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Sedans Audi A6 Audi A6 Wagons
298 messages, Last post on Mar 09, 2008 at 3:55 AM
You are in the Audi A6 Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
| any suggestions for after market warranties. have a 2000 A6 avant just out of warranty. thanks | |
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Just signed a contract with a private seller in my area for a fully loaded 1997 A6 Avant Quattro for $7,500. Car has 101K miles, was well maintained by the dealer exclusively, had ALL the recommended services, including the new timing chain, serpentine belt, tensioner, thermostat, H2O pump, etc., new tires, new struts/shocks, new brakes and regular oil changes [he used dealer supplied non-syn oil]. No other major service was needed while he owned. He was the original owner. The condition is very good, not quite excellent due to a 5" crack of the front bumper cover his wife did this winter during massive snow [she hit an ice floe next to their garage door in a very narrow alley pulling into her garage!]. He rec'd an estimate of $890.00 to repair [ha!] and I priced the bumper cover  $231.00 [new OEM part] and can get it painted for under $200.00. The cream leather interior needs some saddle soap and the carpet is very good; paint is glossy and nice but has some parking spot related scratches and some scuffs on the rear bumper. They garaged it full time and are older adults, so it wasn't driven hard. Overall, I loved it. Did I get a good deal? I've seen considerably nastier looking 1996-98 A6Q wagons recently in my area from private parties go for $8500-17K, so I think I might have done all right. I'm hoping to keep this one for a year or 18 months, then turn over for a newer model. Having done a huge amount of reading here and elsewhere on Audi fan sites, I think I did okay, though my husband is concerned about high miles. Haven't ever purchased a car with this high mileage, so I'm crossing my fingers. Overall, the suspension seemed tight, pick-up good [he's going to have the compression checked] for the engine, and handling/braking acceptably firm/luxurious. But I'm wondering if I should have held out for an SUV? Two other buyers were headed over to see this car, and the day before, a guy showed up while I was looking at another of the same model/year but I passed due to the extreme abuse obvious. Yet this other guy ponied up the full asking price for that one!
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and congrats on your A6 Avant Quattro! According to Edmunds' TMV numbers, you got a great deal. Please keep us posted on your Audi A6 Avant Quattro experience.... Happy motoring! Revka Host of Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards |
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because prior to finalizing the "deal", I had to get the car inspected per the State of MD. Thank goodness too. Car went to a state inspection station [these are licensed and regulated by the State and few are willing to do shoddy inspections due to the liability and stiff laws/fines]. The seller agreed to pay to fix anything that needed to pass inspection. The seller is a lawyer. The inspection is intended to locate all safety and driveability problems, so typically the engine and cooling systems aren't looked at - so we paid a bit more to have that done too. My husband, who knows FAR more than the average consumer [he's an engineer and very mechanically inclined] was present and witnessed the inspection, and was asked to observe the findings to confirm them. Inspection FAILED due to: 1) Right outer tie-rods bad. 2) Rear tires worn to the inner belts on the INSIDE of the wheels - this is clearly visible to the naked eye when car on the lift. 3) Alignment bad - after replacing 2 tires, realign all FOUR wheels and balance 4) All brake lines are very bad - dangerously bad in fact, and must be replaced. 5) Calipers on brakes are rusty and need to be replaced 6) Replace 3 brake lights - bulbs out 7) Serpentine belt NOT new and has visible age cracks and must be replaced. In addition to that important stuff, two VERY big problems are present and would need immediate attention: 1) Main seals on engine leaking - as many know, this would involve dropping the transmission and other parts, then replacing the seals. Currently oil is dripping on the differential and can be easily observed when car on the lift. Commented that there must be oil in their driveway or in the garage, something the Seller either knows or should have known. 2) Fluid leaking from transmission and car has a slip from 1st gear to 2nd gear. Possible repairs difficult to include "minor" service and replacing trans pan/gasket OR more major service. I phoned the Seller, who became irate and assailed the inspector's character, saying that the inspector wants to sell him two new tires. I suggested he take the car to the inspection station and ask to have car put on the lift, so he can observe his own tires and their wear problem. I didn't get a chance to go through the list, as he was foaming at the mouth and wants to take it to "his" dealer [same dealer who missed all the above!]