High miles tdi: what should be changed?

Hi guys
I'm about to start my A2 journey by viewing a few tdis over the next few days and have read the great advice on how to choose the right car.

Would anyone be able to offer any advice on major things that should have been addressed, such as turbo rebuild, on cars approaching or surpassing 150k miles? I have experience of this with BMWs and was surprised to not find much about it when I searched.

Any advice most gratefully received.

Cheers
Ben

Mine past 200,000m about a month ago - all my miles.

The only thing I have replaced other than consumables are:

1) Intercooler cracked - could have repaired but replaced. Symptom was turbo cutting out intermittently (ECU opening waste gate)

2) Front ABS sensor wires, this is a 17" wheel sport issue as tyres JUST rub the wire on full lock appears at 100,000m

3) I changed cam belt every 80,000m

4) Rear springs (only recently)

5) Alternator pulley

6) Rear brake hubs

7) Injector loom (starting coughing at first, then one cylinder cut) Injectors were fine (@£500 each) it was the wires feeding them.

Think thats it, still on original shocks, exhaust and clutch!

Ricardo said:

6) Rear brake hubs

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What were the symptoms that prompted you to replace these? At 160K my handbrake always seems to need adjustment and even when done it doesn't feel that tight.

Ricardo said:

Think thats it, still on original shocks, exhaust and clutch!

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Good lord the original shocks - isn't the drive a little ehm.. loose. And just how long does the exhaust last for ?!?

Andy B

Shocks are fine, I keep telling my guy "I think they need replacing" purely due to the miles and he keeps saying "no, on inspection they are fine" - handling is the same as it always has been, from a low speed and high speed compression and rebound sense. There is no rapid droop when braking, braking is predictable, changes of direction do not unsettle it and turn in is precise as ever. Being a Sport on 17"s it does feel like it has no suspension at times, but its always been that way .

Brakes, the shoes needed replacing at about 160,000m (first time) so I got them to change the drums at the same time so they looked nicer ... didn't last long though, should have painted them first. The rear shoes must be a very hard compound to last as long as they do, so I think they wear the drums equally. So shoe change = drum change, but I can cope with every 160,000m and they are cheap anyway.

Exhaust has lasted 12 years so far, looks OK from the outside and sounds OK. Its standard i.e. not stainless. It the clutch that gets me, it has worn because the pedal has got higher and it won't last forever. I wouldn't do traffic light launches anymore like I used to(!) but it has never slipped...

Thanks Ricardo - 'ol Hector has a service coming up in ~5K so I think the big replacement this time will be the rear drum/shoes. The cable has been replace but didn't make much difference.

Ricardo said:

Shocks are fine .... and high speed compression and rebound sense.

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Reminds me of a classic American motoring vision when I saw a cool dude in shades in an old beat up 70s brown cadillac, window down, door & roof trim flapping, driving at close to a ton and watching it gently & continuously rebounding up and down on knackered shocks. Quite a glorious and memorable sight.

Andy B

208,000 miles, had the occasional front spring, brake discs, pads, shoes, drop links & bushes, and one temp sender... forgot to mention 3 cambelts!

Clutch is high, but has never slipped, exhaust is also original as is the battery.

I'd say at 150,000 you should be OK, it's just getting run in!

bba

I can understand the trepidation potential owners may have when it comes to buying an A2. I think your research should centre around the regular maintenance on potential purchases. Cam belts and drop links are common items to wear out. Brake rebuilds are common on all higher mileage vehicles. With any luck anti roll bar bushes would have been replaced a long time in the past.

bye_bye_alfa said:

208,000 miles, had the occasional front spring, brake discs, pads, shoes, drop links & bushes, and one temp sender... forgot to mention 3 cambelts!

Clutch is high, but has never slipped, exhaust is also original as is the battery.

I'd say at 150,000 you should be OK, it's just getting run in!

bba

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Thats encouraging. I intend to keep mine till at least 250,000. Had 92000 when I bought it.

Its aluminium, when the engine dies replace it ... that WAS my intention

Trust me the shocks are fine, it doesn't bounce.

Hey Guys.

Thanks v much for the input! Sounds positive for high-milers as long as they've been looked after.

Can anyone embellish the story a bit with indicative costs? Such as:
- Cambelt change
- Brake rebuild
- Clutch replacement (assume 75hp model)
- Anything else you've done that cost a chunk of money
Would be great to know ballparks for the above and whether it was main dealer or independent garage

Cheers!

Ben

batphink said:

Hey Guys.

Thanks v much for the input! Sounds positive for high-milers as long as they've been looked after.

