Buyer's guide questions A3 V6 3.2l FSI sportback

[JoeTheDriver]

Hello everyone,

as you can tell I am a newbee here, and I am only planning to purchase/exchange for an Audi A3.

I identified an A3 V6 3.2l FSI Sportback Quattro automatic, from 12/2006 with approx. 34,000 Miles.

The car has full options, and I have the following questions:

1. what are the weak points that I should check before purchasing: (body, interior, mechanics, engine, transmission, suspension, gearbox, etc. Anything that is visible to the trained eye or known to break due to faulty design?

2. Have there been any recalls on this model that I should check for?

3. Given Audi downsized and no longer proposes the A3 in a VR6 configuration, what impact (positive or negative) does that have on the value of the car?

3.1 Why would the S3 be more desirable than this one?

4. What are the major service costs for this car, are there any big ones to budget for?

5. I am not sure whether it has a built in GPS or not. If yes, how does the map update work, can it be downloaded from the internet and installed?

6. Anything I missed?

Many thanks

 

[Chillout]

Hello everyone,

as you can tell I am a newbee here, and I am only planning to purchase/exchange for an Audi A3.

I identified an A3 V6 3.2l FSI Sportback Quattro automatic, from 12/2006 with approx. 34,000 Miles.

The car has full options, and I have the following questions:

1. what are the weak points that I should check before purchasing: (body, interior, mechanics, engine, transmission, suspension, gearbox, etc. Anything that is visible to the trained eye or known to break due to faulty design?

2. Have there been any recalls on this model that I should check for?

3. Given Audi downsized and no longer proposes the A3 in a VR6 configuration, what impact (positive or negative) does that have on the value of the car?

3.1 Why would the S3 be more desirable than this one?

4. What are the major service costs for this car, are there any big ones to budget for?

5. I am not sure whether it has a built in GPS or not. If yes, how does the map update work, can it be downloaded from the internet and installed?

6. Anything I missed?

Many thanks

the s3 has more tuning potential I have a 3.2 v6 and to be honest the only thing I like is the noise
coil pack recall is one i know about and software updates

 

[JoeTheDriver]

Thanks - can you confirm the dates when the software updates came out / last update?

what is the coil pack recall?

 

[wuta3]

7. Should I buy a tfsi instead?
8. Will my wife and kids go hungry due to petrol costs
9. Will I hate my life and curse the damn machine when I want to mod it

 

[JoeTheDriver]

Lets please stick to the model I selected in this thread and focus on what needs to be checked and verified for it, rather than questions relating to whether I should buy it.

Many thanks!

 

[wuta3]

Spoil sport!

Hello everyone,

as you can tell I am a newbee here, and I am only planning to purchase/exchange for an Audi A3.

I identified an A3 V6 3.2l FSI Sportback Quattro automatic, from 12/2006 with approx. 34,000 Miles.

The car has full options, and I have the following questions:

1. what are the weak points that I should check before purchasing: (body, interior, mechanics, engine, transmission, suspension, gearbox, etc. Anything that is visible to the trained eye or known to break due to faulty design?
Timing chains can be an issue IIRC. Check the sills for jack damage and the ususal body stuff like corrosion. Get an AA man to inspect (I did and it was pretty good though he did miss some stuff) or a mate with a paint depth guage to check for repairs.

2. Have there been any recalls on this model that I should check for?
Coil packs I think, the dealer will know if yours have been done.

3. Given Audi downsized and no longer proposes the A3 in a VR6 configuration, what impact (positive or negative) does that have on the value of the car?
They are cheaper for a reason as it stands. The VR6 is an old beast that can cost a fortune to repair and drink petrol. This is probably only going to get worse and make the car less desirable unless it is MINT and an enthusiast wants it.

3.1 Why would the S3 be more desirable than this one?
Because the S3 is hugely tunable and the VR6 isn't (without spending tons of dosh). The S3s on the market tend to be better specced, cheaper to repair etc. At this point the 2.0TFSI is a very well know engine with tons of aftermarket gear.

4. What are the major service costs for this car, are there any big ones to budget for?
Dunno

5. I am not sure whether it has a built in GPS or not. If yes, how does the map update work, can it be downloaded from the internet and installed?

