Wifey gets new scoot A6 2.7T. Something seems wrong (OT)

lendaddy · 08-05-2003, 10:22 AM

Just won an auction on a '00 Audi A6 with the 2.7TT engine. Looks like I'll be flying out to Boston in a day or so. Thing is I got it pretty cheap as best I can tell. @ $15,500. Has 72k on the clock. I feel as though I researched these pretty well but am I missing something here? I have been lead to believe these are pretty solid engines/vehicles. Thanks and sorry for the OT (I try to keep them rare).

ruf-porsche · ruf-porsche's Garage

I think that the mileage for the year is kinda high that why the car sold for a lower price, 2000 Audi is 3 years old 72,000 miles equal 26,000 miles per year. Most car average 10 to 15,000 miles (at least for leased cars).

But than again my wife has an 1988 Audi 80 with just 34,000 miles on it.

dotorg · 08-05-2003, 10:28 AM

Wow, good deal. Did you do a VIN check on it? That seems low to me.

The 2.7t engine is a blast to have in a car, S4 or A6. The block itself is bullet proof, but the turbos are a big weak spot, especially in the 2000's. Bad design of the oil lines tends to eventually cause oil starvation and turbo death.

Figuring the turbos are in good shape right now (you should barely be able to hear them -- any "siren" sounds, and you've got a nicked blade or something, and its just a matter of time until they blow), just be religious about warm up. Never, EVER get hard on the throttle until the temp is at 175 or 200 degrees. All it takes is one time to have them go. Turbo replacement on the 2.7t is a $5k+ job.

Run Mobil1 0w40...

Enjoy the car, that engine is a beast. There's nothing quite like the kick of nearly 300ft/lbs of torque off the line...

There are a lot of pricey little things that go with age on the Audi's... things like the instrument cluster display, stuff like that.

Ask around on the A6 forum on Audiworld.com -- there are a lot of knowledgable people over there. You might get better responses about the engine by searching the S4 forum, though.

n8marx · n8marx's Garage

Fantastic price! Not too worrying though. I bought a '99 A6 Avant Quattro with a 2.8 liter last year for $24k but it had only 31K miles. I would say the price sounds about right for a 3 year old high mileage A6.

lendaddy · 08-05-2003, 10:42 AM

I know about the turbo issues and if this car has issues there it wont be coming home with me. Otherwise, 72k to me is not that high. I have the Rangie now so I know aboiut expensive problems. That thing has 178k on it now and I give the Audi better odds of getting there than a Rangie. Just my opinion.

JEB · 11:02 AM

Quote from n8marx:
I bought a '99 A6 Avant Quattro with a 2.8 liter last year for $24k but it had only 31K miles. I would say the price sounds about right for a 3 year old high mileage A6.

I bought a 2000 A6 Avant this spring for about $22 - about the same milage - and in perfect shape. Very nice car. My wife had a van - and this is a nice change. I have had no problems so far - knock wood. I was holding out for an Allroad w/the 2.7 - but this came up and I thought it was a good deal on a pretty car (silver over black - like the 930)

$15,5 sounds like a smokin deal for a 2.7T (the 2.7 usually brings a pretty good premium over the 2.8NA). A lot depending on the condition - the milage is a little high so it can be tough to tell. Could have been a salesmans company car and had great maintanence by fleet mechanics. Or a salesman who bought it and ran the wheels of it for a couple of years and didn't give a sh**. You will probably know pretty soon after you see it. Get a carfax - make sure nothing is hiding. You can also check Audi service records and see if there is service history available for it.

Audiworld.com is definitly the place to ask about longevity and mechanical issues.

Good luck

lendaddy · 08-05-2003, 11:13 AM

How does one check Audi service records?

dotorg · 08-05-2003, 11:14 AM

Ask the dealer, they can pull them up. All service before 50k miles was likely done at the dealer, so you'll have that at a minimum.

JP911 · JP911's Garage

As mentioned, the turbos are the weak spot. I would take it to a local dealer and have them check it out (you know, a PPI). Have them run a diagnostic to make sure the turbos are still making, and holding, boost as they should. I would also have them check the ECU to find out whether or not the car has been chipped. If it has been chipped, then I would walk away from the deal. While chipping makes the 2.7 fun to drive, it also wears VERY hard on the engine (more specifically, the turbos).

daphne · 08-05-2003, 11:42 AM

Save yourself a bit of time and a big headache and do the pressure test yourself. AWE-Tuning has put together a kit for this but also provides instructions for the DIYers.

http://www.awe-tuning.com/pages/faq/awefaq_main.cfm?FAQ=35

Also, in terms of chipping a car, most owners are smart enough to clear the codes that are thrown when an ECU is removed. The only way a dealer is going to suspect a car has been chipped is by looking at the ECU screws and the top of the ECU for scratches.

I'm sure you can find an Audi person to meet up with you and use their VAG-Com tool to pull codes off of the car to see if everything is OK.

FWIW, the stock chip in the A6 2.7T is a little milder than the S4. There have been far fewer blown turbos in the A6.

You got a great price on that car. Enjoy!

OVRSTR · 08-06-2003, 12:27 PM

I just returned a '00 2.7T after a 39 month lease with 50k. No issues whatsoever. It was a good, solid everyday drive. Good luck!

ronb · 08-08-2003, 04:56 AM

I have an S4 with 35k miles on it; incredibly well engineered, really solid; you got a deal there! Audiworld forum does have decent info in it (a lot of dross to wade through though); defintely true about waiting for it to come to temp to punch it hard. The car is like a cross between a double black diamond and a freight train, enjoy it.

NYC_SpeedRacer · 08-08-2003, 12:36 PM

price sounds about right cause it's from an auction....i know my friend was looking at them at the dealer and they were selling it for $21k

u can go on audiworld.com like ppl have mentioned but u can also check out audizine.com as their forum format is more like this ...so u'd be more familiar with it
also since u bought a 2000 ...there are some parts u will want to change early on because the stock had faults (ripped easily and clamps sucked) which caused boost leaks
the parts ppl usually change early on are the By-Pass valves, Throttle Body Boot and the F-hose

Samco makes the TBB and F-hose (though other ppl make the f-hose too)...they have it at
www.avalonmotorsports.com
as far as the BPVs u can find aftermarket ones made by Forge or Baileys ....but u can also just get the Audi TT BPVs which are better than stock....here's the part # and a plce u can order from
06A-145-710-N

they sell it at
www.clairparts.com
for $35.38 and call it "by bass cut off valve kit"

as far as a chip....it does put a strain on ur turbos but it doesn't mean it'll die very soon....many ppl have had their chips from day one to 40k or more miles are still running original turbos....it depends on how u drive the car and how u take care of it like proper cool down and such
hope this helps......