mandy's A4 has a rusting & bubbling front wing - we bought the car 2nd or 3rd though so don't have any warranty paperwork - is it still worth a go?

If you can see it then by Audi's definition it's probably too late ie they can tell what started it. Referring to an Audi forum and common fault might be a good approach. The one arguement that might work is if it has been regularly serviced with Audi. Each service includes an annual inspection which is part of the paint warrantee requirement. It's always worth asking, and don't give in too easily.

[greido]

I bought a 4 year old 1.9TDi A4 Avant at auction 5 years ago and kept it for 18 months and it never missed a beat, it was a one owner car with FASH anf had covered 111,000 miles when I bought it and 125,000 when I sold it.
In the time I had it I had it serviced, replaced 2 tyres and had new front brake pads fitted, apart from that it was cheap motoring, 99% of the miles I covered in the car were on the M8 and I averaged around 45mpg.
If I needed something to cruise up and down a motorway I wouldn't hesitate to get another Audi but I have heard a few stories elsewhere about the 2.0TDi engines having a few issues.

[ClarkyBoy]

I'm with the above, 1.9 tdi's are pretty bomb proof,

however.... avoid the 2.0 tdi at all cost, especially those made 2005-2006 with BLB and BKP engine codes,

trust me on this one, great engine until around 70k, from then on in you are looking at variable vain/nozzle turbo failures, egr valve failures, injector problems, OIL PUMP balance shaft SHEARING, head gasket issues and many other things,

i have witnessed more failures on the 2.0 tdi than you would imagine!

however, if you are looking at bmw's similar your going to have a similar range of issues, with the addition of swirl flap problems.

give me a call if you need any further info.

HTH pal.

[BigD]

I'm with the above, 1.9 tdi's are pretty bomb proof,

however.... avoid the 2.0 tdi at all cost, especially those made 2005-2006 with BLB and BKP engine codes,

trust me on this one, great engine until around 70k, from then on in you are looking at variable vain/nozzle turbo failures, egr valve failures, injector problems, OIL PUMP balance shaft SHEARING, head gasket issues and many other things,

i have witnessed more failures on the 2.0 tdi than you would imagine!

HTH pal.

Hey, leave my 2006 2.0tdi engine out of this, it's at 120k miles now and the last thing I need is any of the above issues. It did have the common oil pump bearing issue (at 90k) but thankfully it didn't damage it too much and was relatively easily fixed. Injectors have just been replaced as a recall at no cost even though well out of warranty. Hopefully she'll last till 200k.

[graeme]

however, if you are looking at bmw's similar your going to have a similar range of issues, with the addition of swirl flap problems.

Aye, used BMW is not the way to go I've discovered. Opted for a E60 530d instead of a 3.0tdi A6 because the ride is better and the tax band is £260 vs £445. It's a total shed. Don't know if I've just been unlucky, but the forums are full of all the same issues I'm having...

Swirl flaps are an easy diy issue though... whip 'em out before they fail.

[ClarkyBoy]

I'm with the above, 1.9 tdi's are pretty bomb proof,

however.... avoid the 2.0 tdi at all cost, especially those made 2005-2006 with BLB and BKP engine codes,

trust me on this one, great engine until around 70k, from then on in you are looking at variable vain/nozzle turbo failures, egr valve failures, injector problems, OIL PUMP balance shaft SHEARING, head gasket issues and many other things,

i have witnessed more failures on the 2.0 tdi than you would imagine!

HTH pal.

Hey, leave my 2006 2.0tdi engine out of this, it's at 120k miles now and the last thing I need is any of the above issues. It did have the common oil pump bearing issue (at 90k) but thankfully it didn't damage it too much and was relatively easily fixed. Injectors have just been replaced as a recall at no cost even though well out of warranty. Hopefully she'll last till 200k.

That's really good mate, I had heard that some a6 models were recalled for injector issues even though... The a4 models with the same engine codes were refused repair! Which baffles me.

But sounds like you have got a good one there, and I'm sure there are plenty of good ones out there, it's just that I have seen a fair amount of bad ones!

I would keep an eye on the egr valve tho if you ever get any notable smoking, rough idle or intermittent throttle lag. The egr has a poor design on the internal butterfly valve, it's actually say an the spindle doesnt go all the way through, causing strain when gas flows through at pressure, it can crack the cast, which usually is no big deal, but worst case is te inlet sucking it in - genuinely not a regular thing tho