Help desperately needed! Purchase of A3

[Simon Grech]

Hi I have put a deposit on a 58 plate Audi A3 1.4T FSI sport sportsback and i am due to collect. I have several things currently on my mind!!


The car done 37k mile and has one owner from new. It has a partial service history. It was originally serviced by Audi but more lately it was serviced by a independent mechanic who currently works for BMW and is an acquaintance of the owner. The last stamp in the book in for slightly more than 2 year back when the car has done around 27k. The car was I am assured service last September and then had a mini service a couple of months ago - the but service book does not reflect this. This concerns me particularly with the servicing of the transmission.
As I understand the oil / fluid need replace every 4 years or 40k. Due to the partial history I am not sure whether this has been done as yet. If I get it done as soon as I buy the car do you think that this will be ok, given that it should have been done 2 years ago although it would have only done 27k miles at that time?
Also I have noticed that there was a recall R/2009/112
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The car I am interested was registered in Oct 2008, However as far as I am aware it is almost certainly a 7 speed s tronic box. So I assume I am in the all clear wrt?
Lastly my mechanic has frightened me somewhat this morning, by warning me that it is quite common when there is a significant issue with the box that it needs to be replaced and the bill for this is likely to be in excess of £2000 :-( I would really like a semi-auto box however i don't want a £2k repair bill? He has really put some doubt in my mind as to whether I should proceed with the purchase??????

Note the price agreed for the car is £8100 and it is private sale.

How reliable are these boxes, i know some of the early versions were not so good. I would particularly interested to hear from owners of A3's of a very similar age.

Any opinions would be gratefully received.
Regards
Simon

[JayA3sline]

I can only part of your question as I've only ever owner 2.0 engines. For peace of mind I've always had a service when I've taken new ownership of a vehicle. And if anything is bothering you just get the job done at the dealer and hopefully they should notify you of any issues/ maintenance work that is required. I'm very reluctant to believe service books as they can be fiddled with. Another thing is to not always worry about what you hear, as they only ever seem to be the worst case scenario, I appreciate these things do occur and costs a small fortune but there are a lot of common faults but depends on a number of factors (driving style/ engine size/ long journeys/short etc). Did you take it for a test drive? How did it feel?


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[Simon Grech]

I have to admit that I did not, as I hadn't the required insurance. I did test drive a another similar A3 though at a garage and really liked the box. Clearly though this would alert me to any issue with the gearbox that I am in the process of buying!!

[JayA3sline]

Hmm I would always test drive before buying too. If buying privately let the owner take you for a spin


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[Simon Grech]

I did not drive it but certainly had the owner take me for a spin and all seemed well as far as I can see.

Also can I just double check with someone more knowledgeable then me that a Multitronic and S-Tronic gearboxes are two completely different animals, the former of which is to be avoided at all costs by the sound of things (having just read about people's experiences on a couple of forums)??

[UVB]

Multitronic isn't available on the A3 8P; it will either be DSG or S-tronic so nothing to worry about there. My older DSG has been completely problem free so far. Only comment from me would be:

- Get an inspection done if you are in doubt
- Check the cost of changing the gearbox oil as I have a feeling this is around £400
- Can you speak to the person who serviced it to get some documentation on what has been done? This may help preserve the residual value of the car when it comes time to sell it.

[Doctle Odd]

Buy from a dealer that way you get to do the test drive and you have 6 months guarantee on major components

[Simon Grech]

Multitronic isn't available on the A3 8P; it will either be DSG or S-tronic so nothing to worry about there. My older DSG has been completely problem free so far. Only comment from me would be:

- Get an inspection done if you are in doubt
- Check the cost of changing the gearbox oil as I have a feeling this is around £400
- Can you speak to the person who serviced it to get some documentation on what has been done? This may help preserve the residual value of the car when it comes time to sell it.

I have subsequently confirmed that it is a 7 speed s tronic box with a dry clutches and the unit is sealed, so no oil changes - HOWEVER - having some some more research it does appear that this are more prone to issues particularly in hotter climates (no need to worry there) and also where the driver does a lot of short stop and start journeys which is the kind we do. Anyhow the other question posted by my on this forum regarding timing charins has superseded this issue!!

[alankru]

Jay has an S Tronic as do I. I have a 2009 S Tronic (6 speed) and have already done ~22000 miles in ~18 months with no issues. I am lead to believe that the older DSGs where less reliable, but they have improved and so you should be OK with a 58 reg. The reason why they have not been reliable is that owners are not diligently changing the oil and filter at 40000 miles (there is no time based service for the oil), hence causing the failures. There are 7 speed wet clutch DSGs out there but as you say, your engine is a low torque output so will be a dry clutch.

I have subsequently confirmed that it is a 7 speed s tronic box with a dry clutches and the unit is sealed, so no oil changes - HOWEVER - having some some more research it does appear that this are more prone to issues particularly in hotter climates (no need to worry there) and also where the driver does a lot of short stop and start journeys which is the kind we do. Anyhow the other question posted by my on this forum regarding timing charins has superseded this issue!!

There is a campaign out to workaround this issue by changing the oil to a different type.