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Audi A5 2.0Turbo – Lovely Car, Shitty Engine :(

Well… that was a brief love affair.

Pro’s of the Audi A5 Cabriolet

• Spacious Interior
• Very Cool Roof Mechanism
• Great Exterior Styling
• Smooth Gear Changes
• Punchy Engine (but not sporty after being spoiled by driving Porkers)

Con’s of the Audi A5 Cabriolet

• Aircon is weak with a complicated climate control function
• Stereo has no bluetooth
• High oil consumption
• Expensive Service Costs
• Poor design meaning max service hours for minimal tasks
• Oh… and the Turbo Died
• … and the oil pump died
• … and the brakes and rotors died
• … and… the whole damn engine died 🙁

So, in the two months I have owned this beautiful but pesky Audi money pit I’ve had a few too many service visits. you can trace each of these visits by following the stains of my tears. This torrid tale started when I discovered it has an open Recall for a new air-bag. Should have been simple right? Oh No – a trail of errors followed:

Checked into Audi Henderson for the day – Airbags fitted I collected my A5, but ten minutes into homeward journey, suddenly get hard engine vibration and the dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree. I limped off the interstate, and head back to Audi Henderson to have the mechanic report the oil plugs are badly coked up. Leave it for investigation. Next day I’m told a seal on the oil pump is faulty causing small oil spots I’ve seen and I need a new oil pump as well. This doesn’t sound right to me, but I’m not the Audi Mechanic and since I want this car to be in tip-top condition, I authorize both bits of work thinking it’s better to have it all done. My first mistake.

Next day, collect car after paying $300 for the spark plugs (very expensive but “hey its a dealership”) and a slick $800 for the replaced oil pump. Disgruntled, after being told there was no discount that could be applied for my troubles, I collect and drive off. Almost home, fifteen minutes later… engine warning lights and the low oil dashboard warning. Immediately call the dealer and I’m told to bring it back again. After yet more waiting around, I’m told they had forgotten to fill with oil. Very apologetic front desk personnel, but no discount apart from a free quart of oil as it was filled on the forecourt. Do they test drive cars after work? Shoddy attention to detail and inflated prices. I won’t be back. 🙄

EDIT UPDATE – MAY 2019 – One month later I have a catastrophic engine failure driving to work. Heavy vibration, obviously misfiring, I limp off interstate straight into a different Service Shop (Meineke Car Care Center 5833 W Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89103 ) who quoted me $3500 who investigate engine code and tell me the Turbo has failed. Investigation shows the Turbo has a crack in it. This is most likely the cause of the oil spots!! One week and $5,092 (which just goes to show that quotes dont mean sh!t) later I have a new turbo installed but when we fire the car up, its car running (badly) and engine system warns I have no compression on cylinder one. Mechanic tells me that driving with no oil is most likely the cause of burnt cylinder internals and likely caused the failure. I go and buy a beer. Cry into it. Audi do not supply a cylinder repair option so I’ve been quoted $5,000 for a new engine plus $$ to fit. #aaargh

EDIT UPDATE – JUNE 2019 – Brice, the service Manager from Audi Henderson returned my call today. #huzzah The result of the call isn’t exactly a resounding result but its better than nothing. Audi have offered to do an engine inspection for $free – it sounds like the mechanical version of every 50 year old mans colon exam; with cameras. Hopefully it will show the extent of the damage and give an engine rebuild $quote which I can compare against the cost of a replacement engine. Having said that – it was refreshing to have a frank discussion even if it didn’t end up with the sentence “of course we can fix that engine for $free” 😉

Goodbye Porsche Truck

Hello Audi Cabriolet (with added Sunshine)

Blimey! It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged anything in the motoring world. I’ve been far too busy with that distracting thing called the real world: I’ve moved house, working hard on webdesign for an exciting new ‘Online Will’ project, video streaming for Uncle Daves Project Management Training site and the occasional waffley technical blog… all makes Mr MotoLimey a very busy chap. But I digress…

My trusty old Porsche Cayenne S 2008 finally clocked into the 180k miles territory. Still without any major problems (apart from the drive shaft thingie and a regular patches like a new battery, brakes, oil changes etc). But it developed a dripping little leaking from the front steering rack, the last service told me it was due a major service which was going to touch the $3k margin plus it needed new brake rotors all round. So, facing a garage bill in the realms of $4,000+ I came to a painful decision.

Goodbye Mr Cayenne.

So, living the sunshine of Nevada – what do look for?

Hello Mr Audi Cabriolet

I stumbled across this rather lovely 2013 Audi A5 Premium Cabriolet. It’s a 2.0 Turbo engine, drives like a sleek shark wiggling through virgin olive oil, pulls like a bull running down a Pamplona side street wearing comfy shoes and when the roof is down – makes my hair ruffle like a sea anemone in heat.

Currently in day 2 of ownership – Big thumbs up so far.

Of course I took some video of trading in the Porker and will upload that later this week.

And get back into doing some more regular blogs.

And finally get my bloody American Motorcycle license and start riding the old Yellow Peril around the desert.

Farewell Porsche 911 Targa

Yes it’s true. I’ve decided to let my old 911 go to a new home. I hope the new owner has the time, garage skills to bring this old beauty back to life. 

