Off to look at a car. A short 9 hour round trip.
Discussion
It's that time again. The all-to-frequent "pop" across the country to look at a car after a 3 minute call with the "dealer".
This time it's a 2003 Audi A6 Allroad 2.5TDI with 195k miles on the clock for shed money. The description simply read "PX to clear. FSH. Call for more info". So I did. After 4 attempts, I managed to get more than 15 seconds of "I'm out on a job mate I'll call ya back" in the most stereotypical Essex accent.
Anyway. Here I am. On the National Express nearly 2 hours unto a 3.5 hour Journey. Where I'll need to catch a tube and one more train to my destination. Oh, then I may need a taxi or a bus.
I'll keep you updated with what may be a dismally boring car purchase. Or, it might be interesting.
In the meantime, let's here some of your car buying escapades. What's the farthest or longest you've traveled? Worst car buying experience?
This time it's a 2003 Audi A6 Allroad 2.5TDI with 195k miles on the clock for shed money. The description simply read "PX to clear. FSH. Call for more info". So I did. After 4 attempts, I managed to get more than 15 seconds of "I'm out on a job mate I'll call ya back" in the most stereotypical Essex accent.
Anyway. Here I am. On the National Express nearly 2 hours unto a 3.5 hour Journey. Where I'll need to catch a tube and one more train to my destination. Oh, then I may need a taxi or a bus.
I'll keep you updated with what may be a dismally boring car purchase. Or, it might be interesting.
In the meantime, let's here some of your car buying escapades. What's the farthest or longest you've traveled? Worst car buying experience?
Superchickenn said:
YESSSS...
So i either get to see the new wheels later or ill get the others on here to help convince you that you need to buy a V8 to drown your sorrows on the way home
I told you. If it's a nail it's back to London to put the car cash on black. Add a couple of zeros to my pot and get a stripper wife So i either get to see the new wheels later or ill get the others on here to help convince you that you need to buy a V8 to drown your sorrows on the way home
ninjag said:
I can't see YouTube vids as using my works laptop. I'll take a look on my phone later 
Well after an uneventful journey I arrived and was picked up by the dealer. I had to move the jump starter pack from the passenger seat to get in. Excellent start.
The battery was flat because the drivers side door only just properly if you're careful with it. So the interior lights were on all night. Even better start.
Went for a drive and there was an apparent judderwhen pulling away at low revs.
A list of broken things:
More of a write up later!
ETA: Spelling errors
The battery was flat because the drivers side door only just properly if you're careful with it. So the interior lights were on all night. Even better start.
Went for a drive and there was an apparent judderwhen pulling away at low revs.
A list of broken things:
- Drivers door
- ashtray disintegrated when opening it
- Drivers side seat recliner handle broke
- display on the radio
- handbrake around your ears
- engine is sweet as a nut
- air suspension works as it should
- gearbox is tight
- despite the judder, the clutch has a good biting point
- no knocks, rattles or bangs
- everything electrical works
More of a write up later!
ETA: Spelling errors
Edited by MikeDrop on Friday 2nd November 08:53
I'm glad I can provide some entertainment.
I very nearly resorted to drinking my own piss. But a shining, beacon of yellow flashing light approached like a guardian Angel in my final moments of life.
Currently on the M25 heading towards the M4.
Clutch slave decided it no longer wanted to be constrained to a life of slavery and made a bid for freedom. I managed 10 miles with no clutch, rev matching, stalling and pulling off on the starter before the traffic became too heavy. Found a Tesco. Grabbed a coffee and put out an SOS to the AA.
Hopefully a cheap and easy fix. Car really is pretty decent. I've taken the chance to read through the copious amounts of Audi receipts and the car has had North of £7k spent on it in the last 10 years!
I very nearly resorted to drinking my own piss. But a shining, beacon of yellow flashing light approached like a guardian Angel in my final moments of life.
Currently on the M25 heading towards the M4.
Clutch slave decided it no longer wanted to be constrained to a life of slavery and made a bid for freedom. I managed 10 miles with no clutch, rev matching, stalling and pulling off on the starter before the traffic became too heavy. Found a Tesco. Grabbed a coffee and put out an SOS to the AA.
