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Audi A6 Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • jsaatyjsaaty Member Posts: 2
    Paul,

    Did you figure out this problem? I have a 2005 A6 4.2 and it has had a vibrating/grinding noise that begins at 40MPH and has been occurring for 10 months. Recently, when I am going slightly uphill the entire car shudders. That includes the steering wheel, dashboard, gearshift, all of it. This has happened across 2 sets of tires which have been balanced 3 times because the dealer(s) cannot figure out the issue at all.

    I live in Northern Virginia and have had the car in to HBL like 6 times. They eventually said that the problem just cannot be fixed and gave me some mumbo jumbo about "harmonics" of the exhaust system. That was before the noticeable shuddering started.

    Now, I'm not a car expert, but this happens when the car is in "D"rive. Yet when I change it to the "S"port mode right in the middle of the vibration and at the same speed, it goes away. In fact, I don't hear it in sport mode. So I have to believe there is an issue with the transmission or drivetrain. The shuddering is ridiculous. Everyone who gets in the car notices it and can't believe the dealer won't take the time to fix it.

    I have then taken it to another dealer, Audi of Rockville in Maryland. They had it for the day yesterday and said that they could not find the problem or recreate it. But it happens all of the time on a slight to moderate uphill at 35 MPH plus (that's when the noticeable shuddering begins). I really don't know what to do at this point. The forums say that Audi Customer Care is terrible. I bought the car in February of 2005 so I don't think I have any recourse on lemon law. Let me know what you found!!!

    John
  • gabby10gabby10 Member Posts: 32
    hope your keeping your paper work , and when you go in tell them you want to ride with the tech and possibly drive it , to help replicate that trouble , i will try and find a site on recalls that company put out it secret recall you might just try that it like at there discreation i think the dealer to say if there a recall or not , i would call customer care and get a file started a case number , have them set up your appointment , call them every day it not fixed once you get car back i got to know them all on my a 6 , i am not sure but also maybe contact your DMV talk to someone in auto inspection about this i hear that possible thing that car dealers and corporation hate , could send letter with copy of all your service order a brief but consise letter of what you tryed and bull answer your getting and how you feel unsafe in this car send it certified to your consumer affairs, In md it our attorney general office not sure in Va, i will tell you there is nothing but argonace when dealing beyond customer care at audi , Audi should not be allowed to use that Fraze CUSTOMER CARE or there definition is different then what is in Webster, Good luck
  • djtommydjtommy Member Posts: 3
    :sick: I just got back from the store my car ran fine. 10 min later I go to start the car and it is dead... Battery is great all lights, locks and work but it does not want to crank.. Can you give me a suggestion..
  • kgarykgary Member Posts: 180
    Check the starter.
  • djtommydjtommy Member Posts: 3
    Thanks I will do that.. But I was wondering if it is in the security system.. Had no problems with the starter but I will check..
    Thanks
  • jgurralajgurrala Member Posts: 1
    Just bought a used 04 A6 from Easterns Motors in Northern VA. The second day it didn't start and they replaced the battery. Now the whole car vibrates while in first gear and upshifting from 3rd to 4th, and the check engine light is on, and it smells like its overheating although the temp gauge doesn't indicate it. Any similar problems or advice?
  • gabby10gabby10 Member Posts: 32
    if you just bought that car from a dealer i would call your consumer protection and see if you can return it and get your money back , welcome to world of 4 rings of hell , if you see a 06 A6 with 4.2 in canyon red out on the lot low mileage and loaded with option just look at it don't buy it it was probably mine , serious get out of that car there no help from audi
  • jsaatyjsaaty Member Posts: 2
    I faced a very similar problem with my 2005 Audi A6 (different platform, but similar issues). Took it to the dealer like 3 times and then I had to figure out the issue myself. Here's what you do:

    Go to audiforums.com
    Go to the TSB's. You will see the link at the very top of the page under the headline banner. These are Audi's technical service bulletins and they usually uncover most of these types of issues. Turns out my dealer must not have read them because I found 2 TSBs that exactly addressed my issue, I printed them and left them on the seat for the technician to review, and he fixed the car perfectly. Runs like new now.

    Here's the link for the TSB for your car. Make sure you copy this whole link into your browser. I found 2 particular TSBs that might be of help:

    http://www.audiforums.com/recalls-and-tsbs/make_AUDI/model_A6/year_2004/TSB.htm

    Take a look at any of the TSBs that begin with "Power Train". They aren't very descriptive on the site but there is a number associated with your TSB and any Audi technician can look it up and see what the recommended solution is.

