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http://www.audiworld.com/
I guess the Audi purists will say it's driver error, huh.
44 days and counting...
It's an aerodynamic idiosyncracy that only happens at the speeds you mentioned when the roof is entirely open. To get around it, simply limit the sunroof opening to a single notch (on the switch) from full open when driving within the "critical" speed range. This will only close the roof by an inch or two. Some have also reported positive results by cracking open the rear windows.
Hope this helps.
- Mike
Stelrsgal@aol.com
The 4.2 is a demo with 5000 miles in the color inside and out that we want. The dealer is willing to sell at invoice cost ($5000 +/-) below sticker price. This is still about $4,000 to $5,000 more than they would sell us a 2.7T without sports package that they have in the color and features we want.
I like the aggressive look of the 4.2. Has the 17" 8 spoke wheels and also like the front end treatment of the 4.2 over the 2.7T. Note sure yet how our child seat will fit in the back seat of the 4.2. Looks like it would fit better in the 2.7T. Also drove a 2.7T with sports package and it did handle a little better than the non sports. Also liked the slightly lower look of the sports suspension but not the sport seats. A little too tight for me and I am not that wide in the seat. Dealer said he could put factory springs of the sports package on a regular 2.7T for about $500. Could also get after market 17" wheels and tires for about $1,500 more and still be a couple thousand less than a 4.2.
I have been reading some problems with the 4.2 factory 17" wheels and 255/40 tires. The dealer thought the 4.2 demo had all season tires put on already. This still might not be the best set up for our Minnesota winters.
Sorry it is so lengthy, but could use some advice on which way to go.
Buy one...drive it for a month or two...you'll get religion...
I love the A6 from one end to the other, but I'm going with Acura which reports problems 20% of the time less often than the avg. car. I don't have time to sit around a dealer's waiting for repairs. (Now, watch me get a lemon from Honda!)
Take care.
Joe W.
I trust Car and Driver much more to lead me to a good car over Consumer Reports anyways.
By the way, Consumer Reports should not be judging cars!! They give the A6 high grades for satisfaction and depreciation, but dot recommend it because of reliability - which I dot have a problem with. However, this same magazine will recommend the Mitsubishi Gallant, with an average reliability rating and below average satisfaction and depreciation rating - that makes sense. If you worried about the A6, lease it no longer than the life of the warranty.
You WILL NOT find a more overall pleasurable car for under $80,000, regardless of which model you choose.
Here's a question and comment for the Audi lovers out there reference to the A8 or S8:
In the state of CT there is only one body shop qualified to work on an aluminum body/frame car involved in an accident. Did you know it could take more than 6 months for even a minor repair?
65,000.00 worth of funny eh?
More than minor, however, and the car had to go to Chicago -- while there (and I do not know how long a fender bender would take) -- the "deal" was you (the A8 owner) got the use of an A6, free of charge.
I never had to test this out, but I didn't think this was too bad a deal -- now if a fender bender would take six MONTHS, well that would have been a bummer.
I've always found CR is good at reviewing basic products. When they try to review hi end home theater equipment or non-basic cars, they can't seem to find the same attributes that appeal to those informed and interested in that level of hardware.
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.
As regards Consumer Reports: an excellent publication for rating toasters and washing machines. When our A6's produce properly done bagels and laundry, I shall pay attention to CR. Until that time, I consider them purveyors of drivel, particularly when subjective analysis is involved.
Sorry.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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...
Fortunately, each of the dealers where I've purchased my Audis, an A4 and more recently an allroad, employ a group of older folks who will pick up and then deliver your car back to you (either at work or home) when servicing is completed. The only exception is that they ask that you not use this service for just routine oil changes - on these they want you to wait for your car which with a set appointment normally takes an hour or so, including a thorough wash and vacuum. Or for more extended work they will give you loaners, which they ask that you reserve in advance. Also fortunately for me I haven't yet had to take advantage of either the pickup/delivery or the free loaner service, because I've never had anything but routine service required on the A4, after about 33,000 miles, and the allroad has just 900 (trouble-free) miles on it so far. Hopefully my experience on the allroad will match or at least come close to that of the A4.
All that said, I personally wouldn't mind putting up with a few minor problems because in all other respects I do enjoy the Audi ownership experience so much. If you really appreciate and have fun just driving the cars on an everyday basis, then the occasional minor problem is not a huge deal for me. This is especially true if the dealer makes it as convenient for you as possible, which of course both of the above services are designed to do. An occasional minor defect in an otherwise really fun car to own and drive is far superior to owning and driving a "boring transportation appliance" - even one that's completely trouble-free. I agree that ideally you would have the best of both worlds! I would also point out that if you look at the long-term trends for just about all car manufacturers, the problem areas (per J.D. Power) have almost universally improved by a good margin over what they were just a few years ago. According to the statistics that I've seen, the reliability ratings (defects per 100 cars) for all major makes (European and American alike) are as good or better than even the best of the Japanese just 10 years ago. even as cars continue to get more and more complicated.
