Picking up a 2006 Audi A6 3.2
 

hi guys,

i have been a member on this forum for a while and have read and learned a lot of valuable info.

on Saturday i am flying out to Boston from NYC to pick up a clean 2006 Audi A6 3.2 with 75,000 miles

i had a friend take the vehicle to an independent shop which i found on fourringsrepair.com[well i used the app on my iphone :D] for a pre purchase inspection which it seemed to have passed.

the mechanic said he didnt run VAG-COM on the car because there was no MIL ligh on at that time.

i am surprised an independent Audi shop didnt put the car through rigourous testing and simply performed a basic inspection.

i plan on having the mechanic run the vehicle on the VAGCOM again to read any codes, ie. ABS, Transmission etc. that could have been cleared by anybody. before i complete the transation on Saturday.

i am coming from a 2003 Audi A6 and i went through hell and back with problems, im a bit skeptical to find an audi with no issues as per the mechanic.

i guess my inquiry on this forum is if there are any specific items to look out for before completing the purchase.

any feedback will be appreciated.

good luck mate. I STRONGLY recommend paying good $$ to get a GOOD indy to do a FULL inspection on the car beforehand. Not just a VCDS, but a complete visual inspection

Your instincts are correct. There is no such animal as an 8 year old audi with 75k with out some issue. There are hundreds of VAGCOM diagnosed issues that will NOT through a MIL. Dead EGTs on a 2.7t will not through a MIL. Lack of a MIL means NOTHING in buying an older used car.

Many many 3.2s have had issues with carbon. I think there is an extended warranty on the issue for certain cars.

You have not mentioned service records. I would be really skeptical to buy a 75k audi without looking at records. With the VIN, any audi dealer can tell you what work was done AT AN AUDI dealer. WITHOUT complete service, i would insist on a REAL AUDI INDIE mechanic. Not just a "furin car" guy. As Raj99 says, this car needs a full inspection by a SOMEONE THAT KNOWS THIS CAR, someone that works on NEWER Audis (C6 A6s) daily.

Have you done a Carfax? Not perfect but show pitfalls. Carfaxs can show if the car bounced from auction to auction. or several owners for only 6 months at time. Really bad signs.

My last purchase, the carfax show a repaired rear end accident -- dealer was up front about it and discounted the car a lot due to that, but he had no knowledge of what the accident was.

I got the accident info off carfax and called the repairing Audi dealer in NJ. They were happy to talk to me. Found out it was just a slow speed tap to rear that gouged the plastic bumper and smashed a parking sensor. The dealer used a new Audi OEM bumper cover, OEM parts. The tech said that in NY, police are required to put any accident over $1k onto the system that Carfax checks. As many here know, it dont take much to get up to a $1k for body work at a dealer! Bottom line, Carfax told me what to look for, I checked it out and felt much better about the car. PS: the carfax also showed me that the avant I was buying was Audi serviced religiously at 5K and then ever 10K up to the moment I bought it - priceless.

thank you for the prompt response guys.

my friend got the carfax from the dealer, he will scan and email it to me today, from what he saw, he said it had 2 owners and no accidents. - Carfax is not that detailed.

i called the original Audi dealer that sold the vehicle and ran the VIN number, the tech explained the vehicle had its 15,000 and 35,000 mile service done.

no other information was avaialable.

i will take your advice and have a good audi indie mechanic do a full inspection, i am hoping i will be able to locate one out there and check for issues with carbon as indicated.

from the initial visual inspection, the dealer agreed to fix the passenger window switch and replace the brakes and rotors before i pick up.

as stated before i am more concerned about known engine issues, cooling system and transmission.

i plan on buying an extended warranty from CARCHEX or ENDURANCE but still will like to do my due deligence.

If the car is under 75k and you're getting a warranty plan. Then take it to Audi and have them inspected, it's part of the warranty process. The only catch is, if it doesn't pass the inspection it will run you $150, but if does they'll wave it off.
So you could knock two birds with one stone.
You should call an Audi dealership in Boston and ask all Q's about warranty.
Audi warranty is with Fidelity
http://www.fidelitywarrantyservices.com/

Personally, I would not FLY until I had read the entire VCDS log. Good luck!

+1 on that! In addition, I wouldn't fly until I've also had it FULLY checked out by a <b>GOOD</b> independent 3rd party.

thank you for this info; i will give that a shot

I grew up in Boston and now in Denver - I'd go just for the seafood :D

Joking aside, lots of great advice here. With the internet, digital photos and computers, you really can check out a car in great detail BEFORE traveling.

i know, emphasis on GOOD and VCDS. back to doing some research. i couldnt find the right wording but looks like VCDS is what i should request