2001 Audi A6 from North America - Comments

With 71,000 miles on my A6 I now need $4,000 in repairs!

I bought my 2001 Audi from a family member 6 months ago. It already had a new transmission put in a few years before I bought it. The Audi has 71,000 miles on it and the other day, out of the blue in a store parking lot, the car simply did not start. I had it towed to Firestone because I did not want to pay the high dealer service fees, but Firestone was not able to work on it. They could not get around the Audi security code. I then had to pay for a second tow from Firestone to the Audi dealership. The tow truck guy told me that I was the 3rd Audi of the day being towed. The Audi dealership told me that they were way behind in the Service Dept and that it would be days before they even looked at it – I guess a lot of Audi’s are in need of repair!

They called this morning with the damage:

To get the car started they need to replace the entire “signal cluster” for $900.

The water pump is leaking and needs to be replaced, but to get to it they have to remove all the belts, so we are replacing belts for another $1500 a piece.

New front brake pads are needed (and I just replaced the rear ones a few months ago)

Then there are a bunch of other cam’s to be replaced for a total of $4K.

I was expecting to have higher maintenance costs owning my first “luxury” vehicle – but I didn’t expect them to be this extreme. I was ready to pay $1,000 to $2,000 in repairs, but was shocked this morning when the verdict was $4,000. I am investing in repairing the car – how long do people think a 2001 Audi A6 will run?

I hope I am not crazy to think that I should be able to run my Audi to 150,000 – 200,000 miles.

I bought a used 2001 A6 2.8 over a year ago and sympathize with all of the problems expressed. My car has 74000 and it seems like every time I repair something, another light comes on. A lot of the issues are goofy things that I didn't even know could go wrong. Like one day my air bag light came on and cost me $571 to repair. Shortly thereafter, a hose came loose. We later found out that the dealer hadn't put it on properly during my 70000 mile maintenance so I talked them into not charging me another $400+ on top of the $500+ service.

I've had repairs done at the dealership, other mechanics, and myself. Honestly, I have had better luck and customer service with other mechanics than with the dealer. Even when they aren't super familiar with the brand they are less expensive and still knowledgeable.

I'm not complaining since I didn't have much better luck with the Acura I had before this one. My final thought is that if it is a luxury car and the brand is respected, why can't these cars be more reliable than most? Not only would it build more loyalty, but a buyer would feel more comfortable paying a higher price to not have to put in so much effort and just enjoy the bells and whistles and overall quality of the ride.

Hi.

Just read all the comments and found this forum today after getting a series of things that need fixing from my local Audi dealership.

I bought my car, Audi A6 2001 in Oct 2004 and bought it at a used car weekend event. Having leased an Audi for 3 years and found it expensive option (a TT) and reliable except for an issue that occurred after its first service that required being put on the back of a tow truck - of course no cost to myself. I decide to pay cash.

Fortunately with nothing more than a test drive, I drove off with the car and 56k miles. In the first few months - the drivers side window failed altogether $236 and the first service was $48 dollars at the local Audi dealer.

It would not start and had to get a new battery - $250 which I was told was specific to Audis given the jump in voltage they need. Either way the car was almost 4 years old.

Great MPG - getting 35 highway with it non tiptronic.

Since then it seems familiar - CV boot left - part is only $50 but labor around $250 each time. Relay switch was several hundred, but overall not bad considering low mileage a one year service. I had noticed a burning oil smell on occasion, but today found out rear brakes CV boot right and to top it cam seals and vavle leaking. that alone is 2k with the new timing belt, water pump, thermostat and serp belt. It sounds ominous. I got the rear brakes and cv done and think the leak is very minor, but will need addressing.

In same position throwing good money now. It is at 70k and need to make the call- another $2k and get all those taken care of, but never having had a used car before (company cars - high tax, but no issues) not sure whether to bit the bullet or stick with it. It's a good car to drive, but hardly exciting and given the fact it seems that another few thousand every year - used with the warranty that Audi offer its unlikely it was neglected before I bought it! Having leased a car that cost thousands more in montly car payments, but worry free budgeting it's a tough call to even buy a new car or one year old still under warranty for another 3 years.

Lastly, having taken it to Audi all this time for minor repairs I feel I should get Audi dealer to do the cam, timing etc - that makes sense even though the labor seems crazy. I had VW that never went wrong and Fords which any local garage was happy to fix and repair - cheaply and for some reason it was exhausts and alternators with them.

Either way - I will check back in- seems that I will have recently repaired most of the issues that people have reported so possibly stick with it for another couple of years. new cars lose thousands in value anyway, but they are new as my courtesy car reminded me today.

