Is the 2.7t a bomb waiting to go off?

[Shawn W]

I was considering a purchase of a 2001 A6 with 2.7t engine and 67K miles.

However, a person here named "Stampy" said this:

"Food for thought though....the 2.7T is a bomb waiting to go off. You should really just search it up on here and the B5 S4 forums. Make sure you are comfortable with the amount of $$$ you might have to donate to your car regularly. The turbo thing DAFT mentioned....thats like $4000+ right there.... and it can happen for no reason."

So naturally, I am reconsidering this purchase. How many people here agree with this statement. I always thought most german built cars were more reliable and predictable. But this has me concerned since I am not going to be able to just pull $4k out of my butt if this happens.

Shawn (new to this forum)

[Nebone]

Post in the B5 S4 or A6 forum. They are reliable if you take care of them but all German cars have higher maintanace costs.

[Beemer832]

my two cents.... too replace the turbos it consists of driopping the engine. book time is 30 hours for in and out of the engine. if you have a reasonable mechanic do this your looking at like 75-100/hr.. you do the math.. turbos are about a grand a piece. if you go ko4's then you have to get new TIP's DP's then might as well do the clutch and flywheel...

well you see where this is going....

-josh

[andyrew]

At 67k miles, there should be a lot of life left in the turbo's.. Find out if it has ever been chipped.. Being an A6, most likely NO. If the turbo's are used on the normal boost level then they last a whole lot longer. They have basically the same maintenance as an A4, just slightly higher costing on parts; however the engine has twice as many turbo related parts, which are generally the first things to fail in this engine.. Also if one of the turbo's fails you have to replace them in pairs (or should) because the other is right behind it. A lot less room to work in than the 1.8 or 2.8 engine, so maintenance on the engine is slightly harder...

Im sure they have some sort of buyers guide for things to look out for.. Ask them for a link or search.

GL

[sixfiveoh]

Ahhhhg, these things are the only thing keeping me away from pulling the trigger on one... I wonder if some people have gotten "lucky"? I've heard the turbos usually fail from 100-130k, correct?

[Nebone]

I seen them fail at ~50k (its usually one at a time, but replace both while at it; would be silly not to)

[sixfiveoh]

Say I'm looking at a 2000 MY car with ~95k that's "never been chipped". The turbos could just as easily start the dentist drill the next day I'm sure? I just feel like I'll be stepping into a money pit, but I would like to step up a bit.

[GarbatyA4]

At 67k miles, there should be a lot of life left in the turbo's.. Find out if it has ever been chipped..

Depends on the previous owners driving habits. If they beat on it alot and don't let the turbo's warm up and or cool down.

So you'll never know. Unless...

There's Only 1 way to find out. Hard test drive. Come back and see if he tells you let it run, the turbo's are hot then he might have taken care of it.

[big_greasy_taco]

At 67k you'll be fine for a while. turbos usually dont start blowing on those cars until 100k+ sooner if chipped. If the price is right, go for it. Just add money to a savings here and there incase something blows

[Nebone]

Sixfiveoh, just "Bigger Turbo" your car.

[tomlafS4]

I bought my S4 bone stock at ~70,XXX. Had it chipped immediately and I've driven it from Southern California to Colorado and back 3 times since I've had her. I drive the living hell out of this car and she's still running perfect at ~110,XXX.

The only problems I've had were with the tranny, and that's because I couldn't shift for shit when I first bought the car.

Get the A6, get the timing belt done immediately to save some worries, get a new TBB and you'll be good to go. But caveat emptor...some people have had their turbos blow at 45,XXX. Just a matter of when the turbo fairy comes calling.

[sixfiveoh]

Sixfiveoh, just "Bigger Turbo" your car.

FWD FTL!

The urge wouldn't be as strong to go to the S if I were quattro.

[sixfiveoh]

That's true

But the S4 is... an S4! Lol. I'm in an extreme state of jealously because I was urging my friend to pick up this Stg II wagon and he's actually doing it. That thing felt amazing on the test drive.

Edit: you deleted your post! lol

[haus4]

my S has 92k on original turbos with a chip. from my records im guessing the chip was installed around 40k. i know the PO's took care of the car. I normally drive easy with the chip off, but sometimes you cant resist. I also warm up, cool down and dont go into boost until the oil temp comes up. simple things that can add years of longevity to your turbos.

on the other side, you dont know how the PO took care of them. take it for a spin and see. And most likely it wont be chipped since its an A6. Also with 67k, i wouldnt think a new clutch would be nescesary. I would take a look at everything while its open, but as long as it wasnt a track car you should be fine.

My family all had 4000 quattros for many years. After 200k is wen things started to go. I kno turbos are one thing, but i think some ppl either dont care of their cars or are reckless in maintanence. its up to you, but if its for a good price, clean carfax and you like it, go for it

[Nebone]

The motor won't break, its built like a tank. Its the turbos that have issues, so do hoses and vacuum lines. Plus all the non-engine issues the B5s have.

Also, if you drop a screw in the engine bay and it don't hit the ground, you're ******.

SixFiveOh - Did not want to jack this thread :)

[Shawn W]

Wow. Very helpful.

I meant to put this in the B5 A6 area. Oh well. Still a great response.

Thanks to all.

By the way it is priced at $8995

[onemoremile]

8995? Sounds like a 17k stage 3 waiting to happen.


The K03 turbos are ok as long as the car was never chipped. They have little shafts and run hot. Chipping overspeeds them and cooks them. They have a dozen ways to fail. The K04 RS4 turbos are much much more durable. The S4 I had as a company car blew a stock K03 at just over 50k miles and has had the RS4 turbos ever since. With over 215k miles it has been a long time since it had a turbo related issue.

The original turbo failure on this car wasn't the chip but was very much chip related. Without raising the boost pressure it is doubtful that it would have failed at all. The throttle body boot had a small tear hidden in a crease in the underside of it. At normal boost levels it was fine but at chipped levels and full throttle the tear would open and let some boost loose. The turbos sped up to make up for it which made the tear larger and blew up a turbo.

If you can find a decent deal on a stage 3 S4 then don't hesitate for a second. They are much smoother than the 1.8t and the torque curves cannot be compared.