About to buy a b6 2.5 tdi 180 quattro

[biggz]

Hi guys, first post so be gentle...

As above, I am about to travel approximately 200 miles from London to Lancashire tomorrow with the hope of trading in my little bmw compact for a b6. The car im looking to buy is a 2001 sport model in blue, manual, has the gmbh kit (i think), 95k miles with history (what kind of history yet to be confirmed), 3 keys, Leather interior etc. What do i need to check for? Any general tips/advice? Feeling a wee bit nervous as its such a long journey and i dont want to be disappointed. As for the mileage, seems a bit too low? Looking forward to your responses...

Regards

Biggz

 

[biggz]

A link to the ad...

Audi A4 2.5 TDI 180 QUATTRO SPORT 4DR WE WILL PX ANY CAR 2001

 

[AlexGSi2000]

If you don't already know - common issue on the 2.5's are the cams - they wear.
This is usually due to long-life servicing, cars on the fixed interval services (10,000 miles) are usually ok.

You may be able to see the condition of one of the cams if you take the oil filler off and shine a torch - check to make sure the lobe isnt lipped.

The kit on the car is called the "votex" kit.

Good luck.

 

[biggz]

If you don't already know - common issue on the 2.5's are the cams - they wear.
This is usually due to long-life servicing, cars on the fixed interval services (10,000 miles) are usually ok.

You may be able to see the condition of one of the cams if you take the oil filler off and shine a torch - check to make sure the lobe isnt lipped.

The kit on the car is called the "votex" kit.

Good luck.

I was going to amend post to say votex kit after seeing the really handy thread on b6 bumpers. what do you mean by 'lobe isnt lipped?' The seller seems to think its a 'well looked after' example. Hopefully that's accurate and means the cams are ok.

Any other disadvantages to a 2.5 as opposed to a 1.9? I am weary of fuel consumption as i live in inner city london, lots of speed bumps and 99% of my journeys are a mile or two. However, i don't drive more than a hundred miles in a normal week.

 

[biggz]

also, does the price seem ok?

 

[AlexGSi2000]

The price seems good in my opinion!
The engine isn't mega economical, but has better power output, delivery and is smoother than the 1.9
I got 40.1 MPG from my 2.5 on a motorway run the other day.

I doubt the dealer would know much about specific engines, so if a car comes in with service history, runs well and is clean then they will be inclined to say its "been well looked after"...
A "lipped" cam lobe will look like this; -

http://static.flickr.com/3267/2727647495_e19e0aace6.jpg

Reason I am saying this is because I purchased my A4 2.5 at the start of the year, "in mint condition"... 4 months later I found out my cams where indeed worn - even though it appeared to be running properly.

 

[biggz]

Thats great advice, i will be looking out for that. How much do dodgy cams cost to put right? I really hope this one works out as it has a great spec. I really want/need leathers (i have two boys) and its got the great kit/wheels/colour combination etc with good mileage etc. Only area it lacks is age, i really wanted a 2004 model. However, you cant get everything so compromises must be made...

 

[AlexGSi2000]

Thats great advice, i will be looking out for that. How much do dodgy cams cost to put right? I really hope this one works out as it has a great spec. I really want/need leathers (i have two boys) and its got the great kit/wheels/colour combination etc with good mileage etc. Only area it lacks is age, i really wanted a 2004 model. However, you cant get everything so compromises must be made...

I purchased the following kit from ebay to put mine right - it did include the timing belt kit also - which are usually a few hundred by themselves;
PREMIUM 2.5 TDI V6 VALVETRAIN, V-BELTS & TIMING REPAIR KIT AUDI A4 A6 A8 PASSAT | eBay

Luckily I found a forum member who fitted them for me - otherwise I suspect it would have been about £450-500 on top for fitting.

 

[biggz]

£1100?!!! wow! that's really scary. So if i take off the oil cap and shine a torch i should be able to see the cam and there shouldnt be a shiny section in the middle like in that picture? are there any symptoms in the drive? Thats a huge put off you know!

 

[AlexGSi2000]

I know its a huge put down - just wish I would have known when I bought mine!... I probably wouldn't have done.

No symptoms in drive, it will be slightly down in power (hard to tell unless you have driven the same engine before)
As far as I am aware they sound quite "mechanical" when they are worn.

If you shine a torch down then the middle bit shouldn't be "scored"

 

[Mike B]

I have an 04 Sport and previously an 03 SE and suggest that you are careful cos its a long way to buy an unknown car from a dealer .They are not town cars and usually do alot more miles than this oneIts vital to make sure that the cambelts been replaced properly .This is costly.I have leather but its heated which I think is essential and most dont cos its dear.Having said this I sold my SE to someone new to this model who came a long way by train and said they wanted 4WD for the winter

 

[pauldazzle]

When travelling a long way to view a car you really have to be prepared to walk away if you don't feel entirely happy. Get it HPI'd before you travel it at least gives you some piece of mind that it hasn't been written off or had the mileage adjusted. It's a buyers market out there so be fussy. The car looks in nice condition in the ad, & the drivers seat doesn't look worn, which can be a giveaway that a car has had a harder life than is being claimed. Love the Votex kit, which is pretty rare, & makes it stand out in a crowd.

