Advice on buying an Allroad for £5,000 ish please

[mattsavage]

Hi. I want to spend about £5,000 on an Allroad 2.5 Tdi. So I guess it'll be about a 51 reg with approx 100,000+ miles on the clock.
Can anyone please give me some advice on what to get and look out for?
Tiptronic gearbox or manual? is the manual much better for economy, or is there not much in it?
Were there any changes around 2001 ish?
I understand that changing the cam belt is expensive, when should this be done? Every 70,000 miles?
Oh, and what is the BHP? I see some that are 180, 160 etc?!
Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
Matt

 

[djl78]

Plenty about at the mo so it's a buyers market.
Things to look out for :
engine code AKE = 180 bhp
BCZ = 163 bhp
BAU = 180 bhp
Manual variant will be better for fuel economy and lees prone to problems but tiptronic is lovely and smooth.Check for FSH preferably main dealer.
Air suspension can leak from air springs and compressor can play up.The only way of reliably checking is by squirting soapy liquid solution onto the air springs throughout the height range,any leak will soon manifest itself in bubbles galore.
Engine should start on the button irrespective of temperature and should idle smoothly.Power delivery gets going around 1800rpm and should be smooth throughout the range with no flat spots.
Pop the oil filler cap and using a torch look at the camshaft lobe for heavy wear.
Another A6 problem is water ingress from the plenum chamber (blocked drain holes) so all electrics i.e lights,central locking should operate faultlessly.A quick check is to look for dampness in passenger footwell underneath the seat.
regards
djl

 

[mattsavage]

Hi djl, thanks for that.
What is the difference between the engine codes, years of manufacture?
How often should the cam belt be changed?
Thanks,
Matt

 

[quattrojames]

How often should the cam belt be changed?
Thanks,
Matt

I have an AKE engined A4 and the interval is 80k which I think is the same for all engines. Through personal experience I would never let it do more than 60k between changes though.

 

[djl78]

Hi djl, thanks for that.
What is the difference between the engine codes, years of manufacture?
How often should the cam belt be changed?
Thanks,
Matt

I think the AKE & BCZ were offered from early on in the model range.BAU around 2003 but i'm not entirely certain of the dates.
BAU engine codes are the pick of the bunch as they feature better designed cam gear which is less prone to failing.

 

[mattsavage]

ummm, interesting. Generally do the V6 Tdi's give trouble? We currently have a 2000 A4 1.9 Tdi Avant, and it is great, but getting too small! Although 55+ mpg is very nice.

James, does the DPT Tuning Module make the vehicle more economical?

I seem to read that there have been a few people that have had to fit a recon engine, why? What goes wrong with them?

Thanks for your help,
Matt

 

[quattrojames]

James, does the DPT Tuning Module make the vehicle more economical?

I seem to read that there have been a few people that have had to fit a recon engine, why? What goes wrong with them?

Lol, that'll be me then! It is a lovely engine but apparently quite 'fragile'. My car had the cambelt changed at 74k (before my ownership) but unknown to me the belt pulleys were inspected, but not changed when I was led to believe they had been. I was going to get all the belts etc done at my 135k service, but sadly at 128k the pulley failed which lead to my recon engine nightmare.

Read the full story here. Please don't let it put you off the engine though, as it was poor servicing rather than anything else that led to my problems. I would say for your own peace of mind, budget in £500 for new belt pulleys and water pump when you get the car.

It has taken me over two moths, and cost me an additional £1500 to get my car running right. It is good now, but has only been back a week or so, so it's too early to comment on fuel consumption. First impressions are that it is much thirstier than the other engine, but I am just calculating exact figures in case the DIS is wrong. The tuning module's are usually good for an extra 10-15% mpg, but it certainly makes the engine a lot more driveable with a much wider spread of power.