Warrenty Help? What To Look For?
 

Hey folks :)

Looking around for a nice used car to find that there are quite a few Audi's that can be purchased for under 15k with not alot of excessive mileage (i.e. under 70k miles). Mainly I'm coming across the A4's (which is wierd because unless I'm mistaken I thought that the A3's was slightly cheaper but it's the A4's... ooh well) and while I'm definately digging them & the thought of using the Quattro come snowfall my one concern is maintance when getting a used Audi.

Especially with hearing of how buying parts for German cars can be a pain in the chestplate thus me figuring that getting something like a 2-3 year/35k mile warrenty should cover anything else that comes up. So for anyone who have had experience in buying a used Audi & getting a warrenty I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on what to look for when seeking out a warrenty (i.e. what should it mainly cover, who will respect it when doing maintaince/repairs, etc). Sorry if there's already information on this subject but search isn't returning anything for me (unless it's biased against n00bs like myself :( ) but will appreciate any good feedback on this :)

RE: Warrenty Help? What To Look For?
 

Hi, this question was asked yesterday by another member.

The bottom line is that many aftermarket warranties are "shady" and have multiple exclusions/limitations on what they cover. Even if it is "covered" some companies do their best to avoid paying up. That said, a few individuals have had success with them for catastrophic problems.

If you read the forum, you will find that the most important thing about the A4, especially the turbocharged engine is how well the car has been taken care of by the previous owner, especially when it comes to oil changes. These cars have a propensity to sludging and if the oil hasn't been changed at the proper intervals, and if synthetic oil was not primarily used, sludge will accumulate.

Other major wear items are front control arms. These are complicted cars and need more maintenance than a Honda or Toyota.

The best insurance you can get is buying from a reputable dealer, buying a car with full service records, running a carfax and having the car thoroughly checked by an independent mechanic who specializes in Audi/VW before you buy.