Can anyone embellish the story a bit with indicative costs? Such as:
- Cambelt change
- Brake rebuild
- Clutch replacement (assume 75hp model)
- Anything else you've done that cost a chunk of money
Would be great to know ballparks for the above and whether it was main dealer or independent garage

Cheers!

Ben

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cambelt,waterpump,alternator belt+ coolant, expect to pay £300ish independent using genuine audi parts.

I had a rear brake rebuild costing near £250. Injection wiring harness fitted was nearly the same

personally on a high mileage TDI I would swap the injector nozzles and the glow plugs. It will restore the diesel spray pattern and improve the economy.

If replacing rear hubs, then definitely change the rear brake shoe pistons. Relatively inexpensive, but if they leak (mine did at 120k) it makes a real mess of things. Use a new spring kit so everything is tensioned properly.

I refreshed shocks all round (BOGE), Brembo discs and pads up front, new ARB bushes and drop links, etc. New bump stops at rear. Renew timing belt, water pump and thermostat every 60k, new glow plugs every 20k. Bleed brake fluid and replace every 2 years.

The front wishbones may need done on high mileage cars. I've avoided doing mine, but worth bearing in mind if you can't track down tell-tale clunks.

My "little tank" just keeps on going. 1.4TDi 2001 Air con, 257,300 miles, still getting more than 55 MPG. I've been wondering whether its ever going to give up. Changed rear brake drums, skimmed the head and replaced gasket, springs, alternator mount sheared off. About to change the injector wiring loom as it has developed the intermittent power issue reported by others, but otherwise it is still on original parts (including wheels and exhausts at the moment!) Replaced "consumables" such as cam belt and regularly serviced on the Long-Life (20,000 mile) schedule without problems.

Anyone else on over 250K ?

I look after David' A2 (auda2numpty).
At the last check, his TDi was on 225K, still pulling like a train and returning amazing fuel economy ...
... and there's more to come .

blue skies
tony

Ricardo said:

Mine past 200,000m about a month ago - all my miles.

The only thing I have replaced other than consumables are:

1) Intercooler cracked - could have repaired but replaced. Symptom was turbo cutting out intermittently (ECU opening waste gate)

2) Front ABS sensor wires, this is a 17" wheel sport issue as tyres JUST rub the wire on full lock appears at 100,000m

3) I changed cam belt every 80,000m

4) Rear springs (only recently)

5) Alternator pulley

6) Rear brake hubs

7) Injector loom (starting coughing at first, then one cylinder cut) Injectors were fine (@£500 each) it was the wires feeding them.

Think thats it, still on original shocks, exhaust and clutch!

Click to expand...

How did you fixed the 17" wheel problem of the tyres RUBBING the ABS wire on full lock? I've just bought a nice set of OE 17 wheels and plan to fit them soon. I plan to take the car to Audi to see what they can do about the 'rubbing' issue, but wondered if there are any other solutions that will not invalidate the Audi extended warranty? I presume Audi will just fit the shorter/updated ABS wires found on Sport models? If so, does anyone know the likely labour/parts charge?

The left front went at 100K miles, but it took the right nearer 200K before it started causing errors. I think the replacement cables are slightly shorter as my "new" left front cable looks OK after 100K miles on the car. So if they fit new wires the problem may be solved. Cost is about £30 each side for the wires plus fitting. I believe the new wires are designed to be spliced into the loom so fitting is relatively quick, maybe an hours labour. When I replaced mine at 100K the wire was all the way from the sensor to a connector on the ECU as I recall. The garage said it was a major dash out job so I just cut the cable and soldered it on to the old one (in the engine bay).

If there is rubbing just check every 10,000m and if required wrap some duct tape around the cable to protect it - it only JUST catches on full lock.

Ricardo said:

The left front went at 100K miles, but it took the right nearer 200K before it started causing errors. I think the replacement cables are slightly shorter as my "new" left front cable looks OK after 100K miles on the car. So if they fit new wires the problem may be solved. Cost is about £30 each side for the wires plus fitting. I believe the new wires are designed to be spliced into the loom so fitting is relatively quick, maybe an hours labour. When I replaced mine at 100K the wire was all the way from the sensor to a connector on the ECU as I recall. The garage said it was a major dash out job so I just cut the cable and soldered it on to the old one (in the engine bay).

If there is rubbing just check every 10,000m and if required wrap some duct tape around the cable to protect it - it only JUST catches on full lock.

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OK thanks for the advice - very useful indeed. Car is booked in at Preston Audi next week, so I'll chat with the service adviser and see what they can do (especially regarding labour charges). If they can't help then I'll consider duct tape, as a short-term measure.