Hopefully a cheap and easy fix. Car really is pretty decent. I've taken the chance to read through the copious amounts of Audi receipts and the car has had North of £7k spent on it in the last 10 years!
colin79666 said:
Safe home mate. Brilliant 
Thanks mate Chris Type R said:
What's the plan in terms of a repair and making it back home ?
AA are recovering me to my house as I have Relay cover through my bank. Luckily. I'll source a part and get it fixed ASAP. This is my replacement daily. So I'm going to have to use my replaced daily as a daily until my new daily can actually become a daily.
This is karma for insisting on a manual Allroad.
ninjag said:
I had a look at its MOT history and to be fair it doesn't actually look all that bad considering the car and the mileage. I think you've just got unlucky on the way home but it may actually turn out to be a pretty solid car.
https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/
Yeah it's one of the things that drew me to it. It was by far the cheapest Manual Allroad for sale at the time. So I have to expect some inherent issues. Which I'm not bothered with. https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/
Chris Type R said:
It's lucky you had that to fall back on. I've only bought a car unseen from a distance once. Fortunately it was okay.
If it's a slave cylinder, then I except reasonably simple to replace/repair.
I've priced up on eBay and it's £25 for a Febi unit delivered. Before I order a replacement I'm going to remove the old one to make sure it is indeed the culprit. If it's a slave cylinder, then I except reasonably simple to replace/repair.
The Mad Monk said:
MikeDrop said:
Hopefully a cheap and easy fix. Car really is pretty decent.
Good luck.What could possibly go wrong?
SCEtoAUX said:
More repair costs before getting the car home than my Aygo has had in 9 years and 70k miles.
Kudos to the Op.
Worth it so I don't have to drive an Aygo Kudos to the Op.
Jokes - but it's just my way of managing my cars. Very rarely will I own one for longer than ayear out of pure boredom. But mainly because they don't last that long 
Oh, forgot to update on my prestige transport home.
Was a very uneventful journey. The AA patrol turned up in a Transporter van. I told him what was wrong with it and he discussed loading me up on his dolley. That was, until, I pointed out the Allroad is 4WD and can't be towed on a dolley.
So he organised a flatbed which turned up 40 minutes later at about 7pm. I was fully expecting to be relayed 4/5 times and arrive home at the early hours. But to my delight, I was offered a direct, one way ticket home!
Arrived home at 11pm, limped the car outside my house having been dropped off on the main road as the truck wouldn't have been able to navigate my estate. So all in all, it was about a 16 hour round trip! Excellent.
Plan of action is to strip the suspected article from the car this evening and see where I need to go next!
I'll probably start a Readers Cars thread so will post a link if anyone's interested!
Was a very uneventful journey. The AA patrol turned up in a Transporter van. I told him what was wrong with it and he discussed loading me up on his dolley. That was, until, I pointed out the Allroad is 4WD and can't be towed on a dolley.
So he organised a flatbed which turned up 40 minutes later at about 7pm. I was fully expecting to be relayed 4/5 times and arrive home at the early hours. But to my delight, I was offered a direct, one way ticket home!
Arrived home at 11pm, limped the car outside my house having been dropped off on the main road as the truck wouldn't have been able to navigate my estate. So all in all, it was about a 16 hour round trip! Excellent.
Plan of action is to strip the suspected article from the car this evening and see where I need to go next!
I'll probably start a Readers Cars thread so will post a link if anyone's interested!
M1C said:
Fantastic thread OP.
Good on ya. Fingers crossed after this you get minimal hassle going forward. Or backwards! Ha!
My tale is perhaps not as entertaining. Times were tough...i needed a car very very cheaply...a mate offered me a car for free!
Trouble was....i live in Durham and he's in Inverness! And it was a Saxo!
I managed to get a train ticked for some obscure evening / night train for a bargain £38, 5 hours on the train, he picked me up and got the car, etc. It was now approx 1am. He kindly provided me with a complementary high vis jacket and some spare bulbs...top bloke...but i hoped neither would be needed.
In the dead of night...i set off. I was aware that the PAS was intermittent...and sure enough...it really was. It was more intermittent than mittent! So that was quite hard work, then the drone of a wheel bearing started...which became almost deafening after a couple of hours.
