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Audi A6

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What is this discussion about? Audi A6, Sedan

Messages Page 100 of 693

#983 of 6920 Warranty by markcincinnati

Mar 27, 2001 (7:51 am)

I have been sniffing around, trying to find out the anecdotal reliability of some of my friends and associates cars.
 
Saab: my friend loved the car (an upper range turbo), kept it 8 years and had many trips to the dealer, most of them paid for by Saab -- and while he loved the car he traded it on a
 
Volvo (V70): and kept this 3 years, sold it to his daughter, who still has it 3 years later (with a new set of tires and some work on the A/C) also traded this Volvo in on an AWD Volvo with the turbo 5 cyl; sold this one to his other daughter, who still has it -- this time he got a
 
Cadillac (de Ville?): the biggest one with front wheel drive -- from the day he got this 2000 model Caddy it spent more time in the shop than in his driveway -- "lemon lawed" GM into a 2001 model and is very happy.
 
Infinity: J followed by an i30 -- this friend got rid of the J after spinning it out on an interstate (no harm, no damage, no foul -- thankfully); deciding that front wheel drive was a little more "safe" (and I know this can be debated, but I happen to generally agree with him -- if you can't get a quattro, that is). Reliability of both cars has been very high -- it seems that the Infinity's don't mind if you ignore them completely. His other car is a
 
Chrysler Sebring, Convertable: once out of warranty, it seems like he keeps having $1,000 repair bills -- last week it was the ABS sending unit, now it needs valve cover gaskets to stop the oil leak, etc. etc.
 
Olds Aurora: this friend had suspension problems, Olds put entire new suspension in the car, after 36 months it seems to me he had few problems, yet he bought a
 
5 series Bimmer: to replace the Olds -- it had several mostly minor problems, after three years he got a
 
Chrysler 300M: the jury is still out -- no real problems in three months.
 
Audi A4 1.8t q: 6 months into the lease this friend loves the car and has had no repairs or any thing else that would be considered non-routine another friend's
 
A4 2.8 q: engine light comes on, no reason -- soon to be fixed, two or three trips to the dealer to diagnose and hopefully finally cure
 
VW New Beetle: guy loves it, trouble free
 
Passat: hates the cupholders, no problems, loves the dealer, lusts for an Audi (got the Passat with the 1.8t 150HP and 5 spd -- likes to call it his A5)
 
Mazda, Toyota, Honda: these folks "worship" these things -- because they are "fill em up and forget em" cars
 
Merecedes 190: hates the power, power seats went belly up ($1,400) out of warranty, doesn't care for the car on snow and ice and traded it in on a
 
Boxster non-S: which he loves, but won't use for 4 months of the year, his other new car is a
 
BMW 3 series: which he also loves, but "gets stuck" in it frequently (I don't know why or if stuck means -- road condition stuck or reliability stuck)
 
Other numerous Audis:
 
1998 A6 -- guy loves the car and hates the "mostly unreliable" nature of the engine (for no reason it just stops starting in the morning, and no relation to weather)
 
1997, '98, '99.5 A4's -- love the cars and are repeat buyers, minor problems all free
 
2000 TT: loved the car, traded it for a 2001 with the 225HP engine (no complaints other than the need for a "new fuel sending unit in the 2000 -- car always read full; zero problems with 2001)
 
Assorted GM cars/trucks: beat 'em but can't kill 'em but aren't much fun to drive so say owners
 
Neon: described as the "hose me out" car -- minor reliability problems, no biggie, high value
 
Dodge Intrepid: loves the car, no problems, bought another one liked it so much (ES package)
 
Jeeps: another religous group here -- not too reliable, but for some reason owners seem to wear Jeep Ownership like a badge that says you are in a secret club. "I wouldn't want to be in any club that would have me as a member." -- W. Allen
 
Ford trucks: built Ford tough -- reliable, not too much fun, not very comfortable, don't ask me.
 
Chevy Impala (the big one 1996): loves it, very reliable, fast in a straight line -- did I say, he loves it?
 
Honda 2000: the sports car, my Opthamologist loves his -- says it is fast, cheap -- visceral (SP?)
 
Lexus: see Honda, Toyota, Mazda -- very quiet inside, well made, reliable -- boring (did I say that?)
 
