Hey folks - new hear, so bare with me.

We are going to look at an ‘09 3.6L with 250k kms.
It would be a cash deal, and the price seems about right for the market around here (Eastern Canada). $6000 CAD. We are moving on from our older Ford Expedition that is a little rough around the edges and needs several thousand in repairs in order to pass inspection again.

I don’t drive very much - about 8k kms a year. Mostly little trips around town to grab the kids from school or groceries. We do tow our camper in the summer - which is primarily what this rig would be used for. Short trips around the province on weekends. We are hoping to get 2 decent years out of it before we buy something new.

With all that considered - this rig only has faulty park assist and adaptive headlights (according to owner). What are some things I should be looking closely at? What might be some red flags?

We are not new to the VAG group. We have owned many VW (wife’s current car is a newer Passat TDI). Part of the appeal here is the Audi brand - with some decent luxury features compared to my old Ford, along with the towing capability.

Thoughts and recommendations are greatly appreciated.

 

Just about 2 years ago I paid 13,500.00 Canadian for a 2010 with 137,000 KM's on it. Diesel too. If you have not driven a diesel. Take the time to test drive one. In the 3rd week of ownership, My wife says oil spot on the ground. I says no problem. I will have Audi fix it. They did that free under dieselgate. Last summer (July) I had more issues, New DPF but that could have been my fault. My work commute is 10 km's. Plus we were selling the house and being cooler out we did some engine idling. Later in July, 2 injectors. August EGR cooler went. While in the shop, They got a code for low fuel rail so got a new fuel system. All parts and labour were free under dieselgate. I shudder to think what the cost could have been considering the oil leak was an engine out job. Try a diesel, You'll notice a different power curve and it's exciting. lol

 

If able it would be most ideal to hook it up to a VAG scanner prior to buying. Then you'll be able to see any underlying secondary fault codes that may not set off a dash light. Inspect the tires, especially the front for uneven or excessive on the inner and outer edges. This may give you an indication if the owner maintained proper wheel alignment which is vital on the Quattros, or extra wear may indicate a worn steering or suspension component.

 

Hello Mr.Cheezle...the 3.6 engine is a bit low on power, but hard to pass up at that price. As Tacmo says, check out the suspension for loose / worn components. Lots of great members on this forum who are always willing to help.

Regarding the 3.0 TDI's....

Edzzed suggests you check out a diesel if possible. I test drove one and I really liked it, very smooth and quiet, with a lot of low end torque. If you do consider a TDI, make sure to check and see how much diesel-gate warranty is has left - if any. Plug in the VIN number into the Audi TDI Warranty Emissions Look-Up here....https://audidiesellookup.com/. If a TDI doesn't have any warranty left, then I would not buy it unless it's dirt cheap and I had sufficient funds set aside to fix things. The TDI's are awesome but as Edzzed relates in only 2 years of ownership the engine was dropped to fix oil leaks, new DPF, injectors installed, and finally a whole new fuel system (probably due to HPFP failure). I would guess these repairs would easily add up to more than $20,000. I'm currently looking for a nice TDI but reading about the common issues does scare me a bit..

 

I agree with Edzzed. I just bought a 2010 Q7 TDI last week with 79,000 miles and learned a ton about the Vehicle history and diesel gate prior to buying. The warranty and low miles was the only reason I paid for a vehicle that old and for the price I paid. After you look up the VIN on the website it will give you a date of service, this is when the DieselGate software mod was completed. This is when you extended warranty clock starts. I called Audi USA customer support, gave them then vin and asked exactly how many miles/years where left. For example mine expires June 2025 or 120,000 whichever comes first.

 

Have an ‘08 3.6 with 200,300 miles for past 6 years. Runs great. Here’s what you should know: tires last 30k miles max; brakes about the same. Bought tires from Firestone with mileage warranty and have enjoyed discounted replacements since. Thermostat and it’s plastic housing will need replacement if it hasn’t been already. Figured out the hard way that the belt tensioner should be replaced when replacing serpentine belt. Valve cover and pcv (which is built into cover) was replaced at 190,000 miles. A Fuel injector leaked at 175,000. Dealer wanted to replace mucho parts instead of just injector. Nope. Change oil/filter every 8,000 miles. Change cabin and air filters every 15,000 miles. NEVER use an Audi dealer for repairs. Oil/filter…okay to use dealer but never jiffy lube type places. Great vehicle especially if you do some of the maintenance yourself.

one other thing…the sunroof frame (plastic) cracked causing the sunroof to get stuck. Dealer wanted $1,500 to replace. I drilled small holes on either side of broken fram, inserted super glue and a short metal rod to connect the two sides. Cost…$10.

