No Compression

[robbo1511]

OK gents bit of a long shot here but here goes . . . . .
Recently decided to buy a new car but was torn between something sensible or my dream car, that being an A3 3.2 V6 Quattro. Put the decision to my kids and would you believe it they opted for the A3 (god bless them!!!) Stumbled across a stolen and recovered car and fell in love despite looking at various others. Bought the car and sorted out the cosmetic issues and have now got round to the engine . Beofre I bought the car I knew it was running a bit rough and thought a quick trip to the local Audi specialist would sort it - how wrong I was!!! Have been told today that cylinders 1,3 and 5 have little or no compression and have been quoted £400 so they can strip the engine down and investigate further. So my questions are:
Is this a reasonable price?
Any suggestions to what the issue could be (bare in mind i'm a number monkey and know nothing about engines)
Is it worth pursueing my dream or do I cut my losses and get rid of the car DIY project?

By the way the car is A3 SPORT 3.2 V6 Quattro (2004).
Cheers.

 

[RobinA3]

something will be seriously wrong if 3 out of 6 cylinders have no compression, £400 is alot of just finding out what the problem is, your best bet is replace the engine, you could pick up a replacement engine for about £500 and have it fitted for £300 or so quid, you could get it sorted for less than 1k.

 

[robbo1511]

Cheers for the quick response - can you point me in the direction of somewhere i can get a good replacement engine? Is it possible / worth getting the current one reconditioned?

 

[RobinA3]

you could get the old one sorted out but as there are 3 cylinders that are dead there could be major internal damage to the engine. shame you aren't closer to me otherwise i could have given you a hand remving the head and seeing what has gone wrong.

Do you know anyone who would be able to take the cylinder head off for investigation for less?

 

[robbo1511]

No not really have got the car booked in with another mechanic who has a reputation for being really good and really cheap but thats not till mid April (its like having the best christmas present in the world and not being able to play with it). Not to suund like a complete numpty but if 3 out of the 6 cylinders were damaged surely the other 3 would also be damaged? Could it just be a timing issue? Whilst im waiting for D-Day to come i'd like to be looking around for a replacement engine just in case so any recommendations greatly appreciated

 

[robbo1511]

Just a quick question - if i was to replace the engine do I have to replace it with a 3.2 V6 or could i replace it with a 2.0T FSI or are there any other engines wether it be Audi or another manufacturer that would work?

 

[paddy]

If they will take the head off for £400 then jump at it. Its a gamble because its quite likely it will be scrap...and its really not worth putting another engine in it unless you can do the job yourself and you know the engine is good. nothing else will fit except a VW R32 perhaps. Sorry but that lump will eat money !! even a good one is a major expense waiting to happen.