Scrap, Sell or repair? What would you suggest?

[cronline]

Hi there,

Purchased a 2008 Audi A3 1.9 Diesel Auto in August for £3,400. Had 110,000 miles on the clock. Ran beautifully for 2 months then things started to go pear shaped. Main issue is faulty injectors and compression reduction on 2 cylinders. Damage and poor repair to cambelt pulleys & tensioners as well as metal debris on sump plug.

All the above reported by diesel specialist who said a repair would cost me around £3k. Another mechanic suggested a replacement engine and labor would cost me around £1,500. I seriously considered this as an option, unfortunately that mechanic no longer seems interested in the job.

If it was running, We buy any car quote offers around £1,850 and as a Non runner, Car take back would give me £550.

Needless to say I'm devastated by having being ripped off from the start and having what is still a great car with a great interior and exterior condition, but with a dud engine, and at this point I want to just get rid of it.

What would you do?

Thanks
Chris

 

[Daveyonthemove]

You need to weigh up the options.
The repairs sound costly and I expect you could save a few quid if you source the parts yourself and get a trusted mobile mechanic as they usually charge a bit less.
But to replace the car with something reliable and worth having would probably cost 3-4 times that amount, but you could be on the road far quicker.

Personally I would look at getting the current car back on the road, but everyone has different circumstances and priorities.

 

[Nessy]

Not much to add to the above replies, except don’t be swayed by the car valuations by the likes of WBAC etc...
They’re just rip-off merchants IMHO and thrive on people not knowing any better.
Personally , I’d get the engine fixed , on the basis of in for a penny.....

 

[cronline]

You need to weigh up the options.
The repairs sound costly and I expect you could save a few quid if you source the parts yourself and get a trusted mobile mechanic as they usually charge a bit less.
But to replace the car with something reliable and worth having would probably cost 3-4 times that amount, but you could be on the road far quicker.

Personally I would look at getting the current car back on the road, but everyone has different circumstances and priorities.

Thanks for the feedback, agree If I could get it running, I'd rather do that then buying a completely new vehicle. The mechanic who quoted me was a great option, also mobile however he is obviously too busy as her wont return my calls or answer my messages asking him to take the job. Any suggestions where I could look to find another mobile mechanic? I'm near Crewe.

 

[cronline]

Not much to add to the above replies, except don’t be swayed by the car valuations by the likes of WBAC etc...
They’re just rip-off merchants IMHO and thrive on people not knowing any better.
Personally , I’d get the engine fixed , on the basis of in for a penny.....

My biggest issue is that local garages only do basic servicing and I don't really have the knowledge or experience in sourcing and buying parts, let alone getting the repairs done.

 

[Daveyonthemove]

Thanks for the feedback, agree If I could get it running, I'd rather do that then buying a completely new vehicle. The mechanic who quoted me was a great option, also mobile however he is obviously too busy as her wont return my calls or answer my messages asking him to take the job. Any suggestions where I could look to find another mobile mechanic? I'm near Crewe.

I'm in Oxfordshire so I wouldn't use a mobile mechanic from that part of the country for obvious reasons, but I'm sure if you googled for one you could get a couple of results.
I hope you manage to get it sorted at a fair price.

 

[cronline]

I'm in Oxfordshire so I wouldn't use a mobile mechanic from that part of the country for obvious reasons, but I'm sure if you googled for one you could get a couple of results.
I hope you manage to get it sorted at a fair price.

Fair enough. I have spent quite a bit of time trying to find a local mobile mechanic, problem is none of them seem to promote themselves well in Google nor have a decent web presence. Being a software engine myself who focuses on web development and Search Engine optimisation, it would be great to find a mechanic who I can solve that problem for, while they solve my car problems! Thanks again!

 

[Nessy]

To add to my post earlier, try and find a local garage who knows their VW /Audi stuff and get a 2nd opinion , I distrust “specialists” as they always want to do loads of expensive work without guaranteeing it’ll fix the fault .
An example of this was my niece has a 2010 A3 Cabrio TDI which had intermittent limp -mode problems which if we’d listened to the diesel “specialist” would have had 4 new injectors and an EGR assembly, we’re talking £1K plus of work there.
In the end I diagnosed a faulty auxiliary coolant pump that cost £120 and an hour of my time to fix, car has been perfect for 2 years now.
If the engine really is terminal (it doesn’t sound too good by your description tbh) then I’d be inclined to get a 2nd hand unit (preferably with service history) eg from a breaker and getting the complete unit fitted than try and get your existing unit repaired.

