[Sandwich]

Alright, internet.

I just bought a new-to-me 1995 Audi S6 wagon, my current/then dream car. True AWD, manual gearbox, a WAGON, small but powerful 5 cyl engine....what's not to like?

but so then I've come to discover that my head gasket has gone pop. Or rather, the PO's head gasket went pop, and he sold it to me. Yay.

I'm looking at a $2000 repair bill..maybe as low as 1600 if I take it to new hampster instead of the localler places.

KBB trade in is 4000 in good shape, NADA is 5000 in good shape. I do think the car would check out as being in good shape unless an extremely thorough inspection were done.

What should I do, e-advisers? Trade it in on a new car that's not so german? Keep it and repair it, then continue to drive it into the ground? What do dealerships usually use, KBB or NADA values?

And no, sadly, I cannot do the repair myself. No garage, not enough tools.

 

[skatetokil]

Dealerships typically use the "Pound Your Virgin Ass" vehicle pricing system. Nada and KBB have both been pretty delusional lately.

 

[jimmydean]

Trade it for a G8?

 

[dan-o]

Dumping your lack of due diligence on another person isn't cool.
Fix it or set it (or wait for it to naturally occur) on fire and drive it into the PO's house.

LOL @ JD

 

[w00dy]

Sorry to hear it , mang. How much stuff do you have to take off in order to get at the head?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Damn... those S6s are FUN to drive. I say fix it. But I probably wouldn't...

 

[loco-gringo]

What would blue do???

 

[Toshi]

wait until cash for clunkers passes the senate and gets signed into law

 

[Sandwich]

Trade it for a G8?

ohhhhhhhhhhhh yooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. I would but the seats don't fold down...even for 10 THOUSAND DOLLARS.

wait, so trying to trade in a vehicle with a bad cooling system to a dealer that's going to bend me over a table no matter what is a bad idea? They don't care, they're going to give me crap for it and then auction it off, where they'll make more than enough. A year ago these cars were going for 12 thousand dollars in equivalent (albeit not blown) condition. The "economy" has deflated special interest car prices, but trade ins always blow.

Oddly, I'd have to get a pretty fuel efficient vehicle to qualify for the program. This car is listed at like 24-25 MPG, and very few cars I'm remotely interested in do better right now. Isn't that sad? My 92 honda civic got 42 mpg...Now you need a hybrid to do that.

 

[newrider3]

Hope whoever quoted you $2000 on a repair bill offered a free reach-around. Labor cost is a bitch, so just do it yourself.

 

[Sandwich]

nope, and they didn't offer me any lube, either.

Nice find though, if nothing else, I'll buy that and take it to the appropriate place. My biggest concern is mainly that it's not just a gasket, but the head itself. I'm leaning towards fixing it right now...new cars suck.

 

[Sghost]

Fix it. You'll be stoked when its 100%

 

[drkenan]

I just replaced the timing belt on my 2000 S4. It was a bitch and a half and it took around 15-20 hours but I saved myself almost $2k. I'm pretty familiar with your car too. You can't drive an Audi of any kind (unless brand new I guess) without doing a lot of work yourself - unless you want to spend a fortune in repair bills.

It can't be THAT hard on your car. I'll bet you can find a write-up and do it one day.

 

[blue]

$2000 for a HG on an UrS6 is obscene. You can likely do it yourself for sub $400...and it's a relatively easy repair, IIRC.

 

[C.P.]

Fix it. Ask around what 2k includes. (include timing belt? WP? Machine shop time?)

Whatever you do, (if you do it, or a shop does it) get the head decked & checked (bring to machine shop, they'll plane the head & pressure check it & looks for any cracks. while they're there, they can replace any valves or what have you) this should run 150-250.

Head Bolts (It's possible you'll need to replace the head bolts, check to see if they are torque to yield spec, if so do it).

While you're in there you might as well do timing belt & water pump.

 

[MMike]

fixing is always cheaper than buying a new car

 

[IH8Rice]

Fix it. Ask around what 2k includes. (include timing belt? WP? Machine shop time?)

