2001 Audi A6 from North America - Comments

My 2.8 quattro avant year 2000 has now done over 140000 miles. It has had routine maintenance, cam tensioner gaskets, driveshaft boots, cam belt, pulleys and water pump. Brake rotors do tend to warp and it is due it's second set soon. Overall it drives like the luxury car it is and I expect to keep it until 200000 miles. People still prefer to travel with me than in newer cars. It is safe, fast and quiet. Overall I am very satisfied and would recommend one. (Provided however that you understand that just because it is expensive to buy, it doesn't mean it is maintenance free!)

My 2000 A6 2.7T Quattro has over 160k on it and yes, I've had most of the problems mentioned above. The biggest ticket item for me was a rebuild of the turbos. Last winter it was very cold for a couple of weeks and I think it was a bit too much for them. Absolutely find a private mechanic that you trust. It will cost you 40% less and you'll get better service. Out of five dealers I've taken the car to, I would only recommend one. But even a good dealer is expensive. I also agree with a previous comment that you need to be able to do minor repairs yourself such as rotor replacement. It's a good idea to invest in a code reader for your laptop and a Bentley manual. A note on the check engine light - it is simply an exhaust malfunction indicator light designed to alert you when the engine is possibly damaging your cat converters. There are other lights that warn of serious engine problems.

Regardless of the troubles, I love the car and I couldn't go out and buy one with comparable looks, ride, interior, sound system, etc. for what it costs to maintain. I'll have it until the wheels fall off.

I have been a proud owner of a 2001 A6 2.7t for two years now. I bought the car with 45k miles for $16k. Great condition.

All I have had to do on the car was change the CV joints and that's been it.

I bought new tires for it on tirerack; cost me 380 dollars. 70 for install and everything wasn't even dent in my wallet.

Just do the oil changes every 5k miles. My local dealer amazingly is cheaper than anyone else at $50. But that's probably the only thing I will go to the dealer for. When I take it for oil changes, I just ask them to look it over. Then I go to my independent mechanic who has every tool and computer for European cars and do the work. So far, nothing.

I am about to do the timing belt, water pump, and engine seals in one shot as preventive, not because the car needs it for $1,500. I think this car is so reliable, it just depends if you take care of your car or not.

To me this car is impeccable, this car is bullet proof. No noise, smooth ride, awesome engine, roomy as hell, this car is gangster. You could fit a couple bodies in the trunk.

The thing about this car is, it's a highway vehicle. It loves the highway. It will make you enjoy your fast drives. If you drive inner city all the time, it'll cost you in gas. But when you decided to buy a German sporty luxury car, you didn't think it was going to come for free.

As to the reliability, I had a Toyota Camry, and Toyota dealership costs was just as expensive as the Toyota.

I would recommend this car to anyone; you just have to be more involved and more informed to own it. You can't just go to the dealer. Any dealer will destroy your wallet, it's their job. Be a smart consumer, SHOP AROUND for a good mechanic, lord knows I've gone through my share. Once you go German, it's really hard to go back.

I read every comment here, and I would like to say thanks for everyone’s input. It really helps clarify all my concerns about purchasing an Audi. Now I just need to weigh the pros and expensive cons…

Okay, my heart really wants to buy an A6, 2001. I just like them. I loved the older ones, but never owned one. They're cool. But should I. I read all these comments. I can pick up an A6 2001 with 100k for under 7k?

Should I?

Be sure to get a vehicle history report (carfax, etc) before you buy it, and ask to get it inspected by a mechanic too. I just got a 2001 A6 last year and I love it. It only had 45000 miles on it, and I got it for $12,500 (before tax and extended warranty). It was a lease vehicle and had specific terms on the lease, for example, no smoking in the car. Still has the "no smoking" sign in it, in fact. So far the only big repair was to replace the valve cover gasket and cam seals, which was fortunately covered by the extended warranty I got. I love this car. Super fun to drive, extremely comfortable (even for a big guy like me), and it looks great. I hear it's a safe car, too. I put some nice wheels on it -- OZ Canyons -- which seem to be made for this car. They are really sweet, but were not cheap. Got them at tirerack dot com. Maybe I've just been lucky that I haven't had any big problems with the car yet. Watch, now that I said that, it will probably break down tomorrow!

I'm considering an Audi A6 2.8L and it's an '01 model... going for $12K and has about 40K miles on it... still kind of iffy about it and if it's worth the money? All these repair issues are scaring me, but the mileage is great and the car has a clean title! Any suggestions?

I have an '01 A6 2.8...got it for a steal in '04 with 40k miles on it for under $17 grand... same story, different car--started with tie rods and cv boots, then went to slow windows, from there the control arms on both sides... after that I got hit with the burning oil smell and I had to have all the seals replaced... while they were in there, I had them replace the timing belt and water pump while they had the front end off... all I can say is --STAY OUT OF THE DEALERSHIP! they screw you on price. I have a local guy (i live in Pittsburgh) and he specializes in imports... i go online and buy the parts and take them to him and he does the work. if I would have gone to the dealership, I would be about $9,000 poorer... instead I spent under $3500...and the way I figure it; I have invested less than $20,000 for a car that had a sticker close to $50k, and some of what I paid was for things that needed to be done for upkeep (timing belt/water pump). The car looks and rides great, just buy one cheap and as long as you have a local mechanic that is trustworthy and knows Audis, you're made in the shade. I am 123,000 miles in, I own the car free and clear, and hope to run it into the ground for another year to 18 months. Good luck.

