Buying an audi a4 from england

Vinzilla

Hi just need to know the common faults to look out for, what to check when buying, reliability of the car etc. and what people think of A4's in general

im looking to buy an a4 s-line 170 bhp 2 litre diesel probably 2007ish in the next week or two so really need to have my homework done before i go...

also interested in 320d m-sports, any thoughts on them are welcome too but will probly be gettin an a4

also anything i should know about buying in england that i might have overlooked, all advice is welcome

shanec1928

With poor exchange rate and vrt. I doubt you will save very much if anything buying in England. Do a search here and you will find plenty on a4's in this forum.

Vinzilla

yea i know, thats true, will probly end up at the same price or a bit more....but theres a much bigger selection in england and need something to do me for 4-5 years, so low milage is a must...also its a 170 bhp sline so not much to choose from over here

paddy145

Not much to point out really, only the aircon/ventilation is dodgy in a lot of them. Would be handy if you had the Diagnostic kit with you and you could check if there was any fault codes showing up on the car, theres usually some on donedeal for 50quid or less.
Obviously do a history check on it before you buy it, alot of clocked 2.0tdi's out there. You going for the quattro then?

Vinzilla

there is one quattro alright, all the rest are standard fwd, think the quattro was a bit more, maybe 500 pounds r that, didnt really look as nice... dya think it would be worth it tho...ive no experience of 4wd's to be honest....tnx for the info, yea well im plannin on sortin it out with a mechanic to meet me there and give the car a once over before i buy, he'd be able to check that sort of thing there nd then would he or would it be better to bring it to his garage?

paddy145

Vinzilla wrote: »

there is one quattro alright, all the rest are standard fwd, think the quattro was a bit more, maybe 500 pounds r that, didnt really look as nice... dya think it would be worth it tho...ive no experience of 4wd's to be honest....tnx for the info, yea well im plannin on sortin it out with a mechanic to meet me there and give the car a once over before i buy, he'd be able to check that sort of thing there nd then would he or would it be better to bring it to his garage?

No wouldnt bother with the quattro myself either, just wondering when you were going for the 170BHP, more to go wrong and probably slightly heavier on fuel. I have the 140BHP sline, only give me trouble once with an electrical fault where it used to cut out now and again, simple fix once we worked out what it was.
Mechanic should be able to check if there any fault codes there and then, just plug it in and give a quick scan, takes about 5-10mins but he mightnt bother, wouldnt be the end of the world either, id just do it for piece of mind as it would show things that you cant physically see.

bazz26

Might not save much money by going to the UK but you will be getting a higher spec car and better looked after one. Just make sure to do the usual background checks regarding service history, outstanding finance and insurance claims and mileage. These cars are well able for big mileage which makes them easy to pass off if clocked.

If going for an A4 with the 2.0 TDi PD engine make sure it has had the injectors replaced under recall. Audi replaced them in the UK alot earlier than over here, might save yourself some hassle if they are already done.

Vinzilla

paddy145 wrote: »

No wouldnt bother with the quattro myself either, just wondering when you were going for the 170BHP, more to go wrong and probably slightly heavier on fuel. I have the 140BHP sline, only give me trouble once with an electrical fault where it used to cut out now and again, simple fix once we worked out what it was.
Mechanic should be able to check if there any fault codes there and then, just plug it in and give a quick scan, takes about 5-10mins but he mightnt bother, wouldnt be the end of the world either, id just do it for piece of mind as it would show things that you cant physically see.

yea did a bit of reading up on fwd vs quattro last night, will definitely be going for fwd...thats not bad atal nw if thats the only trouble you've had

Vinzilla

bazz26 wrote: »

Might not save much money by going to the UK but you will be getting a higher spec car and better looked after one. Just make sure to do the usual background checks regarding service history, outstanding finance and insurance claims and mileage. These cars are well able for big mileage which makes them easy to pass off if clocked.

If going for an A4 with the 2.0 TDi PD engine make sure it has had the injectors replaced under recall. Audi replaced them in the UK alot earlier than over here, might save yourself some hassle if they are already done.

yea true dat, thats my main reason for going...ive heard about the injector problems alri, if they werent done, and i brought the car back here, would an audi dealer replace them if it was eligible under the recall

Vinzilla

does anyone know would it be necessary for me to have the dpf removed...monday to friday id only be doing short journeys into work and back, id be able to take it out for a good spin on the weekends but ive heard they can get clogged easily and replacing one is expensive...just wondering cause its an extra cost to take into account

Nickindublin

Vinzilla wrote: »

does anyone know would it be necessary for me to have the dpf removed...monday to friday id only be doing short journeys into work and back, id be able to take it out for a good spin on the weekends but ive heard they can get clogged easily and replacing one is expensive...just wondering cause its an extra cost to take into account

I have 1.6TDi 105bhp Audi and in the 2 years i have had it i have no problems. I do a 17km trip every morning and evening across dublin city. It gets a good blow out every month or so.