    That's just my 2 cents, but the TSBs on my car told them EXACTLY the issues. Turns out that the '05 A6 came with the wrong fluid in the automatic transmission. My car started to vibrate violently when it was shifting up gears. They replaced the tranny fluid with the proper new Audi fluid and the car runs like a charm.

    There was a second issue of a vibration in the rear. TSB told them to properly balance the transaxle or something like that. They did it and voila. Worked.
  • audiloveraudilover Member Posts: 4
    we actually own two 1999's, one an A6 and the other, an A$. Both are working very well, and we love the cars.

    The A6 has approx. 100,000 miles, and I would like to keep the car for a long time. I'm told that the biggest risk is the timing belt, and that for preventive maintenance, I should get it changed sooner than the later suggested maintenance schedule, if simply to avoid a disaster happening on a trip.

    Comments please?
  • kirby2010kirby2010 Member Posts: 136
    I share (shared) you concern. Mine is a 2001 2.7T. At the 90K service interval earlier this year I had the timing belt changed. I started asking about it at 60K and the service department assured me there was no problem - still, like you, I'd like to keep this car for a long time. I actually bought a Toyota 4Runner in September to drive to work three days a week just to extend the life of the Audi. Anyway, I had some other stuff done at 90K (oil change, tire rotation, etc.) and the bill came to about $2800. Money well spent.
  • audiloveraudilover Member Posts: 4
    Then I surmise from your suggestion that getting it done (again)at 170k is propably not wasted money?
    tx
  • hearthawkhearthawk Member Posts: 9
    I am looking to replace timing belt on '99 audi. The dealer wants $2200 for this service alone. Wonder what others are paying and opinions on other options here in Kansas City. Thanks.
  • bigliobiglio Member Posts: 1
    I was happily driving my 1997 audi A6 quattro SW when at a stoplight, without any warning the car didn't engage the transmission anymore, the engine runs fine, the shift goes in all positions but it doesn't engage.....
    Is it the transmission?
    I had a mechanic over the phone tell me it's a 3000 USD job to replace the transmission, too much definitely for a car with 100K but I was wondering if ther isn't any way to "repair" a transmission, or maybe it's the fluid? (but such an abrupt stop, can it be the fluid?0.
    any advice, thanks,
    alessandro
  • audiloveraudilover Member Posts: 4
    Hate to tell you that I just had mine replaced. But here in Ottawa, Canada, they charged us $1,250. Since our dollar is at par, I cannot explain the difference... But I believe that based on my recent research that if you want to keep your car (and Audis can go on forever), this is a worthwhile endeavour.

    tx
  • dcartersdcarters Member Posts: 1
    Just paid $459 for the serpentine belt & tensioner repair on my Audi A6. Is this a fair price? Wholesale parts were less than $80 - but okay, so the local 'non-Audi' dealer made a few dollars ... looks like a bit of labor to reach this system.

    Any comparable costs out there? Is this a fair price?
    Thanks.
  • gaillawgaillaw Member Posts: 1
    I was recently told that I had to replace the MMI in my A6 Avant. They said it failed because coffee spilled on it. The cup holder is right next to the electronics for the system. My dealer said it's not under warrenty. This seems to be an obvious design flaw. Should'nt the components be shielded from spills, or moved to a less vunerable place. I'd love to hear from others that may have had this problem. BTW, I don't remember spilling anything!
  • blm47blm47 Member Posts: 3
    Bought used with 48000 miles on it in jan.07,now with 62000 miles on it and just having the 60000 mile service done the check engine light is on.What could it be,also noticed oil is low is this normal,plus noticed puddle under car under front bumper think its the headlight washer leaking.Love the car and want to keep it,but,is this the start of audi hell for me.Found a good repair shop with very good techs who infrom me that timing belt should be replaced at 60 to 70000 miles should i go to 90 or 100000 miles before that srevice is done.They only want 900 dollars to do it?Please help really love this car
  • kent13kent13 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 03 A6 2.7T with the Navigation controls where the owners manual says the controls should be for setting up the on board computer. How do I turn off the service light and access the menu controls?
    Also how much mileage on a full tank should I be getting with the 2.7T?
    Thanks, K
  • abdulhadiabdulhadi Member Posts: 1
    My keyless entry remote had worked fine since I bought my 99 Audi A6 2.8 liter 3 years ago. All of a sudden, the remote stopped working. I figured that the batteries are out and so I went and replaced them with the same but new batteries.

    The keyless entry remote is still as dead as it was with the old batteries.