Whatever you do, (if you do it, or a shop does it) get the head decked & checked (bring to machine shop, they'll plane the head & pressure check it & looks for any cracks. while they're there, they can replace any valves or what have you) this should run 150-250.

Head Bolts (It's possible you'll need to replace the head bolts, check to see if they are torque to yield spec, if so do it).

While you're in there you might as well do timing belt & water pump.

what he said

 

[ultraNoob]

Sorry to hear it , mang. How much stuff do you have to take off in order to get at the head?

I'm disappointed.... this thread is on it's second page and no one has ran away with WOODY'S comment about the HEAD and how much he has to take off...

 

[Sghost]

2nd page?

 

[SkaredShtles]

fixing is always cheaper than buying a new car

In the case of an old Audi this is not always true.

 

[skatetokil]

yeah, you could probably part the car out and make your money back from other suckers like yourself.

all you need is a tarp and a yard.

 

[BMXman]

what he said

+1

 

[OGRipper]

I just went through a similar issue with my 2000 cherokee. (I think I had a thread here.) Definitely a tough call. I thought long and hard about what to do, and in the end I decided that I just didn't want the cost or worries of a new vehicle. Turns out the head was cracked, so what was going to be a $1100 or so became about $1700 with a refurbished head, new water pump and some other stuff. That for relatively cheap american parts. You could get hammered if they find additional issues, but I'd say that if you really love the vehicle, get it fixed.

 

[Sandwich]

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I realize I'm going to have problems with any vehicle regardless of age or mileage. My girlfriend's hyundai's plastics are constantly failing...at 60k miles.

I found a garage in new hampster that quoted 900-1200 smackeroons...sounds like a good deal, and the guy doing the work is really good too. I didn't know he did work (runs a dismantler) or I would have called him sooner.

Thanks for the tips and commentary.

 

[Sandwich]

$2000 for a HG on an UrS6 is obscene. You can likely do it yourself for sub $400...and it's a relatively easy repair, IIRC.

Yeah, parts for the job are like $300, less fluids that you need to replace (may as well change de oil and you have to flush the coolant). Head studs are a pricey but worthwhile option...but you still have to add in machine shop costs and the fact that I'd need a place to keep it until I could fix it...and that the last time I did a head on an audi, it didn't turn out too well.....

 

[boogenman]

wait until cash for clunkers passes the senate and gets signed into law

...................

Don't hold your breath for that one Toshi! That shiz isn't gonna pass until American Motors is out of hot water so the Gov. can sell AM's to everyone.

His Audi probably will not even qualify for the program

 

[Sandwich]

you need a pretty big jump in MPG, and the program will probably one work for brand new cars...I'm not prepared to buy a new car, but rather considering a pre-owned one. Plus, even the used, current condition value of my car is over what i'd get in that program.

 

[boogenman]

What should I do, e-advisers? Trade it in on a new car that's not so german? Keep it and repair it, then continue to drive it into the ground? What do dealerships usually use, KBB or NADA values?

Dealerships use a few different tools to determine trade-in value.

A weekly publication called the blackbook is a good start. It is a listing of all the past week's auction transactions on all vehicles in certain geographic regions. It is very detailed and in depth so I will not go any further on explaining unless someone really wants to know. This is not always accurate so there are 2 other places that are a bit better.
1. MMA reports, Manheim Motor Auction reports. Manheim is the largest auto wholesaler in the counrty with auction sites all over the country. With the reports you can insert the first 12 digits of the VIN to see what that vehicle went for at auction. It also shows the miles, and condition of the vehicles sold.
2. The dealership has thier in house wholesaler look at the car to see evauluate what it might go for at a local auction or to ballpark what another wholesaler may pay for the car.

Remember monkeys, something is only worth what someone will pay for it. 9 times out of 10 people are very attached to the car they have driven and owned for 4-6 years and they think it is worth a lot more than it is because you don't notice the aging process as much when you see it everyday.