Thread: need adivise for purchasing 2015 A6 C7 3.0T

[kienaudi]

hi guys, I'm new to this forum so please redirect me to any thread that already answered part of my questions. My first car was an 2000 A6, I owned it for 3 years and absolutely loved it. Now I'm about to pull the trigger on my second car, another A6 lol. Here is the link for the listing including the CARFAX report: https://www.crownbmw.com/used/Audi/2...725ccb1b41.htm

The dealer is 450 miles from my location and I don't have a car at the moment so I'm purchasing this car online and will have them ship it to me. For this reason, I couldn't have a test drive with the vehicle although the dealer assures me the car was inspected/detailed before listing and have no issue (they have quite good review and rating online).

My questions are:
1. Is this even a good deal at $14500? Given that the car has 126K mileages, 2 previous owners and clean title.
2. The car has full service report on CARFAX but I hardly see anything repaired or replaced on the report. Is this something I should be worry about?
3. What should I ask the dealer to minimize my risk from buying this car online? Should a virtual appointment with the car (walk arround, listen to engine starts) do any help?
4. If I decided to pull the trigger, what should I checked after taking the car delivered to me?

Thank you for reading my post and have a great day!

PS: I originally posted this in the Chatter box, repost here for more attention. Thanks Mod.

[sepheroth86]

I just posted in your other thread.

Deleted that post and reposted here:

I bought my 2012 A6 Prestige with Innovation Package (night vision, HUD, cooled seats, LED headlights, etc) a few years back for $12,500. At the time it had approximately 135k on it.

At around 145k I had to have the front control arms replaced. Bushings wore out. The dealership service writer told me that it was an uncommon occurrence for these cars.

While I am far from an expert on pricing these cars, I think that 14,500 might be a bit high for what appears to be a relatively low optioned car.

The 3.0t is a fantastic engine, and has been relatively maintenance free for me (currently close to 160k). Doing an Engine and Transmission flash will REALLY wake them up.

On an unrelated note, the first Audi I ever owned was a 1999 A6 Avant. It was a great car to me, has 275k on it. I had kept it as a backup but have decided to sell it soon. lol

[kienaudi]

thanks for your reply! Although this car doesn't come with any of the Innovation Package you mentioned above but it kinda checked all the box I needed (3.0T, Adaptive Cruise Control, Active Lane Assist and 3-spokes steering wheel). I couldn't find any C7 3.0T with Adaptive Cruise Control and clean title below this price, plus the car look really clean to me. How does your 3.0T perform at the moment? Where can I do Engine and Transmission flash after purchasing?

[choy188]

I feel like that many miles is not really a good idea, when I was looking for mine there were a few that were 2012-2013 cars with about 100k miles for around 14-15k, I ended up getting a great deal on a 2012 with the innovation package for 16k with 78k miles and had a recent timing chain service at the dealer

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[kienaudi]

thanks for sharing Choy! I'm obsessed with a6 (also RS7) and can't find anything cheaper with the combo I want (3.0T, ACC, clean title), I'm poor lol. I am willing to put a few more k if any issue arises. How much do you have to pay for the timing chain job? I hope audi fix the timing chain on 2015 version

[kienaudi]

for anyone pass by I wanna ask for a recommendation for mechanic check job in PA?

[choy188]

thanks for sharing Choy! I'm obsessed with a6 (also RS7) and can't find anything cheaper with the combo I want (3.0T, ACC, clean title), I'm poor lol. I am willing to put a few more k if any issue arises. How much do you have to pay for the timing chain job? I hope audi fix the timing chain on 2015 version

The timing chain issues were mainly on early 2012 cars so you shouldnt have to worry about it on 2013+ cars. I believe the work order I found in the car was about 7k but I'm sure it would have been cheaper if it was not done at a dealer. Regardless the easiest way to tell if the timing chain tensioners are starting to fail is by listening for a rattle that happens at cold start. It should only last for 1-2 seconds or something according to audi but I would be wary if you hear it at all. If the sound takes more than say 3 seconds to go away, I would probably just walk away.

