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Audi A6
6920 messages, Last post on Dec 26, 2012 at 7:05 AM
You are in the Audi A6 Forum.What is this discussion about? Audi A6, Sedan
#2512 of 6920 by lettia
Mar 29, 2002 (9:47 am)
I have a question I am thinking a purchasing a 1998 Audi A6 what are some of the things that I should be warned about? I know they are pretty costly to repair. Is this really a good car to invest in? The car I am looking
is sold for $18,000 with 43,000 miles on it. Blue ext. with tan int. Or should I just get a VW Passat GLX? I would like to honest opinions! Thanks
#2513 of 6920 If I were spending my money. . . by markcincinnati
Mar 29, 2002 (12:26 pm)
If I were spending my nearly $20K on a car, and my choice was a used A6 and a new Passat GLX, I would probably go for the Passat. Even though I am an avid (or a rabid) quattro advocate, I also would like to have some money in my pocket -- I am concerned that the 1998 A6 (running naked -- that is without a warranty) would suck you dry financially.But, on the other hand, it might be possible to get a new A6 3.0 on one of those super duper lease deals that are going on right now. I heard you can get one for 36 - 39 months for between $525 and $575 a month with no cap cost reduction. Hmmmm $18,000 would carry you for 33 months at $550/month -- and you would have full warranty and full maintenance and a 220 HP tiptronic transmission'd 2002 A6 -- then your last three payments would be an additional out of pocket of $1650. Just about the value of maintenance (routine) for 36 months.
Just a thought.
#2514 of 6920 Even MORE on the RS6! by timcar
Mar 29, 2002 (11:01 pm)
Excerpt of news article with RS6 related info. See link for entire article."In addition to unveiling a working MMI for journalists to sample, Mr. Hunt confirmed that approximately 850 US-spec versions of the RS6 sedan will arrive in the US in the Spring of 2003. Pricing has yet to be set for the bi-turbo, 4.2-liter V8 RS6, but we do know that it will put out 450 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, generate 415 lb.-ft. of torque from 1,950 to 5,600 rpm, cover the 0-60 mph test in 4.9 seconds and will be governed to 155 mph.
The RS6 will incorporate Dynamic Ride Control (DRC), an active suspension using shock absorbers that are diagonally connected hydraulically to dampen the vehicle along both longitudinal and tranverse axes. According to Audi, DRC will virtually eliminate body roll and pitch as we know it. ESP 5.7, 8-piston Brembo calipers, quattro IV, a five-speed Tiptronic transmission with paddle shift and 9-spoke 8.5" x 18" RS wheels, front and rear sport seats (with the RS6 logo embossed in the headrest), Xenon lights and a Bose Symphony II sound system round out the package."
#2515 of 6920 by max27t
Mar 30, 2002 (9:09 am)
"According to Audi ... 8-piston Brembo calipers ... round out the package."Mark, would this be enough to get you to go for an RS6 (even though no manual transmission)? Are your efforts to improve your current brakes now over? One or two more trials/evaluations and your lease will expire. Is it fair to say they are tolerable, but leave room for improvement?
I am supposed to have my 2002 2.7T delivered this coming week. Any reports of brake shudder etc. continuing with the 2002s?
#2516 of 6920 '02 2.7T Brakes by timcar
Mar 30, 2002 (10:21 am)
The '02 2.7T brakes are of a different design than those in 2000 & '01 cars. The 3.0 got upgraded brakes for '01, and the 2.7T shares them. I think prior 2.7T's and 4.2's used a 2-pot, one-sided caliper designated the HP2, and it is these calipers that are associated with the rotor warping problem. Haven't heard of any problems with '02 2.7T's. Please let us know if you notice any.#2517 of 6920 Thanks by max27t
Mar 30, 2002 (10:56 am)
timcar and Mark,I want to thank both of you for keeping this site going. I enjoy reading AW when I have time, but sometimes it is like trying to get a sip of water from a fire hose. Maybe I need to reduce the number of hobby and business interest sites I visit daily/weekly. I know you (timcar) post on the AW site and I appreciate you cross-posting important information here. I might easily miss it depending when I skim the AW site. Both of you are very helpful and generous with your time. I read quite a few of the old posts here in preparation for the A6. Other than adding snow tires I don't expect add any mods, but maybe time (and miles) will change my mind. Thanks for helping this lurker.
