Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice

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Sat 17 Mar 2018 16:47
Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice - Steveieb
My partner is looking to buy the Audi with the above spec from SMS cars in Wellingbourough.

Would this 1.9 be a PD engine which are brilliant and would it have a Dpf being a 59plate ?

Viewing on Monday so your advice would be appreciated.
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Sat 17 Mar 2018 16:55
Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice - SLO76
It will have one and while the 1.9 is an excellent longlived engine in general it is an old design and never built with emissions control equipment like this in mind and thus doesn't gel well with it. DPF issues are sadly very common.
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Sat 17 Mar 2018 19:18
Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice - Steveieb

Thanks SLO.

What does the e after the TDI represent?

And are there any ways of checking the DPF is working ok? And anything else we should be looking for.

Would this be covered by the warranty? And what warranty should be negotiate?

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Sat 17 Mar 2018 20:45
Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice - daveyjp
A 1.9 of that age won’t have a DPF.

The ‘e’ merely means efficient. The engine was tuned to reduce CO2 output which meant higher mpg. It also had low rollimg resistant tyres which have no doubt long since been replaced.
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Sat 17 Mar 2018 20:59
Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice - SLO76
Most late 1.9's did have a DPF but yes some didn't. I'm fairly certain at this age it will have however. Either verify it by calling your local Audi service dept with the reg no and possibly chassis no or physically look for it yourself. You really don't want one with a DPF if at all avoidable.
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Sat 17 Mar 2018 21:31
Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice - daveyjp
59 isn’t late. They were made until at least 05, possibly 06.

I had two A3s, both 2.0PD an 05 140 and an 07 170. Only the 07 had a DPF.
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Sat 17 Mar 2018 21:35
Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice - SLO76
“59 isn’t late. They were made until at least 05, possibly 06.“

59 is Sept 2009 onwards. It is a late 1.9 and it almost certainly does have a DPF.
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Sun 18 Mar 2018 08:47
Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice - SLO76
DPF is usually excluded from any used car warranty. It almost certainly will be on a car this age.
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Sat 17 Mar 2018 21:45
Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice - SLO76

Thanks SLO.

What does the e after the TDI represent?

And are there any ways of checking the DPF is working ok? And anything else we should be looking for.

Would this be covered by the warranty? And what warranty should be negotiate?

They’re otherwise quite robust but watch for ABS issues, check the light comes on and then goes off quickly as it starts. Clutch judder isn’t unheard of either, you need to drive it from cold to check. It’s down to oil contamination via the input shaft seal. Either surprise them with a visit or call and ask to try it from cold. First thing you do is ask for the keys, lift the bonnet and put your hand on top of the engine to feel for any heat. If it’s warm then you know they’ve run it to hide something so walk away. Timing belts are due every 5yrs along with the water pump and few will do it shortly before selling so if there’s no receipt to prove it then factor it into any bid - £350-£500. Look for a car that’s been owned longterm, 3yrs plus and look also for a full dealer or specialist history. Don’t accept any that haven’t seen fresh oil every year. There’s no real way to check the DPF, it could be fine today and clogged up next week, it’s a risk but not as catastrophic cost wise as we often make out. Better not to have it and it does cause other issues within diesel motors due to the way it operates by injecting in extra fuel to increase temperatures which will not benefit longterm durability. Other than that it’s the usual stuff.

Edited by SLO76 on 17/03/2018 at 21:46

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Sun 18 Mar 2018 09:55
Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice - Steveieb
Thanks for all this excellent advice.
Will the euro spec on the vehicle document give any clues ?
Also if I remember there is a Dpf light which shows on first switching on that I noticed on my 1.6 Tdi MK 6 golf.
Sent an enquiry to the company seeking answers to these questions .
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Sun 18 Mar 2018 11:02
Audi A3 1.9 Tdi e Sport - Used car advice - JohnM{P}

The following link shows the 2008 Audi A3 brochure.

www.audi.co.uk/content/dam/audi/production/PDF/Use...f

Page 52 *footnote shows the TDIe had a dpf (and therefore implies that the TDI did not). As the CO2 figures differ (due to changed gearing etc), short of a physical look, the reg document could help indicate if a particular car should have a dpf.

If I remember correctly, I saw an article that explained that the 'e' stood for Entwicklung (Development) as it was the first PD engine with a dpf (dpf had yet to become a common three letter acronym). In the UK, the 'e' was marketed as Economy. (Please correct me if my recollection is incorrect...!).

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