Advice and Help buying

[Christian]

Hi all,

It's nearly time for me to say goodbye to an old friend namely my vectra that I've had for 9 years! And I am now set on buying an A6 2.0 TDI SE. There are a lot of questions I would like to ask and I guess the first is are there any questions I should be asking when buying a car with around 80k on the clock and any issues I should be particularly wary of?

 

Thanks in advance for you replies guys.👍🏻

 

 

 

 

[Steve Q]

Welcome to the forum Christian :) 

Is it a 2005 model a6 your after? 

I would check the service history to see when the cambelt/water pump was last changed. 

Also make sure that the aircon works properly as it can be costly to fix if the pump or condenser has gone (approx £1000). 

Again make sure all electronic items work such as windows as they too can be expensive to fix. 

Make sure the car changes gear properly and there's no untoward crunching and the clutch feels fine. (not high or stiff) check service history to see if it has been changed previously. 

Listen out for any whines from the turbo as they too can be costly to fix (approx £1000).

hope iv helped :) 

cheers

steve 

 

 

[Christian]

That's great that thanks Steve, yeah the cars I'm looking at are on 05/55 and 06 plates, varied between the 2.0 SE 2.7 and 3.0 SE. I'm sadly no mechanic and wondered is it worth trying to get an old hand or even an AA vehicle check to check those things out and - is there somewhere I can track down such a person (who has specific knowledge regarding the A6) if the cam belt and water pump haven't been done - what kind of cost would that involve to be fixed? Taking that into price negotiation could be key.

Thank you again

Chris

[Christian]

PS sorry it's the auto that I am looking at 👀

[Steve Q]

Your most welcome Chris :)

If it were me I'd go for the 3.0tdi but obviously there are varying opinions on both engines.

A vehicle check is a very good idea and the AA, RAC and independent companies offer this service. I think with some companies there are limits in terms of the age of vehicle. I.E if the vehicle is too old or has too high miles they wont come and inspect it. But its worth mentioning to any seller that you would like to have the vehicle inspected by a specialist, as the sellers reaction will give you a good idea on the vehicles condition. If they are reluctant or refuse then Id suggest to walk away. Remember there are plenty of audi a6's to choose from!

I would speak to the AA and RAC first as I don't know off hand any audi inspectors if that makes sense. I would try google or even the yellow pages for VAG specalists in your area as I'm sure they can put you in touch with someone.

I would say for a cambelt/waterpump replacement you'll be looking anywhere from £400-£600.

Oh and I would try and get a car with full service history. (Sorry if I'm telling you how to suck eggs!)

Truthfully I'm not to knowledgeable about the auto gearboxes from this era of audis but as a general rule with auto gearboxes make sure that the gear changes aren't jerky and if the car has paddles on the steering wheel make sure they change the gears smoothly. Also on test drive  flick the car to manual mode to make sure the car is changing gears properly then as well.

Glad I've been useful :)

Cheers

Steve

[Christian]

Yeah that's a massive help thanks, whilst the car won't be the most expensive, I wanted to make sure I'm "tooled up" with as much knowledge as I can to try and make the right buy. Thanks for your help 

Nice One 👍🏻

Chris

[Steve Q]

your welcome :) glad I could help :) 

cheers

steve

 

 

[niedzial1983]

 Defo not to buy is multitronic gearbox, lots of issues and costly oil changes, best to have manual or tip tronic 

What you what to have is 

Mmi 2g with colour screen as minimum 

Sline versions are nice, le mans even nicer

I have 2006 v6 3.0tdi quattro tiptronic le mans and im mega happy 

[asharb123]

Hi,

Like Christian, I am also looking for an A6 around the 06/56 plate and an auto. But  I am looking for a petrol. I've seen a 2.4 is there anything to know about the petrol engines and what to look out for. How reliable are they. 

How reliable are the CVT gearboxes. I had a Mercedes W211 E class  preface lift and the car caused me few issues. 

Thanks

Ash

[Steve Q]

15 hours ago, asharb123 said:

Hi,

Like Christian, I am also looking for an A6 around the 06/56 plate and an auto. But  I am looking for a petrol. I've seen a 2.4 is there anything to know about the petrol engines and what to look out for. How reliable are they. 