#2518 of 6920 RS6 etc. by markcinti3
Mar 30, 2002 (5:01 pm)
The RS6 sounds like a fantastic car. And, the lack of a manual transmission, frankly, would bother me somewhat. Now that I know that the 6spd auto won't be in it this time around, I am somewhat disappointed. But, my dealer says my concerns about the 2001 tiptronic have been mitigated somewhat to a lot (depending on how much one liked or disliked it to begin with) with the 2002 new tip software (which has drive mode, sport mode and manu matic mode). I should say that I long for a manual transmission Audi (and frankly I was hoping for either a Sedan S6 or S4) -- I should also tell you that my 2001 A6 4.2 is a great car to drive (in spite of the auto transmission). I turned 50 last year and maybe it is the MLC or my wife's TT or my friend's A4's with manuals -- or some combination of the above -- but I really wanted to shift my next car.The suspension and engine and and and of the RS6 are (on paper) seductive, I can only imagine that in real life they will be more so.
Will there be a "normal" S6 available? And, what about the S4 -- will it have a manual transmission offering?
Our current plans call for my wife to order (in May or June) a 2003 TT -- hopefully it will have the uprated power (245 - 265HP) available. Of course it will have a manual shift.
I have been in contact with my dealer about the 2003 allroad -- the problem is the dealer cannot get an answer to the engine transmission questions that I have been posing. The last 6spd manual transmission allroad that can be ordered with certainty is a 2002 and the order can be placed up until the end of April. My dealer claims that a 2003 would have a higher residual and probably a lower lease payment -- so why not wait? That is what I want to do -- wait and order a 2003 allroad.
Then we will, hopefully, order a 2004 S4 and the garage will be full of Audi's.
But, the RS6 nevertheless is tempting.
On the brake issue -- the brakes (after the recent replacement of the rears) are OK from a shudder standpoint, but that is not to say they don't shudder any more, it is just much less.
We have had a 2002 A6 quattro 3.0 overnight two or three times and I have driven it and I can assure you the brakes on this 2002 at least are very good -- I am envious of them, in fact.
But I am now at about 12 or 13 months left on the 30 month lease -- and I will probably have a new car perhaps by Nov, Dec this year. The brakes work fine -- that is not and has not ever been my issue. The problems that I and others had with the brakes on the 2000 and 2001 models have apparently been remedied with the 2002 models.
The RS6 is tempting. . . we'll see.
#2519 of 6920 Brakes by nosho
Mar 31, 2002 (8:13 am)
My 2000 A6 2.7T manual just return from it's 40K service on Friday. I mentioned here in February that I experienced the "brake shudder" for the first time. Forgot to mention it to the service folks though. Thing is, they checked the brakes themselves and replaced pads and all four rotors for "technician noticed brake pulsation." All under warranty. It rained last night and no "rust grind" this morning, which is a good sign as far as I'm concerned.I don't know if anyone else has been having similar behavior, but parking at work or at night in the rain would result in rusted rotors 8 hours later. The first application of the brakes would "grind" as the rust wears off. Then no noticeable sounds. Occasionally, a pad would rust to a rotor and make a breaking sound on first roll.
Maybe these new rotors and pads will fix this behavior. Too soon to tell, but if this mornings experience is any indication, there'll be no more rusting rotor behavior. I'll keep you updated on this.