    My question is:

    Does any one know if there is anything else I need to reset? Can it be a fuse or something similar? What did you have to do resolve this problem yourself and without going to the dealer :-)

    Thanks.
  • tommtomm Member Posts: 31
    They are the pits! We had some snow Thurs. night (I know, 5" and within a 6 hours) - and the wipers clogged. Then never finished the cycle - and stopped. (Had to be the driver's side!) So- I called the dealer - "Oh - we had many of those calls today - come in 1st thing Mon a.m. -all set". Well - not a "nut tightening" as suggested - a "linkage" - $605** - an "outside influence" - what?? snow? and this car is built in Germany?
    (**yes- car still in warranty). Oh well- it happened to Honda and Toyota, too - accordiong to this multi-line dealer.
    Any comments?? T.K
  • tommtomm Member Posts: 31
    stick with the Japanese..;)
  • blm47blm47 Member Posts: 3
    love the car but it seems to lose or burn oil just had 60000 mile service done now brake indicator is on and when should the timing belt be changed.
  • blm47blm47 Member Posts: 3
    bought used with 44500 miles on it and now brake light on is it front or rear brakes.And is this normal wear for brakes now at 63000 miles.Car seems to be burning oil because no leaks to be found also when do you change timiming belt?
  • shawn757shawn757 Member Posts: 204
    I bought the A6 quattro on the 28th too, and on Sat, I see the signal lights flashing when I went to the garage and the dash also turned on abs etc. Whats wrong here? Had to take it to the dealer after jump starting it. They said they have to look into it have the battery checked out. Funny thing is when I went to buy it the dealer had the car engine running he said it just came from the other dealer and they just checked it out but I think they knew it before selling it to me and didn't say a word.
  • fonefixerfonefixer Member Posts: 247
    The Audi A6 is a car to be leased for 3 years under warranty and then returned to the dealer. I made the unfortunate decision to buy a 2000 A6 2.7T new and if the extended warranty was not purchased, the car would have bankrupted me. Bought new for $42,500 and sold in 06 w/ 100,000 miles for $11,500. Devaluation is probably about average for this type of car. Considering that Audi is an "engineering company" with features that are cutting edge, some of the problems I encountered were indeed baffling:
    ....wheel shake when braking
    ....4 time replacement of front discs
    ....heater squeal in wintertime
    ....valve cover/cam chain gasket leaks
    ...alarm failure w/ signal lights flashing/windows going up/down on their own
    ....amazingly high normal maintenance charges from dealer
    ....driver's side key lock failure
    ....twin turbo failure even w/frequent synthetic oil changes

    Your problem is problably the alarm system failing, which affects the entire electronic operation of the car. Make sure you have a good warranty while owning this car!
  • ted27ted27 Member Posts: 1
    Does anyone know the cause of the trip recorder continually returning to zero accompanied by the dashboard light flickering?
  • giovannimdgiovannimd Member Posts: 3
    Does any one know if gas tank has to be droped to replace it, Thanks
  • kolaskolas Member Posts: 2
    My Treo 700W and my AUDIA6 2006 4.2l Bluetooth do not have a strong connection. I get a good signal for about a minute or two then it is lost.
    The dealer suggested getting the bluetooth software in the car updated or getting a Blackberry Curve, which he said configures perfectly.... :surprise: :(

    Does anyone else have this problem and have any suggestions?

    Thanks.
  • tommtomm Member Posts: 31
    had same ac blowing hot air prob - intermittent when real hot out - dealer had heard of a prob like this, but - obviously - couldnt reproduce while car in- so far, so good on that (ahh--yea- it's winter).. just about 48,000 miles now- what to do?? haha tomm
  • zorozoro Member Posts: 5
    i have a 2005 A6 and use to have a Treo 650, the Bluetooth would work but often would cut out after a period of time. I switched phones to the Curve and have not had any issues. Problem is with the Phone not the Car's bluetooth.
  • helennychelennyc Member Posts: 2
    While driving on a highway my Audi lost power within 30 seconds of hearing a loud beep and seeing a large icon on the dashboard. Evidently, this was due to a thermostat that was stuck. When stopped the car steamed or smoked and the engine was melted. Does any one know if there should have been another warning light since there was none that we received.

