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Re: data point 1 Saabers Like This Post! Posted by Bill Homer [Email] (#3427) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Bill Homer) on Sun, 17 Jul 2016 20:06:13 In Reply to: data point, DE [Profile/Gallery] , Sun, 17 Jul 2016 16:27:08 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
My comment on DIY issues:
I have had five Audis since the 1970s and the newer ones are indeed wonderful cars **while they are under warranty**. They have now become so horribly complex that even simple routine maintenance items have become a nightmare to do by yourself, or very expensive to have a shop do for you. Example: both of most recent Audis (and A4 and and A6) have needed the thermostat replaced, one at 55,000 miles and the other at 75,000 miles. To replace a thermostat on an Audi with a V6 engine, one has to remove the timing belt; the prefered way to do this is to remove the front end of the car or move it to "service position" using special long bolts that replace the regular bolts holding the front on. See picture for what this looks like when done at home.
Audis also use a lot of plastic parts in their engines, sometimes in completely inappropriate areas. My A6 was the first year in which they used a plastic thermostat housing, so not long after the thermostat was replaced we had to go back in again to replace the warped thermostat housing - replaced it with a used metal part from the previous year car. They also use plastic for the timing chain tensioners (variable valve timing), which can heat crack and cause some really major issues. Google "Audi pinch bolt" for stories of replacing the upper control arms - mine were so solidly rusted in place that they needed to be heated with an oxyacetylene torch and beaten out with an impact hammer. Etc, etc.
With a five year old car, you may still be OK and in the sweet spot, but get ready.
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