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[kienaudi]

Thanks! I decided to flight down there to get the car. I will pay attention for the noise on starts. Can the timing chain issue be detected by any other way?


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[choy188]

Thanks! I decided to flight down there to get the car. I will pay attention for the noise on starts. Can the timing chain issue be detected by any other way?


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Not really, it's usually the tensioners that go first and once those go the chain has too much slack and can jump timing, if that happens the car will throw a timing code at which point it's too late. I would look up some videos on youtube of a 3.0tfsi motor with startup rattle, it's quite obvious and will come from the back of the engine. Be sure to keep the hood open when you listen for it, this rattle is the same reason I got rid of my 06 a6

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[430hps4]

The timing chain issues were mainly on early 2012 cars so you shouldnt have to worry about it on 2013+ cars.

I disagree with that. My 2014 has the issue. I try to minimize it by using 0w40 and BG EPR and BG MOA when doing my oil services

[choy188]

I disagree with that. My 2014 has the issue. I try to minimize it by using 0w40 and BG EPR and BG MOA when doing my oil services

I should have been clearer, it's not guaranteed that it will fail but usually cold start rattle is the first sign of tensioner failure, its kind of a lottery as to whether it will eventually fail or not and how long it takes. For example there's cars that will rattle their whole lives and not have an issue and there are cars that will fail. But warm start rattle is probably something that is more indicative of near future failures I guess. Sorry for not being clear on that

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[prestige.phantom]

I should have been clearer, it's not guaranteed that it will fail but usually cold start rattle is the first sign of tensioner failure, its kind of a lottery as to whether it will eventually fail or not and how long it takes. For example there's cars that will rattle their whole lives and not have an issue and there are cars that will fail. But warm start rattle is probably something that is more indicative of near future failures I guess. Sorry for not being clear on that

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You're right about it being a lottery. My car cold start rattles sometime and doesn't others. Ive had it warm start rattle maybe once or twice. Dealer seems to think the car is fine (I've had multiple inspections and nothing mentioned of it). If it lasts more than 3 seconds. Thats where I would be very concerned. Anything less than that, have the car inspected and you should be fine.

[choy188]

You're right about it being a lottery. My car cold start rattles sometime and doesn't others. Ive had it warm start rattle maybe once or twice. Dealer seems to think the car is fine (I've had multiple inspections and nothing mentioned of it). If it lasts more than 3 seconds. Thats where I would be very concerned. Anything less than that, have the car inspected and you should be fine.

Yeah I'm speaking from past experience, I got my C6 4.2 with 139k miles and it didn't start to rattle until about 142k but by around 145k it would rattle on warm starts

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[oopsy]

2 things

1) the dealers pre-listing inspection is not reliable. If you haven’t already, you must insist on a pre purchase inspection from a neutral party. Audi dealerships will do this for you, and there are traveling inspectors that will go to the dealership if they won’t take it for you. I’ve caught 500+$ repairs every time I’ve done this.

2) I was tossup between 2015-2016 years. FYI CarPlay setup on a 2016 is way easier and smoother. I lucked into that getting a 2016 (not knowing this(, but given the relative similar price between them, consider only getting 2016+ if that matters to you.


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[kienaudi]

I really like carplay also! I think the C7 can be retrofit using a carplay kit (~$250 ish on Amazon). The C7.5 from 2016 have carplay built-in so it just need a reprogram service to active it (from what I read on here). The dealer gave me a reasonable offer and I couldn’t find any cheaper A6 (with the combo 3.0T, ACC and clean title). I will ask them today about the PPI. Can u tell me how long and how much for a PPI from Audi dealer?


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[prestige.phantom]

I really like carplay also! I think the C7 can be retrofit using a carplay kit (~$250 ish on Amazon). The C7.5 from 2016 have carplay built-in so it just need a reprogram service to active it (from what I read on here). The dealer gave me a reasonable offer and I couldn’t find any cheaper A6 (with the combo 3.0T, ACC and clean title). I will ask them today about the PPI. Can u tell me how long and how much for a PPI from Audi dealer?