I paid $18k for the car including sales taxes back in Oct 2004 and already would only get $9 or $10k trade in - (maybe $14K) -retail so given the thousands in repairs along with the depreciation over 50k I am thinking maybe a new or nearly new car isn't such a bad deal as a lot offer 4 year or 50k warranties. No sure if its Audi specific, but VW seem more reliable, but close sister to Audi and Porsche.

Conclusion is that I will probably pony up and get the $2k of work done ontop of the $1k I paid today and think of some alternatives in the meantime. (and savings) The A6 (up to 03/04 new model) is pretty unreliable, but the problems are consistent at certain miles and therefore can be factored in once done homework (unfortunately that I did not). I only drive 5-7k a year so that's a factor for a car under full warranty I am considering, but leasing is not really worth it unless tax write off.

My mother had the 2002 A6 3.0 Quattro and loved the car when it was running perfectly. She had several of the known issues with the oil leaking, fuel system relays, CV boots, tie rods, etc. and did find that an independent shop was much better equipped to deal with the vehicle than was their local Audi dealership. The shop they go to are German specialists and kept the car in good working order, but when the cycle of repairs was a continuous barrage of the same parts over and over again, she opted to get rid of the vehicle to save her sanity.

Having grown up with Mercedes, BMW, and Audi, they are excellent vehicles overall, but they can be pricey to maintain. All have suffered declines in recent years in quality and build from the vehicles I remember as a child in the 1980s and onward, and, as an aside, my parents still have one of the legendary Mercedes diesel wagons with over 300k miles on it.

One thing people seem to forget is that Hondas and Fords are cheaper to fix because the respective companies sell more of the vehicles. Audis are not as common overall and as such reflect a more unique market segment that is not without its costs. Buying one used, you may pay the price of a Ford, but with the maintenance of a German luxury car. Always look at the original price of the car to gauge your maintenance spending, since pricier cars usually have more sophisticated features that are more costly to maintain/replace.

Another thing to check is the shop rates at the dealership before you commit to paying for repairs out of warranty, since such rates are usually the highest labor rates around. Also, be sure to check to see if the shop charges by the book-hour or actual time hour. The repair manual may say that a repair is 2 hours, but in reality it takes 45 minutes to fix with something else, but they usually charge the full book rate. That's how you end up paying for 8 hours of labor to fix the vehicle, when they probably spent much less time on the car.

Be judicious when you are spending your money, since you are not at the mercy of the dealership. And, if one delaership is bad, check another since it can just be the mechanics or manager at one dealership who can ruin an ownership experience.

I want to address the question of whether to get rid of the used Audi or not. I have posted before. When you buy a new Audi A6, it would cost you around 45k to 50k. After 5 years, it will depreciate in half the value.

<5 years or 50k miles>

50k / 2 = 25k.

25k / 5 = 5k.

That means, in the first five years, you are losing $5,000 bucks each year.

My bet is that repairs won't reach $5,000 per year. I have bled out over $4,600 in repairs/ maintenance in two years. So, that averages out $2,300 / year. Here's the list of maintenance that I've done (some preventative, some repairs) :

1) 2 side cam seal leaks, gaskets, valve: $1,500 (Repair)

2) Left CV joint, tie rod went $600 (repair)

3) Right CV boot went $500 (repair)

4) Change spark plugs + brake fluids $500 (preventative)

5) Change timing belt, water pump, pulleys, tensioner $1,200 (preventative - done at gas station)

Total Repair: $2,600

Total Preventative: $1,700.

<Average of two years ownership>

Repairs: $2,600 / 2 = $1,300 / year

Preventative: $1,700 / 2 = $850 / year (figure skewed b/c big maintenance occurs at 60k miles)

The preventative measures are expensive because my car is at the 65k miles service interval (or a little passed). I bought a Audi Repair Manual published by Bentley and they strongly advised car owners to change their timing belts at 60k miles or risk severe engine damages ($16,000).

<Car's Life Expectancy - assuming 100k life>

100k (full life) - 65k (used life) = 35k (life remaining)

35k (life remaining) / 5k (miles driven ea. year) = 7 years.

<New Car Purchase Analysis>

* Assumption 1: 7 years life remaining

* Assumption 2: Car loses half the value in 5 years and the rate of depreciation slows in half compared to first 5 years) :

* Assumption 3: Nothing extremely major breaks down

* Assumption 4: Little to no repairs for a new car for the first 7 years or the majority of cost covered by warranty.

* Assumption 5: Emotional stress caused by the "<A> <U>nreliable <D>eutch <I>nvention not accounted for.

