hello all- I’m thinking of buying an A8 with the 3.0 TDI engine. I would like to know how is this engine.
Problems? How is it lasting.?

anyone have a few hundred thousand miles?

this would be my first diesel car- I have and do own a diesel truck- and as American diesel trucks go- there are good diesels and there are terrible ones that will bankrupt you....

any feedback helps
thanks
ted

As a potential future diesel truck buyer (now that all the SUV manufacturers are leaving the US diesel market) which engines are typically bulletproof and which cause all the brain and wallet damage?

Are you talking SUVs?
hands down the ford excursion 7.3L diesel - bullet proof. Now incredibly hard to find in great condition w low miles- last year production was early 2003- when you do find one- very expensive.
one of the worst Diesel engines was fords 6.0 diesel. However if u spend the money - 10K and know an excellent diesel mechanic- they can “bulletproof” the 6.0- after that is done- it’s good for 500k miles- and usually guarenteed for life or 500K miles by the mechanic.
Dont know any suv that Chevy put their diesel in. As far as the Chevy truck diesel- they had some bad years- 03-06- injector problems- every 50k miles or less had to be changed- like 5 grand in work.

cummings diesel in the dodge- one of the best- practically bulletproof- however i don’t know of any SUV dodge put it in. Also w dodge- the Cummings is great but the body and interior fall apart long before the engine quits.

hey so back to my question... do u have an Audi 3.0 TDI- what are their issues?

I figure that I’ll never be able to get another late model diesel SUV ever again and have resigned myself to buying a truck if I want to stick with a diesel in the future. Happy to hear that Cummings is good across the board - my first vehicle was a really old Dodge (slant 6, three on the tree). The cool thing about diesels is that there are folks who keep them a long time and know which ones last. Does Ford even make the 7.3L anymore?

As for the VW group 3.0L TDI, I asked around before buying my 2013 which I’ve had for about two years now. It’s still low mileage for a diesel, about 65k. I had to get a quick emissions/particulate test when I first bought it. Part of it was placing under load for the test. That particular facility also did dyno testing and it was still putting down about 240hp/400lb-ft which are the original power specs IIRC. Nonetheless my local private shop said they’ve never had to tear down the 3.0 engine or replace the turbos.

I did hear repeated admonitions from various sources to religiously change the fuel filter every 20k. The high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) will rarely grenade and trash the entire fuel system. The prolongation of warranty coverage on that alone has induced me to get the diesel fix in the near future. I was also advised to change the oil every 5k as well. Is that excessive? It seems that way with synthetic oil but perhaps cheap insurance on an engine I’d like to keep for most of a decade. I’d extended my gas engine oil changes to 5-10k with synthetic oil in the past with some high mileage gas engines that lasted a long time on that schedule (84 Honda 1.8L?, a 2000 Saab 2.0L and a 2005 Audi allroad 2.7T). I’m new to diesels myself though so am not sure about oil change intervals as compared to gassers. That’s about it for specific caveats that I’ve been able to glean from my fairly comprehensive review of the TDI threads here and a couple other VW forums.

thabks for the reply.
to answer your question- no, last year for the 7.3L was first half of 2003. If I didn’t want to spend a lot of money and buy a new truck- I would prob buy a ford w the 6.0 that has been bulletproofed by a reputable shop that gave great warranty.

question for you... what State do u live in?

thanks for th info on your 3.0. What year is your vehicle?
can u tell me what is this “update” for the VW/ Audi Diesel engines? This was from the government lawsuit/ issue w emissions?
What does this repair do? (Computer fix)

im thinking if a dealer is offering a diesel forsale, then the repair must have been done already? I assume it was mandated for the fix.

Thanks
ted