Time to buy, higher miles?

Delete · Mar 20, 2015

*I posted this in the A3 section too, thought I might get more eyes on it here.

So I will be buying an A3 by the end of March. Due to my previous experience with a 6.0L Powerstroke, I am incredibly paranoid in regards to reliability.

If it makes sense, I'd like to get one with close to or over 100k on it. I don't mind a lot of miles on a TDI. I plan on deleting all emissions and tuning it (eventually). I am aware of the costs I am just trying to find a mechanic who has experience with Audi TDI or TDI in general. In my area, there isn't many options. I am ok with maintaining the car, I am just worried about something major going bad.

I'm looking at the 2012 year and possible 2013 if I can find one with higher miles.

My questions are, is it "ok" to go with a 100k+ or would I be better of spending the extra $$ for the less miles? And what are some things I should look for when buying a TDI? I'm very new into TDIs and I want to make a good choice when buying.

fossill · Mar 20, 2015

Yah that Powerstroke is the biggest POS on the road. Not sure why Ford put their name to that... the engines actualyl an International or Navistar what ever they call themselves these days.
TDI's are the exact opposite...very reliable.
I'd buy one thats off warranty, then get rid of the dpf, egr, tune the thing and get a Rawtek exhaust providing you live where you can get away with that. That will solve all the issues that creep up in those engines, ie: intercooler icing/ sludging and poor fuel economy.

Delete · Mar 20, 2015

Ford put Navistar on a time crunch and they didn't test it like they should have. It's unfortunate they broke up IMO. The 7.3L and the 6.4L were decent engines. The late 6.0Ls weren't so bad either. Granted the 6.7L is doing well, but Navistar made a good product.

I'm getting it tuned and the EGR deleted first thing. We don't have eChecks where I live so I can get away with it for now. I'd prefer it to run clean as possible, least amount of smoke. Thank you for your help!

kwong7 · Mar 20, 2015

I have a bias to the ALH and BEW engines from 99-06. Something about the high pressure fuel pump scares me. I'm not sure if the reliability issues are overstated or if the replacement/repair price was come down, but it seemed like a deal breaker for me 4 years ago. Perhaps others can chime in. I've had no problems with my 01 Golf TDI over the last 270K miles, but it's a pretty simple design.

richmondvatdi · Mar 20, 2015

I used to think 100,000 miles was "a lot of miles". (I also used to think a 40-year-old woman looked "old".) Not no more on either count.

fruitcakesa · Mar 20, 2015

richmondvatdi said:
I used to think 100,000 miles was "a lot of miles". (I also used to think a 40-year-old woman looked "old".) Not no more on either count.

I have to agree wholeheartedly

Tdijarhead · Mar 20, 2015

richmondvatdi said:
I used to think 100,000 miles was "a lot of miles". (I also used to think a 40-year-old woman looked "old".) Not no more on either count.

3rd that, I'm still laughing.

fossill · Mar 21, 2015

Delete said:
Ford put Navistar on a time crunch and they didn't test it like they should have. It's unfortunate they broke up IMO. The 7.3L and the 6.4L were decent engines. The late 6.0Ls weren't so bad either. Granted the 6.7L is doing well, but Navistar made a good product.

Time crunch?? Ford been using International/Navistar since 1983 with the 6.9L in the F250. Ford had a falling out with Navistar over the build quality after the 7.3L and I believe they even sued Navistar. Change a lifter in a 6.0L and you have to remove and 100% dismantle the engine, not to mention removing the cab off the frame. Not exactly what one would want to hear if you're paying the bill as I'm sure its a $10,000 bill give or take as repairs don't come cheap on these engines.
Powerstrokehelp.com does a great job on informing what to look out for on these engines.

scooperhsd · Mar 21, 2015

I don't consider a TDI "broke in" until 60K miles, at least.

JB05 · Mar 21, 2015

I would like to hear Oilhammer's opinion on the Navistar diesels.

deeslman · Mar 21, 2015

6.0 was an outsourced diesel by Navistar. non usa based design, I want to
say mann diesel but not much of a ford guy.
Engines in bus applications stood up well.
It was destroyed by emission controls that is was not designed for.
Check out bulletproof diesel? he explains the good, bad and FORD of it.
It can be made into a runner.
.

Delete · Mar 25, 2015

fossill said:
Time crunch?? Ford been using International/Navistar since 1983 with the 6.9L in the F250. Ford had a falling out with Navistar over the build quality after the 7.3L and I believe they even sued Navistar. Change a lifter in a 6.0L and you have to remove and 100% dismantle the engine, not to mention removing the cab off the frame. Not exactly what one would want to hear if you're paying the bill as I'm sure its a $10,000 bill give or take as repairs don't come cheap on these engines.
Powerstrokehelp.com does a great job on informing what to look out for on these engines.

Time crunch with the 6.0L, I understand Navistar has been with Ford for a very long time.

By the time I sold my 6.0L I had close to $20k in repairs alone. My biggest mistake was a bad mechanic, both in worth and ethics. First rebuild was 11.5k, then the 5r110 died on me a week later, then I had another blown head gasket not 8k miles after the first rebuild. Come to find one of the new heads they put on had faulty casting. The day that was done and they cranked it over, a lifter failed. They claimed to honor their 12k/12month warranty...but when it came time to take the truck home they pulled one over on us.

