Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-48
I already have 2 major problems with my 2003 Allroad (2.7T auto trans). The The car has only 5000 mile on it since purchasing it new on Feb. 2003. The 1st problem was at 3,000 miles, when the leveling suspension failed and remained at the lowest position, this took the dealer in New Jersey 3 days to get the part (computer), install it & do the re-programming before I got my car back. Now, at 5,100 miles, the auto trans decided to go crazy on me: shifting hard during stops & slipping on acceleration. The transmission would not shift to the next gear, and when I applied the brake, the car would downshift hard causing the engine died. Once the car is stalled, I wasn't able to re-start the car. The only way to start it up again was to put the transmission in "park", removed the ignition key totally & reinsert it before turning the key.
If step on the brake (at a standstill) and try to shift trans lever to the manually control side of the shifter, the car will jerk "thump" hard on engagement.
The dealer said that I'm the first to have should a problem with the Audi Transmission, but after reading the other postings, I guess they are wrong & Audi does have a serious problem with their cars.
Updating my comment on June 8, 2003:
The Audi allroad stopped moving altogether on June 11, 2003 and had to be towed to the dealer.
They had originally thought that it was only a computer bug or a "neutral" transmission switch that was causing all the mishaps. After checking the car a day, the auto transmission on my Audi allraod was declared "shot" and a new transmission was order from the manufacturer.
People have warned me about the poor quality of Audi cars, but I didn't listen. This will serve a good lesson to me - don't trust car magazines or the way the car looks. Only previous owners will provide a true picture of the manufacturer's products. This will be the first & last time I'll be buying another Audi. I should have bought an Acura or BMW - dumb, dumb, dumb!
Hi I am a fellow first and last time A6 owner. $46,000 later and ever since 25,000 miles I cannot keep my car out of the shop. Currently it has been in the shop for almost two weeks straight. They do not know what the problem is and have been pulling and replacing parts left and right. Currently the problem has been that the car shuts down on trips so you are disabled and only able to travel at 40mph. The fuel gage has been changed, a seal in the engine has been changed a new water pump installed, a new sensor unit installed, a there is nothing wrong with your car visit, and now multiple things wrong resulting in the two weeks without my car and counting, should not these cars be banned from the U.S. to protect consumers?
Hi. I am looking at buying 2000 A6 Quattro 2.7T 6M (manual) and test drove one yesterday. It runs very good. However, after browsing through comments, it became apparent that "thump" problem exists, but could not confirm if it was the problem unique only to 5A (Automatic). I would appreciate if anyone can confirm this.
I have been Audi owner since 1985 when I acquired 4000S Quattro and now has 290,000 miles on it with rebored 5L engine. It still runs great, but I am also beginning to think "I should have backup car."
Initially, was thinking to get BMW 540i, but have not had an opportunity to test drive it. Then I saw this 2000 A6, and its performance isn't much different than that of 540i.
I have an Audi A6 2.5 Turbo Diesel Quattro (this is in Germany). It has 13'000km on it and so far I have had NO problems with it whatsoever. It sometimes makes noises when turning for no apparent reason, and the dealer said it was because it is a 4-wheel drive. But the downshifting problem - I have never experienced. It must be because of the different engine type. Otherwise, the car is GREAT! But I feel sorry for you guys.
Good luck!
I have owned my 200 2.7T 6-speed for 3 years with NO problems whatsoever! I forwarded these above comments to my service agent (and honest friend) and he said he literally has never seen any of these problems, except the leaking seal.
He said the A6 Transmission is as hard as nails and he has seen the early ones (1998-1999) with over 120k...still going strong.
If you look in most consumer based reports, the A6 comments are mostly positive. This is the ONLY link with such anti-Audi chatter.
I suspect there are some BMW marketers at play here!