Depends if it has RNSE etc. Dont recall if it was even an option on A3s as early as that.

6. Anything I missed?

 

[-Ju-]

1. what are the weak points that I should check before purchasing: (body, interior, mechanics, engine, transmission, suspension, gearbox, etc. Anything that is visible to the trained eye or known to break due to faulty design?

The chains on the early 3.2's were known to be weak (mainly mk4 R32's) and can stretch. I've not heard of any snapping and on an 06 so you should be fine anyway. Mechatronic units on the dsg gearbox do sometimes go faulty, very rare but also expensive to fix. There is a software update for the engine that will cure a slight hesitation issue if present, but again on an 06 you should be fine

2. Have there been any recalls on this model that I should check for?

Mainly coil packs, replaced free of charge if affected, lots were!

3. Given Audi downsized and no longer proposes the A3 in a VR6 configuration, what impact (positive or negative) does that have on the value of the car?

Definitely a negative impact on values, but also cheaper to purchase in the first place making it a bargain.

3.1 Why would the S3 be more desirable than this one?

Image and tunability, although a sportback S3 will be double the money and some if S-tronic!

4. What are the major service costs for this car, are there any big ones to budget for?

Big service at 40k inc dsg and haldex. Budget for £600-£700 from a main dealer

5. I am not sure whether it has a built in GPS or not. If yes, how does the map update work, can it be downloaded from the internet and installed?

If it has Sat Nav then yes gps will be in the sharkfin unless retrofitted, then it will probably be under the dash. Updates are done via disc only

6. Anything I missed?

Sometime around the end of March 06 the tax went up into a different band making the tax £475 for the year ouch!!

I've had 2 of them, then an S3, now back into a V6 as I prefer the driveability

Go test drive it and enjoy!

 

[JoeTheDriver]

You mentioned big service at 40k is that in miles or Km?

thanks

 

[-Ju-]

Thats 40k miles

 

[JoeTheDriver]

Thanks a lot for your input and help. Can you please explain what the issue was with the coil packs, and what that actually is?

Regarding price and value, I would have thought it should stay high since you can't get any VR6 on a newer A3 anymore, so anyone who wants a v6 on an A3 has to fall back to this model. That should increase or maintain the value longer term, correct?

What kind of repair does the DSG gearbox require at 40k? I used to have a DSG on a Skoda Oktavia for 100k miles, and it was always as new, a totally outstanding gearbox that all cars should really have. Consumption is actually reduced compared to a stick shift with the DSG.

Does the onboard computer show the current software version update on the car or any other useful information that I could check on?

Once again many thanks for your insights and inputs!

P.S. The reason I am interested in this one is because that's the best my dealer currently has on offer, and no s3

 

[-Ju-]

Thanks a lot for your input and help. Can you please explain what the issue was with the coil packs, and what that actually is?

Regarding price and value, I would have thought it should stay high since you can't get any VR6 on a newer A3 anymore, so anyone who wants a v6 on an A3 has to fall back to this model. That should increase or maintain the value longer term, correct?

What kind of repair does the DSG gearbox require at 40k? I used to have a DSG on a Skoda Oktavia for 100k miles, and it was always as new, a totally outstanding gearbox that all cars should really have. Consumption is actually reduced compared to a stick shift with the DSG.

Does the onboard computer show the current software version update on the car or any other useful information that I could check on?

Once again many thanks for your insights and inputs!

P.S. The reason I am interested in this one is because that's the best my dealer currently has on offer, and no s3

The coil pack recall was across the whole vag petrol range, basically a lot of them were found to be breaking down inside and causing misfiring, this was a free repair even on cars going back 10 years. The dealer can check if it's been done/needed
The main reason the price of the 3.2 V6 has dropped is basically it's not the "in thing" to put a big engine into a small hatchback anymore due to the obvious running costs associated with that and not everyone appreciates how nice the car goes with it. On top of that once the car starts to get a few years old, the potential cost of repairs does put off potential buyers so the V6 will never be bought with the head only the heart.
The only way to tell the current software is through the dealer or with aftermarket software such as VCDS, no facility to check on the cars display.
The DSG is an outstanding gearbox I agree although not everyone will, some prefer the total control and driver input of the manual. It's not a repair at 40k as such, it's a gearbox service that is required to keep it running sweet