Hi, I'm completely new to Audi. I bought an 02 A4 a week ago and have had a bit of drama since. It broke down on the way home from purchasing it (it drove perfectly and ran perfectly during the test drive). Turns out it was the crank sensor. There were a couple of other things of concern so we had the dealer look at it. They say the cam sensor needs to be replaced ($800 parts $700 labor) and then a transmission wiring harness underneath ($600). Aside from the $650 we had already spent with them to repair the crank sensor and some vacuum leaks. So I'm trying to decide if this car is worth all the work. The dealer said they ran the codes and that's why they say the cam sensor and whatever else needs to be replaced. But we hooked it up to OBDII and only the 322 code was popping up. I don't know if the dealer was pulling a fast one on us, or if that really is a problem. And then I'm wondering if we dump a couple more grand into it is it going to be worth it and should I keep it. I think this one just didn't get kept up the way it was supposed to. The guy we purchased it from told us it had been sitting for several months because his dad passed away and he inherited a BMW. Do you think if the car sits for too long it could cause problems? Sorry this is so long. I just don't know what to do with it. It's been sitting since I brought it home because I'm scared to drive it and get stranded somewhere. Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.

 

Call the seller and work with him to split the costs or repair. He is responsible for selling you a car thats drivable, registerable and can pass a state inspection, unless you sign a contract that specifically states otherwise.

Coin toss here...you could have a lemon on your hands. You could have a nice, reliable car sitting behind a few initial repairs. Impossible to tell, but from my perspective, unless you paid next to nothing for it, you're already underwater money-wise because you'll never be able to sell it for what you paid for it a week ago with the problems you're listing. I'd say fis it and get it over with. Drive it for awhile and if it continues to nickel and dime you after 4-6 months, dump it for whatever you cna get and move on.

 

Sitting for 2-3 months should not cause those kind of problems. I've stored a couple Crossfires for the winter and they start no problem in the spring. Two summers ago I took my A6 off the road and it sat in the garage for most of the summer and was fine.

Sounds like there's a basket of problems with this car. Have a heart-to-heart with the dealer on why each repair is needed and the risk of not making the repair (e.g., the transmission wiring?). Then make your decision. Sometimes, if something is not safety related or failing, you can live with it for a while. But $2k in repairs seems steep unless the car was purchased cheap and is in real good shape otherwise.

We've lived with an occasional CEL for misfire on my A4 3.0 for 15 months, and just got the recall notice for the coils. But if we had taken it to a dealer when it first happened, he would have advised replacing the coilpacks. We just continued driving it and the CEL cleared. Choices.

 

x2 ^^^^