# Good buy?



## T.C.O.C (Jun 17, 2009)

I'll start off by saying I've been around VW/Audis for a while. I've owned a Gti for 4+ years, also having a Passat, A4, and an A6 in the family. Anyway, I purchased an 04 A6 Avant on eBay on Saturday on a whim that nobody bid on. It's a 3.0 auto fully loaded with only 74k on it for $5995. Since its a few states away I'm taking a gamble by having it shipped to me. Is there anything I should look for? I hear the air suspension sometimes is a problem. Anything else?


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## T.C.O.C (Jun 17, 2009)




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## Ixomeneus (Nov 27, 2011)

You can do a little research on the 3.0 as far as basic maintenance and other potential issue areas are concerned. 

I can tell you right off the bat that that particular vehicle doesn't have air suspension so you wouldn't have to worry about that. 

It looks to be in great shape for the money - plus those low miles are nice too.


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## Neosapian (Jul 22, 2006)

Nice find. Seeing so many C5's for stupid low prices but never with so little miles.

Sensors...These things die - seller may have cleared codes before shipping so you may not get any errors right off the bat. Coolant temp sensor, abs, oil, parktronic etc. may surface after a short time - worth having a look. Most of them are reasonably inexpensive parts that cause an unreasonable amount of drama. 

Also, battery compartment drain can become clogged, seeping water into the interior passenger foot well.

My C5 A6 has an occasional but tiny water leak that shows up in the plastic upper center console that houses the dome lights and OnStar button. I believe it's due to the "drip rails" that run front to rear on either side of the roof. A less likely cause is clogged sun roof drains.

Other than that I can only think of the more obvious stuff:

+ Make sure brake rotors aren't warped (no shuttering or buffeting under heavy braking).
+ Make sure timing belt, tensioner, water pump have been done _correctly_ and recently. If not do it sooner than later.
+ Check for "pixelation" in center gauge cluster display. Missing or faulty pixels = potential electronic problems
+ Secondary air pump (SAIP) goes bad more often than not. It makes an annoying whining/jet turbine sound during startup.
+ Not sure if coil packs went on the 3.0 like do on the 2.7T's...Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but these can be replaced free of charge under an open recall. It was done on my 2.7. This and Improper spark plug installation can cause dramatic engine misfires.

Thats all I got for now.


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## Craigbec (Dec 8, 2008)

Well it sure looks like a good buy. Nice car. Get it home yet???


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