Mate has a T reg Audi A4, 2.5 TDi, 140k and its' turbo has just gone.
To fix it with a new turbo will apparently cost 700 quid inc labour + parts at local independant.
But then it's major service will be due at 160k and it's a cambelt change so a £700 job at local independant specialist in a years time.
He's married & in his mid-30's and first child on the way, due April next year.
Wife has an H reg Clio, possibly also due for replacement bearing in mind the above (will a pushchair fit in the boot etc.)
Should he fix the Audi and keep it for a few more years (bearing in mind the above situation, he's not made of money) or should he fix the Audi and sell it, and buy a newer car with less miles for say £5k or so, something that will be family suitable and borrow the money over 3 years.
I reckon that to get the balance of expenditure/reliability, he should get the Audi fixed, then sell it in the new year, he should get £2k for it, then buy a newer family-type car for £5k that he can use for the next few years.
He (I suspect) thinks he should keep the Audi, but at it's age & mileage, if something goes, it could be a bit of a money pit. The ancilleraries must be due to go soon, alternator, water pump (if that is driven from the cambelt then surely the whole front bumper assembly will have to come off again, it could go after the cambelt has been done ????)
Options and opinons people please. I'll send the link onto him....
cheers,
Stu
BTW, if it's relevant, he's had the Audi for 5 years, since 65k so knows it.
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I would say keep the Audi - get everything done in one hit so new turbo, major service including timing belt, tensioners, water pump etc and he should be good for another couple of years.
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If the Audi is otherwise fit for purpose he's best followig BH's advice and keeping it. If he gets all the work done in one hit the cost will be less than the sum of two lots of stripping down and he should have a reliable car for another couple of years for around £1200?. He'll loose more than that in depreciation on a replcement. As a known quantity the Audi may be worth more to hom than it's straight cash value.
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Do all the work, incl belt & water pump and keep it.
It's worth more than £2k anyway. I have recently sold a 96P 1.9TDI for £1850 that had done similar miles and was not an SE. Had quite a few calls on it as well.
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sell audi spares or repair scrap the old renault
buy a good mondeo 2.o litre petrol w reg for himself
buy a good fiesta 1300 with power steering for wife
total spend £3000 to £3200
trouble free motoring for 5 years
end of............
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The V6 TDi engine is a liability, get rid
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I had an A4 tdi and sold at 100k miles. BIG bills and more to come.
Buy a Toyota..
madf
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Don't forget the impending bills for various suspension arms on the front, which is a ridculously complicated set up on the A4/Passat. Mine lasted to 134,000 miles and since then I've spent god knows how much on various arms....
Personally, I'd follow oldman's advice.
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Right, I'll pass the info on. Ta very much.
It hasn't had a clutch yet either so he'd have to budget for that, although I guess you could argue that a replacement car might need a new clutch but an Audi one might be more expensive.
I still think he should get rid but at the end of the day it is his money and as he lives 250 miles away from me he won't be turning up on my doorstep with bits of it or asking me if I know anything about .
Ta,
Stu
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new clutch usually means new dual flywheel.
£££s
madf
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If keeping, engine out, new turbo (turbos? - is there one for each bank?), new cambelt and water pump, new clutch. Probably find the labour not that much more expensive than the turbo job, and 4 birds killed with one lift. If it's otherwise in good nick, better the devil you know and all that. Gamble either way - new car could just as easily need work - and a new clutch on the Mondeo mentioned above is no 5 minute job.....
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RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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I would definitely spend money on fixing it. I have owned my '95 A4 for a good while now, and it has been both a thoroughly enjoyable car to drive, as well as being very reliable. However in June, my Audi garage advised me to replace most of the front suspension arms, as well as the bushes on the rear suspension - the total bill climbing to around £1,000. This being done at the same time as replacing all four tyres (Michellin Pilots - £95 each) and a 10K inspection service.
It was a lot of money, and I seriously questioned at the time whether it was justified. In the end I went for it, and I am glad I did. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't. My A4 has now covered over 152,000 miles, and is still on its original clutch. I know that next year I'll have to replace the timing belt, tensioner, and water pump, but £350 is worth it, when the car is so reliable.
I know others have not had perhaps such good experiences of their A4's, but I can honestly say that with abiding by the servicing guidelines - and I also have Audi change the oil in between, every 5,000 miles - that I have found it to be excellent.
With the exception of the major expenditure in June, the car, through its eleven year life, has never had to have any non-service parts replaced.
Thats my penny's worth anyway!
Regards,
Marcus
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Managed to speak to him and hear the full story and he's decided to keep it and get the turbo done (although it's been sitting in his garage for a month now with shagged turbo as he desperately hopes that one will come up on e-bay...).
Turns out he's only doing 10-12k / year so the cost of the various service items coming up will all be spread out so about 1 per year. I thought he was still using the car for work so was doing 20k/year but I was wrong.
Thanks for all the comments.
cheers,
Stu
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