Japanese ($25,000 New) :

- $25,000 / 2 = $12,500

- Rate Depr (first 5 years) : $12,500 / 5 = $2,500 / year

- Rate Depr (Begin 6 year+) : $2,500 / 2 = $1,250 / year

- Total Depr in 7 years: ($2,500 x 5) + ($1,250 x 2) = $15,000

- Depr / year: $15,000 / 7 = $2,143 / year.

European ($50,000 New) :

- $50,000 / 2 = $25,000

- Rate Depr (first 5 years) : $25,000 / 5 = $5,000 / year

- Rate Depr (begin 6 year+) : $5,000 / 2 = $2,500

- Total Depr in 7 years: ($5,000 x 5) + ($2,500 x 2) = $30,000

- Depr / Year: $30,000 / 7 = $4,286 / year.

Conclusion:

1) Buy New Japanese car? Only keep the used Audi if you bet that the repair cost will be less than $2,143 / year for the remaining 7 years.

2) Buy New European car? Only keep the used Audi if you bet that the repair cost will be less than $4,286 / year.

<Personal Conclusion>:

1) Buy New Japanese Car? In my situation, it will be cheaper to buy a new japanese car because the repair + preventative cost on my used Audi has reached $2,300 / year. That is greater than the cost to own a new Japanese car of $2,143 / year.

However, if I take out the preventative cost for my used Audi, the cost per year is $1,300 / year. I can take the preventative cost out (at least the major ones) b/c the next major preventative measure is at 100k miles or 7 years later (I plan to sell it at that time). So, I will only keep my Audi assuming my repair costs remain consistent or less (I pray that it's less).

3) Buy New European Car? In my situation, buying a new European car would cost more $4,286 / year > $2,300 / year (repairs + maintenace). BTW, I will never buy another Audi again. The only way to keep your expenses down on your car is if you can drive it for more than 10 years with little repair cost.

Overall, I seriously hope that repairs will not exceed more than $500 per year. I've researched this site thoroughly and it seems like I've repaired everything that will be broken under the mileages I'm at or within the 100k miles. So, I might even spend less than $500 / year. In 2006 I did not have any repairs. However, in 2007, the repairs haunted me again. I have looked into extended warranties, but they all want to charge close to $4,000 for 3 years or $1,333 / year. My assumption is that my repairs going forward will not be $1,333 per year, so I will not purchase the warranty. On top of that, the extended warranties want you to do all the preventative maintenace (which is a lot of money). But I've done them all.

Btw, changing the spark plugs increased the performance of my car a lot.

Secret: If you bitched to Audi USA a lot, you may get repair cost of the side cam seal leak back. Make sure you complain to Audi USA and to your service manager.

Well, I was considering the purchase of a 2002 Audi A6 for approx. 10,000 (before haggling). I don't think I want to join this crowd of unhappy Audi owners. While I will agree that any auto (especially used and 5 years old or more) will keep you walking to your ATM and using your wifes van increasingly. I absolutely love the mature sophisicated look of the A6, but the last laugh would be on me. Sorry Audi.

My wife purchased a 1999 A6 Quattro 2.8 new and we liked the car very much until the warranty expired. Then the expensive repairs began. Currently there are only 117,000 kilometers (approx 73000 miles) on the car. Over the past few weeks we spent 2100.00 to supposedly repair the problem of oil in the coolant.

The car was recently towed back to the dealership with the same symptoms and the dealer is unsure what is causing the problem; they can't tell us how much it will cost to repair (again) but it will be in the thousands.

The dealer is very unsympathetic even though they seem to have mis-diagnosed the problem last time.

When this issue is resolved the Audi will be sold and there will never be another Audi in our garage again!

Audi A6 Wagon 2000 70000 miles

Tie rod ends were left loose at Audi dealership in Minnesota, now causing tire wear.

Frond CV boots broken

Had oil leak, smell - now fixed after many re-fixings

ABS light comes on without any reason

Took it in to adjust one door... they screwed up all doors

Remote quit working

Side mirror started leaking

Plastic parts are breaking fast rate

Front-end suspension rubber boots were replaced 10000 miles ago

Audi would get better points and waiting lines would be shorter if they would educate their mechanics.

If You could afford an Audi after every 40000 miles and put up with their sloppy service - buy one otherwise stay away.

