3.0T reliability ?

[G1ennR]

I just bought a 2018 A6 with 17K miles on the odo. (When I was shopping a lot of friends said "you really want a warranty" with a German car, because the dealerships will stick it to you when it needs work.) So, I took that to heart and looked for a good price on a low mileage CPO with an unlimited 5 year warranty.

While I was shopping I tried a couple of A8 4.0t and loved the power, but really didn't want to spend that much. I also had read about mods that gave the 3.0t similar power & knew that was an option I could chose later.

I'm curious about how many of you have experienced any kind of engine or drive train problems with a 3.0t car? Would you be hesitant to give up an unlimited mileage warranty? I know I can get a 50k warranty from APR, but would I regret that choice in 33,000 miles? That could easily come in 12-18 months. [confused] I realize this is a "personal choice", but what would you do?

I appreciate any opinions, advice, or stories, both pro and con.

[all_kobiwon]

Engine and tranny are pretty bullet proof. Fairly minor things to worry about until around 50k miles. After 50k, motor mounts will fail. Obviously all of this is subject to how hard you drive the car.

[ChrisR14]

3.0T Supercharged is one of the most reliable Audi engines imo. Does it come with the ZF 8HP for North America? If so, this transmission is also very reliable. The Stronic is also good but those sometimes have issues at higher milage.

[PKmode]

The 3.0T and ZF8 combo has easily proven to be one of Audis most reliable drivetrains in the past decade. More so than the 4.0T (turbos due to screens on pickup tubes) and anything with the DSG often tends to run into mechatronic failures when pushing them hard. Don't even look at anything 2.0T IMO as those have had major issues with every iteration so far.

The 3.0T and ZF has been rock solid for me. I'll hit 95K miles this week and 50K miles of that has been stg2. Currently dual pulley and still no major issues. Common things are engine mounts, PCV and thermostat. I've never had any of those problems surprisingly although I did replace the thermostat and water pump along with a full tune up, carbon cleaning and some other minor preventative semi recently.

[G1ennR]

Glad to hear the 3.0 engine and ZF8 have good reputations. [up]

Are the motor mounts expensive or difficult to replace? Is there a stronger aftermarket replacement, or do most owners go with OEM?

[Carl Weathers]

Had both of my mounts covered but I believe it would have been roughly 800-1000 to repair out of pocket if not. I'm sure there are better aftermarket options if that was the route you wanted to go. Love the 3.0T. Seriously wanted a 4.0T platform, but they are generally a little out of my comfort zone pricewise, so another 3.0T is a strong consideration. Bumped up with a stage 2 tune, of course.

[Blackunicorn]

I had the 3.0 and DSG in my S4. It is a strong motor. I owned it from 25k to 80k and was not easy on it. It was stage 2 from 30k on. It saw a far amount of autocross and track time. The only problem I ever had was the thermostat.

So to answer your question. With proper maintenance the drive will last a long time and I would rather have the performance over the warranty. Just my opinion.


2013 S6 (The Grey Ghost)

[G1ennR]

I had the 3.0 and DSG in my S4. It is a strong motor. I owned it from 25k to 80k and was not easy on it. It was stage 2 from 30k on. It saw a far amount of autocross and track time. The only problem I ever had was the thermostat.

So to answer your question. With proper maintenance the drive will last a long time and I would rather have the performance over the warranty. Just my opinion.


2013 S6 (The Grey Ghost)

That's why I'm asking about the reliability. Since I'm hearing such good endorsements from you guys I'm feeling good about the drivetrain. I test drove a couple of A8's with the 4.0T and the WOW! factor of all that power was intoxicating. I just couldn't justify $55k for a 2017 A8 when I could get a 2018 A6 for $40K. I'll most likely be doing the CPU in a couple months, after the "new car" factor wears off.

I haven't had such a nice car in a while and I'm pretty happy with it "as is" for the moment.[drive]

[Valpo A7]

My 2012 A7 is at 157K with the 3.0L

We bought it used at 142K and there were no red flags in its history from what I could tell. Other than some oil consumption which seems normal and hit or miss on the 3.0 I am happy with our purchase. Seems that about 1 in 5 will consume oil with the 3.0 L power plant.

[Mike Literous]

The only issues can surface like on any modern engine is the plastic components used in the cooling systems, I had to replace an oil/air separator recently which is a pretty major task. In addition the thermostats can jam shut causing overheating issues. Both the separator and the thermostat are in the valley under the supercharger.

[BeAtCoAsTeR]

It really is a great drivetrain. When you do mod it, go straight to a single pulley stage 2 with the ZF TCU tune as well, as it makes the shifts/redline/etc. that much higher/better and really helps wake up the 3.0! I doubt you'll be clamoring for more power once you do those few mods, as my 2014 now does everything I want and need from a daily driven perspective. Anything more just warrants a 'fun car', like a modded RS3 with perhaps a new hybrid turbo upgrade pushing 700+hp for when I'm not driving the family around town - time to start saving. :)

[Audpor911]

APR has no Transmission tune for this setup.

[Q7_Overland]

APR has no Transmission tune for this setup.

I don't know if the ZF 8 speed transmission (which is also super solid/awesome) is anything like the Aisin transmission, but all I had to do for the transmission tune on the Aisin was go into VCDS and reset the Transmission/TCU to relearn the shift points.

Then I kept it in drive when driving economically or towing and put it sport for aggressive driving. The TCU did the rest. Dual clutch transmissions are more tunable (I have one in our daily driver), but there wasn't a need with the TR80SD. The Aisin transmission (TR80SD) is the heavy-duty version of the Toyota/Lexus Aisin (TL80SN & AE80F) geared by VW. It's considered a very reliable transmission in that community with the largest complaint being the fluid/filter (easily fixed with Ravenol T-WS lifetime fluid--60-80k mile change intervals--and switching to a Hengst filter which is what I would do anyways).

As for the 3.0T, I have only had my car for 18 months (since 80k miles used from a BMW dealership in North Scottsdale) and went to Stage II APR 2 months after buying so time will tell. PCV symptoms onset gradually (mine started around 89k miles and I haven't done it still at 95k miles because I want to modify the system), so you have plenty of time for that headache that's inevitable with this motor. I had my accessory belt snap at 84k miles which broke the belt tensioner and leaking valve cover gaskets spring around 86k miles so all very minor issues for me with this motor. This is my favourite V6 that I have had so far. The 3.0T has won several awards and is reliable with maintenance and care as long as you pay attention to the VW standards. Generation 4 3.0T (EA837) has a second set of injectors to prevent as much carbon buildup on intake valves which is a common complaint.

I paid BMW North Scottsdale in Arizona for ALL of the fluids to be changed and got a written agreement that they would fix any problems found in the first month as part of the sale price. They only changed the oil and the power steering fluid, and when I took it in they only updated my MMI without fixing anything else my list such as squeeky rotors (they told me that they're supposed to squeek because my platform--Q7--is like a truck [rolleyes]). I was told all the other fluids are "lifetime fluids". The stealership wins again! Just buy whatever you get "as is" at a lower price and do it all yourself! If you can find one with REAL maintenance records even better.