 

I can tell you my bad experiences with an '08 purchased about 3 years ago with 100k miles. It had been garaged its whole life and serviced mostly by the dealer.

1. Driver outside mirror motor failed.
2. ATF leak at the transmission electrical connector. If you don't DIY it will cost at least $1,000 USD, but you get an ATF change which you should probably do anyway.
3. Coolant leak where the "crack pipe" enters the rear of the water pump. Also costs at least $1,000 USD but you get a coolant change which you should probably do anyway.
(both of the above leaks were at o-rings which I assume shrank with age).
4. Lane keep assist module failed. I did DIY replacement with an ebay part.
5. Lane change assist module failed. Don't know if I'll try to fix or not.
6. Sunroof leak into front passenger area. An extremely common Q7 problem.

Not too long before I bought it the first owner has the fuel pump and valve cover gasket replaced.

Replacing the oil filter is so difficult that it's hard to believe without actually having been a victim of doing it.
When it's working well, it's a nice solid and comfortable car.

 

Years ago I had a 2007 Q7 with the 4.2 V8...owned it for 4 years. The only expensive issue I had was one of the high pressure fuel pumps failed. I didn't know what was going on at first. The motor would start but ran like crap, you could drive it if you kept rpm's low, but no power at all. Had a boat load of trouble codes, so many that I didn't know where to start. Finally had a local import shop look at it and they told me the failed HPFP had also electrically shorted out and impacted a bunch of other systems - hence the 3 pages of trouble codes. I had a major oil leak at the right-rear upper cam cover, it was a major PITA to get to, no gasket from the factory only sealant, I resealed it but within a few weeks it was leaking again. So I then made a gasket and sealed it back up and all was okay - but - now I was losing coolant, noticed oil level going up as coolant went down. Turned out that the o-rings on the water pipe that passes through that right-rear-upper cam cover were bad, took it all apart AGAIN...also noticed that the top timing chain guide was about the crumble to pieces, replace it as well. After researching a bit about sealants, I bought some Honda-Bond and used it - terrific stuff and it did the trick. Finally no more oil or coolant leaks at that cam cover. I did still have leaks at the oil pan area - just lived with it. Then on a long drive from Michigan back down to Alabama....the coolant overflow cracked (it was on a Sunday), stopped by an Autozone and had to get a reservoir that was not correct for the Q7 but would get us back on the road....after about 12 hours we were going again. Another big job was de-carboning the intake valves, glad I did it but wouldn't want to do that again. The last issue I had before get rid of the Q7 was a failed thermostat - stuck closed.

But just like tigerwillow1 above says....it's a nice vehicle when all is working, and I still loved it. I had the tow package and air suspension which was really nice, never had any issues. We pulled a trailer with about 5,000 pounds from Michigan to Alabama several times with no trouble. We pulled stumps, hedges...hauled masonry....I was really proud of how well the Q7 handled it all.

 

Like any other older car you could buy, if you aren't going to DIY repairs and maintenance on it, it'll eat your lunch.

Do be aware that the next model year (2010) gave the car an exterior facelift, with different headlights, LED turn signals front/rear, and some different engines to choose from.

 

Thanks for the info folks. A lot of TDI discussion - and as much as I would prefer a diesel - they are scarce in our area.

I went and looked at the ‘07 and decided to pass on it. There were a few red flags for me, so best to walk away if my instincts are telling me to.

Now we are considering a ‘13 with 170k kms for 14k CAD. It’s also the v6. It’s a trade in at a dealership and has very good service history. It’s been well taken care of.

Is there anything in particular with these next gen ones that I should be looking at specifically?

Thanks again!