. I'm going to walk away and get my $ back. I already dropped $80.00 on the inspection, and I'm sure the inspector wasn't lying or fabricating these problems. The dealer in question has a long history of being sued and having the MD State Attorney General's office filing suits against them for fraud. My guess is, the Seller is not car savvy, was cheap and wants to believe that all expensive cars are bullet-proof, not requiring more than routine maintenance. He did tell me he only did oil changes every 7K, which to me is an indication of his being cheap, meaning he also skimped on other stuff. I still need to get my check back and hopefully my $80.00 for the inspection, which I'll fax to the Seller and the "dealer" whom he thinks is so great. As a legal professional, he then won't be able to sell the car to someone else and claim he didn't know of the safety issues and other serious problems. My guess is, he'll end up keeping it, driving it until it breaks down completely and then he'll be one of these jerks who blames someone - usually a mechanic - for the "problems" he knew nothing about at all. ha! Oh well, I'm going to consider a used Suburban or Tahoe instead and maybe let my dream of an Audi bite the dust. I'm not willing to buy someone's problem child car for any amount of money. Also, the fact that the price was $1K lower than the same car from a different seller in my area indicates that this Seller knew something was up with the car, but maybe was playing dumb. Sheesh. |
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| m looking at buying a certified pre owned 2001 A6 Avant with 33K miles, premium sound, and xenon headlights for $26,800 from a reputable dealer. Any thougts? | |
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Forget the price. The first question is "Who is going to warranty this thing for the next three years?" The silence will be awesome. For what it is worth, for 5K less than the above figure you can pick up a Volvo Certified 2001 XC with a warranty out to 100K. Hello? |
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kccambridge... The A6 may cause you more heartache than you care for Make sure the dealership has a reputable service dept very important. This is our first and last Audi...even there customer service (Audi USA) is a joke, a pure disgrace for what you pay for the vehicle. We had are A6 in the shop 12 times in the first year...the transmission even went YES the transmission. Ok we were unlucky perhaps but as far as I am concerned I have nothing good to say about Audi. Look at the Volvo XC with the warranty. |
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| I'm curious as to whether you took the plunge, because I'm considering a similar one. I would hope that the CPO warranty you mentioned would cover most problems. | |
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I recently had the 50K service done at my local Audi dealership (at 49.8k). There were two issues: the battery and excessive road tire/wheel noise. The battery had drained down and thought the alternator was going bad. Prior to the battery going bad, I noticed the volt meter reading had went from the middle reading (12?) to 14. The dealership changed the battery and supposedly conducted tests on the other systems and did not discover any abnormalities. The wheels were of concern as when I had the usual 5K rotation service performed at Goodyear. The tech stated that the rear two tires had worn to the point where it had to be replaced. I questioned the fact that there was uneven wear to the point where, at 50K, on the original tires, they had to be replaced and within the last 5K! He stated that it may be because of bad brakes, alignment and/or wheel (tire, rim) issues. I bought 4 new tires, had a road force test done, rebalanced the tires twice, had a four wheel alignment done and determined that there isn't a problem with the tires, rims or suspension components. Audi replaced the front brakes, even though the source of the road noise was from the rear. Now, Costco, the place where I purchased the tires, said I should give the tires a chance to 'break-in.' I'd think 1100 miles is enough! And there is that annoying groan that is pronounced between 50-60mph. After 60 mph, the sound blends in with the other normal noises that isn't singularly discernible, but adds to the noise in the car. Three weeks and 1100 miles later, I could not start the car and had the car towed back. To make a long story short, they had to replace the alternator and, now, the starter! Fortunately, or unfortunately, my extended (Easy Care) warranty covered the starter and all but $500 of the alternator. As for the alternator, the warranty company won't pay for a pulley that had to be removed to get at the alternator because it was not a failed part. As far as the road noise, the last time I went to Goodyear to get the four wheel alignment (and the final factor being supposedly eliminated), the tech stated that it may be a wheel bearing problem. As of this writing, the car is at the dealer (5th day) awaiting the diagnosis of this problem. I went back and forth with the dealer to state that they did not properly diagnose the battery and road noise problem but the advisor states they ran diagnostics after the battery install. My question is to the board and any knowledgeable folks out there is how is it all these components would fail just after the 50K service! I don't know if its worth calling Audi Customer Service as the car is out of the normal warranty. |
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