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I would second this. I didn't PPI my car, and ended up with with a few hundred in maintenance to get the car 100% up to my standard. PPI should be 1-2 hours of labor so ~150-300. WORTH IT

[oopsy]

Prices vary. Only takes a couple of hours. Audi dealers quoted me anywhere from 200-400. Local mechanics it’s about 1-2 hours of shop time. 100% would insist on PPI though.


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[A665]

A few years back, I discovered a clean 2010 S8 for sale online with an asking price of $12K, if I recall correctly. It had about 75k miles, was clean & straight, and I was very tempted to buy it. I quickly came to my senses after talking with some contacts who know about maintenance & repairs on this vintage S8, since the ongoing costs of repairs & maintenance were likely going to be higher than I'd counted on. It's one thing to drop $12k-$14k on a vehicle; it's another thing to potentially pay out $3k+ every year just to deal with operational issues.

Point is, don't just look at the cost to purchase; look at the total cost of ownership. The cost of ownership of a C7 or C7.5 A6 doesn't truly compare with that of a D3 S8, but the point remains.

I'd be very careful about selecting my dream car if the only one I can afford has upwards of 125k miles. The only way I'd go that route is to make sure I have full visibility as to expected costs of maintenance & repairs, and I can swing those costs without high anxiety. So, good on the OP for looking into these issues online here, and make sure you do your homework locally at your Audi dealer and/or independent European shops.

[choy188]

A few years back, I discovered a clean 2010 S8 for sale online with an asking price of $12K, if I recall correctly. It had about 75k miles, was clean & straight, and I was very tempted to buy it. I quickly came to my senses after talking with some contacts who know about maintenance & repairs on this vintage S8, since the ongoing costs of repairs & maintenance were likely going to be higher than I'd counted on. It's one thing to drop $12k-$14k on a vehicle; it's another thing to potentially pay out $3k+ every year just to deal with operational issues.

Point is, don't just look at the cost to purchase; look at the total cost of ownership. The cost of ownership of a C7 or C7.5 A6 doesn't truly compare with that of a D3 S8, but the point remains.

I'd be very careful about selecting my dream car if the only one I can afford has upwards of 125k miles. The only way I'd go that route is to make sure I have full visibility as to expected costs of maintenance & repairs, and I can swing those costs without high anxiety. So, good on the OP for looking into these issues online here, and make sure you do your homework locally at your Audi dealer and/or independent European shops.

This

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[kienaudi]

Thank you all for your great and sincere advises! The dealer is OK for me to take the car for a PPI and I just set the appointment at the nearby Audi dealership (cost ~$300). I hope everything checked out *knock on wood*
I'm at the point of a car purchasing process where "there are plenty of fish in the sea but this is the only fish I really want" lol.

[6yyy]

for anyone pass by I wanna ask for a recommendation for mechanic check job in PA?

I know you are located in State College but if you find yourself in the Central PA area and want to get it checked out, Huber's Auto Group in Ephrata is a fantastic group of guys. A lot of them have modified VAG vehicles in the past or currently drive them, and they've never done me wrong.

[kienaudi]

I know you are located in State College but if you find yourself in the Central PA area and want to get it checked out, Huber's Auto Group in Ephrata is a fantastic group of guys. A lot of them have modified VAG vehicles in the past or currently drive them, and they've never done me wrong.

thanks so much for your recommendation! I really don't mind 2.5hrs driving to get there if there is serious job need to be done.

[choy188]

Thank you all for your great and sincere advises! The dealer is OK for me to take the car for a PPI and I just set the appointment at the nearby Audi dealership (cost ~$300). I hope everything checked out *knock on wood*
I'm at the point of a car purchasing process where "there are plenty of fish in the sea but this is the only fish I really want" lol.

Definitely have had that feeling, good luck man!

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[momNpops]

Not sure how close you are to a Carmax. They offer 7 day refund or swap for a different car. Or 30 days no fuss full refund, but the checks in the mail type thing. Also you can have your dream car shipped cost depends on distance nationwide. From free to 1000. I think I seen.

