1999 Audi A6 Avant from North America - Comments

Engine computer x1.

Temperature gauge x4.

Electronic Dashboard x1.

Fuel gauge x5.

Wiring harness failure x3.

ABS brake controller x1.

Fuel injectors x6.

Leaking differential seals x2.

Radio x5.

Front rotors and pads at 28K x1.

6 factory recalls.

4 Engine check light failures.

This is a poorly made product that has developed a well earned bad reputation.

"Customer service" is an oxymoron. Audi/USA has mastered the art of "customer dis-service". Beware the phrase: "we are sorry we could not meet your expectations.

Smooth engine. Pleasant interior. Reasonable quiet. It is at it's best with the ignition key removed as each us of the key introduces another failure and another excuse from Audi.

Avoid this manufacturer. I will never, ever buy another Audi.

I have owned a 1999 A6 Avant for 4 years now. My wife and I have put 40K "no repair" miles on it. Other than the regular oil and filter changes (oil and in-cabin air) nothing else has required a shop visit. The only gripe is that in hot weather the multi-funtion dash display goes out in the upper left corner. No big deal as it only displays the radio/CD channel on. I have replaced the tires, at 50K and will take it in for its 60K service this week. You must have gotten a rare "lemon" my friend. I would buy another Audi any day. Actually a used late 90's Porsche 911 is going in my garage next year.

It was one of the nicest cars we have ever owned. Owned Lexus and MB in the past!

I have to confirm at least partly the bad experiences reported at the beginning of the thread.

I bought my first (brand new) Audi A4 1.8T Quattro December 2001. Before the first year was over the car had to be towed 2 times. 1st time: broken clutch after ~8000 miles.

2nd time: broken ignition coils.

There were 3 other minor repairs in the first year:

Faulty glove compartment lock. Broken signal lights, broken brake light.

In the second year the car had to be towed another time:

Broken ignition coil again.

About four weeks after the dealer repaired it the next ignition coil failed.

Shortly after that had been dealt with, a warning light on the

dashboard started to go on and off. I brought the car to the dealership: they said they didn't find anything and just topped the engine oil off.

Few days later the oil warning sign came on again. This time the diagnosis revealed a faulty oil pump. In between I had a few minor repairs again, like failing headlights and another failing turn signal.

At that point I decided to talk to the dealership because I did not not want to keep the car anymore. Having that much trouble with a new car is not acceptable to me - this was a clearly a lemon.

The dealership worked out a deal with me, that I could exchange the old 2002 A4 against a new 2003 model, without losing much. I agreed to it, because I thought I was just unlucky with the first one.

When I drove home with the new A4 I noticed heavy vibrations, as soon as I drove faster than 50 miles/h on the interstate. The wheels were not properly aligned.

In the first year there were only minor things like e.g. 2 broken signal lights again, so I thought I was luckier with the new one. Until at ~20 000 miles the transmission had to be exchanged. Today, after driving the car now about 18 month, a whirring sound occurred while I was leaving the garage. Half a mile later it stalled in the middle of an intersection and could not be started anymore.

I called the dealer - they referred me to the Audi roadside assistance. Roadside assistance told me then that although I am still within my warranty, I have to pay for the towing myself because I was outside the 29 miles radius they are covering. I was very upset about that.

I called the dealer and they told me to call roadside assistance again and to advise them that the dealer will take care about it.

I did and obtained a reference number to call the tow truck in, when I was ready. I just ended the 14th attempt in 3 hours to get through to Audi roadside assistance to have the tow truck dispatched - without success. I was holding every single instance as long as it was possible for me, up to 12 minutes in one instance. Right now I am ready to give up.

I will call a tow truck on my own behalf and pay for it.

I was a huge Audi fan for a long time and I have to say that the dealership really did what they could. They are not to blame.

The Audi products however seem to lack reliability. The general attitude of the Audi customer service is also certainly not appropriate if you look for example at the mess with the faulty ignition coils they had. If they have known quality problems like that, they should not try to cut corners with affected customers.

I am living around 45 miles from the dealership. Every single problem I had was a major inconvenience , connected to a lot of lost time for me. Something you just don't accept from an upper class brand like Audi. The last incident just let the bucket flow over.

My consequence is, that I am going to sell this car as soon as it is repaired and switch to a more reliable brand with better customer focus. I will never consider an Audi anymore.

Juergen Mauer

juergen-m@msn.com.