Need advise, pleae help.

[jujuC6]

Hi all, 1st time posting on the AllRoad board and will like to get some advise on a possible AR purchase. I am thinking of getting a 2005 2.7T with 87K on the clock AR. It comes with Nav and to my surprise it has back up sensors, which I was not aware that the AllRoad came with any. The price is 11.5K and all of the services are up to date. Questions, I hear the air suspension likes to play quite a bit of tricks on this car so is that something the average DIYer / BackYard Mechanic like me can tackle? I know about the timing belt/water pump and valve cover needs to be up to date, I will ensure this has been done. I have read to watch out for the torque converter on this car but how would I check that or what should I be looking for? Anything else I should consider looking for or ask the seller when I go to see it next weekend? Last but not least, assuming that the car is in good mechanical condition if I remap with something like Vast will I make a not so reliable car a time bomb or risks are minor? Thanks a million and hope to hear from you all.

[Sgt G]

Air suspensions is DIY type repair yes, if you are skilled enough to do a brake job, you can / should be able to repair air suspension yourself. Torque converter failures are more common on earlier models. Remapping the ecu is fine, it won't blow up your car.

I would want to know how long ago, or what if any repairs have been done on air suspension. That should give u some idea of how long it may be until more repairs are needed. IMHO, air bags usually last bout 3 years (front), the rears rarely fail.

If timing belt hasnt been done already, perhaps can get allroad for say $10k, the money saved should pay for that repair.

[Kneale Brownson]

Make sure the tranny works well in all gears--reverse too--with no slippage and at full operating temperature.

Most of the air suspension parts should be considered "wear items" and you can replace them as DIY items if you have some mechanical ability and the correct tools. There are lots of DIY reports available.

[jujuC6]

I looked at the AR this past weekend and it started and sounded pretty good. Seller has all records of maintenance including full air suspension replacement done by Audi which is a huge plus. Now the bad. I spotted somewhat fresh minor oil leak residue in the upper rear part of the engine, should I worry about this or is this minor? While driving it felt very well in all gears however when I pushed it hard I could not hear the turbos, are the turbos quite when stock? I ask because I have only driven 1 AR before and it was chipped so the turbos could be heard when pushing it hard. Last but not least, I opened up the spare tire compartment only to find sitting water in there. Water looked like it had been there a while and seller was “surprised” to see this supposedly. Is water leak common in these cars? Should I worry about the water intrusion in the spare tire compartment? Thank you in advance and hope to hear from you soon.

[Sgt G]

Oil leak is perhaps clave cover gasket or cam chain seals. Either are fairly cheap fixes (if either or both problems exist, their fairly easy to repair) and I'd expect any vehicle that's older than 5-6 years to at least need valve cover gaskets. My allroad is chipped, I sometimes push it hard, but I never seem to hear the turbos. . Nothing like the way past turbocharged cars I've owned have sounded. In those cars, it was easy to tell the car had turbos. The allroad has always seems more quiet to me (oh, but I have my exhaust moded, so probably why I can't hear them turbos). For the water leak ; remove spare tire cover, drain/clean/dry out existing water. then have a friend join u at the local car wash. one person folds the rear seat down and hops in the back, the other sprays the car. Whomever is inside may be able to locate the leak. That's a decent idea.

[jujuC6]

Originally Posted by Sgt G

Oil leak is perhaps clave cover gasket or cam chain seals. Either are fairly cheap fixes (if either or both problems exist, their fairly easy to repair) and I'd expect any vehicle that's older than 5-6 years to at least need valve cover gaskets. My allroad is chipped, I sometimes push it hard, but I never seem to hear the turbos. . Nothing like the way past turbocharged cars I've owned have sounded. In those cars, it was easy to tell the car had turbos. The allroad has always seems more quiet to me (oh, but I have my exhaust moded, so probably why I can't hear them turbos). For the water leak ; remove spare tire cover, drain/clean/dry out existing water. then have a friend join u at the local car wash. one person folds the rear seat down and hops in the back, the other sprays the car. Whomever is inside may be able to locate the leak. That's a decent idea.

Thanks a lot for the information. So, based on your answer my issues with this car are consider minor and will not be difficult to address, right? One last question, how can one spot a bad turbo or one going out? Since the one on the car I saw were very quite I will assume they are in good working order but will like to know for when I see the next AR this coming weekend. Thank you in advance.

[GTA_Driver]

If the turbos are imperceptible to hear, they're fine.

[Mike B]

When the turbo's start to sound like a dentist's drill, it's time to look into replacement options.

[jujuC6]

Got it... Thank you so much for the info. Has anyone added the RNS-E to a non Nav AR? If so what's involved in just the head unit or other stuff? I am also interested in a Vast re-map but along with that any intercooler options? Straight pipes, is there any hp gains or just cool sound?

[GTA_Driver]

search the forums, check out the tech articles in the resources section (top nav), and Google "Stoney's A6 links"