Discussion
Hi all
I have a 2007 A4 Avant 2.0 Tdi. I bought it with about 70k on and its now sat on 117k. Been a comfortable commuting wagon for me and the family 5 days a week for the last 3/4 years. But now I've got oil mixing with coolant in the expansion tank so i am bracing myself for the worst - head gasket.
To be honest i like the car but i am very disappointed with the engine at this stage and its put me off the car a bit. I dont expect an engine to need work these days at this kind of mileage. Its been pampered, driven sympathetically and its giving me grief! I've owned plenty of cars that have had a harder life and were flawless.
I'm tempted to offload rather than throw money at it and get something else like a C220 merc 2012 vintage - Or should i even entertain another Audi of similar age though and give them another crack of the whip? Are there any Audi engines (diesel or petrol for that matter) that are proven to be bullet proof and can go big miles without this kind of stuff happening? I like the german build so limited in options i guess if i want to stay.
Any suggestions on decent models (Audi or merc) for commuting? For some reason the Beemers just dont do it for me.
Cheers
Steve
I have a 2007 A4 Avant 2.0 Tdi. I bought it with about 70k on and its now sat on 117k. Been a comfortable commuting wagon for me and the family 5 days a week for the last 3/4 years. But now I've got oil mixing with coolant in the expansion tank so i am bracing myself for the worst - head gasket.
To be honest i like the car but i am very disappointed with the engine at this stage and its put me off the car a bit. I dont expect an engine to need work these days at this kind of mileage. Its been pampered, driven sympathetically and its giving me grief! I've owned plenty of cars that have had a harder life and were flawless.
I'm tempted to offload rather than throw money at it and get something else like a C220 merc 2012 vintage - Or should i even entertain another Audi of similar age though and give them another crack of the whip? Are there any Audi engines (diesel or petrol for that matter) that are proven to be bullet proof and can go big miles without this kind of stuff happening? I like the german build so limited in options i guess if i want to stay.
Any suggestions on decent models (Audi or merc) for commuting? For some reason the Beemers just dont do it for me.
Cheers
Steve
The good old PD 2.0tdi!
You've done well to get to that mileage, that's how I feel anyway.
I have the same car as you but 2008. First engine and turbo replaced at 48,000 miles, second engine replaced at 55,000 miles. Now on 61,000 miles with fingers crossed. All fitted new by Audi dealer.
Porous cylinder heads are normally the culprit, that or a leaking EGR valve. The water / oil mix was so bad in the first engine it emulsified. Porous head!
Saying that, I didn't have oil in the water tank so it could well be a head gasket failure which is typical of finding oil in the water.
Guess what I am saying is, eliminate the porous head and EGR valve before fitting a new head gasket.
If it wasn't under warranty I would have traded it in or at least not got my eyes gouged out by the dealer.
You've done well to get to that mileage, that's how I feel anyway.
I have the same car as you but 2008. First engine and turbo replaced at 48,000 miles, second engine replaced at 55,000 miles. Now on 61,000 miles with fingers crossed. All fitted new by Audi dealer.
Porous cylinder heads are normally the culprit, that or a leaking EGR valve. The water / oil mix was so bad in the first engine it emulsified. Porous head!
Saying that, I didn't have oil in the water tank so it could well be a head gasket failure which is typical of finding oil in the water.
Guess what I am saying is, eliminate the porous head and EGR valve before fitting a new head gasket.
If it wasn't under warranty I would have traded it in or at least not got my eyes gouged out by the dealer.
Afternoon gents 
Thanks for replying
This is the stuff i have read about - oil coolers, porous heads, dual mass flywheels, DPF failures etc - just doesnt impress me at all.
Its going into a local garage monday - if its the oil cooler fine i will get it fixed and that might be the end of it - but if its anything more sinister its getting chopped in ASAFP.
Just really disappointing as i actually like the avant quite a lot interms of confort and a good mile muncher - but i cant abide this kind of stuff happening on a modern audi. I mean for christ sake we scrapped a pug 306 hdi on 150k and the main reason that went was of a wheel bearing and bad alternator - best diesel i have ever owned. Didnt ask for anything and rarely had an oil change!!
Question is if the oil cooler or other straight forward fix doesnt sort it - what engines are held in high regard in merc/audi circles?
Thanks for replying
This is the stuff i have read about - oil coolers, porous heads, dual mass flywheels, DPF failures etc - just doesnt impress me at all.
Its going into a local garage monday - if its the oil cooler fine i will get it fixed and that might be the end of it - but if its anything more sinister its getting chopped in ASAFP.
Just really disappointing as i actually like the avant quite a lot interms of confort and a good mile muncher - but i cant abide this kind of stuff happening on a modern audi. I mean for christ sake we scrapped a pug 306 hdi on 150k and the main reason that went was of a wheel bearing and bad alternator - best diesel i have ever owned. Didnt ask for anything and rarely had an oil change!!
Question is if the oil cooler or other straight forward fix doesnt sort it - what engines are held in high regard in merc/audi circles?
Edited by J-Tuner on Friday 9th January 16:07
You're going to replace an Audi that you think is unreliable with a Merc? Eh..good luck!
The quality of Mercedes is shocking these days. Judged on a family history of Mercs, starting with a 300SE, 500SEC, 190E (then is went down hill) to a C180 , E270, ML320 and E350 with my friend having picked up a C-something 4 months ago and having been back to the garage 4 times already.
So as I say - good luck with your Merc! I'd not buy one in a million years if I wanted a car to keep for a while and give me problem free motoring.
The quality of Mercedes is shocking these days. Judged on a family history of Mercs, starting with a 300SE, 500SEC, 190E (then is went down hill) to a C180 , E270, ML320 and E350 with my friend having picked up a C-something 4 months ago and having been back to the garage 4 times already.
So as I say - good luck with your Merc! I'd not buy one in a million years if I wanted a car to keep for a while and give me problem free motoring.
The A4 has been granted a temporary reprieve - the oil cooler and seals have been replaced so now monitoring the state of the expansion tank closely to see how it fares. I think some residue is naturally coming up but as long as its not increasing significantly i'll assume that the issues been resolved for now. When it goes in next i'll get the coolant changed and the block flushed through and possibly a new tank to tidy it up.
That aside i'm still preparing to get something else - if the mercs are no better than audi then thats a shame. Perhaps i need to look at the beemers and lexus. The problem is i am genuinely not excited by beemers - i'm not bothered about driving dynamics in this instance. I just want a comfortable and semi frugal sofa on wheels with all the toys for the motorway that i can get serviced once a year and not have any worries for a bit at least.
Just in case anyones questioning my PH credentials based on my comment about not wanting driving dynamics i have a supercharged 1.8 mx5 for track days and a S3 for a runaround
So the question is - are the beemers really that much better i should crack on and look at some, or are the lexus comparable?
That aside i'm still preparing to get something else - if the mercs are no better than audi then thats a shame. Perhaps i need to look at the beemers and lexus. The problem is i am genuinely not excited by beemers - i'm not bothered about driving dynamics in this instance. I just want a comfortable and semi frugal sofa on wheels with all the toys for the motorway that i can get serviced once a year and not have any worries for a bit at least.
Just in case anyones questioning my PH credentials based on my comment about not wanting driving dynamics i have a supercharged 1.8 mx5 for track days and a S3 for a runaround
So the question is - are the beemers really that much better i should crack on and look at some, or are the lexus comparable?
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