Robbish

I wouldn't have thought age would have that much to do with it. 5 years to a modern car, is not a lot. I would just stick to the mileage figure if it has a full service history. I don't think they perish or corrode at that age. I guess the truth is I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't worry, it'll be ages before you need to think about it. However, I've just read this, but I'm still not convinced! One response is that it should be 4 years or 60k whichever comes first.....this is not gonna stop your worries! You're looking at approx £500, including water pump. http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/170-tdi-cambelt-price.156113/

With a car of that age, I'm sure you'll have a service manual. Have a peruse, it'll take 15 minutes and you will find the service schedule for each period and it will tell you at which point the belt will need changing. I guess it'll be at least 40k.

Yes, really sorry, I've not answered your first query...my car was written off and all that was damaged was my rear near side wing and the rear bumper, it didn't even look that dramatic! I can't get hold of the damage photos, just yet, but it didn't look like a writ off! The panel on the 3 door extends from the B pillar to the rear bumper. Someone did say that it is feasible to cut the metal at the mid crease line and put in a half panel, but it would have to have the skills of a Rolls-Royce welder to do such a great job. I bought my 54 plate 70 k mile 2.0 TDi for an admittedly bargain £3200, but the money I received after the cherry picker ran down the side of my car, was £3900, but I guess they did not think it worth fixing. Sometimes I wish I'd ticked the box to say that I would keep the scrapped car. I can't help thinking that Audi passed it onto someone who did what you maybe suggesting, and just Cat D'd it and sold it on for £2500 or something, or is that me being a wee bit mischievous? Anyway, I was confused, but happy with my payout and I bought the Honda to replace it. Incidentally, I struggled to see anything under £4200 for the same spec up here in Fife, the prices seem to firm up between getting the Audi in October 2014 and January 2015! If you want a run down of what to look for, from me, re purchasing a diesel A3, feel free to get in touch. They are a great design, but have certain things worth looking out for, I've had most of them, haha. Your budget will get a fine one, though.

I think for resale, diesels are good, but they cost more in the first place. They often have shorter service intervals, can cost more to service and cost more for fuel, per litre. They do, of course, do more miles to the gallon, but they are still less refined, particularly on start up, plus the smell of diesel on hands if you are not too careful with the gas pump, is something to think of. I think you need to do some seriously high mileage to pay back the initial extra purchase price. The one real positive I would say about my 2.0tdi that I have was the wonderful torque. That shove in the back at low to medium speeds, when you put your foot down was impressive. I had reliability issues with my Audi and when it was written off, I bought a nigh on perfect 2007 Honda Accord 2.0 VTEC on 53k, which returns 43 mpg and can go like stink! 0-60...8.5 secs 138 mph top speed! It is near silent to drive and is faultlessly reliable. It's not as fashionable as the A3, but that did 51mpg and I had a nightmare with the electrics....but I just think I got a 'Friday afternoon' car. Get an Audi, by all means, but consider an FSi or Tfsi if they make them at your budget. Good luck, you'll get something to be really proud off for that money @jealous.com

Hi there, you may have to be more specific, on Autotrader, there are 189 Cars that would fit your criteria, are you looking for a certain trim or very low mileage? I personally think you can find a decent one in your budget. Would you consider a Golf or a Beemer. Audi A3s are nice, but not the last word in handling. You'd get an older, half decent TT for that, is diesel that necessary, do you do a horrendous amount of miles? I know this is a forum for A3s, I had one for 5 minutes! A diesel 320 dci would be a lovely purchase and would be smoother, better handling and quieter.....just a thought.

Ok, then fine, so you are struggling to sell the car and it does not look like that, now. Well, to the first point, then, if you are asking a reasonable amount, then I would persevere with selling it along the same lines as you are. It may sell better as the weather gets better, or you could be more flexible with the price. I appreciate I was being a touch harsh, but people will judge a car by its appearance and seeing as it does not look like that anymore, my judgement would be wrong. Unfortunately, I do not have an Audi A3 anymore, I did not get a chance to sell it, as some truck wrote it off outside my house. I got a lot more for it than I paid for it, so the prices of used Audis seem to be good. I think selling used cars is getting a wee bit more difficult, as PCPs are being used more and more to fund brand new, downsized cars, which won't, on the face of it, help you. You may consider taking your car to a dealer and use it as a deposit for a new car, but I'm not sure you want to do that. I would, personally reevaluate what you expect to receive for the car, get the punters in to look at it, make sure it is immaculate and go from there, and be willing to be flexible, but not let them take the Micky! Out of interest, my car was the one in my profile pic, the insurance guys gave me £3900, it was a 70000 mileish 2.0tdi SE, very pale blue, not nice like yours. I got the money in February, it had a full service history, but not all from Audi. When I was looking around after the crash, in Scotland, I could not get the spec for under £4000. I think they are cheaper down south, I hope this helps,