    Thanks,
  • aschoolaschool Member Posts: 1
    hi have an 1998 2.4 auto v6 which took in water via blocked drain outlets near wipers 5 inchs of water in drivers side area everythin is workin again bar the gearbox the automatic symbos dont even appear on the dash anymore can anyone help
  • tom155tom155 Member Posts: 2
    I drove the car last night but this am nothing happened when I turned the key. No click, nothing. A battery jump did nothing, no starter click, nothing. Any clues?
  • audiloveraudilover Member Posts: 4
    Actually, although my car is 8 years old and I “love it “ dearly, I have found that if it is left parked in cold weather from more than 3-4 days, it might not start. This has happened a couple of times, and the car was towed away to figure out what happened. Both times, the car started after arrivng at the service station. Maybe "it" was thrilled with the attention. The last time, it was even still outdoors when the mechanic simply turned the ignition. They think that it has something to do with the oil not staying in all of the spots that it should, due to the cold. But no defitnite answer.
  • a6audia6audi Member Posts: 1
    I just had the same thing happen last night. The car is an 07 A6 with less than 13,000 mi. I have not heard any concensus from the dealership yet. What have you found out in researching this problem? Frankly it was pretty dangerous as everything died while I was driving. I was able to restart the car bu couldn't drive it without it dying. Thaks, Mike
  • gbosleygbosley Member Posts: 20
    I am sure if you look at this site in any detail , you know that You want to save every piece of Paper from the Dealer , Never leave the dealership without a copy of repair order and what they have done , and get a loaner car from them if it under warranty .
    I had a 06 A6 dying was only thing that it did not do , it had so much electrical issues that i feared it would just catch fire , the a/c would blow 180 degrees from driver left vent and rear vents in a blink of eye , so hot you could not put both hands on wheel or use turn signals , beyond the service you get at your dealer you get no help from AUDI , nothing there about Customer Care , my A6 was down 135 days in 23 months that i had it. Need to read up on your rights under Lemon Law and know there help beyond Lemon .
  • jim198jim198 Member Posts: 3
    What does it mean when the ABS and Brake light go on occassionally while I'm driving? Is this something that's an easy fix (i.e., fuse, brake fluid) or do I have to haul it off to the repair shop (again). Any advice is good advice. Thansk!
    1999 Audi A6 Quattro 89000 miles
  • zorozoro Member Posts: 5
    I have an 2005 A6 that I had a ton of issues with and had to file a lemon law claim. it was a pain but in the end I did get some satisfaction. The car has been repaired several times and was down for 60+ days over 20 months, since then I have had no issues and the car runs great.
  • kgarykgary Member Posts: 180
    I have an 05 4.2. I found that once I went to Ebahn's website and printed up every TSB issued on the car, and had the dealer essentially address every issue known to the A6, that the car became a great car. I suggest that you do the same.
  • flattire4flattire4 Member Posts: 2
    Any truth to a tire dealers Mantra that replacing only one tire on an AWD A6 will damage the car in some way? This seems like such a scam. But from what I've read (forgive me --I'm far from knowledgable) it shouldn't matter much if the new tire is the same size and the tread on the old tires hasn't worn down to Abe Lincols's head?

    Please help me save $300
  • kgarykgary Member Posts: 180
    Audi claims that you need to keep all the tire diameters within 3%. So if you have less than 10,000 miles on the other tires you can probably keep them. If you have more than 10,000 miles, you should replace them all.
  • rkarka Member Posts: 3
    2003 A6 quattro 93,000 mls
    Winter of 05/06 the car would not stop after ignition switch was turned off, with transmission in park, until foot was removed from brake. Intermittent problem which dealer couldn't find or fix, but it seemed to occur most regularly during the coldest weather. This winter and last winter the problem has not re-appeared. Mild winters in Philadelphia area??

    About 6 weeks ago the anti-lock brake warning light would come on after driving for 15 mins or more. On restart everything worked as normal. Happened about 4 times over a few weeks. Seemed to happen in wet weather.

    Last 2 weeks the ESP warning light came on 3 times. Same as with anti-lock brake warning light, after restart everything works.

    Car starts perfectly every time but within the first 5 mins of driving there is a period of several seconds when the car doesn't want to accelerate. Extremely sluggish no matter how much gas is applied. This also is an intermittent problem. Last night after about 10mins driving, 40 degrees weather, cruising on the highway at about 70mph, car lost power, engine still running, and speed slowly bled off until I pulled over to the side at about 30mph. I sat at idle for about 5 mins and then was able to drive off normally.

    Today car drives perfectly normally until I get home and park. When I switch off and get out I notice the brake lights are all lit up. I get back in press brake pedal, no change, restart and stop, no change. I leave the car for 20 mins, restart and drive, get out after a mile, still brake lights lit, after 2 miles the lights go out.