How reliable are the CVT gearboxes. I had a Mercedes W211 E class  preface lift and the car caused me few issues. 

Thanks

Ash

Hi Ash, welcome to the forum :) 

i do believe the cvt gearbox do have issues in the Audis and I believe they're best avoided. 

[Christian]

Apologies for sounding the complete novice, but basically I am!! Which models do you folks recommend then? I'm quite nervous about buying a slightly old car in general but the last thing I want is thousands of pounds in costs as soon as I buy 😬 Again my search criteria is between 2004 and 2008 and want an automatic (now without a CVT gearbox). Thank you once more in advance 👍🏻

[Dan3222]

First you need to decide saloon or estate. Then basics for inside. Do you want leather for example? Do you want Quattro? It seems clear you want a derv, either 2.0, 2.7 or 3.0.

All engines are great powerhouses. 2.0's do have a cam belt so check it's been done and when it's due. I have the 2.7 V6. Similar power to the 2.0 but it has a lazier effortless feel to it. The 2.0 is definately more economical one though. I have been lead to beleave though that my 2.7 and some 3.0's have a timing chains. Would personally like it to have that confirmed though.

Personnaly I think you need to open up your mileage expectations though. Average on a 10 year old car is 120k. 

 

[asharb123]

I am looking for a petrol and a saloon. I do not do enough mileage to warrant having a diesel. I want leather. I do not do alot of miles and when I do drive I want something comfortable. Not sure about quattro, probably not as it is another thing that could go wrong and impact on fuel consumption. I spoke to an Audi Specialist who said that the CVT was not that much of an issue as long as it had been serviced on time and correctly.  I would like a 2.0 TFSI but there are not many around.

Like Christain, "the last thing I want is thousands of pounds in costs as soon as I buy".

[AudiA62Noob]

On 2017-6-4 at 11:12 PM, asharb123 said:

I am looking for a petrol and a saloon. I do not do enough mileage to warrant having a diesel. I want leather. I do not do alot of miles and when I do drive I want something comfortable. Not sure about quattro, probably not as it is another thing that could go wrong and impact on fuel consumption. I spoke to an Audi Specialist who said that the CVT was not that much of an issue as long as it had been serviced on time and correctly.  I would like a 2.0 TFSI but there are not many around.

Like Christain, "the last thing I want is thousands of pounds in costs as soon as I buy".

I've just been through this and bought a 2.0l TFSI petrol, manual A6 with leather.  It's a 2010 with 62,000 miles on the clock.  A couple of things about it are that firstly, I 'fall in love' with cars.  It's ridiculous, I know, but that's how it is and this is a car I really wanted to buy.

I only have one recommendation which is unlike some other manufacturers, if they have a FASH, you can call Audi customer services to find out the entirety of the service history which is exactly what I did.  The vehicle I bought only had one service from a non-Audi dealer and Audi gave me a complete list of everything that had been done to it.  This included a cambelt change which was interesting as this was not included in the paperwork!

Finally, if you come across a 2.0l petrol, TFSI, 2008 - 2010 model, they are almost the same price as a, for example, 2006 model.  What's the catch?  Well, there is a risk because at the time, Audi had very expensive issues with the piston rings on this type of engine.  However, I called Audi and asked them directly if any of the A6s were affected and they claimed only the A4s, A5s and Q5s were affected.  My local dealer also told me this was the case but I found one BPJ-prefixed engine which was and it is still a risk that in a few months, I will have a big bill.  I'm prepared to take that risk because of the price but it's something to watch for. 

[Christian]

On 4 June 2017 at 4:12 PM, Dan3222 said:

First you need to decide saloon or estate. Then basics for inside. Do you want leather for example? Do you want Quattro? It seems clear you want a derv, either 2.0, 2.7 or 3.0.

All engines are great powerhouses. 2.0's do have a cam belt so check it's been done and when it's due. I have the 2.7 V6. Similar power to the 2.0 but it has a lazier effortless feel to it. The 2.0 is definately more economical one though. I have been lead to beleave though that my 2.7 and some 3.0's have a timing chains. Would personally like it to have that confirmed though.