I was still deep in the heart of Scotland...when some kind of major freak storm started, i'd never driven through anything like it. I had to hold tight onto the steering wheel (and my arshe held tight onto the seat material) it was unreal. When i got to the Forth Road bridge, i had to literally drive in the centre of the road to give myself as much room as possible either side as each gust lifted the car several feet sideways. I really did feel in like....huge danger!
Anyway, i continued steadily on, in complete concentration and the storm died down. I arrived at home at 7.30am, absolutely physically and mentally shattered......and then went to work!
Excellent effort!Good on ya. Fingers crossed after this you get minimal hassle going forward. Or backwards! Ha!
My tale is perhaps not as entertaining. Times were tough...i needed a car very very cheaply...a mate offered me a car for free!
Trouble was....i live in Durham and he's in Inverness! And it was a Saxo!
I managed to get a train ticked for some obscure evening / night train for a bargain £38, 5 hours on the train, he picked me up and got the car, etc. It was now approx 1am. He kindly provided me with a complementary high vis jacket and some spare bulbs...top bloke...but i hoped neither would be needed.
In the dead of night...i set off. I was aware that the PAS was intermittent...and sure enough...it really was. It was more intermittent than mittent! So that was quite hard work, then the drone of a wheel bearing started...which became almost deafening after a couple of hours.
I was still deep in the heart of Scotland...when some kind of major freak storm started, i'd never driven through anything like it. I had to hold tight onto the steering wheel (and my arshe held tight onto the seat material) it was unreal. When i got to the Forth Road bridge, i had to literally drive in the centre of the road to give myself as much room as possible either side as each gust lifted the car several feet sideways. I really did feel in like....huge danger!
Anyway, i continued steadily on, in complete concentration and the storm died down. I arrived at home at 7.30am, absolutely physically and mentally shattered......and then went to work!
Another tale of mine. I went to purchase a Mk1 MX5 advertised on Gumtree at well below shed money. I'd spoken to the seller on the phone, asked all the usual questions about rust, service history, clutch. Answers came back honest enough "There's some rust, no service history but the clutch is good". We agreed a price and a set about my journey from South Wales to Stalybridge in Manchester.
2 trains, a tram and another train later, I'm at my destination with the car and seller waiting for me in the car park. Along with his mate in his blacked out Range Rover, sporting multiple tatoos and waving a wad of cash about. Dodgy. But, I'm here now, so let's take a look.
Got in the car and my heart sunk. It was a f
king Auto! Still bought it though.
Well, small update.
The Audi is finally fixed.
4 slave cylinders later, I gave up and put it into the Indie VW specialist I use. Box was removed, DMF was determined to be a loose as a wizard's sleeve. The release bearing had gone through the clutch pressure plate and all sorts of chaos!
So, a new DMF, Clutch and Release Bearing later, we're back in action! :drive: It's only taken a month and many, many pounds
I'll be starting a Reader's Cars thread shortly and will link for those who are mildly bored.
The Audi is finally fixed.
4 slave cylinders later, I gave up and put it into the Indie VW specialist I use. Box was removed, DMF was determined to be a loose as a wizard's sleeve. The release bearing had gone through the clutch pressure plate and all sorts of chaos!
So, a new DMF, Clutch and Release Bearing later, we're back in action! :drive: It's only taken a month and many, many pounds
I'll be starting a Reader's Cars thread shortly and will link for those who are mildly bored.
Chris Type R said:
MikeDrop said:
So, a new DMF, Clutch and Release Bearing later, we're back in action! :drive: It's only taken a month and many, many pounds
Too much, or still good value for money overall ?I paid £800 for the car and £700 (£450 parts, £250 labour) so I'm £1500 in. More than I would have gone and bought one for, unless it had recently had a new DMF and clutch. But those ones were closer to the £2k - £2.5k mark.
This was always going to be a "keeper" but I think I've got a very decent car for the money, that should last me a good few years!
AGK said:
2Btoo said:
How do you get a 60% discount code from GSF? CP4L do good discounts from time to time but I've never seen anything anywhere near 60%!
They email the codes out every weekend. Anything from 50% to 60% offGassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff