Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap?

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Sun 24 Feb 2013 07:49
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - Granny Rain
Please advise. I've tried to make it as brief as possible. Please read.
Bought 2003 Audi A3 FSi Sport September 2011. December 2011 head gasket went, engine overheated and boiled dry. Local garage repaired for £1600 (cylinder head was sent away for pressure testing and skimming). Took car back many many times due to engine sounding like a tractor (one of the rings had split in the variable valve), never starts first time, oil leaks and water leaks. Sump was damaged as it was left resting on an axle stand which went through it so they had it patched inside and out.
November 2012 head gasket gone again. Garage claimed new gasket and bolts under warranty from VW and old garage said as a goodwill gesture they would only charge me £300 to fit (labour wasn't covered under VW warranty as not a VW approved repairer).
January garage finally finished the car. Told me it was 100% mechanically sound but wouldn't start due to computer code fault. Would start when they attached their computer. It needed to go to another garage with a more sophisticated computer to diagnose fault. I drove car to new garage. It limped the 8 miles driving very badly.
New garage diagnosed cam shaft sensor in audible. New garage told old garage it was a timing issue. Took car back to old garage.
Got voicemail message saying old garage will pay new garage to time it up as they don't have the correct tools to do it.
New garage stripped engine. Timing plate was missing, bolts were missing or loose. Sump has mastic around it. They timed it up and rebuilt. Starts first time but appears that head gasket has gone again after two days. Old garage will not do anymore work on it unless I pay. Asked new garage to strip and diagnose problem (£200 plus vat to strip plus the same cost to rebuild) - the block is warped and needs new engine. Cylinder head is badly scratched from old garage sanding before fitting new gasket so would need skimming if using again).
Old garage have a bill of £509 from new garage for the problems with timing and missing parts. Which they have said they will pay. They are not charging me labour but will not help with anything else. They said when the company who pressure tested the head cut off the timing plate although I was never told this and so I never knew.
What do I do? new garage is quoting £1,000 plus vat to fit a reconditioned engine (plus cost of engine) or scrap it? It's at the garage in pieces at the moment. Paid £4,600 for the car in September 2011 on my visa whilst waiting for personal loan to clear. Three year loan not half way through yet (£220 month - borrowed £6,500 to include insurance and to clear £1,000 debt). Garage where we bought the car ceased trading after 9 years two months after we bought the car.
Any advise would be gratefully received. Thank you for any help you can offer. Having sleepless nights not knowing what to do :(
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Sun 24 Feb 2013 09:15
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - bazza

Sorry to hear of this tale of woe.After a quick read, it would appear your grievance is with garage 1, who through poor workmanship have not fixed the original problem, damaged the sump and caused further mechanical problems.

Might be worth an hour with a solicitor to straighten it out. I wouldn't spend any more money on it until you have established a clear legal position.

Buy a £500 banger or borrow a car to keep you mobile in the duration, to take the pressure off yourself.

Good luck with it all, but I do think you need to clarify the legal position professionally.

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Sun 24 Feb 2013 11:24
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - Alf_Hooker

Does sound like a nightmare, and your best bet might be to get hold of a decent secondhand engine from a breakers, and get this fitted, rather than keep messing about with this engine thats been b8ggered about with.

Hopefully you can get some help from the garage that bodged the first repair so badly.

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Sun 24 Feb 2013 11:30
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - bananastand

oh dear, speaking as a non-mechanic it sounds like you might be better finding someone who can fit another engine on the cheap to keep it going?

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Mon 25 Feb 2013 06:54
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - Granny Rain
Hi bananastand thank you for your message. The problem is finding a cheap engine. There doesn't seem to be a lot of these engines about? I don't know why?
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Mon 25 Feb 2013 06:52
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - Granny Rain
Hi Alf-hooker thank you for your reply. I've only sourced one engine and it is £2000 plus the labour £1000 plus vat and any associated parts I think would make the repair more costly than the value of the car. I've found someone on eBay for £1300 to supply and fit a recon engine but I don't know if this sounds too good to be true? Decisions decisions!
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Mon 25 Feb 2013 06:47
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - Granny Rain
Hi bazza many thanks for your reply. I think you might be right about the legal aspect.