Just stepped out of my 2000 A6 2.7 disgusted. Smoke is coming from under the hood and it looks like a cam seal or head gasket leak. I bought the car at 49k and loved it while it was under warranty. I've replace 2 water pumps, 2 timing belts, instrument panel, brakes, coolant reservoir, window controls, and numerous other issues. To the person debating whether to buy this car...DON'T!!! I've spent about 5-6k on repairs for this car and still have about a 1.5-2k repair to make.

Hopefully this forum has warned you if you're considering purchasing an Audi. Backstory: I've only owned Japanese cars, most recently a 1994 Lexus. I've found them to be boring to drive and have always wanted a German car that had that "German handling thing". I finally bought my dream car, a 2002 S8, three months ago.

I did a lot of research and purchased it from a dealer in PA. I live in Minnesota. This dealer had an extremely good reputation and had been selling cars online for 10 years on Ebay. They had over 850 positive feedbacks and not even 1 negative over that time. The PA Better Business Bureau had no complaints registered. In my frequent communications with them over several weeks they were responsive and honest. Nonetheless, I had the car independently inspected at another dealer of my choice (an Audi dealership) in the same town for $350. They said car was in exceptional shape, but needed a left tie rod end and four new tires. The dealer I bought it from fixed these things at their cost. Since I've owned the car (whose warranty expired 1/07,- I took delivery 3/07) here's what has happened:

1) 1st month: Car overheated due to a bad fan clutch. Since the thermostat needed to be replaced as a result of this, and getting in there meant having to take the front end off, the mechanic suggested doing the timing belt and water pump too. Cost of all this? $1500.

2) 1st month: The airbag sensor light came on. Mechanic reset the sensor to see if it would light up again. It did, immediately. Further inspection revealed that I needed a new airbag module. So, in a 4 year old $80,000 car whose airbags have never deployed, the entire safety system failed 2 months past warranty. Audi of North America blew me off and firmly declined to pay for anything. Cost? $1300.

3) 1st-3rd month: various diagnostic charges to find out about the above mentioned issues and others. $500.

3 months, cost to me? $3200 and a complete lack of trust in the reliability and safety of this car. Would I ever buy another Audi again? Never. If you've read this thread, you've been warned.

I have a good story, too. I have a very sharp 2001, black TT quaatro roadster, with 65K miles that I bought used at around 55,000 miles. I took it on its first road trip and the timing belt snapped leaving me on the side of I-85. Luckily for me, an extended warranty was bought with the vehicle. This thinking ahead saved me over $3000; the breakdown cost me around $1000. Additional costs were gas for someone to come get me in another state (plus a used favor), hotel room, etc. The warranty runs out next year because of the time limit, so I will be praying daily after that.

I have an Audi 2001 2.7T @ 65,000 miles. Experienced almost all of the common problems mentioned in this forum:

1) CV joints + CV boots + tie rods.

2) Changed Timing belts + messed up water pump.

3) Gasket and seal problems (fixed together with timing belt)

4) Recharged AC.

5) Recently, blinkers wouldn't work. Dealer wanted $2-300 Bucks. I bought the part off an online auto warehouse for $40 and took less than 15 minutes to install the turn signal relay switch. For those of you that want to replace it, the turn signal switch is housed together with the warning signal relay. Just pop the plastic cover (located at the warning signal) out and then use a pryer to pull the relay unit out. Becareful not too pull too hard! Simply pull the old unit out and plug the new unit in. Like plugging an electronic into a power outlet.

6) Right window roll up very slowly. Currently, I'm reading the Bentley Audi repair book and will probably order the window motor online to fix it myself. I'm still debating to see if it's worth the time and money. Basically, I can fix small electronic parts, but big things like engine or seals or even brakes, I will take it to the gas station. The stealership is out of the question. I'm learning a lot about car parts, but this is becoming very costly.

Anyways, my car will reach 70,000 miles. Having fixed all those things, will I be able to squeeze another 50,000 miles into it (total 120,000 miles)?

The funny thing about Audis is that you never really see any old Audis on the road. I think I'm beginning to understand why. However, having put in so much in repairs, I'm hoping I can squeeze a few more miles out of it. Anybody here has an Audi with 100k? What upcoming problems should I expect as I reach the 70,000 miles excluding the above problems mentioned on top?

Um, really? You never see old Audi's on the road? Perhaps you don't know what they look like?

My first Audi was an '85 4000s. I drove it for 185,000 miles and sold it. Never had a major repair. Replaced the clutch at 135000. Hey, a clutch is a wear item. Sometimes they last longer, sometimes not, but eventually they will wear out, on any car. The 4000 was a great car. I had a clutch go on a Acura Integra that I owned at the same time. The Acura had 40,000 mileson it. Acura agreed that it was abnormal and replaced it at their cost. Kudo's to Acura. Sometimes companies will help out, sometimes not.