#2520 of 6920 Taking a risk by markcincinnati
Mar 31, 2002 (8:04 pm)
I am no shill for Audi and I will not apologize for them. But I have received e-mails (and I am not at all unhappy that I received them) from members of this forum asking for my response to the Consumer Reports (and other) findings pertaining to Audi reliability.My responses used to be to the effect, "I discount their findings, they are better at washing machines than cars, etc." Then I realized that at least some portion of their report is based on the feedback they receive from owners -- and I presume subscribers.
Then I took a short trip with one of my co workers in his Acura (the big one, I'm sorry I don't keep up with their names). His car has over 80,000 miles on it -- and he loves it for one reason -- it is reliable.
I get into the car and we pull out of the parking lot and clunk the transmission shifts so hard I get mini-whip lash. I comment, wow that's rough. He replies, it has always done that and the other ones that I have driven do the same thing.
The doors fit poorly. Everything that I would call fit and finish is pretty much OK. The performance is sluggish and I ask him to push it. I did not drive it. It seems like it does not drive easily. The brakes seem warped (and I am qualified to judge I think -- see my upteem posts for the past year on this subject). The stereo is OK.
Every little "drivability" factor about this car would "drive" me nuts -- "it's OK, it is reliable" he repeats. "After my Saab, I was so happy to have a car that COULD pass the dealership."
I have heard these words from Toyota owners. One of the people in a President's roundtable that i belong to has an Avalon. He talks about the reliability. I ride in the car and I feel completely isolated from the road (again, I did not drive the car). The interior is what I would call a "hose me out" interior, in that it is obviously meant to be easy to keep clean and hide dirt (it has that Hyatt Hotel lobby look with that carpet that can hide any stain known to man or animal. The dashboard looks as though a garden hose would be the perfect cleaning utensil.
Boy is this thing quiet at speed though -- but handling, my LazyBoy leather sofa handles only slighly worse. "But it is reliable" he reminds me for the umpteenth time.
If I keystroked three more examples I suspect it would not sway any opionions any further, but there are at least three more examples that I personally am aware of that all sound the same. My "Honda," or "Lexus," or "Infiniti" or whatever is reliable. When I press for performance, drivability or safety or even fun comments -- I generally get non sequitors.
I would not enjoy my friend's Acura -- I can think of no practically attainable pleasure I could receive from this car other than its ability to not need service. And, FOR ME, this is not what I am looking for -- at the expense of performance, safety and fun. Don't get me started on fit and finish. The Acura has nothing on Audi and the Lexus (fit and finish) is just as good. Toyota, Honda, Mazda, etc. whatever happened to that legendary Camry fit and finish. It is good, based on the examples in our company parking lot and from my President's roundtable member's examples -- but my A6 is to rip off a car magazine phrase "jewel like."
Perhaps, just perhaps SOME (certainly not all) of those who praise reliability as the holy grail do so at the expense of the things that SOME (certainly not all) of us who drive Audis (and BMWs and Mercedes and Volvos and Jaguars and Porsches and and and who knows what else) would not accept.
If someone gave me the Acura with that funky shifting transmission but told me "it never needs service" -- well, I think I would tell them to keep it.
I do want Audis to be more reliable than they are at this moment in time. Yet, having Audis (and a couple of VW's and one BMW) since 1978, I can tell you they are getting better with each model year. Perhaps the Acuras (or whatever the current reliability champ is) are also getting better, I presume they are too.
And, as I have noted, I have not owned one of these perfectly reliabile cars -- but I have driven as rentals, test drives, friends cars, etc., many of them. I have not been impressed enough to buy one.
Please do not take this as bashing of any car or make. Please do take this as a critique of the CR report. It is probably correct from a certain point of view. But those of us who enjoy and have a passion for driving these fine machines are also correct from a certain point of view.
#2521 of 6920 nosho by mbnut1
Mar 31, 2002 (8:35 pm)
I've experienced the same rotor rust phenomenon on my A4.To POST a message, please
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