2001 Audi A6 from North America - Comments

I have a 2001 A4 that was bought new. Add me to the list of people with cam seal problems. Just over 50,000 miles and out of warranty. Goodbye $1,300.

I have a 1998 A4 also with the cam seal leak. The local dealer told me it will be $1600 to repair and that, no, Audi would not be willing to participate in any way with the repair costs. That's not very nice for what appears to be a pretty common problem.

C.W.

My 2000 A6 has been kept in super shape. I have only 30,000 miles. My dealer has just informed me my valve cover gaskets need to be replaced for app. $1,400. I'm disappointed. I want to do something to reduce my cost.

11/04/04

Ohio.

2000 Audi A6Q.

I also owned a '96 A6 -- the finest car and best stereo ever built! It's still working beautifully for a friend at 140K miles. I miss it terribly.

I bought another A6, but like everyone else here I am extremely disappointed with the problems and reliability. It now has 71K and I either put another $3,500 into it or trade it. (for upper control arms, timing belt, brakes. I just put $1,700 for seals and other Audi problems) I was going to keep it until I read all about the CAM seals. After reading Consumer reports reliability marks for VW and Audi over the last 4 years, the manufacurer is definitely slipping. This will probably be my last until they get their act together and stop charging outrageous prices for the cars and service.

Have a 2000 A6 2.7T and have experienced the same rotor/brake problems. Have replaced the brakes three times in 75K miles, each time due to warping more than thickness of brakes. Have talked with Audi customer service and they carry the company line (waste of time). This is my 4th and probably last Audi. I love the car and quality of the the ride, but after owning a few and not able to get any satisfaction from the regional Audi people to help address the brake issue, I'm through. Audi seems to be a cyclical company. Whenever they become a "hot" car, quality and customer service drops. Wish they knew how to service a customer on a regular basis, not just when they are looking to rebuild their image/reputation.

I bought a used 1998 A4 2.8 about 2 1/2 years ago. It had almost 50,000 miles on it then and almost 75,000 now.

I bought an insurance policy covering much of the car to 100,000 miles or 3 years. Such a policy is great for the chronic problems I am reading here. Seals, bearings, brakes, steering racks are all covered in my plan. They recently sprang for a steering rack, tie rods and alignment. You have to read carefully what is and isn't covered, but they've been good about paying for what is.

I am the original poster of this message chain. I traded in the 2001 A6 a couple months ago. The warranty work over the 3.5 years since new included: cam adjuster seal, battery, lockout switch, hazard switch, instrument cluster, fuel sending unit, another battery, and turn signal switch. The rotors and pads were machined 5 times. And, the ABS light came on sporadically, but no problem could ever be found. Having said all that, I really did like the car and miss not having an Audi. All the repairs were covered under warranty and I always had a loaner provided. However, I was afraid to own the car out of warranty, so it had to go. My new ride is a Jaguar. It is rattle-free, has nicer leather, and generates so many compliments. But, I have a feeling I could still return to the Audi brand one day.

I have a 2001, Audi A6-2.7T for two years now. I will spare you for all the service trips, while the car was still under warranty, but what happened after the 50K just blew my mind.

Driving in a parking lot, I heard this weird cranking noise from the wheels. I had to tow the car back to the service, where I was told that the car has a broken drive shaft. This happened when driving with 3 miles/hour. If I were in the highway driving 65 miles/hour, I wouldn't be here to write this comment.

I have never heard of any car with a broken drive shaft under normal driving conditions. Audi blamed it on me. $1400 later, and lucky to be alive, I am still looking for someone to buy the car for $3K under the market value.

I have read the Audi problems and must say that my 2002 VW passat V6 AWD with 42K miles has the same oil leak onto the exhaust manifold causing a foul odor inside the cabin. The valve cover seals, cam seals, tensioner seals and a cam plu have been replaced, but because of a caked residue of oil on the manifold the smell is still there. The area is hard to access and clean. I also replaced the PCV valve to ensure that the original problem was not related to PCV issues causing the oil to leak.

This will be my first and last VW.

I recently went from a BMW 525i to the sharp "looking" 2001 Audi A6. It has 49k mile on it and is under a certified pre-owned warranty for 2 more years. I must say I feel like an idiot for buying this car. In the one month I have owned this lemon it has been in the shop twice. The check engine light came on after 3 days. It needed a new temperature sensor. Trip 2 to the shop was to be a simple alignment turned into new Tie Rods. Now on my 4 week anniversary of owning the A6 2.8, the turn signals stopped working last night. This will be trip 3.

My BMW that had 207k mile on it went to the shop for repairs about once a year. Routine things like brakes ect. I am feeling much remorse and want to trade this thing back to the dealer ASAP.

I own a 1999 Audi A6 with 64K miles on it.

As I write this the cam seals are being replaced.

I own a 2000 a6 2.7t 77,000mls... I've had more problems on this car then on my 03' mercury mountaineer!

My rotors and brakes went bad got a great deal to fix them $700

then I had an engine oil leak, then my ABS system got messed up my ABS light turns on, my car got very very slow and don't know why, I have to replace my tie rides for the 2nd time, my heater is making a weird noise. their telling me I need a $1,000 toon up and change my timing belt $250. I'm sick and tierd of the car!!! I need to sell it!!!

After reading all of these bad comments about this car and manufacture it makes me extremely concerned about the 2001 Used Audi A6 2.7 (72,000miles) that I am purchasing next week.

I am going to play it safe and I going to purchase an extended warranty to help eliminate my concerns. But these reviews makes me ponder and think that after all these bad reviews, are their any good ones or are all these Audi's just lemons?

I have just sold my 1992 Subaru SVX LS/L for this Audi. I am always on the road, it is my hope that this 2001 Audi A6 2.7 will keep up and not sit on the side of the road waiting for a tow.

I will post some more reviews down the road, any suggestions do not hesitate to email me.

Joerstowe@aol.com.

Thanks.

New To the Audi Family...

I have had 3 Honda Accords, bought new, and they lasted between 160K and 199K. My used 2001 Audi A6 2.7T manual - 40K - has been a complete and expensive headache. Brakes, tie rods and the ever present burning oil smell. Depending on the mechanics solution I will be trading it in for - yes, another trouble free Honda Accord. It is too bad. The car drives great, is great in snow and the interior finish is very nice.

I own a 2001 1.8T. My cam seals are being replaced too while I write this. Audi customer service just seems to document the problems and most of the problems started as soon as it came out of warranty. The repairs are expensive and dealers are not customer oriented at all. I was quoted $885.00 for this repair. So, I went with a third party shop that would cost me around $450.00. Did anybody else pay less than that? Want to see the actual time and money involved in the procedure and that the repair shops aren't just minting money off these well known problems.