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My wife’s 09 Focus is starting to bite the dust. Brake issues replaced all around now, leading to needing master cylinder. Starting to have an engine tic as well. Only 135k on it, but was abused before she got it from family for free.
She’s going to look at this Audi tomorrow, but here’s my question. After research on this year a3, it looks to be a good choice. 77k miles with all services on record via CARFAX by VIN. Are Audis hard to work on? What should I look for when we go for a test drive? I’ll bring my OBD scanner with me and do the obvious visual checks.
For reference 2015 Audi A3 1.8T Premium. ALSO, is this year Premium Gas? Seeing mixed answers online and want her to know ahead of time.
BlakeDon’t buy it unless your a mechanic. They are good cars but around 100k it’s gonna start to give you problems and German cars are not easy to fix.
ParkerDon’t buy the a3, go for the a4, it’s a straight facing engine inline 4 with a lot more space to work on the vehicle, you get actual Audi suspension with 4 control arms each front side, actual quattro with 3 differentials. For a little higher price they are for sure worth it, just verify if they are over 100k miles no matter the model, make sure the timing chains have been done, and you’ve got a decently sporty, good gas mileage daily.
DavidI’m lucky enough to own a d&t VW TDI. The 1.8t are nice, but like everyone is saying it becomes a money pit over 100k.
I work at a VW dealer and the 2.0t and 1.8t are the same between the brands with a few differences I would assume. Definitely fun cars, but require a lot of maintenance.
I’ve kept up in my TDI dual mass flywheel (TDI specific for the most part imo), control arm bushing, intake manifold (specific to the TDI for the flap failure), timing belt every 100k miles (specific to the TDI) but the 1.8t and 2.0t in the early years can have chain stretch, water pump & thermostat housings tend to leak, the accessory bracket gasket and oil cooler gasket are another few items (recommended doing both at the same time for a better rate on labor), valve cover reseal and oil separator along with upper timing cover gasket.
Those last few things are what I see being replaced the most on the 1.8t and 2.0t engines at my dealership. German engineering is very nice but needs alot of attention and care.
The premium gas eh it can run on 87, but I highly recommend 89 or 91 for less knock retard and slightly better throttle response for it being an a3.
RylanAs a full-time mechanic. NEVER BUY GERMAN. Unless you’re a master master mechanic. But even the most skilled mechanics still struggle working on them. Ever wonder why labor is $300-$500 an hour at a German dealership? Because it’s very few mechanics willing to do that work, and they make BANK. My buddy who’s a technician at Mercedes-Benz makes $200k a year. Then my dad also works at an Audi dealership and makes $150k a year AFTER taxes.
BellamyI would highly recommend taking a look at some pre-owned or even new Mazda’s. They have a German feel for a Japanese car and very reliable these days as opposed to other manufacturers and very easy to work on. (Coming from VW to Mazda owner).
AnthonyWhy doesn’t she get a Toyota Corolla, you’re going to end up doing all the work or sending it to a shop? Even a Honda would be good for her. All the parts are easy to get. My opinion tho good luck.
JoshuaAt least buy a good aftermarket warranty. A3 wouldn’t be my first pick, either. Stay away from the turbo engines. Get an a6 or an s4 that’s supercharged.
AL EXAudi A3 is equivalent to VW GTI. Same motor, suspension is set up the same way, so on.
Water pumps are an issue, most likely due for a water pump at that mileage. When opening the hood, be aware of a “sweet” smell or coolant if you know what it smells like.
Rear brakes wear quickly on those models, just a note of weirdness. You do need a scanner that can put the hand brake in service mode for the rear brakes there.
Carbon build up is normal on that motor, need to pull the intake manifold to clean out the valves, on this model it is pretty easy to service. Depending on driving style/ trip length, this is needed around 80-100,000 miles, signs are, misfires on cold start.
In the Audi family, the A3 is a reliable car, small and quick. Not that hard to work on, suspension and brakes are pretty simple as it follows the golf/Jetta set up.
