I am looking into purchasing a used 2006 Audi A3 2.0L Turbo I-4 with 103K miles on it. A good friend has had it for the last 7 years, kept up on all the maintenance, and had no problems. I've never owned an Audi and don't know many people who have. What can I expect to pay annually to maintain this car? What are others' experiences with the A3 from around 2006? I know in general Audis are good cars, especially if they've been maintained properly. I also know they take premium gasoline and are more expensive to service -- I'm just trying to get a feel for roughly how much more.

Also, can anyone tell me what maintenance can be done myself rather than by the dealer/specialized mechanic? I'm good to change my own oil, brake pads, etc., but I know Audis can have lots of computerized parts, prohibiting one from servicing it themselves.

Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

The A3 doesn't have that many parts that require a computer to repair. Now diagnostics are a different thing - I would highly recommend getting a Rosstech cable to assist in troubleshooting.

As to repair costs:
They are rather "small" compared to the higher end Audi's. Most parts are within a reasonable range - as long as you don't have to pay for labor. Timing belt kit (which I would check first!) runs you around 300 bucks. Cam follower (check right away) is only 50 bucks - unless the one you pull out is bad then expect to pay 700 as you have to replace the High pressure fuel pump and the Camshaft itself.
The AC is also known to fail - as long as it works don't worry about it. If you end up having to replace it - there goes another 400.

There are some known issues with this car but pretty much every repair is under 1k.

As for labor / DIY repairs:
Many things are not that hard to reach and most hobby mechanics can take of the basics. Take me for example I'm a network engineer by profession which means I shouldn't even touch cars but I've taken the entire engine apart to replace gaskets and clean carbon deposits. If you have access to Google/Youtube you can do 90% of the jobs, learn something and save thousands on repairs.
If you ever get stuck - start posting in this and other forums. Usually someone has enough knowledge to get you unstuck.

 

sheldon, thank you! To double check everything, I'm running the car by an Audi mechanic on Monday to make sure it all checks out. The Rosstech cable -- I looked into that, and they seem to run $250-$350. Does that sound right?

In talking with the Audi mechanic, they said the timing belt should be changed around 110K miles, although I read that Audi revised that to 75K miles, since some went out before 110K. Have you heard of that? I found a video online for changing the timing belt myself. Looks like an all day job, but doable as long I keep everything straight, may need to rent some tools. Yes, I read about the Cam follower as well -- so looks like I'll check into the timing belt and Cam follower being changed.

Good to know about the AC, too. I may post another question or 2 once I have the Audi mechanic look over the car. Thanks for the help.

 

Spot on Hooblah. Timing belt was supposed to be replaced every ~100k but it was revised, because of known failures. So 70k-80k is my recommended range to play it safe.0

That is also why I recommended to replace that first. It is an all day job if you have never done it before and you will need a tool or 2 extra but nothing major.

The Rosstech cable does run either $250 or $350 depending on which cars you want to check. There are 2 sets of Audi's: with or without CAN-Bus. If you are certain you will always have newer cars, go with CAN-Bus (other wise pick the KII), that runs you $250. If you think you might end up with both set of cars pick the universal, which runs $350.

Having a car checked by a mechanic is always a first good step - after that it's mostly DIY