Considering a 2004 3.0 Tdi A6..

[Kaiser2000]

Afternoon all,

So as the title says I'm thinking of a change from my current 2.0 TDI Passat to a (new shape) 3.0 TDI Quattro A6, so I've a few questions if ye don't mind
I'm in Ireland so bear with me with talk of km's and euros .. I've converted wherever possible!

My current Passat is a 2006 Irish Comfortline (equivalent to the SE) model with 235000 km / 146000 miles on the clock and a full on-time main dealer service history.
Most of those miles have been on motorways and she's never given any real problems beyond wear and tear stuff for that sort of driving,
has had the timing belt changed twice as per the schedule, injectors changed under the recall, and the fuel pump was changed last year
as well.

- I already know about the motor tax bill.. over here it's about €1500 per year vs the €710 for the Passat I now have , but it works out at
less per month than the phone/broadband package I just cancelled so...

- What about fuel costs? A full tank in the Passat costs me just under €100 at the moment and lasts about 1000km/620 miles - or a fortnight with
my mixed urban/motorway driving. How much more would it cost me in a 3.0 TDI? Both cars are auto - the Passat having DSG.

- Servicing costs. My Passat has never cost me less than €400/500 per service for oil, filters, suspension bits (as above, really just
wear and tear items mostly). How do the Audi rates compare?

- Known issues to look for? I had a long chat with the guy selling it and he comes across as a decent sort and tells me it's 100% but
naturally I'll want to check it over anyway. Anything I should be looking out for?

- Am I mad to be even considering this??

Any feedback greatly appreciated... cheers!

[gupsterg]

Link:- Advice

Link:- Running Costs .. 2009-Present

If you really wanna scare yourself... visit my profile page, select started threads...

My advice & opinion without a very good history eg besides oil stamps don't buy it...

These cars will munch money very easily...

[Guest 2]

Try and get as new a car as your budget allows as early cars such as gups had serious problems

07 onwards should be fine.


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[Kaiser2000]

Try and get as new a car as your budget allows as early cars such as gups had serious problems

07 onwards should be fine.

Cheers for that. Would those sort of issues not have been ironed out at this stage though (naturally I'll be checking and calling about the service history of this or any car I decide to go with).

I know it'll cost me money to keep, and the Passat I have now has been the same (for about 2 years it was getting serviced 3 times a year purely because of the mileage I was doing) but are there any obvious things/recalls I should be asking about/checking to see if they've been done?

[Guest 2]

Yes all problems are sorted by 07 but the niggly things are still there such as the cloudy rear light clusters but thats nothing to worry about.

If you look at my thread, I went over the top of the normal maintenance by getting the Audi warranty so exclude that and you'll see how much its cost me over the 4 years I've had the car.

I know on Avants they have a dodgy rear washer pipe which can leak onto the MMI components but obviously a saloon won't have this problem.

Try and get a car with MMI high - the big colour screen above the central airvents, this makes the cabin a more pleasant place to be IMO.

[gupsterg]

2004 is when 4F was released Link:- Audi A6 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For example the injectors have been revised x times... not a recall as wear/issue happen after x miles...
The chain tensioner issue again is production/service regime/mileage dependant...

Above are the biggest to you could face...

Injectors DIY change approx.£1.3k.... @an indi garage £2k ish... @Audi £2.5 to £3k...

Chain rattle fix not DIY doable, engine and gearbox must be removed... @an indi garage £2k ish... @Audi £3 to £4k...

Next if an Auto (Tiptronic) then early ones need a software update and oil change to modify them when they start playing up...

Now lets get into software with modules... these cars rely on them heavily... get them done at a dealer is a real ...

I've only managed to get some updates done by dangling loyalty, servicing,etc and bouncing tech documents at them...

Yes many early A6 may well be good, yes there maybe happy owners but with age and mileage they will start to show issues which later ones will not have...

My VIN is 4 digits that how low it is, the rest is zeros... and trust me I wish I'd never got into what I have ...

Some tech docs to view to show you the cars complexity Link:- Possible 'new' Owner - Page 3

You will really want to know the production date vs first registration date...
Audi dealer/customer services can tell you above...

2007 onwards in my research for documents,etc escapes a lot of the big £££ stuff...

[Kaiser2000]

Yes all problems are sorted by 07 but the niggly things are still there such as the cloudy rear light clusters but thats nothing to worry about.

If you look at my thread, I went over the top of the normal maintenance by getting the Audi warranty so exclude that and you'll see how much its cost me over the 4 years I've had the car.

I know on Avants they have a dodgy rear washer pipe which can leak onto the MMI components but obviously a saloon won't have this problem.

Try and get a car with MMI high - the big colour screen above the central airvents, this makes the cabin a more pleasant place to be IMO.

Thanks for this.. will see if it has the full/high MMI when I take a look at the car during the week.

What I meant about issues being sorted is that a 04 car should have had anything major fixed by now, no? The dealer tells me it has been looked after but I'll be ringing whatever garages serviced it if I decided to go ahead.

It's a saloon alright.. never fancied the Avant/estate models.

[Kaiser2000]

2004 is when 4F was released Link:- Audi A6 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For example the injectors have been revised x times... not a recall as wear/issue happen after x miles...
The chain tensioner issue again is production/service regime/mileage dependant...

