I just bought a 1998 Audi A6 2.8V6 Quattro from a private owner. He is a doctor and claimed to maintain the car well. The only issue he mentioned is the oil leak in one of the gaskets but he had driven the car for 3 years without fixing it. So, I thought it's probably not a big issue.

Everything looked fine until I had a mechanic do oil change and quickly check the car. According to the report, they found the following issues:
1. Oil leaking from camshaft tensioner gaskets, valve cover, and camshaft plugs
2. Coolant leaking from aux water pump and/or o-ring under intake manifold

It sounds like the oil/coolant leak is pretty bad. The mechanic roughly quoted me 2.5K to fix the above two problems. He said the parts are cheap but replacing those parts requires a lot of labor work.

Does 2.5K sound right or just a rip-off? I got the car for only $4K. I am not sure if it's worth paying that much to fix the oil and coolant leak.

Thanks in advance for your advice and comments

 

One thing though... I don't believe your 2.8 has the auxiliary water pump under the intake. If you have one (I think it was an odd option deal that most cars did not have), then in should access under the car. 2.7T has the pump under the intake, not 2.8. Quiz him about that.

If the mechanic is including the new timing belt, waterpump, thermostat, tensioner, and the related goodies as a part for the $2500, then it is not unreasonable. If you look around, then you should be able to do it for a little better.

 

Never believe anything anyone tells you when they are selling a used car.

 

Drive the car with the oil leaks and keep checking oil level. Have 2 quarts in the trunk for emergency. Basically driving with the oil leaks is no problem unless you can't stand the smell or want to get it fixed. I got mine fixed because it was so bad I'd have to top off half a quart every now and then. These leaks will come back so just leave it of it doesn't bother you. I got my leaks fixed for 900 with parts and labor.

Get the coolant fixed. That is important. Go to another mechanic. Like someone said earlier if te 2500 includes timing belt then it's a "alright" deal. If you want to drive around with the coolant leak keep some and ONLY G12 coolant in the trunk. No other universal bs.

How many miles are on the car?

 

Thanks all for the responses.

156k miles on the car.

The mechnic didn't say anything about timing belt but did mention I could only drive the car for a month if I didn't get the issues fixed. He said very likely the leak will damage the cylinders and by that time the engine needs to be rebult....

 

No. As long as you have oil in the crank, even if it is leaking, the leak will not damage the cylinders. Engine needs rebuilding because it leaks oil from some seals? Better go find some other mechanic.

 

What about the coolant leak, will that cause any damage to the engine if I didn't get it fixed right away?

 

As long as the level is kept up, it would be okay in "most cases".

FYI, our coolant system is a pressurized system. Liquid in higher pressure has higher boiling temperature than the same liquid in lower pressure. The system will work more efficiently, as designed, if it is sealed, but minor leaks will not impact the operation too much to cause any issues.

I guess a question is whether or not the minor leak can turn into a major leak, but I assume that is not the question being asked.

 

The worst thing i can think of that can happen with the engine leak is it fills up in the spark plug holes and you may need new sparkplugs / coilpack or whatever the 2.8 has. (i think it has wires?)

the coolant leak just keep some DISTILLED water with you in the car and some G12 coolant and 50/50 the mix and pur it into the coolant tank if it runs low. if you use regular water you run the risk of damaging the water pump.

get used to the nice aroma of burning oil lol


most of the times the coolant leak is in the coolant tank itself. check it out. if it is the tank is about 50 dollars and easy to replace.

but no the engine will not need to be rebuilt. lol @ the mechanic on that. hes trying to get in your wallet/purse.

 

Thanks again guys for your feedback.

Now I feel a little bit safer to keep driving the car.

However, I have another related issue.

There is a damp/ water smell in the car since I bought it. My freinds also noticed that. I tried to rolled all the windows down and parked outside for two days, but it didn't help.

Could the smell possibly come from the coolant leak?