1999 Audi A6 Quattro from North America - Comments

To the person with the undercarriage rattle:

"18th Sep 2007, 18:44

I just bought a 99 a6 2.8 quattro with about 94000 miles, has anyone had any rattling noise from the under carriage? I recently replaced my cv joints to eliminate the clicking noise from the turns, however the rattling noise from the under carriage remains. I don't even have to hit a hard bump the smallest pot hole creates the most annoying rattle... someone help me out please. BTW even a certified mechanic cannot find anything loose when he inspected it."

Check the driveshaft bushings - I had the same problem with my '99 A6 Quattro and a rebuilt driveshaft is what it took to cure it.

My girlfriend has a 99 A6 Quattro, and aside from the windshield washer fluid container cracking, the tie rods going, tires bubblin, mirror tint being possessed, engine fan blade cracking off, lubricant for the suspension, and electrical issues with the alarm, locks, seat position memorization... huff (using my inhaler) the newest addition of insane list of car problems is the back right flooring is collecting what seems to be gallons of water.

Can anyone please inform me of what this problem is related to, and how to solve it?

I'm mystified how people report hooking their bumper onto curbs (3 x no less) think this is the cars fault. Better yet, sliding through an intersection because of ice and probably driving too fast and getting into an accident. Sorry...that's not the cars fault.

My '97 A6 quattro Avant has 112K and tows a 17' boat during the summer months. Awesome car.

Again, bubbling tires are not the cars fault. In regards to the water in the rear, if it has a sunroof, check the drainage tubes. Usually they can get clogged with "stuff" over time and need to be cleaned. I've heard a long piece of electrical wire is the best tool.

Another possibility is the seal on the rear door adjacent to the foot well that fills up. It could be torn.

One thing I've found to be it's weight in gold is have an independent shop on your speed dial to take care of any auto repairs. The dealer (s) aren't usually the better choice.

I have a 99 A6. Have had ALL of the previous comments problems. Currently replaced the front suspension to the tune of $1500.

To add to the tally of all previous repairs, I am currently smelling a burning odor coming from the engine, but there is no smoke and no puddles of fluid under my car. I can't figure out what it is. All my fluids are at the required levels. Anybody with any suggestions?

99 A6 Avant Quattro with 2.8 -- 110K miles

I agree with most of the posts so far... EXPENSIVE to maintain. We've been through the timing belt, water pump, front bumper, etc. The cargo cover recoil mechanism disintegrated and the hatch interior panel is delaminating.

I've been chasing down a burning oil smell for the last couple of years. Not sure what it is. I did find that the PCV tubing was cracked and had replaced the tube. The oil cap leaked and filled up the depressions around the valve cover. The cap ran about $25. Now I've got leaky valve cover gaskets. It's almost like the car HAS to have an oil leak to be happy. The bad part about the smell is that it fills the cabin AFTER the car sits overnight. There's no burning oil smell when the car is in motion. Several dealers in a couple of states I've been through tell me there's nothing wrong.

The cruise control just went out.

If it weren't for the fact that my wife had literally walked away from being run over by a tanker truck in a '84 4000S we probably wouldn't be driving an Audi. I like the way it drives and it's comfortable, but the nickel/dime factor is too much.

As for the question of the water in the car; many times I see A6s in the shop that have been parked under trees. The drain holes get plugged up with debris. That well beneath the windshield (under the cover beneath the hood where the battery is housed) can fill with water over time or after a car wash. All the water from the windshield flows down into that well. The air inlet for the climate control system in beneath the paper filter in that very same well. If the water level gets near the level of the filter, it will creep into the cabin on the passenger side. If it is a lot of water in there, it can come gushing into the passenger side foot well during a hard left turn. When I see this condition, I use compressed air to blow out the drain holes and sponge out the excess water and leaves and crud. Then I change the filter, and blow out the air box and ducting with compressed air to dry it all out.

As for the oil leaks: very common on Audi engines, as there is a vacuum system designed to suck air pressure out of the heads under high RPMs. If you look at your valve covers, you can see the clip-on hoses going to the valve covers. These hoses suck pressure out of the heads via a pump. There are check valves and orifice manifolds that the air is regulated through. More times than not, I find these hoses broken, the tubing and pathways blocked by sludge and gunk, and the pressure has nowhere to go. The path of least resistance becomes the gasket areas near the cam seals. My A6 2.8L 30V Q used to have the common head leak issue, but I took a different route. Instead of replacing my cam seals, I replaced the vacuum hosing, the manifold thing they go into, whatever 10 dollar valves were in the same line, and merely re-torqued the heads down. Guess what, no more leaks. No more burning oil smell, no nothing. I will change the oil more regularly than the PO now, and every other oil change, I will replace that multi-port vacuum deal that the valve cover hoses lead to as part of the regular service. (It cost me about 20 bucks for the manifold).