There are a few issue that may affect the sale. Do you think you are asking a fair price for the spec, age and mileage, engine type and Service history? Also, looking at your image, the way you have your vehicle set up is very individual to your taste. For me, I would be looking for a car that is as close to the original specification as possible. I'll be honest, but this looks like a wind - up article, as your car is set way too low and the ride must be miserable with rims that large. Please try not to be too offended, but your car would not appeal to me and I would not give it a second glance on any selling website. The car screams of thrashed motor, all day long. I hope this was helpful.......I appreciate that it doesn't sound it.

Hi jj579, I have had an A3 2.0 TDi, higher miles and older, but there are a few issues. Throttle actuators need to be looked at regularly, they can shear teeth, here is a wee bit of info. The fuse gets blown and this then manifests itself in the engine Amber light on. Get an obd II sensor and the light can be turned off temporarily. http://www.audi-forums.com/8l-forum/53592-a3-2-0-tdi-sport-throttle.html A few electrical issues, too. Rear wash/wipers seem to be a common issue on these. A neat looking one with built-in jets, these jets seem to be the main issue. The jet can get blocked and starts to leak into the boot. This then dribbles into the boot/ hatch locking mechanism and shorts the central locking system, which in turn, activates the alarm, which is not great, to say the least. The arms also fail on a fairly regular basis, but these can be picked up for not too much.Another common fault appears to be the light switch, which contains the rheostat for the dashboard, lightening and darkening the display, tsese can default to their darkest setting. When testing the car, make sure you that the aircon is working by making sure the economy light can be turned off, if it can't, then the aircon is faulty. The front elec windows can fail, too, again, though, the kits for the these are about £20 and can be bought on eBay easily. Bodywork, keep an eye out for the front arches, they're better than Mercs, in this regard though. These are good cars, but for me, they do have their glitches, especially central locking, windows, dashboard issues, but this is the same for all VAG vehicles. Solid build, soft touch plastics, nice dashes and prestige are where they shine, but driving dynamics, you'll probably be better off with a Beemer, if you want unerring reliability, you might want to look at Lexus or even Honda. However the mileage and age you are looking at, I think you should be fine for a few years. The engines give a great shove in the back at all revs and the sheer ambience of an Audi is very appealing. Hope this helps and I haven't been TOO negative, cheers.

Have a full diagnostic check with Bosch, they'll be cheaper than Audi and will sort the issue out with little hassle. I'm on this forum, because I have recently bought an A3. Unfortunately, it has had so many electrical glitches and it's just been written off by an errant trucker. Apologies fellow Audi fan, but I've just replaced it with a Honda in order to rid myself of VAG electrical gremlins! Beautifully built, though Audis are, gadgets don't seem to work on older models.

Not sure mikes rob, but after reading a few blogs, the Haynes manual and other forums, it sounds like it may be just air in the clutch fluid and will be improved by bleeding/ replacing the clutch fluid. I have recently bought an A3 with a few glitches, including a similar one to yours. I have no fancy display, but I do have the same issue regarding the occasional drop of the clutch pedal, resulting in the gear lever being difficult to put into gear. My issue is not that serious, so I might either take it to a specialist and hope they don't rip me off or, as the Haynes manual suggests that I purchase an affordable clutch bleeding kit! The way that Haynes puts it across, it's a fairly straight forward task on an Audi. It's certainly saved me a few quid purchasing a Haynes manual! I hadn't used one since I was a wee youngster. I must have saved myself a fair few quid already since I bought this 'glitchy' A3!

Hi everyone out there. I've just bought an Audi 2.0 TDi, love it, goes like the clappers and I acheived 59+mpg from the first tank, which is amazing. The only thing I seem to have is a few electrical gremlins, of which a few I knew before I got it, but I haggled the price down significantly. The drivers window does not work, the aircon blows warm, the rheostat is intermittent and the Amber engine light comes on too...apart from that it's brill! Any ideas on these? I'm used to Japanese cars that are bland, but they don't ever seem to get these 'glitches'

No ideas, but I have the exact same issue on a 54 plate 2.0 TDi !