[momNpops]

We wanted to test drive a 2016 S4 from Seattle shipping would have been free to Spokane but they wouldn't get it to the dealership in time before I went back to work. So we settled for 2017 A6 3.0t that they had on the lot. We are happy. Bigger car, same engine.

[Valpo A7]

We purchased our 2012 A7 with 142K on the car and a clean car fax from the dealer that sold it new and serviced it its whole life.

It had the cold start timing chain tensioner rattle but I did not know that was the issue. Read about it and basically found out at the time it was considered just a nuisance problem.

Initially it had a front right brake that was hanging up and making noise. Fixed all that at home with no more issues.

Normal oil change, air filter, spark plug changes as the car continued to age.

At some point the N509 valve went bad. This is the check valve for the coolant flow to the transmission oil cooler. It failed open so I fixed it when I could make the time. Bought an aftermarket part for $50 instead of $200 from the dealer.

Time for rear brakes and I was able to find a kit and swapped all 4 corners out for ceramic pads with cross drilled and slotted rotors.

Around 204,000 miles I had to fix the timing chain tensioner nuisance problem since it had advanced and the engine codes would not allow it to pass emission. This repair was involved. I had to pull the motor to replace the chains since they were on the backside of the engine. While the engine was out I replaced the motor mounts and replaced the fluids for both differentials and transfer case. Put both new belts on the engine while it was out.

Fast forward less than 3,000 miles after putting the engine in I broke the flange on the passenger side catalytic converter. This repair while the engine is in has proven to be absolutely no fun. 98% of it is an easy job, getting that upper inner nut onto the stud has totally kicked my ass.

Seems that the cold start rattle is common for this engine but very few actually progress to where the chains need replaced.

Even with my latest luck we still love the car and don't regret buying it. Now if I would have had to pay over $6000 to have the work done then my thoughts would be much different.

[choy188]

Yeah I'm surprised the previous owner shelled out the 7k to fix it considering I paid a little over double that number

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[kienaudi]

A few years back, I discovered a clean 2010 S8 for sale online with an asking price of $12K, if I recall correctly. It had about 75k miles, was clean & straight, and I was very tempted to buy it. I quickly came to my senses after talking with some contacts who know about maintenance & repairs on this vintage S8, since the ongoing costs of repairs & maintenance were likely going to be higher than I'd counted on. It's one thing to drop $12k-$14k on a vehicle; it's another thing to potentially pay out $3k+ every year just to deal with operational issues.

Point is, don't just look at the cost to purchase; look at the total cost of ownership. The cost of ownership of a C7 or C7.5 A6 doesn't truly compare with that of a D3 S8, but the point remains.

I'd be very careful about selecting my dream car if the only one I can afford has upwards of 125k miles. The only way I'd go that route is to make sure I have full visibility as to expected costs of maintenance & repairs, and I can swing those costs without high anxiety. So, good on the OP for looking into these issues online here, and make sure you do your homework locally at your Audi dealer and/or independent European shops.

Totally got it. I'm willing to spend 2-3k a year to keep the car running smooth. Hope the PPI tomorrow will tell me what to be expected. Thanks so much that's my dream car. I like you writing style.
But..but the smile when I drive it will be pricelesss lol

[choy188]

Totally got it. I'm willing to spend 2-3k a year to keep the car running smooth. Hope the PPI tomorrow will tell me what to be expected. Thanks so much that's my dream car. I like you writing style.
But..but the smile when I drive it will be pricelesss lol

It's honestly amazing, make sure it's got a good set of tires on it too sometimes dealerships will just throw on a set of iron man's or ling longs and just say it's got new tires, I bid you and the car good luck

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[kienaudi]

It's honestly amazing, make sure it's got a good set of tires on it too sometimes dealerships will just throw on a set of iron man's or ling longs and just say it's got new tires, I bid you and the car good luck

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from the pics I can tell it has the Cooper CS5. Do you think it's good enough? Thank you for your support through this!