Usual stuff to check is service history, cam lobes, last cambelt change, transmission is quiet & clutch isn't slipping, tyres, brake discs/pads, suspension, fluid levels, Head gasket failure i.e.signs of mayonaise in the oil filler cap, boiling up in the coolant header tank, everything electrical, A/C, E windows, all doors locking & unlocking off the key. Dash board all works, computer display, & you definitely don't want to be seeing any warning lights staying on Try to get up to cruising speed on the test drive too.
Hope it's a nice one, good luck.

 

[AlexGSi2000]

Car has dissappeared from Auto Trader - did you buy it?

 

[biggz]

Car has dissappeared from Auto Trader - did you buy it?

unfortunately, someone beat me to it. I did however buy a b6. but its a 1.6 s line. it was too good an example to let go. 53 reg with 100k and full history and near mint condition. I did consider the 'underpowered' arguments however, having driven it over 200 miles to get home, i must say, i beg to differ. By no means is it a beast but it has more than enough grunt. And i say this having owned a bmw 530d sport, mercedes e320 cdi, and many more powerful cars in the past. Plus i only use it for local inner city driving. it should be perfect for me...hopefully...

 

[quattrojames]

1.6 S-Line?

(The S-Line only came with the 1.8T (190) engine).

 

[sportstractor]

My bro has got a 04 1.8t avant sline quattro which I'm about to advertise. I'd rather have that over the 2.5 tdi

 

[adamss24]

My bro has got a 04 1.8t avant sline quattro which I'm about to advertise. I'd rather have that over the 2.5 tdi

I think you're wrong there mate, the v6 tdi has more grunt and better fuel consumption than the 1.8 TQS... If you never driven a diesel then i would understand but if you're into diesels then it's a different story ! For me the petrol feels very flat and needs thrashing if you want to get anywhere. The diesels- on the other hand- are very good mile munchers and in real world much faster point to point machines !

 

[Ian2012]

The power deilvery and driveabilty of the V6 180 tdi puts me off, it's all or nothing, the 3.0tdi different kettle of fish

ian

 

[adamss24]

The power deilvery and driveabilty of the V6 180 tdi puts me off, it's all or nothing, the 3.0tdi different kettle of fish

ian

Ian, i think you comment is more adequate to pd engines as their max torque is between 1800 to 2800 rpm's and they hate high revs. On the other hand the 2.5 tdi has a very flat power delivery which can be misleading, it gives the impression that's very slow when in fact it isn't ! Also from a modifying point of view, the 2.5 tdi can be tweaked with a 3.0Tdi turbocharger, larger nozzles and a custom remap for over 300 Bhp ! I have one tweaked to just about that and it's an animal ! The 3.0Tdi feels good out of the box but pass the remap and there's not much else available for it ! CR engines have their limitations and i have not seen any as yet with over 100Kw per liter but the 2.5 Tdi can deliver that easily !

 

[quattrojames]

The power deilvery and driveabilty of the V6 180 tdi puts me off, it's all or nothing, the 3.0tdi different kettle of fish

ian

Also, the 3.0TDi is only available in B7's, and probably in a different budget to the B6 the OP is looking at.

 

[sportstractor]

I think you're wrong there mate, the v6 tdi has more grunt and better fuel consumption than the 1.8 TQS... If you never driven a diesel then i would understand but if you're into diesels then it's a different story ! For me the petrol feels very flat and needs thrashing if you want to get anywhere. The diesels- on the other hand- are very good mile munchers and in real world much faster point to point machines !

I know what you're saying and I do usually prefer diesels. But the op isn't doing massive miles, and the 2.5 does seem to be a troublesome motor with high servicing costs, the mpg isn't that much better than the 20vT. We average around 31mpg with 38 achievable on a long run.

 

[sportstractor]

Plus a simple remap will give it a lot more grunt

 

[Turkster]

My 2.5TDI does the trick, 180BHP but now chipped to about 230BHP and goes very well when you press the peddle,

 

[biggz]

1.6 S-Line?

(The S-Line only came with the 1.8T (190) engine).

Well its a 1.6 Sport and has the s line bumpers. I think thats due to it being an 04 model. Its lovely though.

Also, the 3.0TDi is only available in B7's, and probably in a different budget to the B6 the OP is looking at.

B7 was out of my budget and 3.0 tdi really isnt necessary for the driving i do. I probably make a journey on the motorway a couple of times at most per year. Other than that, 99% of my journeys are not long enough to bring the car up to running temp! So the 1.6 probably is the most suitable option for me. Its not the fastest car in the world, but is very comfortable and accommodates the wife and 2 boys comfortably.

Just starting to sort the few small issues like brakes all round and a leaking cap on the battery. Any tips on the battery cap?

 

[adamss24]

I know what you're saying and I do usually prefer diesels. But the op isn't doing massive miles, and the 2.5 does seem to be a troublesome motor with high servicing costs, the mpg isn't that much better than the 20vT. We average around 31mpg with 38 achievable on a long run.

I would say the 1.8T is a much troublesome engine with it's sludge, coil issues compared to the v6 tdi. Only real issues the v6 have is the injector pump EDC and cams on cars with longlife servicing, that's all. They got a bad name due to the grease monkeys that don't know how to work on them and start scaremongering !
Only real advantage the 1.8T has over the v6 is a broader rev. range but the v6 has double the torque to even out. Also how often would you drive at 6000 rpm's in order to get any response from the 1.8 T engine ?
I chalenge any nay sayier to come and take my v6 for a spin, it would keep up with m3 and the like let alone with a 1.8T...