 

[cronline]

@Nessy Your story sounds familiar. That Diesel specialist I mentioned wasn't shy with hist pricing. He wanted £250/injector when I know you can get them new for £150. I have contacted a garage that seems to specialise in Audi engine re-manufacturing and conditioning. They have quoted me around £1,750 for the following "re-manufacturing" excluding any injectors that may need to be replaced. I'm seriously considering this option now.

1) Engines are stripped to component and put into a high pressure parts cleanser at high temperature with abrasive chemicals removing all carbon deposits, debris and coking from previous failures returning the components to a “new” metal condition.
2) The Cylinder Block is re-honed and or re-bored.
3) Pistons and or Rings are changed
4) Connecting Rods are re-honed.
5) The Crankshaft is polished and or reground.
6) The main and big end bearing shells are replaced to suit the size of the journal.
7) Oil Pump is reconditioned or replaced for new.
8) The Cylinder Head is then stripped down and checked for wear, cracks and for truthiness then pressure tested and refaced as necessary.
9) Valve guides are checked for ware and replaced as necessary, valve seats are cut.
10) New/re-faced valve are lapped into the Cylinder-head and vacuum tested.
11) The Camshaft is checked for wear and re-polished if required.

 

[Nessy]

TBH if it were my car, I’d risk a good second-hand engine over a “rebuilt” unit any day.
I trust the Audi factory in Ingolstadt (or wherever A3’s are made) to build engines better than some garage down the road....no matter how fancy their premises are or how competent they appear to be.
Sorry if this sounds negative , but I don’t trust many places these days (perhaps it’s because I’m older and wiser) and £1750 sounds a LOT.
Perhaps it isn’t if it’s a really good rebuilt engine, and I also accept that finding a good 2nd-hand engine might not be the easiest task in the world... but I still know which option I’d choose.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Edit; if you do go for the re-conditioned engine I’d want to see genuine testimonials from happy customers of theirs before parting with my hard-earned.
As an example of who not to deal with; Google “Heathrow Engine Centre” and be prepared for some horrific reading material.
I’m old enough to remember their huge adverts in “Exchange & Mart “ every week, they did (perhaps still do!) a roaring trade......
Don’t want to depress you , but I can’t stress the importance of making sure the company you use has a good reputation ......

 

[RS3 S.]

TBH if it were my car, I’d risk a good second-hand engine over a “rebuilt” unit any day.
I trust the Audi factory in Ingolstadt (or wherever A3’s are made) to build engines better than some garage down the road....no matter how fancy their premises are or how competent they appear to be.
Sorry if this sounds negative , but I don’t trust many places these days (perhaps it’s because I’m older and wiser) and £1750 sounds a LOT.
Perhaps it isn’t if it’s a really good rebuilt engine, and I also accept that finding a good 2nd-hand engine might not be the easiest task in the world... but I still know which option I’d choose.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Edit; if you do go for the re-conditioned engine I’d want to see genuine testimonials from happy customers of theirs before parting with my hard-earned.
As an example of who not to deal with; Google “Heathrow Engine Centre” and be prepared for some horrific reading material.
I’m old enough to remember their huge adverts in “Exchange & Mart “ every week, they did (perhaps still do!) a roaring trade......
Don’t want to depress you , but I can’t stress the importance of making sure the company you use has a good reputation ......

.............same here. Must be plent of these engines in breakers yards? lower miles even?. Any decent garage should be able to manage an engine swap.

 

[ch1z64]

First costs , removing / installing .
Breakers yard cheaper and younger but no guarantee it will work once fitted
Remanufactured , usually come with guarantee off some sort ,
If you can get Audi parts at a cheaper price *** online ,TPS, ( just ask if covered by Audi 2yr guarantee dependant on what part .
So basically thats all you need to weigh up and price then work out what you can afford to do .
Me personally i would get rid off it and look for a cheap A3 petrol cause the amount off posts i see on here about problems diesels have has definitely put me off ever buying one

 

[aqibi2000]

Is the engine code BXE?

 

[SootySport]

I don’t like the idea of ‘Mobile Mechanics’. It’s all too easy for them drop a job and disappear midway through. Much better to use a local garage that’s familiar with VAG motors & trustworthy nearby.