appeal to the intelligence of the community

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Caldwell.Mike 19 years ago

HI all, thanks for looking! Here's the deal: I recently purchased an Audi S4 Avant from a franchise used car dealer with a good reputation in the greater DC area. I fell in love with it the first day i saw it and bought it. They have a 5-day money back guarantee, so i decided to have it checked out by a local "foreign car service." They found 4 leaky gaskets, in various locations (chain tensioner, main valve, etc... i'm not tech suavy). The estimate to replace was $4700, but i JUST bought the car for $18K (2001, 61K miles). I am covered under a 30 day warranty (and i bought an extended 3 year

30Kmile warranty) where they have to fix things that are problematic. So i took it in today and they called later stating that the leaks they found were more like "seeps" and are common among vehicles, so they thought this issue met their standards of quality and weren't going to replace them. SO i'm faced with buying a car with 4 leaky gaskets which i'm assuming will only cause more problems down the line (i'm expecting to keep this car at least to 100K), problems that i'm sure will be costly. OR return it and be sad, cause i o/w love everything about it (i can even over look the auto body job done to the front/rear bumper /side rocker / rear quarter panel, since it looks pristine).

What would you do in this situation? This is day 4 of the 5 day guarantee, still many days to go in various warranties...

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TonyJ 19 years ago

The leaks you describe are very common with the V6 engines. Fixing them at an independent mechanic would probably be more in the range of $1,000 is you fine a good one.

The leaks do just seep a small amount of oil and should not get worse even over the next 100K miles. you will notice an oil smell due to the small drips falling on the exhaust manifold. You will need to decide it that is acceptable to you.

The leaks will not affect performance. They are just an irritation.

Hav> HI all, thanks for looking! Here's the deal:

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Dano58 19 years ago

I dunno, $18k for a car that is already leaking oil? For sure the problem won't get any better. If it were me I might reconsider and keep looking.

Dan D '04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6 Central NJ USA

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Dano58 19 years ago

I dunno, $18k for a car that is already leaking oil? For sure the problem won't get any better. If it were me I might reconsider and keep looking.

Perhaps if you were to return the car to the dealer and ask for your money back, they might consider fixing the leaks to keep you as a customer.

Dan D '04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6 Central NJ USA

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PeterD 19 years ago

The time to have it inspected by an independent mechanic is *before* you buy it, not after...

Also, next time, check the values (NADA) for the car you are buying. Avg retail on a 2001 S4 is only 13,600 (with the mileage you indicate).

As to 'oil leaks' well, since you are not mechanically inclined, you

*could* take it to an AUDI dealer (not anyone else, not the local foriegn care service) and have then evaluate it. But IMHO, you bought it, just live with it. And check the oil each fill up until you can get a feel for how much (if any) it is using.

And, yes, basicallly almost every engine seeps oil. You'll probalby be OK.

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Ed Pirrero 19 years ago

Get your money back.

1.) You paid too much.

2.) It's been damaged in an accident! (????) That reduces it's value even more.

3.) If you're blanching at $4700 for maintenance items on an S-car, you're not ready for S-car ownership. Even skipping the oil seeps (which the V6s do anyway).

4.) For that kind of money, you could get a low-mileage, perfect-mechanically, well-maintained 1995 UrS6 Avant, and have money left over for the next 5 years of maintenance/repairs.

E.P.

1995 UrS6

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PeterD 19 years ago

I find it very unlikely that the dealer will refund the buyer's money. Most fo the 'money back' offers in the automotive field contain substantial 'restocking' fees, making these the most expensive rental cars in the world.

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Paul Bunyan 19 years ago

Now what I would like to know is;

Did you take the car back?????

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tockeyhockey 19 years ago

no doubt in my mind -- take it back.

there are plenty of other fish in the sea.

Paul Bunyan wrote:

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