The proposition that a BMW marketer is "making up" problems about the A6 2.7T is incorrect. I bought a new one in March 2002 and it has been an endless source of problems. Electronics replacements were required after warning lights appeared, bits of one of the turbos fell off, front brake disks failed after about 20,000 miles, and are about to fail again at 30,000 miles, not because the car is driven excessively fast (though it is indeed fast). Fuel consumption varies between poor and diabolical; the water pump failed and the car had to be towed in for repair recently. The design of the car is very good, but the execution and build quality are appalling for a brand that has as its motto "Vorsprung durch Technik". Not much Vorsprung in the A6 2.7T I'm afraid. This is the first Audi I owned and it will be the last.
After reading all these comments, my guess is that with all the moving parts of a turbo, an all wheel drive and an automatic transmission, the car could get out of sync. Computers respond and behave predictably and as programmed, but humans respond and behave unpredictably. I could see where this could cause a conflict in the transmission response. The gentleman who had the 6 speed manual commented that he did not experience the thumping when the gears were shifting, presumably because he was the one controlling the shifting. Coincidentally, while on-line, shopping for a car, I've noticed a high number of Audi 2000 and 2001 2.7T's up for sale. This does make me think a bit. I like the idea of all wheel drive. I especially like the idea of all wheel drive coupled with a turbo charger from a performance standpoint. I have to admit, it sounds enticing, but after reading these comments, I'd have to say it's a bit discouraging.
First time owner of a 2001 Audi A6 2.7t and its the first time I'm droppedit of at the dealer for service and after reading all the commets I agree with the thumping and as of today I will be calling the dealer not to work on my car and I don't know how I'm going to sell it???
Reason for Service:
Right Side balljoint noise
Oil burnung Smell... from the timing chain area
Windshield Washer leaks...
I like to pay the 104.00 estimate fee.
I like to hear the service dept sayni. "oh...that's not a recall..."
I MISS MY V6 3.0 MAXIMA <<<BEST EVER.
Bought 2000 A6 2.7T 2 months ago and car has been in shop 4 times... oxygen sensor defective, possibly mass air flow sensor problem, airbag light wouldn't go off for 5 minutes, and dealer just called me to say that the valves for the turbo were damaged and had to be replaced. Worst thing is the cost of the diagnostics of all these problems + labor. Was weighing the BMW 525 with the Audi and decided to go with the A6, but sure regret the decision now. Previous car was 1996 Infiniti I30...no problems whatsoever for 2/5 years... also have to say that A6 has a lot more road noise than expected.
I have a 200 A6 2.7T with 37,000 miles and have had nothing, but trouble with it (mostly under warranty) however now it is out of warranty. I have had a problem with the transmission from the very beginning of owning the car. After decelerating, costing for a short time, and then accelerating the transmission appears to slip for a second and then engage with a hard thump. The dealer claims there is no problem. I have not been able to demonstrate this problem on demand.
Within the first year both driver side windows needed the guides replaced. On hot days the windows still sometimes act up as if the friction when going up overcomes the sensor for an obstruction. The window reverses and starts to open again.
The instrument panel started to become hard to read. The letters appeared to streak and darken at the edges. Audi replaced the entire instrument package. In the process they did not reset my GPS so back to the dealer I went.
The fuel gage started acting intermittent and it was replaced. Later there was a retrofit so back again for the real fix.
The sunroof guides broke and had to be replaced.
The rear window shade started to bind and after two trips to the dealer it was replaced. The first attempt at a fix was simply to lube the tracks.
The front bumper was destroyed while making a right turn onto a street with an average size dip. While replacing the front bumper the dealer apparently knocked the windshield wiper washer fluid hose loose so that it came off a week later.
The rear windows no longer are controllable by the rear window switches. The dealer replaced the master switch.
My AM band on the radio went dead. I am assuming that in one of the many service calls the AM antenna has been knocked off. I almost never listen to AM so I have no idea how long this has been going on.
My windshield wipers sometimes won't start unless I put switch to full speed. When I back the speed down, sometimes they will continue to work and sometimes they freeze in mid wipe. Naturally when I took the car in to the dealer (under warranty) this problem was not present and they said they could not do anything for it.
Now that the car is out of warranty the problem has gotten worse.