So this is why I'm paranoid and trying to make the best decision possible. With the car and mechanic

Delete · Mar 25, 2015

I have my eye on this one currently

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=45840&endYear=2016&modelCode1=A3&sortBy=distanceASC&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=1981&makeCode1=AUDI&searchRadius=0&maxPrice=20000&trim1=A3%7CTDI+Premium+Plus&mmt=%5BAUDI%5BA3%5BA3%257CTDI%2BPremium%2BPlus%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&listingId=394489836&Log=0

Being in Ohio it's going to cost me 800+ to ship. There is one about an hour from me too but it's at a dealer. I work for a Ford dealer so I'm attempting to get them to wholesale it to us.

UhOh · Mar 28, 2015

I never have gone with cutting-edge stuff. I tend to favor the end of the production cycle on longer-running models of things: yeah, hoping that QA hasn't left the building by that time.

Aimed for a 2003 ALH Golf but found it almost impossible to locate one. Ended up with two 2000s. Engines are probably the least of the worries, it's all the other stuff that you have to be prepared for. Suspect that it might also be the case for newer stuff as well. Sure, every engine and drivetrain has it's weak spots, but knowing them you can manage to live around them.

Speaking of Navistar, I bought an IDI F250, 1993, last full year non-turbo (pre "Power Stroke"). Would love to have a turbo but it's just a farm truck and I wanted something that was bulletproof and easy to repair. No electronics whatsoever! (there's a $70 glow plug relay controller, but if that fails I can just plug the truck in [not that it gets that cold here]) My tractor's also an IDI. If they weren't so dog slow I'd have an IDI car (actually, the concern has more to do with performance for my wife- I don't want her getting run over by logging trucks!)

No real costs engine-wise for my "new" TDIs (just maintenance stuff- TB being the biggie). Broken body pieces and wiring, well, that's another thing...

Delete · Apr 5, 2015

UhOh said:
I never have gone with cutting-edge stuff. I tend to favor the end of the production cycle on longer-running models of things: yeah, hoping that QA hasn't left the building by that time.

Aimed for a 2003 ALH Golf but found it almost impossible to locate one. Ended up with two 2000s. Engines are probably the least of the worries, it's all the other stuff that you have to be prepared for. Suspect that it might also be the case for newer stuff as well. Sure, every engine and drivetrain has it's weak spots, but knowing them you can manage to live around them.

Speaking of Navistar, I bought an IDI F250, 1993, last full year non-turbo (pre "Power Stroke"). Would love to have a turbo but it's just a farm truck and I wanted something that was bulletproof and easy to repair. No electronics whatsoever! (there's a $70 glow plug relay controller, but if that fails I can just plug the truck in [not that it gets that cold here]) My tractor's also an IDI. If they weren't so dog slow I'd have an IDI car (actually, the concern has more to do with performance for my wife- I don't want her getting run over by logging trucks!)

No real costs engine-wise for my "new" TDIs (just maintenance stuff- TB being the biggie). Broken body pieces and wiring, well, that's another thing...

I also used to have a 93 IDI dually 2WD. Thing was a turd but never let me down, we thought about putting a turbo on ours too. But from what I've heard, they don't last long on them. Hauled a 34ft gooseneck like a champ...just took me a while to go anywhere. Never let me down.

So I ended up buy a little 11' Jetta 6spd with 98k miles on it. It was much less than the Audi I was looking at and the manual trans was too good to pass up.

Blackjedi · Apr 5, 2015

Delete said:
I also used to have a 93 IDI dually 2WD. Thing was a turd but never let me down, we thought about putting a turbo on ours too. But from what I've heard, they don't last long on them. Hauled a 34ft gooseneck like a champ...just took me a while to go anywhere. Never let me down.
So I ended up buy a little 11' Jetta 6spd with 98k miles on it. It was much less than the Audi I was looking at and the manual trans was too good to pass up.

Have a friend with a 1989 f250 7.3 idi with a banks turbo, has almost 300k on it now, it's a beast of a truck with a 5 speed, not a speed machine but very dependable and can haul about anything easily. Someone tail gating you? Put it in too high of a gear and hold it to the floor, they disapear in the smoke lol When you start pushing the idi's with turbos real hard you will end up with problems just like anything when you push the limits.

Curious Chris · Apr 5, 2015

The 7.3 is a great engine. Where i work were reman 6.5, 7.3, 6.0, 4.5, 6.4's. The only two of these engines I would want would be the non turbo non ecm 6.5 and the 7.3.

Delete · Apr 7, 2015

Blackjedi said:
Have a friend with a 1989 f250 7.3 idi with a banks turbo, has almost 300k on it now, it's a beast of a truck with a 5 speed, not a speed machine but very dependable and can haul about anything easily. Someone tail gating you? Put it in too high of a gear and hold it to the floor, they disapear in the smoke lol When you start pushing the idi's with turbos real hard you will end up with problems just like anything when you push the limits.

That's bad a**! I almost wish I still had mine, it ate alternators for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but it never let me down beyond that.

I have been advised to keep the Jetta stock and not tune it/delete the EGR. As it will cause me more problems in the end. But everything I've read says otherwise?

Time to buy, higher miles?

Delete

Active member

fossill

Veteran Member

Delete

Active member

kwong7

Veteran Member

richmondvatdi

Veteran Member

fruitcakesa

Top Post Dawg

Tdijarhead

Top Post Dawg

fossill

Veteran Member

scooperhsd

Top Post Dawg

JB05

Top Post Dawg

deeslman

Veteran Member

Delete

Active member

Delete

Active member

UhOh

Top Post Dawg

Delete

Active member

Blackjedi

Veteran Member

Curious Chris

Top Post Dawg

Delete

Active member