EricStay away from Audi. Stay away from anything not Honda or Toyota. Also, a tick doesn’t mean alot. Could just need a valve adjustment.
AndrewIf you can’t afford a brand new a3, you can’t afford to maintain a used a3.
AbrahamVery expensive to fix. Very hard to work on. Requires lots of special tools. Run.
EricI wouldn’t. Those aren’t any harder to work on than a lot of cars of that vintage; that said, the Germans can be…quirky about how they do certain things. The parts are what’s going to get you. They tend to be expensive.
If you want something more luxury than your Fusion, you can try a Mazda from around the same year as that Audi. They were pretty well up-market by that point.
There’s always Lexus and Acura, too. If you do get the Audi, though, run 93 in it.
I wouldn’t trust 87 with a turbo.
JustinI’ve had one with over 200.000 miles. They are really good cars. Intakes do require cleaning every 30k miles or so due to carbon buildup. Keep up with oil changes every 7/8000 miles, and it will last quite a long time.
Also, maintenance is expensive. But if you consider buying one, you should in my opinion be able to afford the maintenance. My brother and I owned it together as our first car for almost 4 years and put about 120k on it (bought at 83) we’ve only spent about €4000,- in maintenance.
Really do make sure that it really has been serviced well. Lack of maintenance is what kills these beauty’s
JaredAnd just to add to my previous comment. You’re going from a car with minor fixable issues that your wife got for free to getting locked into a car payment. A master cylinder isn’t a big deal at all and an engine tick isn’t really indicative of anything, an oil change and some Lucas Oil could fix that.
SkullieI can fix a lot of things, and I am not buying an Audi due to the parts. I have a workshop at my house and tools to fix just about everything (I’m purchasing the tools needed to work on diesel engines now) and no I won’t touch these. Water pumps are a headache, and a lot more. If you are not handy, get a Toyota. I personally don’t like them, but they are easy to work on and parts are plentiful. Even a Honda Civic is my next go to.
DanielEuro tech here.
Use premium fuel to help with carbon build up
They burn oil and it’s normal.
Timing is due at 100k miles. It’s not that hard to do
Lower control arms go out around 75k miles
Water pump failure very common
Spark plugs due every 40k miles
Oil change says every 10k, but I recommend every 5k miles
Valve cover likes to leak around that mileage, very common very simple to do
Fuel pump module likes to go out
I bought my little brother an a4, and it’s not that bad.JamieIf you can buy an aftermarket warranty with a low deductible, it is not a bad purchase. Yes they get expensive at higher mileage but are not terrible to work on in my opinion. Common things I see at my shop with these are leaking water pumps (they are plastic and the plastic breaks, and they leak, they make an aftermarket metal one) injectors fail. Carbon build up on intake valves. Crankcase vent valve on the valve cover fail all the time. If you buy it, change the oil every 5k miles, full synthetic. Never go 10k! The engine will sludge up really bad overtime. I’ve seen it so many times.
JohnAlot of false information here. Hard to work on? Sounds like people are just lazy.. Unless you’re opening the motor, all bolt on parts are extremely easy to get to and replace. This platform is known as MQB. The A3, S3, Gti, And Golf R are the most simple cars to work on. Mine has almost 200k miles on it, OEM WATER PUMP, driven very aggressively its entire life. When you turn the boost up on these stock turbos, they don’t last very long, but if you keep the vehicle stock, I’m sure you’d have no problems getting 200k miles out of it.
NateI had an a4, and it was my favorite car I’ve ever owned, style, luxury, decent speed. There is just a feel that you get while you’re driving it…it’s hard to explain. But with that said, I used to be a full service mechanic, and I did have to do a full turbo job at 56k. The part was $1500 alone and the dealer quoted me $3500 for the job. (I did it myself). If you’re gonna buy a car like this, definitely make sure you have money for repairs. The car itself is on the less expensive side, but the parts and repairs are still going to be luxury brand price.
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