Above are the biggest to you could face...

Injectors DIY change approx.£1.3k.... @an indi garage £2k ish... @Audi £2.5 to £3k...

Chain rattle fix not DIY doable, engine and gearbox must be removed... @an indi garage £2k ish... @Audi £3 to £4k...

Next if an Auto (Tiptronic) then early ones need a software update and oil change to modify them when they start playing up...

Now lets get into software with modules... these cars rely on them heavily... get them done at a dealer is a real ...

I've only managed to get some updates done by dangling loyalty, servicing,etc and bouncing tech documents at them...

Yes many early A6 may well be good, yes there maybe happy owners but with age and mileage they will start to show issues which later ones will not have...

My VIN is 4 digits that how low it is, the rest is zeros... and trust me I wish I'd never got into what I have ...

Some tech docs to view to show you the cars complexity Link:- Possible 'new' Owner - Page 3

You will really want to know the production date vs first registration date...
Audi dealer/customer services can tell you above...

2007 onwards in my research for documents,etc escapes a lot of the big £££ stuff...

I'm a bit scared now alright but I'll definitely check out the dates and history to see if the stuff you mention has been done.

- Do the 3.0 TDI engines suffer from the same injector issues as the 2.0 versions then? I had them changed on my Passat under the recall last year as a precaution, but I was under the impression it was just that engine?

- Chain rattle: Is this a one-time fix or does it keep reoccuring?

- Updates etc.. I have a good Indy who has access to that side of things but again I'll be checking the background thoroughly.

Truth be told I'm a bit concerned now, but against that my 06 Passat is supposed to be rife with handbrake, steering column, injector faults etc and I have to say that I've never experienced any problems that wouldn't be the result of wear and tear, but then I've looked after it and serviced it on time at a dealer/the above mentioned Indy so assuming this A6 had a similar history, it SHOULD be ok? (as much as you can trust any modern car anyway)

Alternatively maybe I should just wait and get a 07+ 2.0 TDI version and hope the Passat continues to behave in the interim?

[fieldy]

I'm a bit scared now alright but I'll definitely check out the dates and history to see if the stuff you mention has been done.

- Do the 3.0 TDI engines suffer from the same injector issues as the 2.0 versions then? I had them changed on my Passat under the recall last year as a precaution, but I was under the impression it was just that engine?

- Chain rattle: Is this a one-time fix or does it keep reoccuring?

- Updates etc.. I have a good Indy who has access to that side of things but again I'll be checking the background thoroughly.

Truth be told I'm a bit concerned now, but against that my 06 Passat is supposed to be rife with handbrake, steering column, injector faults etc and I have to say that I've never experienced any problems that wouldn't be the result of wear and tear, but then I've looked after it and serviced it on time at a dealer/the above mentioned Indy so assuming this A6 had a similar history, it SHOULD be ok? (as much as you can trust any modern car anyway)

Alternatively maybe I should just wait and get a 07+ 2.0 TDI version and hope the Passat continues to behave in the interim?

i have had mine a year and covered 16,000 miles which i have enjoyed.

That said if i had my time again i would not buy a pre 2007 without proof the injectors has been done at a minimum. Mine is an 06, and even at this stage i have found that a few of the early niggles were ironed out before mine was produced. Replacing the injectors on mine with no help what so ever from Audi or Bosch just annoyed me.

I have not experienced the chain rattle issue (touching wood) and considering mine now has 108,500 miles it always impresses me how it feels and sounds like a car that has done half the miles.

If its cheap enough perhaps if the history and condition is good you can consider it on the basis you have some money left in the kitty for possible injectors etc. Mine was a good deal (price wise) privately a year ago and had a great spec and one owner. This is the only consolation i draw when i reflect on the amount of cash it has taken to make it tip top.

We will be on speaking terms fully again if she gets me to Switzerland and back at the end of the month without any drama

[Kaiser2000]

i have had mine a year and covered 16,000 miles which i have enjoyed.

That said if i had my time again i would not buy a pre 2007 without proof the injectors has been done at a minimum. Mine is an 06, and even at this stage i have found that a few of the early niggles were ironed out before mine was produced. Replacing the injectors on mine with no help what so ever from Audi or Bosch just annoyed me.

I have not experienced the chain rattle issue (touching wood) and considering mine now has 108,500 miles it always impresses me how it feels and sounds like a car that has done half the miles.

If its cheap enough perhaps if the history and condition is good you can consider it on the basis you have some money left in the kitty for possible injectors etc. Mine was a good deal (price wise) privately a year ago and had a great spec and one owner. This is the only consolation i draw when i reflect on the amount of cash it has taken to make it tip top.

We will be on speaking terms fully again if she gets me to Switzerland and back at the end of the month without any drama

Yea, the one I'm looking at is just under €8000, all leather, one previous owner, 100k miles and looks to be in excellent condition.
Cost to change including my car is about €2000-2500 subject to further negotiation.

The real killer about it is the ridiculous motor tax system over here which means a car like this costs €1500 annually to tax (which is also why it only costs €8000) - but against that I'm not doing the crazy mileage I used to, so that with other savings mean I can afford it.

So injectors, chain rattle.. anything else to search for in the history?