After owning the 911 for well over 18 months now, I’ve realised that my pipe dream of spending weekends and evenings renovating a classic 911 just isn’t going to happen.

This dad-of-four barely has time to shave let alone spanner.

So, I’ve been looking at various options – Do I sell privately? Do I sell to a trader? Do I part exchange it with a package deal including the Cayenne and get my dream 993 Cab?

Choices Choices…

LAS VEGAS PORSCHE MECHANIC NEEDED – Classic Aircooled Porsche 911 SC Targa Rebuild

The Story so far…. if you havent been to this blog before… I have a 1978 911 Targa with an unmodified 3.0 Engine. Previous owner attempted to fit replacement fuel tank a few years ago, life got in the way and he gave up. From the various stories I’ve heard this years period could be anything from 5 to 10 years of sitting neglected! It’s sat in a field in a dusty sulk since then. Now its sad, sun damaged and very neglected. On the plus side its solid, rust free and waiting to be resurrected. Apparently it ran ok back then.

This is what I know needs fixing:

• fuel tank taken out, blasted, coated and partially refitted (missing a few nuts and bolts)
• new fuel injector in box ready to be fitted
• airbox taken off and need refitting
• electrical work – wiring visually looks ok but I suspect it needs replacing because fuses look ridiculously old fashioned.
• need a battery and it has an old 1980’s alarm fitted (which I would like removed)
• Possibly needs replacement rubber or plastic parts that have corroded or aged? I just dont know.
• respray and interior leather rework – it will need both these but thats for later…

SO – I NEED A VEGAS BASED PORSCHE MECHANIC WITH GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF EARLY 911 SC ENGINES.

I want to (a) get it running and then (b) we can figure out what other work needs doing.

My focus is to get it back on the road as a regular driver – I dont want a concourse car, just a running retro 911. I’ve owned a couple of early 911’s 3.2 but this is my first 3.0 911.

I clearly need help but this can be done in evenings, weekends or whenever. I’m flexible.

Fancy a challenge?

DO NOT CONTACT ME BECAUSE I GAVE UP NOT FINDING A MECHANIC AND SOLD IT if you are up for it – we can arrange an hourly price or even fixed rate for different things.

Thanks

PS: if you are a SHOP that does this kind of work please contact me and lets find a quote. I’m serious about getting this car on the road, it’s a solid good looking car and it’s been left to sulk for tooo long.

PPS: Are you a mechanic working for one of the Las Vegas Porsche or any Porsche Servicing specialist shops and looking for a side-gig or some overtime work? Let me know and earn some $$ on the side…

I sold my 1988 Porsche 911 Cabriolet Supersport SSE Widebody for $20k

Was I mad?

Tidying up some old emails today I found this gem from 2001

So, I’ve had my 911 SSE for a year now. Extremely happy with it, even though it’s a bit of a garage queen – I just don’t like the idea of leaving the Porker exposed to our inclement English weather. I use a Jeep wrangler for everyday commuting. I believed this was the perfect compromise between sensible daily driver and fun weekend car.

But then Sunday afternoon… Oh Dear… I drove a colleagues 993 Targa Tip…. What an awesome car! Every single component from the precise steering to the good old fashioned seat of the pants sensation just grabbed me. I was amazed at how smooth the Tip gearbox was, the power range seemed virtually endless and the whole car felt like it was stuck to the tarmac. I think that moment when I first turned the ignition… I already knew that my bank balance was in trouble! After 30 minutes of leisurely driving (“Honest officer!”) around Surrey’s country roads and a couple of motorway blasts I was ready to sell my soul to the Devil.

Which leads to my questions….

I love the Targa top but have heard a few nasty stories of leaks, squeaks, etc. even though the 911 that I drove was squeak free and had never leaked. Was this problem a feature of a specific year/model?

The other choice is the wide body Carrera, which I understand was only available in Coupe? I *love* the look of these cars but given the choice – widebody coupe or Targa?

o  I am leaning towards Targa at the moment.
o  Definitely want Tiptronic S
o  I *think* want a C2 not a C4
o  I *think* I want to aim for the ’97 model year

Any 993 owners with advice or other info that might help me would be gratefully appreciated.

————————————-

Now the blatant FOR SALE bit!

Both my motors need a new home… Of course if anyone is willing to do a straight swap of my 911 for their 993 Targa that would be perfect!!! Well… you have to try don’t you?

I live in Camberley, Surrey, South West of London so email me if you’re interested.

Porsche 911 Carrera Supersport Cabriolet
1988(F) Black, red leather interior with red carpets and black floor mats, 17″ cups (originals Fuchs+tyres inc as spares), Power Hood, MultiCD player, Koni Shocks, recent new SSI exchangers, 56k miles with FSH – mixture of OPC and Porsche ‘Specialist’, Star-Chip and full enclosure alarm fitted last year and private plate (OFS1Y) included in price. A1 Condition.
£20,000 ono )

JEEP WRANGLER 2.5 Sport TJ.
1998(S) Black, £2000 new alloys & tyres, originals inc as spares, Soft top, side steps, removable stereo, FJSH with 17,000 Miles 3 Owners. Tax & MOT. Looks and drives like new – First to see will buy.
£8,500 ono 

Cheers all,
Nick
88 911 SSE Cab – For Sale!