2020 A4 Avant TFSI - pre-purchase advice

[DanZ]

Hi all.
Sorry for bothering ya'll with this uninteresting and long post.
I'm thinking of letting go of my beloved 15-plate A3 diesel manual mainly due to changed family circumstances i.e. baby and space (lack of that is). Thinking of getting an A4 Avant automatic (better when you're getting old) but petrol rather than diesel, my usual pick.
Went and looked at a 20 plate estate (as my local car supermarket doesn't currently stock Avants) just to make an idea on the interiour etc. Haven't road-tested it but just looked around, started the engine, and revved it a bit. When she started I could feel a slight shudder and an even slighter knock noise? When revving it I could feel the engine move so much that it was shaking the car but also heard the slight knocking sound? Then I went and had a look at a manual 2 litre TFSI to see if it does the same and that one still moves when revved but not so much and deff no noise. Both cars under 30k miles, first was 190 ps, 2nd 150.
Now, I may be a muppet as never owned petrols and am not quite sure how they behave, is this movement normal? I thought diesels should be rougher but my A3 tdi does not shake when revved.
Hope this makes sense and please don't laugh at me . I'm only asking as I never paid that much on a motor and really don't wat to buy someone's lemon as you don't know how these vehicles were treated before.
Oh, other than the website all the automotive YouTubers praise and give a 10% off a car search, can you recommend anything else? Would really like to know if the car I'm buying was an ex-company car for example.

Thanks,

D

 

[spartacus68]

So 2020 plate cars will be coming out of manufacturer's 3 year standard warranty. I'd expect slight movement on the engine when rev'd, as it's just moving on the engine mounts, but certainly no knocking. If I'm completely honest, avoid car supermarkets like the plague. They won't know what they are selling, and the peace of mind you require needs to be a dealer or independent specialist at this age. I think Audi are offering approved used 2 year warranty called Audi Approved: Plus - which is worth investigating, however that may be tied to buying the car with their finance, then there are other things like free servicing thrown in. There's no such thing as a free lunch though - so go through the small-print.

Can't comment on petrol engines - as have no experience, but shop around, be prepared to travel, and get the level of equipment you want at the price you can afford.

 

[northpole]

just type in 2.0TFSI common problems... you are looking at the last engine design you'll notice a few things that you should be very careful with...
the worst being the cam-follower and the PCV valve... this goes for all generations of the 2.0tfsi so a read on several different sites will give you a clear idea of what it should be like when it's in good to top condition,,,

PS those engines shouldn't knock at all... you might hear the cam adjuster (aka cam phaser) at a cold start that will go away as soon as the oil pressure is what it should be (1 second max)
but for the age you are looking at, it should startup and be almost quiet, no engine movements and since it is just at that time after the 3 years... it should have a full service history that is traceable. if it's not walk away and go to your nearest Audi dealer as above the Audi approved cars are nationwide ( bigger scale of available young cars that have been serviced by the dealers so have full service history)

 

[DanZ]

Thank you all for the valuable inputs. I will take your advice and try to get my car from Audi as I done with the A3. The thing is my local dealer hasn't got many a4's at all at the minute. Akso, like for like age/mileage the cars are 2k more expensive at Audi than other sellers and I read in alot of places that the Approved Used 'badge' isn't worth the money anymore.
Cheers,
D

 

[V6_Man]

Like others here have suggested, if you can, walk away from Car Supermarkets. And whilst I do not like what I am going to be suggesting next, to purchase low-mileage 3-4 year old A4 Avant, you are likely going to be spending somewhere in the region of £22k - £25k. Audi gives you 2 service plans, road side assistance and 1 MOT whereas Supermarket only offers you 6 months warranty. Paying £2k-ish extra is worth all the benefits - go Audi specialist as soon as the term ends.

The ticking / knocking at the startup is quite normal in Audi petrol engines and you’ll probably hear it until the engine is warmed up.

And if you had turned up at my stealership and rev’d a cold engine, you’d be bared from there, forever, including anyone with your surname

 

[Pork]

One thing to consider is the engine orientation in the A4, the A3 like most front wheel drive cars has the engine transversely mounted so any movement when you rev it is less noticeable - because the A4 has an inline engine configuration I think you just feel it more. Not to say that it’s not a “characteristic” of some A4 engines as others have stated.