1994 Audi 90S quattro: "I hate this unreliable piece of !#$" -- so says my insurance agent.
 
2001 Audi 2.7T: wheeeeeeee, what a fun car (is it reliable?) -- so far.
 
That is a pretty much full report.
 
You pay your money and. . .you know the rest.

#984 of 6920 Re: Warranty by len13

Mar 27, 2001 (9:12 am)

Wow, quite a comprehensive list. Just one thing...I think it was Grouch Marx who said "I wouldn't want to join any club that would have me as a member." Sorry, couldn't resist.

#985 of 6920 Re: Groucho by markcincinnati

Mar 27, 2001 (11:14 am)

You are 100% correct -- Woody used the line, Groucho "invented it."
 
Sorry.

#986 of 6920 engine light by nszabo

Mar 27, 2001 (2:08 pm)

The engine light comes on if you over fill the gas tank so once the handle clicks take it out.

#987 of 6920 1998 A6 Reliability Issues (long) by gooddesign

Mar 27, 2001 (9:09 pm)

I have had my used '98 A6Q (42k miles) for a week and, boy, was I disappointed to read the Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue. I love this car utterly. How can it be bad?
 
After reading the above posts, I noticed that my floor mats have NO FLOOR ANCHORS. Was this a problem with anyone else? I've never heard of anchors being pulled out. This explains why the mats keep shifting around.
 
Also, my dashboard's "BRAKE LIGHT" warning came on for 10 seconds but we checked the brake lights and they were all fine. Any ideas? Am I going to die?
 
There haven't been any "real" problems and I'm very impressed with the A6 overall. The attention to detail (the aluminum trim around the rear seat's air vents? wow!) is reassuring.
 
CR does great reports on consumer products, but the car reports are partially based on what we, as subscribers, write on our survey each year. This means that there is not a completely scientific basis for the reliability reports.
 
For example, the kind of person who LIKES to fill out surveys is more likely to report a problem than someone who doesn't. Imagine a Jaguar owner compared to a Mazda owner. Two very different people.
 
Also, and I'm guessing here, the Jag owner may be less likely to even subscribe to the magazine than the Mazda owner. For the record, I do tend to trust CR more than doubt them.
 
And another thing, the rear of the A6 is the reason I was attracted to it. I have heard that there are some who dislike the A6/TT rear ends (Edmund's, for one) but I can sincerely say that they are nuts. If you don't like the backside, try on a Pontiac for size. This may be more your cup o. tea. The current body style is plain old good design.
 
Since I didn't get manuals with my car, I would sincerely appreciate any other tips on what to expect when my local dealer (bought it out of town) gets it on the rack for a check up. The brakes are a sure thing. Is there a 45k mile service? Know where to order new manuals online?
 
Thanks for any and all help!

#988 of 6920 1998 A6 Reliability Issues (long) by markcincinnati

Mar 28, 2001 (8:24 am)

I say the following as a loyal Audi owner and almost promoter: Get an extended warranty on your A6 before 50,000 miles (the limit of the original factory warranty). There MAY be a 25,000 add-on warranty avail from Audi of America (I think it is between $500 - $1,000) which would be the cost of one (1) relatively minor repair after the 50K mark.
 
Yes it may turn out ot be expensive insurance -- but as great as we all seem to agree these cars are, they are expensive to maintain and BREATHTAKINGLY expensive to repair.
 
PS I have had a 1995 S6 (hot rod A6) 1999, 2000 and 2001 A6's -- these are terrific cars from virtually every angle and especially from behind the wheel.

#989 of 6920 A Friend's Experiences with his Audi Dealer -- a full report by markcincinnati

Mar 28, 2001 (9:44 am)

As you can tell by my "name," I live in Cincinnati. My company has employees in other cities and several of them have Audis -- due in part to my attestation and persuasive abilities.
 
This fellow, from Dallas, had had not very positive experiences at his dealership -- when I asked him how his OOODI was doing with respect to some service and warranty repair work, he replied:
 
"Mark:
 
It was great. That dealer STILL has a little bit of stuffiness about it, but I am
now included in their circle of stuffiness.
 
Their welcome area for service is large and beautiful. I pulled in and they
opened my door for me. They constantly called me sir and everyone said
'hi' to me. The advisor came out and went over everything with me.
 