I would be very wary about buying in the UK as the warranty wont be any use. If you buy off dealer here you will get a warranty and peace of mind. If you are looking for a particular spec why not ring around the dealers here. Some of them may have one coming in in Jan.

Vinzilla

Nickindublin wrote: »

I have 1.6TDi 105bhp Audi and in the 2 years i have had it i have no problems. I do a 17km trip every morning and evening across dublin city. It gets a good blow out every month or so.

I would be very wary about buying in the UK as the warranty wont be any use. If you buy off dealer here you will get a warranty and peace of mind. If you are looking for a particular spec why not ring around the dealers here. Some of them may have one coming in in Jan.

Yea I would do that alri, the local dealer here travels to the u.k. regulary and will source out a particular car for ya if ya want... its just the waiting round thats the problem ( i sold my car last weekend) and obviously he has to make something out of the sale too.
Ok, so thats 100% that no uk dealer warranty will apply once its exported over here? ... i hadnt thought of that actually, but if i get the car checked out thoroughly, i suppose its equal risk to buying privately, also no warranty should mean better cash price from the dealer right? less risk for him and all that...

Nickindublin

Vinzilla wrote: »

Yea I would do that alri, the local dealer here travels to the u.k. regulary and will source out a particular car for ya if ya want... its just the waiting round thats the problem ( i sold my car last weekend) and obviously he has to make something out of the sale too.
Ok, so thats 100% that no uk dealer warranty will apply once its exported over here? ... i hadnt thought of that actually, but if i get the car checked out thoroughly, i suppose its equal risk to buying privately, also no warranty should mean better cash price from the dealer right? less risk for him and all that...

Well if you want a warranty i would try the North...You should get a better deal without warranty but if something does go wrong it may cost a small fortune. mechanic may not spot it either. But its your money and if you cant get the car you want here you better off going to the UK.

bazz26

Vinzilla wrote: »

yea true dat, thats my main reason for going...ive heard about the injector problems alri, if they werent done, and i brought the car back here, would an audi dealer replace them if it was eligible under the recall

Check with VAG Ireland but I'm nearly sure that it was mentioned here recently that VAG are covering the injectors here now.

Nickindublin wrote: »

I have 1.6TDi 105bhp Audi and in the 2 years i have had it i have no problems. I do a 17km trip every morning and evening across dublin city. It gets a good blow out every month or so.

I would be very wary about buying in the UK as the warranty wont be any use. If you buy off dealer here you will get a warranty and peace of mind. If you are looking for a particular spec why not ring around the dealers here. Some of them may have one coming in in Jan.

I'd also be very wary about buying any used diesel car from the North as washed/laundered diesel is very common up there. The only ones I would consider from the North is a car that was just imported from the mainland UK through dealers. Warranty would be limited on a nearly 6 year old car anyway and the North is only practical if you live down South within a reasonable distance to the border.

Your 1.6 TDi which I presume is in an A3 has no real bearing on the reliability of a 2007 A4 2.0 TDi though, they don't share the same engine technology. The 2.0 TDi PD engine in the A4 was a troublesome unit compared to the older 1.9 TDi unit it was supposed to replace. Your car has a common rail engine which has a different injector system.

Moanin

Nickindublin wrote: »

I would be very wary about buying in the UK as the warranty wont be any use. If you buy off dealer here you will get a warranty and peace of mind.

It depends on what warranty you are talking about (Dealer or manufacturer)? Dealer warranty is obviously useless unless you want to travel back to the UK if you have any trouble with the car, but the maufacturers warranty will stand in Ireland (that is if the car is still under manufacturers warranty when purchased and as long as you have the car).

bazz26

Given that the OP is looking at a 2007 A4 it would be the latter I would imagine.

166man

bazz26 wrote: »

Your 1.6 TDi which I presume is in an A3 has no real bearing on the reliability of a 2007 A4 2.0 TDi though, they don't share the same engine technology. The 2.0 TDi PD engine in the A4 was a troublesome unit compared to the older 1.9 TDi unit it was supposed to replace. Your car has a common rail engine which has a different injector system.

Think he was speaking about the problems relating to the DPF not being such an issue for him doing only 17km a day. Another example of a poster with a DPF car and no problems.

MuppetCheck

The DPF in the 170 PDs is known to be more troublesome than later models. Many have been removed instead of replaced.

Callisto99

Well..................did you buy??