    Any ideas guys? Are these problems all related? Could it be a computer issue with anti-lock brake system, or a solenoid sticking in the brake system? :confuse:
  • wkbarthwkbarth Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2002 A6 with about 55,000 miles-recently (in the past 3-4 weeks) the odb light has come on twice. The first time I had to replace the ignition coils (already done once during the recall in '03), now they are saying it's the torque converter...around $2000.00.
    Anyone else familiar with this and what else I might be expecting to fail?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    What's the code you are getting?
  • wkbarthwkbarth Member Posts: 4
    The code is 17125-I've had it checked by an independant service and the dealer. I'm getting estimates between $2000-$3000. (ouch).
    WB
  • minturnminturn Member Posts: 5
    Best advice is RUN AWAY! Dump the car ASAP. I HAD an Audi A6 2002 with 65k miles. Always serviced through Audi dealers on schedule. Last year the water pump broke, $2k later, back on the road . I take in for scheduled maintenance and I'm told I need to replace my O2 sensor to the tune of $700 dollars.

    Last month the engine light comes on and then goes off, but the car continues to make a strange sound. I drive directly to the dealer. First I'm told it's my ignition coils, the same coils they replaced 3 years ago. They also tell me I need a new coolant container and brakes. My mistake, I tell them to fix the problem I brought the car in with first, then brakes and then coolant.

    A day passes and they tell that the coils didn't fix the problem. They now think I need to remanufacture my engine, estimate is $7,000 for parts and $7,000 for labor, minimum. My first reaction was, STOP! No more work. After researching the problems, and checking my records for maintenance I conclude this makes no sense. I called audi of north america. They were particularly unhelpful. They claimed they would advocate that the dealer fix the problem at some sort of discount given my history of up keep. Three calls from me in week to audi of north america uncovered the real truth. Audi of North America has no desire to do anything for anyone. They told me "we stand behind the service department at the dealer". I then asked if they thought it was reasonable for Audi owners to expect an engine remanufacture at 65k after following their instructions and after using their service departments. They declined to answer, except that if the dealer says I need it, I must need it.

    My research uncovered that I could purchase and have installed a completely remanufactured engine for $6,000. This new engine would have a better warranty than my audi engine would after audi did their repairs.

    I also found an independent dealer that estimate that they could fix the problem for $3,500. Which is ultimately the direction I took. They couldn't explain the engine failure, except the oil change schedule and type of oil recommendation make no sense and could have cause an issue in the oil pump, which put to little oil into the engine and thus caused the cam to break.

    When I went to retrieve my car from Audi of Mendham, they handed me a bill for $1,200. They were charging me for the coil, which didn't fix the problem, the brakes, and the coolant bottle. I protested given my prior instructions and they told me they would hold my car until I paid in full. I offered to pay for the coils, and suggested they should eat the remainder. They declined to accept my offer, even though I pointed out that it seems odd to me that I should pay for work on problems that I didn't identify when I brought the car to Audi of Mendham, since the problem I did identify was not fixed.

    They declined to accept my position as reasonable, and again stated that they would keep the car until I paid in full. After a bit more discussion they agreed to eat the labor on the additional work, and I successfully ransomed my car from Audi of Mendham and took it directly to an idependent that fixed the car for $3,500, exactly what they originally estimated when they diagnosed the car.

    Google A6 and engine failure and you will be horrified. I am not remotely alone. Your car is a ticking time-bomb. Sell it, trade it in, or give it away.

    I just picked up an Infinity. Awesome car. Cost me less than I paid for the Audi six years ago, and easily a step function improvement in everything, especially reliability. Check out the A6 on the consumer reports web site the 02 and 03 years look like they were hit by a plague of gremlins.

    I say again, RUN AWAY!
  • wkbarthwkbarth Member Posts: 4
    That's what I was getting a sense of...you gotta love our disposable society! Maybe I'll buy a nice late 50's something this time!
    Did you get your A6 sold?
  • gbosleygbosley Member Posts: 20
    I am amazed at how AUDI is not required to stop selling in USA, after my experience with a 06 A6 , and no Customer Care from Audi USA , I am surprised that all the State Attorney General offices have not band together and stop this robbery of consumer .I have on back of my Truck ASK ME WHY NOT TO BUY AUDI !
    I been asked i hand over copies of all service calls and showing my 45 days down waiting on a Audi Tech to come . there right Run Away
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well you can't walk away from it. The car is still worth some money. Sounds like a defective N218 pressure control valve. Could also just be very low fluid level but probably not, huh?
  • docvoxdocvox Member Posts: 3
    I have a 1998 A6 Quattro wagon and it appears that there were mid-year changes in engine, transmission and other items. I wish to purchase the correct Bentley service CD and am trying to identify which engine, transmission, steering rack, etc I have. My VIN starts with WAUJC84A8WN and my emissions sticker identifies the car as being in emissions group WADXV02. Can you help?
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