The rental (loaner) only took about 2 mins and I was on my way. I had a Mazda
626, but it was nearly new and smelled good. I don't know if it was a coincidence or
not, but they had it running, heater on, red carpet out, and the radio was on the same
station that I was listening to in my car. Wow!
 
When I got back, the car (a 99 A4 2.8 quattro/sport) had had its new tie rods installed (recall), from what I can tell, a very good alignment, and the emission system troubles where cleared.
 
The car was inside and clean as can be (looked like it was detailed). I went to
pay for my state inspection that I requested and when I came back to the indoor
service area, my car was running and heater was on, ready to go.
 
About the only thing they could have done to make it better was to fill my car up
 with gas and/or loan me the S4 (that I WILL have someday).
 
I am impressed!
 
They said that its normal to get loaners for warranty and recall service and that
the former service manager was let go because of that and other customer service
irregularities.
 
I finally feel like I bought a luxury car. Now I know how you
feel when you take your's in. I used to loath going over
there, but look forward to it now.
 
On another note, a saleman there told me that they are
hearing that the S4 will take a 1 year break and then
start again in 2003. But he also confessed that he has
other rumors on the internet such as Audiworld.
 
Randy"
 
Now this is the kind of service I have bragged about in Cincinnati for some time now (from Northland Audi). It is encouraging to find that it is "catching on."
 
End of full report.

#990 of 6920 gooddesign/relaibilty by bertram60

Mar 28, 2001 (2:08 pm)

Brake Light: Check brake fluid level. My '00 A8 did the same thing under heavy acceleration and braking, fluid level was low, and pads needed to be replaced.
 
Relaibility: my '98 A6 has been a wonderful car (39,000miles)with only a few minor problems (rear window lockout switch replaced three times, check engine light came on twice, brake vibration required new rotors, both front window regulators broke, key fob stopped working) and has been serviced by a great dealer (Champion Motors in FL). My only complaint with the three cars I've bought there is that no loaners are availble and i am traveling 30 miles each way to and from dealer and my office. The A6 and A8 have been among the best handeling cars I've owned. Albeit the A6 2.8 was very slow, it has been so good that my stepfather is buying it at the end of the lease to keep down here as a winter car.
 
As far as comments about the A8 and having few choices with regard to body work, first of all it's hard to find ANY deecent body shop that knows how to work on a car, I'm glad that there are only a few, because they NEED to know how to paint and repair a car properly. As far as having to either wait a while, or send the car off, a perfect repair job (one that looks like it never took place) is worth some of the inconvenience and trust me, the insurance premiums are high enough on this car to justify a rental car and the cost of transporting an A8 to the right shop on your carrier's nickle!

#991 of 6920 Are You Joking? by snowed_in

Mar 28, 2001 (3:05 pm)

Are you joking about your A6 being reliable with those problems? That's not my definition of reliability and it's not Consumer Reports definition either. A lot of people don't have time to waste running back and forth to the dealer for "minor problems". Plus, peel the onion further and the problems are not always so minor. You don't even get a loaner? They should pay you for your time. I like the A6 for a variety of reasons, but I no longer believe it's reliable. For the money, I expect more and Audi should invest in improving their quality and the overall dealership support. They have a good thing going with the updated A4/A6/A8 designs, but they stand a good chance of blowing it as more people have bad experiences. Why can't a car be fun to drive and reliable?

#992 of 6920 1998 A6 Reliability - Mark/Bert by gooddesign

Mar 28, 2001 (3:09 pm)

Mark, while I'm not completely sold on the idea of extended warranties (I told you that I read CR, right?) I will keep an eye on everything. Thanks for the car model updates. I wasn't surprised by any of the comments.
 
Bertram, the brake fluid/pads idea sounds legit. I will focus on that and see if the problem goes away. The dealer gets his first look at it on Monday. I'm crossing my fingers that I'm not buying someone else's problem.
 
Again, if anyone else had problems with their floor mat anchors detaching, let me know. I'd like to see if there is a silent recall on something as tiny as this.
 
One last thing. I will need new tires soon. I have the 16" 9-hole "wine glass" wheels (205/55). Are any of you tire experts? Is Michelin the status quo or should I flock to Dunlop?
 
Thanks again for any help...

Messages Page 100 of 693

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