Hi Folks,

I am planning to buy a used 2008 A4. The overall history of the car is good and after the pre-inspection the dealership quoted me this (rough estimates):

75.000 mile service : $400
T-Belt: $1500
Brake Vac Pump: $550 (leaking some oil)
Valve Cover Gasket: $250 (leaking some oil)
Tires: $1200 (tires are very worn according to dealer)
Lower Engine Cover: $400 (dealer told me it wasn't a big issue)

The car has 79,000 miles and seems to drive perfectly. I will be getting all of these issues serviced, but want to be cost-effective. I figured, I could buy the tires on Tirerack for 700 dollars. Will Continental All-season tires be sufficient on a quattro (summer-winter)?

Would it be smart to get the other issues fixed somewhere else? I am unable to fix it myself. What are the usual price points for these items?

Are these usual issues around 80k miles?

It is lacking an Audi Navigation CD/Manuals. Are these deal breakers? Where could I get a navigation cd?

Any insights about this car or about your overall A4 experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much.

Jon

 

T-belt/waterpump was just done on my car for $900. I have heard as high as $2k so the estimate is right and with some calling around you should be able to get done a little cheaper.

Tires, as long as correct size, are more a personal choice. I bought new ones for mine at Sam's Club for $130/each (Dunlop Fierce).

Lower engine cover (is it the plastic cover your talking about?) runs about $100 for an after market piece and a couple of hundred from dealer. Pretty easy to put on. Mine is off my car and has been off for over a year. Some leave them off and others insist they should be left on. Mine is damaged and I just haven't spent the money to replace yet.

Owners manual: Check under the steering wheel in the dash. There is a slot there that is fits in. Most people miss this. If it isn't there it would be a deal breaker as if you have a question you can usually get it anwsered on the net.

Other items: Diverter value, cam follower (not as critical on a 2008) and PCV. All parts run from $40 to $80 and dealer would charge about $100 to $200 to install. If done when timing belt you might get it thrown in.

 

Thank you Rhodes... more insights are welcome!

Are these issues normal at 80k miles?

How can I obtain a navigation cd?

 

Timing belt needs to be done before 115k. I did mine at 100k just to be safe. I changed my diverter valve and PCV just to be sure they were fine. Cam follower is an issue for 2.0 engines. In 2008 they changed the part and it supposedly no longer has a wear issue. Easy enough to change when having other work done that it isn't a bad idea to get it done.

Only way I know to get the CD is through Audi (might be able to find it on Ebay or other site).

I have had my 2008 for three years now. Started at 50k miles and have 116k now. I have to drive 92 miles round trip for work so I rack the mileage up pretty quick. Loving my car.

 

Like Rhodes said, the timing belt isn't needed for another 20k miles, so depending on your driving, that may be a year to 2 years away. You should be able to get it done for $1k or less--just find a reputable German-experienced non-dealership shop.

You might have the newer style DV--if not, no worries. You can drive it until it goes out, throws the code (it's been so long, but I think it's P0299 - Underboost) and then fix it. Won't hurt anything. I replaced my PCV with an aftermarket made by BSH that I got from another forum member.

Cam follower wear is common in these cars, but Audi has extended the warranty to 120k miles, I think it is. Or, you can replace the $60 part and save the trouble.

One thing you left out is the price. With worn tires and a few oil leaks, you should be getting this car for a steal. You're looking at $1200-1500 in service/maintenance RIGHT AWAY, so factor that into the price you negotiate.

It does look nice from the pics.

 

My diverter valve recently went, and it was $260 to fix.

 

Was it gold-plated? That's a rip-off. The part is $60 (Audi B7 A4 Quattro 2.0T > Search > Diverter Valve > ES#9820 Diverter Valve, Electronic - 06F145710G) and it's maybe 20 minutes to put it in. I think my mechanic charged me $30-40 for the labor.