The check engine light has come on numerous times and each time I am given some nondescript reason which always includes a phrase like, "and we reset a bunch of codes".
Finally within a month after warranty was over they said, "You need new Oxygen sensors". I was furious! After much heated discussion Audi decided to replace the parts for free. Now the check engine light is on again.
One or more fans in the climate control have developed an intermittent chirping sound at some combination of rotation speed and temperature. I have not been able to demonstrate this to the dealer.
The tires wear quickly. The second time I had the tires replaced the tire dealer claimed that there was no adjustment for one of the two types, either camber or caster (I forget which one) yet the alignment was out and needed adjusting. He tried to compensate with toe-in/out adjustments.
The turn signals became intermittent. They would blink several times and then stop. Both right & left signals have this problem. Dealer replaced a multi-switch.
The Air conditioning has a musty smell. The dealer wants to replace the pollen filter.
The AM radio failure has been traced to a defective "Diversity box" $500 parts, $400 labor.
I will never ever buy an Audi product again! Buyer be ware!
I own an Audi A6 1.8T. I reside in the Caribbean and I have the same problems you are experiencing. The transmission was replaced, the engine mounts and the windows gave problems from day one. The cost to maintain this car is more than all the other cars I owned although. I am disappointed that Audi standard is not being maintained.
I own a 2001 A6 allroad, bought new, it has been a maintenance nightmare from day one. The first problem we encountered was that car did not accelerate smoothly as we drove away from the dealer. Not stuttering, just this elastic kind of thing. Several trips to the dealership and more parts replaced than I could possibly imagine paying for, it was finally fixed with new software (or so I am told). Although I really enjoy the car's incredible traction and thin air acceleration on ski trips it has not lived up to the Audi hype.
Since then, its been one thing after another, brakes, suspension, emissions, interior pieces, software, computers, etc. With 70,000 miles on it I'm worried about owning this thing past the extended warranty.
My 1991 BMW M5 has over 176,000 miles and has never missed a beat. I'll be buying another BMW next time.
I own a 2000 A6 2.7T 6 speed manual. I have never experienced any of the problems listed on this site. Perhaps the problem is with the Triptronic system. The only real problem I have (and granted, this is my own fault) is that the cap for the headlight washer that pops up out of the bumper will come flying off when the headlight washers deploy at over 100 mph. I know, we aren't supposed to drive that fast, but all of you who have these cars understand how easy it is to do. Anyway, I noticed that on recent versions they have redesigned these caps to recess into the bumper. Perhaps the Audi engineers in Germany got sick of loosing their headlight washer caps at high speeds and decided some refinement was in order.
My vehicle is at the shop right now getting some recall work done. Does anyone know anything about a front bumper recall on the 2000 A6?
I bought a certified 2001 A6 2.7T about a year ago and it has been in the shop more than all the cars I have owned previously combined. I'm glad I got a certified car though or I'd have paid thousands in repair bills by now. It has a $50 deductible per repair. When you buy it they make it sound like EVERYTHING is covered. They fail to mention that certain things are not and others are considered wear and tear, or that the part is covered by not labor ($5 part, $350 for labor to replace a seal due to having to disassemble part of the exhaust system).
I have also noticed the jerkiness of the transmission when it downshifts into first gear, but was told this was normal. With only putting 8,000 miles on the car since I purchased it, the rotors all need replaced, the throttle body needed replaced (after 3 visits to the dealer without a fix). Recently in the cold weather (about 5 below) I have had some vacuum thing freeze up that results in oil pumping directly into the manifold and being burned which causes the biggest smoke cloud and stink you have ever seen. I barely made it to the dealer before the car died. They replaced a part and said it should be fixed. Now, 3 weeks later it happened again and they replace a second part of the vacuum assembly. My airbag light has also been coming on and they just replaced the computer module for that. There was problems with the traction/stability control and ABS causing warning lights to come on and other computer modules were replaced then. It has probably been in the shop over 3 weeks total in 14 months of ownership. But when it works I love the car...