New here looking at an A3

[elsurfo11]

Hey guys, I'm new to the car scene, I have a 74 Chevy k20 I've been playing around with but gas has been killing. I've been stuck on the A3 so i finally am deciding to go out and get one. I found one that seems to be a good deal, the seller says the only problem with it is that the wipers aren't working so im guessing the motor blew out on it.They said everything else is fine with the car. My question is how much would it cost for me to fix the wiper motor and is it tough to do so? Here's the car I've been looking at.

http://www.carsforsale.com/used_cars...i_A3_147062261

[Jan PL S6]

Nice looking car I love the A3, its a fun car to drive. You might be able to get more answers to your questions in the A3 section on this forum.

I haven't necessarily looked at the wiper motor on an A3 but the Audi's that I have worked on (D2 A8, D3 A8, S6, and a couple jettas and gti's) are relatively easy to get to. They might be a little annoying to take out, requiring taking out some other pieces, but its a pretty simple job and might take up to an hour max.

[elsurfo11]

ok awesome thanks for the reply. Yea overall the a3's are pretty dependable after what i've been reading. Im sure working on this will be completely different from my dinosaur lol

[TBomb]

Definitely come over to the A3 forum if you want some more info. Here are some things to think about on that car...

The wiper motor failure commonly happens when fitting aftermarket HID ballasts for the headlights. Nobody is entirely sure why this happens, but it is generally accepted that several aftermarket HID ballasts can cause the wiper motors to fry.

It is a 6 speed manual, so you don't have to worry about the expensive DSG service that should have been done twice by now.

The high pressure fuel pump/cam follower/cam lobe is a known HUGE issue on these cars, so I would definitely have the HPFP pulled and the condition of the follower inspected. There is a warranty extension up to like 120,000 miles so if it fails Audi should repair it for you.

If you can, of course, check out the maintenance records to make sure everything has been kept up on the car. It may not hurt to run a Carfax report on it either.

Some other common failures/problems on that car:

Torn CV boots.
PCV failure (Causes a boost leak - there is a repair campaign for this)
Diverter valve failure (causes a boost leak)
Intake Manifold Flap Motor failure (repair campaign)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something but those are the major ones. Anyway, it's a great car as long as you understand the common issues and what to look for. It's a lot of fun to drive, and gets 30+ MPG on the highway

[elsurfo11]

Thanks for the info.I threw it over in the A3 section as well. These problems that will most likely go wrong very costly? Would I be able to fix them myself?