Slight wear on fabric of 2013 A5 Cab (potential purchase)

[ferg01]

Hi there,

I currently own an A4 Cab that doesn't suffer from this problem so I don't have a sense of how serious it is (or not as the case may be). I'd be grateful for any views from forum members with experience of the fabric roof on the A5. 

The model I'm looking at is an A5 S-Line 2L TDI. The fabric on the roof is frayed ever so slightly where it folds on the way down (on both sides just above the rear window corner). This fraying was evident on 3 models of similar vintage that I viewed today. There was also some evidence of mildew on the roof of my preferred car. I usually just clean this with Milton on my current car...I think that's a minor annoyance but should the fraying of the fabric be a red flag at this stage? Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures that show up the issue I'm describing above. 

As an aside, I also believe that this model has a timing belt as opposed to a chain. The car has 46,000 miles and is a 2013 car. I presume the general advice here would be to make sure the belt gets done before sale if it hasn't already been done?

Thanks in advance for any responses. 

[Magnet]

Hello Fergal,

I think your experience with the fabric roofs is probably indicative of the general wear pattern - i.e. a fact of life, but at least you will now be in position to judge and compare the degree of wear.

Re. Cambelt - your proposal to ensure it gets done before sale is exactly where I would not want to be, and I think you are on a road to an increased risk if you follow that path. If you consider that the seller/ dealer will agree to renewing it, then it’s realistic to believe they will go for the cheapest option in terms of parts for this critical application - despite what assurances they may make. Compare it with saying you want a new pair of trainers as part of the deal - ‘yes, of course’ , but they supply you with the cheapest pair they can find at the local market! Ok in that case, since you can see what you are having, but in the case of the cambelt assembly, it will be all unseen. 

My stance would be to cost the job at a local trusted independent, using genuine VAG parts - particularly the water pump. Take that costing forward to the seller, but I would not be realistically expecting them to meet the cost in full, since it can be considered as betterment. The seller, may still advise they do it, and confirm they only use OEM parts, but OEM can hide a multitude of sins. That option would not be for me. 

Not sure if this helps,

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[ferg01]

Hi Gareth,

Thanks for this. This is a very helpful update. I think, after further thought, that I'm going to stay away from this particular model and wait for something a bit better. 

Good point on the timing belt, in the past I've had the seller do this work pre-sale and ended up regretting doing so after the fact on one occasion. 

Once CV19 dies down, I'll start to look for UK models as there tends to be much more choice there than in Ireland. 

Have a good weekend.