A7 advice

[Artiglio]

Good day all.

I currently drive an A6 2003 1.9 tdi, a ltd edition run out model, bought it at 97k and now has 227k and shows no sign of giving up, but still having original clutch,turbo,exhaust,dpf,egr and due a belt change at 240k , plus an urge for something nicer , its time to go.

Would ideally like an A7, its a vehicle i’d intend keeping long term , currently I do 15-20k a year.  Split 70/30 in favour of long runs . I’ve driven a few and for my needs the 204ps stronic seems ideal, though certainly not adverse to a bit more power.

seems to be plenty of choice out there, I don’t need a pristine example ( the car is to be used not pampered, but that does not mean abused) plenty of opinions on gearboxes , egr, dpf on line. Seen a few 2012-2014 examples i like. Which vary from 15k private to 25k main dealer. 

Given you can check mot history for mileage am i better off going for a vehicle that has covered 15k a year over one that has done 5k in its mot history? This in respect to dpf,egr.

On the stronic it seems the gearbox services are pretty crucial, yet most cars out of main dealer network have missed them and even some main dealer cars have not had them , though when queried each dealer has said they’ll do it before collection and give written assurance it won’t affect their or additional warranty (should i choose to purchase an extension)

Effectively I’m looking at 26k ish from a dealer with 3 year warranty for a 2014 or around 15k for a private deal on a 2012. Which leaves a big chunk (and no need for finance) to deal with a few issues. 

Which way would you go with real world experience and am i expecting too much for the car to go on to around 200k?

[Steve Q]

Welcome to the forum Phil, you'll find the members on here are a friendly and helpful bunch :) 

Sorry for the delayed reply. 

Good choice of upgrade, as I do love the a7 :) however the a6 c5 is a beautiful car. Not that I'm biased in any way! 😀 Oh and my 2.5 tdi is on 328k on.the original engine and gearbox.

The first good thing is that you've set a good budget to start with, which will offer you a wide variety. It's worth seeking an a7 in S line spec or black edition spec as these versions have nicer interiors and wheels. S line usually is lowered slightly from the entry spec version. 

As with any car check the service history and ideally this should be full. If you're looking at a 2012 model check to see if the cambelt and water pump have been changed as these are due at around 5 years I believe. Most likely the cars you'll be looking at will be automatic and just make sure that the gears change smoothly both in auto and in manual. Make sure that the gearbox oil has been changed with accordance with the service intervals. 

Also, check to make sure all electronic items work as they can be expensive to fix if they go wrong. Furthermore try and check to see if the vehicle you are looking at has had to have the emission recall (ea189 -emissions scandal). If the vehicle you are looking at has recently had the recall carried out within 4 weeks or so of going on sale then you have to ask why. There have been various cases of failed egr's and dpf's as well as reduced fuel economy etc. All of this is being disputed by Vag. We have a whole section on it here: 

One issue other members have found with a7 is to do with tyres. Those a7 fitted with Dunlop tyres have found they have split on the inner sidewall. Dunlop are disputing any issues but we have 3 cases on here already. The cause of this is yet unknown. Here's the thread: 

In connection with this, if you are looking at an a7 with Quattro make sure that the system works correctly as it can be sensitive and can break by things such as uneven Tyre wear. So make sure on a quattro car that all tyres are worn evenly. The same make of Tyre should be fitted on the same axle also. 

I've also found this review on YouTube which may be useful: 

 

In my personal opinion I'd keep the a6 and run it untill it dies. I say this as yours seems to have no major issues.

Hope I've helped :) 

Cheers

Steve

[Magnet]

Hello Phil,

Effectively you are looking at very (very?) low annual mileage vehicle here in your quest - 26k for a 4 year old from a dealer equates to just over 6K/a, or 15k on a 6 year old ( 2.5K/a) if a private seller. You might be 'lucky' and find some, but it might be worth bearing in mind that if you had owned these cars from new, then the vehicle you would be looking at would have covered at least 60k at 4 years old. 

Low mileage is fine, but will almost invariably have been used on short trips where the engine is seldom up to temterature, and will have been subjected to a high percentage of its use during its maximum wear periods - many more gear changes than average, etc.etc. 

 So, good question - is a 4 year old 26K car any better than it would have been if you had owned it and covered 60k in it in the same time ? Subject of course to the vehicles having been servived as necessary. 

Apologies for this somewhat negative reply, but it might just assist in consentrating the mind. Don't think this is going to help you, but I have a good pal who has spent his 60 years plus motoring only buying low mileage cars - as I call it 'buying speedometers' . Some have been nice, others not very nice. Many of them been free from the normal things that go wrong with average mileage cars? No, I don't think so. 

Good luck with your quest.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[Artiglio]

Good day gents

thanks for the replies, no purchase yet, looked at a few and made offers on two up for private sale. From this and other forums i’m no longer too worried about the s-tronic so long as its had the oil changes and drives well. However the whole dpf issue seems to be a total minefield, whilst i can understand that its really only negative experiences that appear on line, the uncertainty of what you’re buying gives concern. 

If i were buying new i’d not be concerned , fairly confident my driving would get good performance from the dpf, but in the secondhand market there are just too many variables, so a few questions if you don’t mind.

what real world experiences in terms of mileage and replacement costs have been experienced by those with the 3.0 tdi dpf?

i’ve read online that vcds can estimate soot/ash load in a dpf , this sounds good but do these figures actually mean anything in real life?

of the cars i’ve looked at the 204/215 bhp with front wheel drive seem for me a good option, however they are few and far between and truly base spec, did see a 204 quattro with tech and comfort pack which was visually a very nice car, sensible mileage for first owner but second had only done 5k a year , which raised the dpf issue. Plus the last service was outside the audi network ( though still fsh). I made an offer based on needing to spend 2k on it in near future, it was rejected but car is still for sale.

given the depreciation on an a7 , putting aside money for my current a6 does not seem so daft, though it is getting a bit tired and once i start sorting stuff out could easily throw substantial sums at it to have a major failure only days later. It still does an average of 43mpg overall and 48 on a sensible motorway run.

any further views and opinions would be appreciated.

 

atb phil

[Steve Q]

Glad we could help Phil :) 

You are being wise not to rush a big decision like this. 

As long as you do a motorway run once a week then you'll be fine and not have to worry about the dpf. The dpf clogs with soot because the engine and exhaust doesn't get hot enough to burn it off the filter. For example I do 500 miles per week and have a diesel and have no issues. My driving is a mixture of motorway, country roads and town driving but the large mixture doesn't present an issue. 

However, if you did 20 miles to work and back then this would not be enough to keep the dpf clear as the engine won't get hot enough. 

If the dpf had to be replaced you'd be looking around £1000-£1500 approx to replace. These figures are estimates from what I dealt with whilst working in a volkswagen service department. 

The 2 wheel drive versions are more than suitable as most of the time Quattro is not required in our climate. Unless you live in certain parts of Scotland or Wales. The beauty of the a7 is that despite most of them being base spec in front wheel drive the first owner may have chosen nice options as you've found out. 

In terms of spending large sums on your a6, I can fully appreciate where you're coming from and to be fair if I wasn't sentimentally attached to mine then I'd probs have got rid of it. Running a high mileage a6 can become expensive as I know from experience. 

Cheers

Steve