[choy188]

from the pics I can tell it has the Cooper CS5. Do you think it's good enough? Thank you for your support through this!

They're pretty decent, definitely not a top tier tire but it's definitely okay, make sure you check the inner wear especially on the rear although the ppi will likely tell you that regardless

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[kienaudi]

We purchased our 2012 A7 with 142K on the car and a clean car fax from the dealer that sold it new and serviced it its whole life.

It had the cold start timing chain tensioner rattle but I did not know that was the issue. Read about it and basically found out at the time it was considered just a nuisance problem.

Initially it had a front right brake that was hanging up and making noise. Fixed all that at home with no more issues.

Normal oil change, air filter, spark plug changes as the car continued to age.

At some point the N509 valve went bad. This is the check valve for the coolant flow to the transmission oil cooler. It failed open so I fixed it when I could make the time. Bought an aftermarket part for $50 instead of $200 from the dealer.

Time for rear brakes and I was able to find a kit and swapped all 4 corners out for ceramic pads with cross drilled and slotted rotors.

Around 204,000 miles I had to fix the timing chain tensioner nuisance problem since it had advanced and the engine codes would not allow it to pass emission. This repair was involved. I had to pull the motor to replace the chains since they were on the backside of the engine. While the engine was out I replaced the motor mounts and replaced the fluids for both differentials and transfer case. Put both new belts on the engine while it was out.

Fast forward less than 3,000 miles after putting the engine in I broke the flange on the passenger side catalytic converter. This repair while the engine is in has proven to be absolutely no fun. 98% of it is an easy job, getting that upper inner nut onto the stud has totally kicked my ass.

Seems that the cold start rattle is common for this engine but very few actually progress to where the chains need replaced.

Even with my latest luck we still love the car and don't regret buying it. Now if I would have had to pay over $6000 to have the work done then my thoughts would be much different.

Thanks for your details reply! I’m sure your partner love the car because she knows for sure her man doesn’t have space in his mind for other woman given all the worked you done for the car lol


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[kienaudi]

Oh and the 12 A7 is such a beauty, my stomach dropped when I saw it first time in the airport when I was college student. Imho this generation is way more cooler than the on going one. Kind of timeless brutal design likes the old BMW series 6.


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[nick1980]

Who said control arms arent a normal wear item?
Every audi that's used need some ,lol

[Valpo A7]

Who said control arms arent a normal wear item?
Every audi that's used need some ,lol

Seems to be hit or miss. My 12 A7 is on 95% original suspension. Previous owner had 2 wheel bearings replaced otherwise its stock. Somehow I think I am on the original PCV, water pump, and t-stat as well. My motor mounts were stock when I pulled the motor for the chains.

[choy188]

Seems to be hit or miss. My 12 A7 is on 95% original suspension. Previous owner had 2 wheel bearings replaced otherwise its stock. Somehow I think I am on the original PCV, water pump, and t-stat as well. My motor mounts were stock when I pulled the motor for the chains.

I think you got lucky, I've seen a lot of people on here do em around the 60-100k mark

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[Vinng86]

I think you got lucky, I've seen a lot of people on here do em around the 60-100k mark

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He's not the only one for sure, I think there's a lot of confirmation bias since the forum is going to skew towards people reporting issues than those who don't have any.

I'm at about 100k, still pretty much stock everything, even stock wheel bearings and motor mounts. Only pro active thing I've done is transmissions fluid filter/oil.

[Valpo A7]

There are quite a few on the forum that have gone stage 1, 2, or 3 and that puts a lot of stress on the drivetrain components. Naturally those people will report a higher number of component failures.

Myself I am perfectly happy with the stock power of the 3.0, I can and have gotten in plenty of trouble stock. The car cruises at 85 MPH @ 2,000 RPM.

[kienaudi]

I just test drive the car now. The car has been sitting on lot for 2 days, no rattling on cold/warm starts. The speaker doesn’t sound good to me (cracking voice on call over bluetooth). I will update after the PPI.


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[kienaudi]

It drives amazingg though. In love with the engine already.


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