Audi Diesel engines and Automatic transmissions. Reliable?

[DSM10000]

A friend has a very well specified 2012 Audi A7 fastback with the 240hp diesel engine and 7 speed Automatic transmission.

It is currently at 165,000 miles with a full Audi and Audi specialist history and drives well with good performance, smooth gear changes and no rattles or suspension noise..He has had it for 7 years and it has been fairly trouble free.

He is looking for an RS version and will be offloading the diesel model as soon as he finds an RS he likes.

He has mentioned a price of £5500 which seems reasonable compared with other similar cars.

What I do not know is how well these Audi engines and transmissions hold up to higher milage. Not even sure if it is a chain or belt driven engine!

It would probably only cover 3 to 4 thousand miles a year with us as it could pick up quite a few tasks that the RR currently covers.

The 4 wheel drive (and appropriate tyres) would prove useful when visiting the horses.

He has offered it to me with first refusal.

Any comments etc welcome!

 

[KennyN]

Same V6 245hp engine as in my Cayenne , good on diesel and quiet , pulls + remaps well if that is your thing. Timing chain at the back of the engine and any issues from that area means dropping the lot and splitting the engine + box which will be costly.

They can leak oil from the rear timing chain cover which runs out the hole in the bottom of the bellhousing and looks like the crankshaft seal is passing , i made a tiny catch plate to stop any drips getting onto the undertray then onto the driveway , not a bad leak so not worth dropping the drivetrain to repair.

They can leak coolant from a diverter valve (part of the oil cooler) in the bowels of the V , not a major event but a faff to repair due to its location (rear RHS) so once the motor is proper hot have a sniff under the bonnet for "that" hot coolant smell.

Oil changes every 6K miles which will be around £80 if you DIY.

More refined and frugal than the OM642 lump i had in my CLS.

K

 

[Doodle]

7sp auto will likely be DSG, so fairly well tried and tested although not entirely fault free. With that level of mileage you might have to consider new clutches if it's done lots of low speed and stop-start.

 

[DSM10000]

7sp auto will likely be DSG, so fairly well tried and tested although not entirely fault free. With that level of mileage you might have to consider new clutches if it's done lots of low speed and stop-start.

I have heard of the clutch packs being replaced which can rejuvenate the gearbox.

 

[Doodle]

I have heard of the clutch packs being replaced which can rejuvenate the gearbox.

Yes, it's reported to be a relatively straightforward job, presumably as they were intended to be consumable wear items.

 

[Will]

Sounds cheap enough at £5.5k, but my only thoughts with cars like this are they sort of fall into a bit of a ‘no man’s land’ - £5.5k not quite bangernomics, you’ll have to fix things that need doing which may be a good chunk of the car’s value if it needs turbos, injectors, stuff like that - not terminal stuff but a headache if you get those four-figure bills on a car you don’t use much.

On the other hand, if you’re lucky and it doesn’t need much doing to it over the next few years it could be great value for money.

If you like it, has to be worth a go - life’s too short

 

[DSM10000]

Sounds cheap enough at £5.5k, but my only thoughts with cars like this are they sort of fall into a bit of a ‘no man’s land’ - £5.5k not quite bangernomics, you’ll have to fix things that need doing which may be a good chunk of the car’s value if it needs turbos, injectors, stuff like that - not terminal stuff but a headache if you get those four-figure bills on a car you don’t use much.

On the other hand, if you’re lucky and it doesn’t need much doing to it over the next few years it could be great value for money.

If you like it, has to be worth a go - life’s too short

It has had the Turbocharger refurbished about 10,000 miles ago along with the engine mounts replaced and several suspension components.