As for the no start stuff: yeah, mine did that too. Replaced both the ECT sensor (engine coolant temperature sensor), AND the coolant thermo switch for the cooling fan. Apparently they both send temp signals to the ECU. It fixed that problem, and cost me about 40 bucks for both sensors. The best part is that they just have a clip holding them in, and I had them both swapped out in about 15 minutes.

I also had a clicking noise. I replaced the driver's side front drive axle and problem was solved for about 100 bucks for the part, and I put it in.

Replaced the washer fluid res and solved that leak, and the coolant res and solved the dash warning light beeping at me all of the time.

The last problem was a very common one. The car would have a hard time going from a slow speed to fast on without bucking a little. A very common mistake techs make is pulling the spark plug wires from the coil, specifically the number "5" at the coil pack. It is such a tight fit, that techs will often tug on the wire at an angle. I have seen the small piece of spark plug wire actually break off in the number "5" coil pack hole where the wire goes into it with the boot snugging it up to seal the connection. I had to fish out a small chunk of metal out of mine with tiny tweezers and a mirror. Now the wires all make full contact, and the car runs and drives like a new car with no problems whatsoever.

We have a 2001 A6, and have had all the same problems listed above, and some more.

We have replaced all the gaskets on the engine, the oil cooler, a headlight, speakers, control arms, coolant reservoir, CV joints, windshield and brakes.

Other than that, the radio will only pick up about 3 stations on a good day. The car has 111,000 on it and has been, by far the biggest maintenance hog I have ever owned. I will never buy another Audi as long as I live. We paid about $21,000 for the car, and $10,000 so far on maintenance.

The latest problem is a check engine light that the dealer claims is both catalytic converters for $2,500.00. I have a hard time believing that both cats went bad, since the gas mileage hasn't changed and the car runs fine, and it will pass emissions.

My Toyota truck had 225,000 on it, and the only thing I ever replaced on it was a timing belt and brakes. It may not be as exciting as the Audi, but there is nothing exciting about driving around in a rental car because your Audi is in the shop yet again!

99 A6 Quatro Avant 91k miles.

Wow, and here I was thinking I was the only one...

That stinky smokey smell is most likely the transmission fluid reservoir gasket and leaking transmission fluid and burning on the hot parts under the car. Got that $375 to fix.

Broken Windshield Washer Fluid system. Got that.

Rear windshield wiper kaput.

Replaced tie rods in the 60k miles area.

Air Bag indicator, apparently needs a new one $1800.

Had torrential flooding type rain and the battery shorted from water running inside the hood instead of being channeled to the ground.

Wheel barring wore out... at less 100k!

I have a 1999 A6. The car starts good, but no power. When I step on the gas, the car moves very slow and it backfires.

I have a '99 Avant A6. A few comments on ownership of any european car - a little research on the 'net goes a long way towards saving money. I also never use a dealer for service and do some myself.

Most issues I have over 5 years ownership and 75k miles are common to any car with 135k. One tie rod, a drive axle, some brake pads, a cruise control module, and a flasher relay.

I did the timing belts, water pump, and all the other bits in there at 100k. Bought the parts at Blaufernugin and had a local mechanic install it for half dealer cost.

One major issue I had was when an O-ring for the oil cooler blew, dropping all the oil on the ground! This is a common VW issue, I am told, but one that will make for a very bad day if you are the type who drives with the "check engine" light on. I caught it in time and had it repaired for $130.

I have towed a 1800 pound trailer with this car cross-country over the continental divide.

I bought the car with 60k at a dealer in 2005 for $11 grand. It now has 135k and I have not spent anything close to what some of the others here have posted. I look forward to my next one.

I have a 99 A6 Quattro with 140,000 miles. It drives great. However, after I've been driving for about 30 minutes, I get a loud clicking or popping noise from somewhere in the front end. It sounds like it is on the driver side. The 1st mechanic said that he could find nothing wrong and that I would just have to live with it. I took it to another mechanic and drove him around while the car was making the noise. 2 weeks and $1100 dollars later, the rack and pinion steering was replaced. 2 days after that, the noise was still there. The longer I drive, the worse the noise gets. But, like I said, everything seems fine until I've driven for a while. Anyone have the answer?

As for those of you with catalytic converter problems, don't go with a universal cat. They trip the check engine light every time.

1999 A6 Quattro.

I have a little over 220K miles on this car. Bought it Audi-assured when it had 40K miles on it. Most of my driving is highway miles. My suburban Chicago Audi dealer has given me excellent service and I do love the car, even now. The engine and transmission work like it is new.

I have had some of the same problems noted for other 1999's. Front suspension pieces, outer CV joints, sporadic cruise control operation (mostly not now). Hidden oil leak that the dealer tells me will cost $1200 to fix that gives me a burnt smell after the car has been run awhile. Fortunately the smell is not inside the car. Because the oil loss is so minimal, I passed on that.

The dash display has dark lines across it, and they are gradually getting worse. I replaced the radiator a few miles ago.

All in all, I have had good experience with this car, and will buy another.