I've been admiring the A4 for years and I'm finally about to become an owner. After scouring the market for months, I've finally found a beautiful black on black 2000 A4 1.8T Avant with sport package. Everything looks good, except for one thing. The original engine was replaced at 85,000 miles due to damaged caused by a broken timing belt. A new engine was installed and it has only 10,000 miles on it. That said, are there any issues associated with replacement engines in the A4? Should I be wary of an A4 with a replacement/rebuilt engine? All things equal, would one pay more over book value for this vehicle because of the new/rebuilt engine? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

-Paul

 

I would expect to pay less for a car that took that kind of punishment. Its not pretty if you know what happens when a TB breaks. However, if the dealer or compitent shop did the repairs, you shouldnt have anything to worry about. Unfortunitly, engine replacements are all to frequent with tb issues.

 

I don't think so man. I think the value of a newish car like that goes down if a new engine needs to be dropped in. I'm not too sure though. Timing belts are no fun.

 

I think that people are generally wary of a car with a new engine, which can be valid. If the car was abused, it may potentially have other drivetrain issues.

However, I don't see a problem if the entire engine was replaced to to timing belt failure at 85k. Think about it - scheduled replacement is at 90k (I think), so why should any normal (non-forum member) think it would fail before that? That being said, perception probably dictates market price. Therefore, the price will probably be below book value, even though the car is (most likely) worth more than book value. Make sense?

For what it's worth, my engine was replaced at 52k due to sludge, and I haven't had any engine-related problems since then. Electrical is another story...

 

well since it was the TB, that not a sign that the car was ever abused - the damn thing breaks even on cars that are babied. if the whole engine was replaced and not fixed(head machined and new valves put in) then I see no problems. make sure a new TB was put on the engine when it was put in. try to get it for less since it has a different engine in it, but I wouldn't worry about it to much

 

Thanks all for your insight. I can understand that the current owner may have had the unfortunate luck of a TB that failed before its scheduled replacement time. That said, should I be concerned about any other issues related to the replaced engine? If I assume that the vehicle wasn't abused and that the TB failure resulted in a destroyed engine, shouldn't I be happy that I'll be buying a 2000 A4 with a new engine with 7,000 miles on it? Hopefully I'll be able to inspect the vehicle this week.

With respect to book value, I see a fairly large >$1,000 discrepancy between the KBB book value and Edmunds TMV. Which benchmark value do Audi buyers prefer to use?

 

Providing the engine is new (not rebuilt), and a reputable shop did the work, I would prefer a newer engine to an older one. If there were any problems due to the engine replacement, they probably would have presented themselves within the first 3k - 4k miles. Also, as long as they hooked everything up correctly, there really shouldn't be any differences between the original engine and a replacement.

For what it's worth, I was concerned when my engine was replaced. However, I've had 0 engine-related issues after ~15k miles.

 

the engien had to be rebuilt, the engine they put in had 10k miles on it. *new* engines don't have mileage

There are many people who blow their engines and replace them, an entire engine swap is relatively simple if they are both the same engine code it should be cake. Think of it this way, the owner didnt have to tell you at all. Not like TB failures are reported to carfax... SO they did the right thing and I imagine you wouldnt have any problems

 

If it was me, I'd check NADA - that's what a lot of dealerships (for any make) go by, and I've always found it to be reliable.

http://www.nadaguides.com

 

I think he is saying that the owner has put 10k on the new engine... i.e. engine was replaced with a new one, and the owner has since driven the car 10k miles.