New member & some advice needed on buying a a3 please

[BrummieMatt]

Hi Boyz & Gals

if pos could any of you A3 enthusiasts .give me some advice on buying a A3, im looking at buying a A3 2015 2.0ltr tdi , 7 speed auto, looks mint and i have done a carverticle check and it came back ok, with no major issues, everything appeared to look

good, it did have a reg change at some point, but all servicing as been done with audi .

just wanted to find out if there was some common issues with this model and if there's something i should look out for?

i really do appreciated any help or advice, and hopefully i will be a new owner of a A3 soon.

Big Thanks Matty

[Steve Q]

Welcome to the forum you'll find the members on here are a friendly and helpful bunch 🙂 

Check service history for proof of a cambelt and water pump change and a gearbox oil change. The latter can start playing up with changing gears if the oil has deteriorated. 

In addition make sure all electrical items work as some parts can be expensive such as air conditioning compressors.

Make sure heater works on all settings and is consistent temp and flow from all vents. Because if it isn't could be a sign or blocked heater Matrix and this isn't a cheap job. 

Check carpets and boot for any damp or water ingress both of which can be time consuming to trace. 

Also check buyers guides on YouTube. 

[cliffcoggin]

2 hours ago, BrummieMatt said:

 a carverticle check

What's that?

[BrummieMatt]

hi cliffcoggin

carverticle is a vehicle checking site, it looks at thing like if its been in a accident , any damage, car finance outstanding, looks at all mot's etc etc

[BrummieMatt]

48 minutes ago, Steve Q said:

Welcome to the forum you'll find the members on here are a friendly and helpful bunch 🙂 

Check service history for proof of a cambelt and water pump change and a gearbox oil change. The latter can start playing up with changing gears if the oil has deteriorated. 

In addition make sure all electrical items work as some parts can be expensive such as air conditioning compressors.

Make sure heater works on all settings and is consistent temp and flow from all vents. Because if it isn't could be a sign or blocked heater Matrix and this isn't a cheap job. 

Check carpets and boot for any damp or water ingress both of which can be time consuming to trace. 

Also check buyers guides on YouTube. 

thank you steve , can i ask, do you know much about a 2018 a3 1.5 tfsi petrol manual , to be honest i don't know a lot about audi's and looking at getting one for my ex partner. the choice so far is between to 2015 2.0ltr tdi automatic or the 2018 1.5 tfsi sportback petrol.

i did hear there was some concerns for the tfsi and you need to be careful about gearbox and clutch ( dry clutch ) 

[Steve Q]

Do t forget for diesels you can have issues with dpf, egr and turbo. Service history is key. 

I think the decision needs to be made whether to have petrol or diesel and this will depend on the amount of miles each year, type of miles is town, motorway etc. diesels are better for longer commutes and lots of short journeys is what can block up the dpf with soot. 

[cliffcoggin]

2 hours ago, BrummieMatt said:

carverticle is a vehicle checking site,

Thank you. I hadn't heard of that one.

[BrummieMatt]

56 minutes ago, cliffcoggin said:

Thank you. I hadn't heard of that one.

hi cliffcoggin, its a good place to find out about cars your buying, its a little pricey, i just paid £30 for two checks to be done, the reports are very detailed and give you some good details about the car history, so i guess £15 is a small price to pay to find out if its ever been in a accident or or reported stolen, it also looks into milage history.

i found out about car vertical from a youtube channel i watch pretty often ( Matt armstrong ) he basically buys damaged cars and completely repairs them back to perfection 

[BrummieMatt]

1 hour ago, Steve Q said:

Do t forget for diesels you can have issues with dpf, egr and turbo. Service history is key. 

I think the decision needs to be made whether to have petrol or diesel and this will depend on the amount of miles each year, type of miles is town, motorway etc. diesels are better for longer commutes and lots of short journeys is what can block up the dpf with soot. 

Thank you steve Q

to be honest my ex partner does like the black 2018 1.5 ftsi A3, its low milage and its a petrol, i was a bit concerned as i watch a video on youtube and some guy said to be careful of the ftsi ones as some models have a dry clutch system and you get issues with them, where as the other system is a wet clutch system and there better.

i personally like the grey 2015 2.0ltr tdi A3 sline, 60000 miles on the clock but it looks fantastic condition and the carverticle report came back positive, well it did on both cars

[Steve Q]

You're welcome. I think the 1.4 petrols have more problems I believe. 

[BrummieMatt]

thanks steveQ

we have gone for the 2018 a3 1.5ltr tfsi sportback

thank you for your help, much appreciated

matt 👍