Found a guy in the local CL that’s wanting to get rid of his 06’ Audi A4 2.0T. It’s got around 150,000 miles on it, a nice interior and exterior, clean and clear title, and a “bad piston in cylinder #1”…..whatever that means. So, I can pick this thing up for $500……I’m wondering if that would be a fun project to rebuild, or if it would be more time and money than it’s worth. I have a big shop, lots of tools, and I work on my cars all the time….this would be nothing new. I just don’t know much at all about these cars, or the 2.0T motors. I would look down into the cylinder first before I got it, just to see how bad it is. I guess a “bad piston” could be anything from broken rings, to cracked piston, to any other number of things….. Could any of you guys give me some info? Should I ****** this car up, or walk away?

 

$500 ... for a A4 with a "bad piston" I would. My first thought would be is it piston or just head-gasket, I would do a Pressure test and possibly a leak-down test, check the oil for water and or fuel and go with it. Worse case a used 2.0T engine from a salvage will run about $2000. and if you want to just fix what you have and make it a long term project then it is just a matter of cost of a good shop manual and parts. (Yes, I would get the shop manual)

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Motor On!