Personnaly I think you need to open up your mileage expectations though. Average on a 10 year old car is 120k. 

 

Yeah the saloon is definately the car that i am drawn to. The 2.7 and 3.0 Le Mans in particular are something I've looked at quite a bit . A 2007 / 2008  model with around 120,000 miles on it is knocking on the door of £5k (dealers), and with a decent history it seems that's the going rate. Think I would definitely be making enquiries regarding replacement the oil pump and its service history, and I'm also pretty sure I'll be taking out warranty insurance on the car to "belt and brace" myself for any serious mechanical issues. If I can get 3-5 good hassle free motoring yearsv out of the car I would be happy. Your help on this topic has been great so far folks and the more you can educate me the better. Having been involved in this conversation has already given me more confidence to take my first step towards the Audi owning community.

[Dan3222]

On 04/06/2017 at 11:12 PM, asharb123 said:

I am looking for a petrol and a saloon. I do not do enough mileage to warrant having a diesel. I want leather. I do not do alot of miles and when I do drive I want something comfortable. Not sure about quattro, probably not as it is another thing that could go wrong and impact on fuel consumption. I spoke to an Audi Specialist who said that the CVT was not that much of an issue as long as it had been serviced on time and correctly.  I would like a 2.0 TFSI but there are not many around.

Like Christain, "the last thing I want is thousands of pounds in costs as soon as I buy".

The 2.0 TFSI is an amazing engine. I had one for 3 days as a courtesy car, A4 Quattro, I didn't want to hand it back (about 5 years ago).

It is always going to be pot luck whether a car you get will go wrong. I would definately use a reg checking app like TotalCarCheck. It gives all previous MOT info including advisories so you can check if these have been done.

Without doubt these are well engineered cars. Just be picky, look for a well looked after car. Then keep your fingers crossed.

Good luck though.

Dan

[Dan3222]

On 07/06/2017 at 9:09 PM, Christian said:

Yeah the saloon is definately the car that i am drawn to. The 2.7 and 3.0 Le Mans in particular are something I've looked at quite a bit . A 2007 / 2008  model with around 120,000 miles on it is knocking on the door of £5k (dealers), and with a decent history it seems that's the going rate. Think I would definitely be making enquiries regarding replacement the oil pump and its service history, and I'm also pretty sure I'll be taking out warranty insurance on the car to "belt and brace" myself for any serious mechanical issues. If I can get 3-5 good hassle free motoring yearsv out of the car I would be happy. Your help on this topic has been great so far folks and the more you can educate me the better. Having been involved in this conversation has already given me more confidence to take my first step towards the Audi owning community.

There are bargains out there. I paid 3.5k for a saloon 163k miles 2.7 06 plate s-line. 2.7 derv. It ticked every box for me. Just don't buy the first one you see unless it is exactly what you want. (Sucking eggs?)

be careful with a warranty though, there is so much small print. I had one on my T5, autogear box broke but the warranty said that the vehicle did not meet the criteria for a payout. They where happy to take my money to cover it though!!! Daylight robbery.

Many people over look tyres when buying a car. Don't forget if it needs tyres they will be at least £100 a corner for only half decent brands. Mine needed 3 tyres so was a good bargaining tool!!

Final thing to say, if you do have a 5k budget, may well be worth paying for an AA inspection or such like. £60 or so well worth spent. Even just to get the ECU read for potential sensor issues etc.

Again, good luck.

Dan

[Christian]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/352103807206  I can get this for just under 3k ? 

[Dan3222]

Looks like u either bought it or someone else did?

[Christian]

I know just looked at that myself, messaged him last night regarding it so not sure what's happened there!!

[Christian]

Having found a number of cars matching the specifications I'm chasing, I've read a lot regarding the inlet manifold swirl flap, and the problems it can cause. Also saw that there are apparently cheap fixes to it. Could anyone confirm any of the abov information and also a guesstimate of the price for preemptively fixing it please?