Overhaulin'

Replace a high miles car with new engine?

Im looking at this 2001 audi A4 1.8 T car for sale. It has 108000 miles on it. But the owner had the engine replaced by an audi dealership last year because it had a recall problem. Transmission is still there, its a manual. The question is, is the car good as new since the engine has been replaced??

Public Comments

1. Yes
2. No, the engine is good as new (well a year old engine) The vehicle is still 7 years old with 108k miles on it. PS. if they replaced it with a short block then many of the engine parts such as the heads, oil pump, pan, etc aren't going to be new.. the mechanic just transferred them all over from the old engine. And yes, as stated below.. new doesn't always mean new!! Doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it, just that it's not "like new"
3. That all depends on how well he maintained the engine and car , plus it depend on how hard he was on the car as a driver , plus the price. Hope that helps and best of luck.
4. I would check with the dealer that replaced the engine to find out if they installed a new engine or low mileage used engine. My dad purchased a brand new car and in 3 years the engine went bad. "Mercury" replaced with a newer(as in model year) but used low mileage engine. They would not give him a new engine and said that it was not covered under warranty. Also, if your buying a "1.8T" with the "T" meaning turbo, I would have the dealership or a good local mechanic check the turbo. They are not cheap to fix or replace. Last but not least, check to see if they have any receipts for any and all major repairs(ie: clutch, trans, engine....etc). All-in-all, the Audi A4's are good running and long lasting cars if they properly maintained like most vehicles. Hope this helps and good luck!!! Never hurts to get a "Carfax: either.
5. It was probably replaced because of sludge problem. Use only synthetic oil as recommended by VW to avoid this.
6. well you still have to consider that the suspension has miles on it but if the engin is new and it has a manual tranny and they are asking a price that is reasonable for the year and miles(on the car not the engine) than i would go for it and just remember that you may have to have new struts put in it and possibly a bearing or clutch but these are things that would have to be do eventually anyway so i say go for it at least you know the engine will be good for a good long while. The recall was probably due to engine sludging to avoid this used only Audi certified synthetic oils at every oil change.
7. That sounds a good buy, with that mileage, much of it will have been done on the motorway which is "easier" miles than running around the back streets.I would typically expect these cars to do 160k without much problem, makes you wonder what happened with the original; engine !
8. ABOLUT-A-MUNDO!!!!