2nd Audi, a '98 A4. 90,000 miles, still own it. Drives like new. Just did the timing belt service. Yup, $1200. All of you people who complain about timing belt services should understand that many cars use belts in this application, they all need to be replaced on a regular schedule (60-90k) and none will be cheap to do. It's simply a labor intensive job. And do the rollers and water pump at the same time. The belts generally only break when a roller seizes or tensioner fails. It's worth the extra $300. Honest.

3rd Audi, a '96 A6 Avant. Bought with 60k. Now has 180.000 miles. This car will go hundreds of thousand more. very solid. Everytime I ride in someone else's car with 70,000 miles I realize what a good car this A6 really is. About to do my second Timing belt service. Never thought I'd like this car as much as I do. Got rear ended by a Dodge Power Ram PU pulling a 4 horse trailer. Bought a new rear hatch and had the back pulled straight. It remains a trustworthy and dependable car.

4th Audi, a 99 A6 Avant Quattro. Bought with 86000 miles from a shifty dealer who hid some problems (engine leaks). Am in the process of fixing these things. Just did the Timing Belt service (90k) and replaced the front seals while I was at it. Had the shifty dealer replace the leaky camshaft cover gaskets. Shifty dealer did a crap job. Also, I replaced the window clips that should have been replaced on the silent recall, but weren't. These clips are what cause the slow window up scenerio, not a faulty window motor. The clips cost about $2 ea. and you need 2 per window. It should take about an hour per door, maybe a little more. This is a nice car that suffered an owner (s) who thought that maintenance is optional.

SOME GENERAL NOTES:

Why do people complain about brakes wearing out? Don't they realize that brakes are a wear item? In all cars. Tires too. Also expect suspension parts to wear out occasionally, especially if you live somewhere where you encounter pot holes.

If your Audi dealer is good, great. But they are expensive, and yes, there are real reasons behind this. Ask them why. Plenty of training costs and Audi specific equipment. Then there are those loaner cars (who did you think was paying for that?). And the coffee and donuts in the spiffy 2000 sq. foot waiting room with internet.

Independent mechanics can be fine. Make sure that they are Audi experienced and honest about what they can handle. These are complex cars and need specific knowledge and tools. A botched repair job will cost more than what the dealer charges every time.

Midas? Are you out of your mind? Buy an expensive car and then put crap parts on it? Does that make any sense at all?

Nope Audi's are not perfect. They may even be a little less dependable in some areas than some others. But properly maintained by a knowledgeable technician, they'll last a long time. You can kill any car with neglect. Just some faster than others.

My worst car ever? A '69 Toyota Carolla. No redeeming qualities and the body fell apart with rust.

08/01/2007

I own a 2000 A6 2.7T Quattro with 107,000 miles. Have had increasing amount of repair bills since car reached 100,000 miles. Had to replace catalytic converter at 102,000. Cost was around $1000. Had car in for inspection 2 weeks ago, no problems, but the next day the dreaded "Check Engine" light came on. This happens periodically and usually just turns off. It stayed on for 2 weeks so I took the car in yesterday. Dealer just called to say that I need a new Torque Converter and it will cost $2800. I was hoping to drive this car another 100,000 miles. Am a being naive? Has anyone had any torque converter problems? I drive the car about 350 miles/week, mostly freeway driving, nothing unusual.

You should get rid of your Audi before it reaches 100,000 miles. Unless you are a mechanic with the right sort of tools to fix Audis, that car will just bleed you to death. There are next to no old Audis on the road! The guy who posted the previous comment about his Audi reaching well over 100,000 miles is probably a dealer or mechanic. I complained to the dealer / agent who sold me the car (2001 A6 2.7T Audi) and he said I was lucky I got that year's make, because the 2002-3 version has even more problems. Wow, this came straight from the mouth of a dealer who tells me he's been selling Audis for 20 or 30 years!

Just get a used Camry or Japanese car. Camry goes for about $25,000 new and after 5 years, it's about 12,500. It is a step down, but this is the only way to save your mentality and stop the bloodshed (unless you are filthy rich to get new Audis every 5 years). A few thousand here, a few thousand there, and soon, the repairs add up to a new or used Japanese car.

About the previous comment posted about the Corolla, c'mon get real, your Corolla is 1969... let's think... 38 years! That's four generations for a car! And you complain it rusts? I'm surprise it even runs! There you go, even though he complains about the 1969 corolla, the verdict is still the Japanse car for reliability evidenced by the fact that his 1969 corolla still runs.