bd96a3

Hello,

I'm hoping to pick up my new to me 2002 Audi Allroad. Here is the link to the car at the dealership:
http://www.autobase.com/cgi/info.exe...aler=ucarconn#
The car has 91,000 miles on it and is extremely clean. It has absolutely no rust on it that I have been able to find. Everything is in working order. I've been told the air bags are original equipment. Everything on the suspension control system appears to work properly right now. Upon test driving the turbos appear very responsive with no unusual noises. I don't know if the timing belt has been replaced. This is on my list of questions to ask before taking final delivery.

I'm wondering what I should do right away after purchasing it? Any suggestions? I read somewhere that a vented oil fill cap is highly recommended.

Also, should I go ahead and purchase the extended warranty? The dealership is offering a 100,000 mile or 5 year warranty for $2600. This would cover all internally lubricated parts of the engine, transmission, and transfer case. This would include the turbos as well. The dealership is also recommending an optional add-on that would cover gaskets and seals of covered mechanical parts. This is a $250 option included in the $2600 quote above. The warranty is offered by these guys: http://www.alphawarranty.com/. I'm thinking this is a good thing to do. Do you agree?

Thanks in advance for any help and ideas you can provide.

Brian Diehl from cold Minnesota!

G0to60

Congrats!

First I would verify if the timing belt has been done. If it hasn't that would be the first thing to do.

The warranty is up to you. I got one on mine but it had 150k miles on it when I bought it and an automatic trans. I got it just in case something really expensive happened but all has been good. In the case of that car I probably wouldn't get one.

On inspecting the car raise the car from level one to level four on the suspension. If it take longer than a minute between each level then you may need to rebuild the compressor or replace it. Check for any oil leaks or oil burning smells as this may mean leaking valve cover gaskets.

That car is very clean and has pretty low miles but the price is a little high in my opinion. I know that manual cars are hard to come by but I bet you could talk them down to ~$10,000 or maybe go with their asking price and have them include the warranty for free.

bd96a3

Thank you for the response. Yes, I agree the car is still a little on the high side. However, he won't be talked down. He turned down a 11k offer last week. On the plus side I do have him repairing and replacing many small wear items that need fixing. For example, he agreed to replace the radio as the display had a bunch of pixels out. He is also replacing a few switches, the rear wiper motor, and claims to have done a full brake job on it as well. I'll be verifying the brake job once I get under it tomorrow night.

My brother-in-law has a friend who also has an allroad. He is recommending not purchasing warranty based upon the fact that I'm very handy with car repairs and have done almost all my own vehicle maintenance and repairs for the past 25 years.

Thanks for the tip on checking the air suspension.

Anything else I should check out? Anything I should consider doing right away after purchasing?

Thanks.

silverd2

Also get the codes read ...not just a code scan (CEL codes only is not enough). You need a VCDS code scan to look for any codes on ABS, engine, suspension level control or trans.

The most likely codes to find for the turbo engine are for the EGT sensors..."exhaust gas temp" sensors, they all go bad and usually due to broken solder joints in the box circuitry. They can be totally replaced (PITA & expensive), solder repaired or $40 deletes installed. When these sensors are bad, the engine runs in "safe mode" = super rich mixture (even worse mpg's than the already horrible figures for a normal Allroad), limited timing advance and turbo boost limitations. The engine can seem somewhat normal until the problem is fixed, then you won't believe the difference in smoothness, response, power & willingness to easily reach redline.

Also, the front 02 sensors should be replaced by this mileage (any engine)...even if there are no codes, they are shot by then. Replacing them will restore noticeable smoothness and a little better mpg's.

bfrancese

I'd really look at the engine with cover off while running as well. I bought mine @ 85K + the valve cover gaskets were going (common) + had it replaced with the plugs that were original. It can be costly (depending on your shop if you use one) + is very common with these cars. Parts aren't bad for this, but it's a solid job that I wasn't ready to tackle.

bd96a3

Well, I had the car inspected today. The results were not pretty for a car advertised as being in "perfect condition". Definitely some issues that need to be taken care of and the proper price negotiated for the conditions discovered. I'll update once the final verdict is in.

Meanwhile, anyone know of a good A4, A6, Allroad (wagons) with a manual transmission for sale?

GTA_Driver

Skip this car. At that astronomical price? You can buy it for ~ $6K around here.

2005 model year with 100K miles can be bought for $11K with good maintenance history.

This is another dealer trying to scam. If it's in perfect condition, why does the wiper motor need replacing, and switches too?

bfrancese

Agree with GTA here. Let that one go for sure.

bd96a3

What is this 2005 model you refer to? Have a link to it?

Thanks!

snagitseven

A $2600 100K mile extended warranty on a 91K mile car? Um, I'm pretty sure that's a pass.