OldMBGuy

By all means, get a PPI and factor in significant maintenance costs.

For stampede 253...

I never had to replace a motor mount on my allroad (or do any of the stuff you mentioned for that matter), but...

$2300 for a motor mount seems like an awful lot. My indy quoted me $550 to replace both of mine in an MB E320 4matic, and MB is not known for low cost parts and low labor rates. I guess it could be a lot more in an allroad, but 8x as much (for one)? Really?

And that's a total bummer needing a TC, very unusual at that kind of mileage. The need for a valve body is more common, and $2-3k cheaper.

When it's time to do your air suspension components go with Arnott like everybody says. I might also try a different mechanic, a good indy in your area.

stampede253

Since the PNW probably has more allroads per capita than anyplace in the US outside of the Northeast you'd think it would be easy to find a less-expensive shop--but the one's I've checked are within a couple hundred dollars of each other. The dealership told me that they have to remove the engine to replace the motor mount-not sure if that is the case with your E320. Two local indies said that while the engine does not actually have to come all the way out, it does need to be "unhooked" and lifted enough to get the part swapped out. One indy gave me a quote of $2k and another well respected indy (who has done much of the work on the car) quoted right at 2100 so unfortuntely the Seattle area is a very expensive place to get Euro cars properly repaired. Hopefully this can wait long enough to let me recover from the TC repair!

John Wheeler II

I was in this situation a few months ago and had decided on a Volvo XC70 after driving examples of both cars and weeding through forums. Then another Allroad presented itself, in much better condition than the first one I drove. Due to budget I was shopping in the 01 and 02 range of both cars. But upon further research the local Allroad, didn't come back with up to date maintenance. But I did an extended test drive and was in love with the car. Then I found a nice 2001 on the East coast (I live in Indiana), I had already planned to fly, buy and drive the Volvo so the Allroad was not a stretch. After talking with the PO extensively and learning that key maintenance items had happened and he had receipts my mind was made up. I purchased the 2001 Allroad with 110k for under 6k from an Audi enthusiast who owned an A4 as well. History is so important with these cars, it has over a 100 sensors and is a bit over engineered with warnings. If you don't know your car and do at least a portion of the work this is not a good car to own. Or if you are prone to being overly concerned with warnings that there could be an issue, stay away. A prime example is the check engine light or O2 sensor problem. The sensors are tolerance is too tight and their location in respect to the exhaust is too close (or at least that is the reasonable explanation derived from these forums). If you own an Allroad you will get codes, both erroneous and real if you don't know your car and when service was conducted you may pay to have a part changed that still has a lot life left. Another code that fires is the brake wear, but when you know when the brakes were changed and how much life to expect from a set of pads you know it is something else. I have read the sensor is prone to contamination. In a nutshell, this is by far the nicest auto I have ever driven ( I have owned Mercedes, BMW and SAAB as well as several domestic and Japanese brands), there is a lot to love and when people dump huge sums of cash into the sport wagon for no reasonable reason you know there is something to it. Some cars are like a roulette wheel, you spin and hope your number drops and it is a good car. The Allroad is one of those vehicles, not all are created equal.

ruary

I had motor mounts replaced along with all of the cam and valve seals and cam plugs and the total cost was about $1,400. I believe the motor mounts were about $800 of that cost, so I would say $2,000+ for motor mounts is very expensive. The motor did not have to come out, but it did have to be lifted to unweight the mounts.

In retrospect, I would not have replaced the motor mounts at the time. I had a mount fail in my mercedes, and it was almost undriveable. I did not notice any difference pre and post motor mount install in my allroad, and I think this is one of the examples of a shop ripping off a consumer. This is why I try to do my own work. I was in a time crunch though and needed the seals done, and I got suckered.

Mae

I did a lot of research on warranties for my allroad. What warranty company is it, & do you know the name of the policy? In my research, NONE of them are true bumper-to-bumper on a high mileage car. That doesn't mean it's not worth it, but you should know what it really is, and I wouldn't trust someone selling it to you as "bumper-to-bumper," because that's very unlikely for this car, or any, at high mileage. Let me know what info you have on it and I'll say if it's one of the ones I researched. PM me if you want.

Mae

Just wanted to say, reading all of these comments and threads makes me feel a little better about all the crap I've gone through with my '02 allroad in a little over 4 months of ownership. I had it 'checked' by a mechanic, but there's always something that can be missed, or come up the next week. Good to know there's other people in the same boat, and staying in it :P

Hawkeye83

Just wanted to update: I went with a 2004 Acura MDX. 133,000 miles, $9,927 sale price. I had to go with the reliable choice. Not as fun, but I recently found out I've got a little one on the way, so we need reliability!

We were considering early Allroads, Volvo XC90, and Acura MDX. The MDX was by far rated the most reliable. My wife liked the Volvo, as she used to have a Volvo car, but we looked up the reliability ratings on Consumer Reports, and it wasn't good.

Still hope to own an Allroad some day, when I have a little more expendable income! May need to get my '69 Firebird squared away first tho Can you say 455 cu in. and 600 hp? Necessary, right? It's got a "mild" 455 right now..probably puts out 375 hp/480 lb. ft.

GTA_Driver

Congratulations on your purchase! You will not regredit it, though repairs may come, it will not be the same as Audi.

That's why we aren't selling our Mazda3. For the past 2 years and 8 months, I had $0 repair bills, only maintenance (oil changes, coolant flush, transmission oil change, etc...)

I still feel my 2001 A6 with 4.2 was the best quality Audi of all C5s. The 2005 Allroad has cheaper materials on many items, and it's noticeable. The plastic steering wheel cover (the middle section) is outright inexcusable. My Mazda3 looks better.

Anyway, I digress. I love my Audis, but I also believe Japanese have their place.