I'm starting to wonder if it would be best to sell as a non runner but even this route would cost £400 plus vat to put it back in one piece. It's nothing but a headache to be honest.
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Mon 25 Feb 2013 08:21
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - gordonbennet

''engine overheated and boiled dry.''

This is the most important quote from the OP, if a modern engine has been cooked which boiling dry is then quite likely scrap, overheating is one thing boiling it dry is in a different league altogether.

To compound the problem it sounds like you found an incompetent garage for the original repair, axle stand through the sump is a bad joke, course it all depends what you asked them to do.

I haven't a clue where you stand legally, somehow i doubt you will get any joy down that road.

If it were me i wouldn't waste another penny on the present engine, i would cut my losses and find another preferably used lump....beware your present engine might be almost worthless to a reconditioner so add the engine deposit costs to any engine quote you receive just in case they deem yours scrap.

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Tue 26 Feb 2013 06:31
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - Granny Rain
Hi gordonbennet many thanks for your reply. I've found a second hand block but there is no guarantee that my cylinder head will skim a second time plus the cost of labour is £1000 plus vat. Wonder if it's worth it? What if the second hand block is warped? Just fed up of it all.
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Tue 26 Feb 2013 08:39
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - gordonbennet

GR i'd be extremely wary of a used block, why would a block be for sale?...unless the best parts have been removed from it and the starship mileage block is all thats left.

Its got to be the easiest and best solution now to just drop a complete engine straight in from a write off, beware of unscrupulous breakers, you'll notice in the usual ads that used units like engines and boxes seem to have remarkably low mileages where most cars if we ever wanted to buy them have covered far more, you're going on someone else word, frequently lacking.

Have you spoken to a few VW specialist indies, if there's an alternative engine for you (VW Skoda Seat) they will know. I use probably the oldest established MB indy for my ageing cars needs, a font of knowledge and the will to do the job properly at fair cost is what keeps these places going, ask around, the various make specific forums can help you find them (though you'll find my one hard to locate via such a source we keep him secret for various reasons), indeed if you haven't already posted on a good *independent Audi forum then i would do that first.

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Tue 26 Feb 2013 09:40
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - bazza

Yep, either go with a decent used whole engine from a good breaker or a complete recon unit IF you decide to get the A3 back on the road. Whether it is worth it depends on the maths, how long you intend to keep it and also how much you like the car

See CAB or Trading Standards to see if you have any recourse on the money spent to date with the original garage 1. You may be able to reclaim some of the circa £2K you spent with them.

Other wild card options: see if the garage will give you a price for the car as is and walk away, cutting your losses. Or try and sell on e bay as a non-runner, no idea what they'd fetch though. Don't forget £1500 or so will get you a decent Jap-mobile that will probably keep going on the cheap long enough to recoup some of your other losses. It's only transport at the end of the day! Best of luck

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Tue 26 Feb 2013 15:22
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - barney100

I have been down the cheap engine route and for me it was a nightmare. Seems like garage 1 botched the job up and you have garage 2 saying 1 left several issues. See if 1 oir 2 are in any trade associations if so you can report them or at first threaten to. I would make the small claims court a route too. Both garages seem incapable of doing the work properly so spending any more with them is not looking good.

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Fri 24 May 2013 06:58
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - Olivia Burgess

I think you should send it for scapping because used this car maximum and now you have to pay more to repair it. So better you choose the best scrap yard near to your house and send it for scrapping.

(Attempt at free advertising deleted)

Edited by Avant on 25/05/2013 at 01:32

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Fri 24 May 2013 20:14
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - Mike H

I think you should send it for scapping because used this car maximum and now you have to pay more to repair it. So better you choose the best scrap yard near to your house and send it for scrapping. National Scrap Car is a place which i can suggest you for getting the maximum scrap car prices.

We're getting a bit bored with you Ms. Burgess!

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Fri 24 May 2013 20:25
Audi A3 Fsi Sport 2.0 petrol - Audi; repair or scrap? - FP

It seems there is a bit of a stench coming from the fragrant Ms Burgess.

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