Hello everyone,
Im new here to this forum.
I'm considering the purchase of a 2015 Q7 TDI w 75k miles. I was hoping to get some feedback from owners of common areas to look for on a ppi and what important maintenance items should be looked at. I just finished biting the bullet on a 2014 BMW 535d w137k miles that required approximately 5k worth of work including replacement of the DPF and other items. A lot of $ considering that's about 50% of what the car is worth. Just to illustrate why im a little nervous and don't want to make the same mistakes again. I had a 2011 A5 back in the day so I know a little about Audi. I appreciate any advice.
TIA!

 

That's a good call/good investment though on that BMW 535D, as those really drive well, and that engine tuning is next level goodness, IMHO. Granted, the one I spent some time with was a '12 535D and all the interior trim plastic in rear of car was looking fugly, and the controls were, IMHO, excessively busy/confusing, but the engine output, fuel economy, and overall driving experience were top-notch....the only problem with it was the lack of power steering, which the owner apparently hadn't noticed (failed sensor loop/wire break to variable power steering), although that's a common issue on that model.

I do wonder about your replacement of the DPF though, as normally those can simply be cleaned off car at a diesel focused shop for a few hundred dollars, which removes all the accumulated ash loading so they can be reused. Don't feel too bad though, as Audi doesn't mention that either, they just tell you it is clogged/ needs replacing and then sell you the incredibly overpriced new DPF unit....there's no precious metals in the DPF, just a ceramic matrix to trap the soot. The more you know...

So far as any used Audi goes, just pay a mechanic to do a full PPI on it, and in the case of the TDI it's helpful to have someone who knows diesels do the PPI.
The mileage is low on it, which can be good or bad since diesels need to be driven. The good thing about a 75K miles Q7 is you can go ahead and do the driveline lubricants on it that Audi says are 'sealed and lifetime lubricated', which they are not, and how stupid is it not to service the transmission and driveline lubricants? Oil and coolant leaks are the primary concerns, but obviously a thorough inspection should be performed and a VAGCOM scan tool connected to read all computer modules for internal fault codes. The smart-key door handles ground out internally and drain the battery, etc.

FWIW, our '15 TDI was relatively problem free up through 120k miles; a couple sensors in exhaust went out (O2, NOx), and coolant leak in the valley from the cylinder head coolant control valve. That car was an 'early' dieselgate fix though, so it benefitted from all the extra parts they replaced on Gen 2 motor/emissions system during dieselgate emissions 'fix'.

Be sure to look up the VIN # on the Audi TDI settlement website too...might get lucky there as there are two warranty periods...one from date in-service (10yrs) and the other is 48 months from date of the 'emissions fix' implemented, or in the case of a buy-back vehicle that 48 months begins after the first resell of the car. There are still some TDIs out there that haven't been 'fixed', and so there's warranty still on the table for those cars. Have fun. They are excellent vehicles so long as you know what you getting into, and get a PPI first.

Here's links to an overview of known issues with the 4L Q7 platform, of which there are several issues you want to know about, and a video specifically on the Gen 2 TDI motor, etc.

https://differentcarreview.com/2019/...-4l-2005-2015/

 

Thank you! Great info. Much appreciated.

 

I would also add that as low as the pricing has gotten on these of late, depending on where you purchase from, if you are outside of the TDI warranty, then a very strong business case can be made to purchase and aftermarket service contract to cover the powertrain and emissions systems, such as from Fidelity...they sell via car dealerships, etc.

Multiple owners on here have bought those to 'backstop' their TDI's list of 'known engine oil & coolant leaks, as well as the emissions systems, which is all very expensive to repair on your dime. Get the PPI first to see what's what and negotiate a better price from anything found lacking or leaking, LOL! Then you decide how much of your money you want to hang onto.

On my Gen 1 TDI, the TDI settlement warranty covered $20k + in repairs (Audi labor rates/parts pricing), and that is w/o them ever removing the engine from it as never had any big oil leaks from engine seals like many do as they age. Costs included a new turbo assembly, EGR Cooler, typical coolant leak in engine valley, full replacement of the SCR (Adblue) emissions system, and a couple of expensive exhaust sensors, and the HPFP or high pressure fuel pump got replaced at 87k miles. Your mileage may vary, of course on what goes south and at what mileage, but it'll happen, so be sure you have a plan.

I bought ours around the TDI settlement warranty coverage, so I haven't been out of pocket one dime on covered repairs. If I were buying one today, knowing what I know now, then I'd be first trying to find one still inside the settlement warranty or an 'unfixed' TDI, and secondly looking hard at those aftermarket service contracts as the things that typically fail involve a lot of labor hours and expensive parts. Don't be a sucker for the asking price either unless it's just a sweet-sweet deal. I negotiated a new set of complete rear brakes and fresh 'factory spec' oil change on our '15 TDI, as I found out their prep-shop put the wrong type oil (for a non-emissions diesel engine) in it and rear rotors were severely gouged by running the pads down to the metal rivets...the prep shop just installed new brake pads over the damaged rotors and didn't look up the correct oil spec required, etc. It's all about the details.

Hope this helps you out.

My son traded in the '15 TDI right at 120k miles to buy a Ford F150 4x4 (which I've had to recover from stuck in snow multiple times in my Q7), and based on the known issues with the engine he bought a $4k service contract to cover just the mechanicals on it. Just got it back from the dealer last week dealing with oil and coolant leaks, and front axle 4x4 locking actuators in the wheel hubs, and his covered repairs tally is now about $9-10k, so he overpaid for the used truck and got totally screwed on his Q7 trade-in, but made a very wise decision on the service contract purchase. He's at 100k miles on it and tranny is now showing symptoms of another 'known issue' (first year for the 10-spd tranny in F150), where there's a TSB to fix it if still in warranty, so that'll be next and it won't be cheap for the warranty company, as they require a complete rebuild of tranny, but it'll be covered for just a small, fixed deductible.

Avoid the money pit scenario; make a plan.