One other aspect that shouldn't be overlooked is how the cars will DRIVE and RETAIN THEIR APPEARANCE after many years. Here I think the best European cars - like Audi - have a real edge over their American and even Japanese competitors. Even if a car is "reliable" over a period of say 10 years, what fun is it if the handling deteriorates, the body develops rust spots, the car squeaks and rattles over bumps and the leather and carpet wear out to look like crap? When car shopping look closely at the quality of the materials used and how the car is finished in the hidden areas - here Audi does not take a back seat to anyone, including Lexus.
Have I had any problems - you betcha. Dealer delivered car with P/S hose loose (maybe there is no predelivery insp required by Audi). Leaked oil. Had it fixed. The front passenger seat heater switch was locked on "1" setting. Had it replaced. I have had one oil/filter change at my expense ($35/-) but otherwise its been a BLAST. My advice is to go with how you feel about the car. To me the Audi wreaks of HiTech and I just love it.
Good luck in your quest if you haven't already got your new car....hope its an A6 2.7T!!!
mirani from SAN DIEGO, Ca.
Although I have had some problems, and choose to deal with a dealer that is a little far away (i have two other dealers within two miles of my house or office), the level of service has been exceptional, and EVERY problem has been resolved. To date my out of pocket expenses have been for gas, insurance and the lease itself. The car has never broken down, left me stranded, or required ANY cash out of my pocket for service over the last three years. All of my problems occurred within the first nine months. Since that time all i've had to do is service the car when the light comes on.
On the other hand, my wifes $36k 1998 Explorer (same thing i paid for my A6) had some "minor" problems that Ford laughed at. Rattles, squeeks, groans, window leaks, suspension problems, poor fit and finish, stalling, were all seen by Ford as acceptable problems for a truck (not the attitude I now get from Mercedes). At the end of three years, the paint was peeling off the hood and Ford actually came to me and said that I may be responsible!! HAHAHAHAHA... this truck was cleaner at the end of the lease than the day i picked it up, even the wheel wells and undercarriage were clean enough to eat off of (yes, I have a slight problem!).
At least Audi is willing to stand behind their product and will make it right, and while i could get shuttled to and from work by the "local dealers" I have a wonderful relationship with the owner and management of Champion Motors and choose to deal with them. When i really need a loaner, they are happy to get me one as a favor, but having three cars from them, i try and arrange all my services in the same time frame so that something's there to drive home, or someone's picking something up.
Gooddesign: I had a set of SP9000's on 18"s and loved them for the traction and handling, but HATED the road noise after 13k miles. I normally trust JD at the Tire Rack for his honest evaluation of tires, and depending on where you live, how you drive, and the conditions you expect, he will probably help get you the most bang for your buck. My A6 came with Continentals which are still in decent shape on the original 16" rims (23k on them). No complaints, they are very quiet, offer decent wet/dry handling (no snow in SO FLA) and good treadwear, I just couldn't resist a nice set of 18" wheels that were sitting in the dealership! My stepfather will be swapping back to the stock wheels as soon as he's down here next due to the road noise!
Take care.
Joe W.
>Actually, it's on the bottom of the wiper lever on the right hand side of the steering column.
He, he... I knew I was missing something. That'll teach me for not reading the book and being too lazy to check! Thanks.
It had the premium pkg but nothing else. So I would like some opinions ...
Why would I want the sport pkg as my driving style on the street is decidedly non-homicidal and non-suicidal? (I reserve that for the roadster.)
I live in heavy snow country -- from other posts I gather I should plan on getting snows. Do the rest of you folk purchase extra rims for the snows?
Hopefully, I'll get the most reliable one Audi has ever built.
Take care.
Joe W>
Hope that helps.
ESP was my main reason for getting rid of my 2000 A6 4.2 == but I DID NOT have to pay a huge financial premium to trade my 2000 in on the 2001.
But the price you quote for the 4.2 is soooo attractive.
So here is where I would spend my money knowing what I know now.
And the sport option on the 4.2 has always included a lowered and stiffened suspension -- it is only on the 2.7T that the originally offered sport package did not include a suspension upgrade.
By the way you did not specify if the size differences between the S4 and A6 "bother you."
Assuming one could get a 2001 2.7T for $43K vs a 2000 4.2 for $43K, I believe I would spend my money on the 2001 2.7T -- ESP could save your life -- and that is my reason. The S4 too (for 2001) has ESP standard -- but the S4 has practically no back seat. If that is not a biggie for you, then the S4 (from personal experience) is a great performing and fun car.
That's my take on your options.