Are German cars not meant to be the most reliable n well self maintained?? Or so I'v herd anyway, I just bought an Audi A6 99' 1.8T with 192,000k for $2000, only problems are mostly cosmetic, scratches on front bumper n 1 or 2 tiny dents. car ticks slightly when hittin 30, but I'm assuming that's just light suspension damage.Anyway, expecting car to go to atleast 250,000 :-) someone please reassure me!!

I just bought a 2001 Audi A6 with 110,000 miles and it drives like new. I read a lot of concerns but also a lot of good things. The main thing is that you do your research on the car! Also know that it is a lux car and it's a bit more to service on the other hand it rated a lot safer!

You don't have to go to the dealer for everything! for example I just bought mine March 1st and I know 100,000 miles it's time for a timing belt etc (doing research). I called the dealer (s) and I called around to some shops. Dealer wanted anywhere between 1000 to 1,400. I found a place, Goodyear Gemini that will do the work for 530 + 43 for the tenion belt.

So I say that to say its all in how you research your car.

But a great car even @ 110,000. I'm very pleased.

And 12k is great for the amount of mileage on it! Mine was about 10,900.

Hope that was helpful!

I actually started this topic last year. I have to admit that although back then I wasn't happy with my 2001 Audi A6 2.7T, its still a great ride. One point I picked up from most of these posts was that "Although the car is pricey, it doesn't come maintenance free" AUDI as a brand is great especially if you are a proactive and vigilant owner. I sometimes turned of my radio and drove at least a mile or two just to listen to any knocks or whines. The car gave me a good 73 - 102,000 of luxury and performance from June 2004 - March 2008.

From my experience some of the things to look out for on Audi A6's are:

Cracks in coolant expansion tank (due to high temp /weather) followed by bad temp sensor, Turbos tend to go bad especially after 100k miles, dead pixels in instrument cluster (this car hates Hot weather buy a dash sun shield if you can), Leaks in cam Shaft (I don’t know why these go bad beyond 80k miles), CV boots (these break like crazy especially if you have low profile tires like 17” or lower …portholes in sharp curves are the main culprit. If ignored your control arms will be go very soon) ABS light comes on (I noticed this started when someone mercilessly tugged on the safety belts especially for the back seats, I believe that’s where the trouble starts…can’t be so sure but the same thing happened to my new 2006 AUDI A6) Slow/ Jamming windows – this usually happens in very cold weather when the Window control module’s mechanism contracts and gets stuck. There is no preventive measure that I know apart from replacing entire unit.

Remember once you go German you will never go back so another thing to look out for is yourself, you love the brand do your research. I’m hooked to Audi and now I own a 2006 Audi A6 3.2L. The car is great is all I can say.

RoCo – Medford MA.

I have a 2001 Audi A6 Quattro. I love this car but I agree with everything written here. It will cost me parts only 1800.00 to replace all four cat.converters. they say there is four? and each side is 900.00 each?? It has cost me about 400.00 to replace my c02 sensors. 325.00 on a brake job (that's expected)... WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THE SLOW WINDOWS.. THEN THEY WON'T ROLL UP ANY MORE BUT I KNOW THE MOTOR IS STILL GOOD ON THE WINDOWS, IT SEEMS LIKE IT SLIPPED OFF TRACK OR SOMETHING IT ROLLS DOWN, BUT NOT UP! UGH!

Yes, my instrument cluster lights are starting to go.

Two small buttons on the drivers' seat, they broke immediatly. auto lock or something I forget now, but they popped out long ago.

I know it sounds crazy to say I love this car, but I do. But the window thing is my biggest gripe!

Never take it to an Audi dealer, if you do grease up and bend over.

I got my 2001 A6 Avant 2.8 Quattro two years ago, and unlike so many other people here, I have very little negative to report. Many things I cannot blame the car for really.

I have visited this forum before, and when I smelled what would be best described as burning oil, I knew what was waiting for me. Thankfully, I don't rely on an Audi dealership for repairs as there is a small car repair shop in the neighborhood specialized in German cars (Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and Audi). So it is much cheaper, as you can imagine. The people were also smart enough to inform me, that it would be a good time to replace the timing belt while they were at it. Cost of the adventure was less than $1,000. Nevertheless, I agree that this flaw should have been resolved in the 2001 model, after it became apparent years earlier.

The next thing which broke down was the cup holder in the center console, which, when you look at it and see how cheaply and flimsy it is made, is clearly an afterthought. I don't recall finding this in the A6s I have seen in Germany, so it was probably added specially for the US market. Right now it serves as a holder for my sun glasses. :)

Third, passenger side control arm and bushings needed replacement. However, had I not driven into that 9 ft. deep pothole, none of that would have been necessary. Number 4 on the list is a shot speaker in the driver door - apparently, max. volume and a monster bass can do that to speakers. Finally, the auto-dimming rear mirror has decided, that the night lasts 24 hours a day.

The car is now 7 years old and has 83K miles on it. The interior is still almost spotless, not even the hot Florida sun could do harm. The leather still looks practically new, and squeaking noises are no where to be found. Steering as direct as when it was new, and the brakes work smoothly and do an excellent job (btw, no problems with the rotors whatsoever on my car). I have had the opportunity (and pleasure) to drive a brand new Infinity G35 Coupe (2007 model) and I was hugely impressed with the performance and handling. However, I was surprised that a 40K Car made in 2007 felt cheaper from the inside than the 7 year old Audi. A 2005 Acura TSX was also disappointing in terms of ride quality, noise levels and materials used in the inside. Sure, both cars are cheaper relatively speaking (my Audi was probably close to 40K in 2001 and the current equivalent model is 55K easily), and I consider them more reliable than the Audi, however, I was expecting something more from 5 to 6 years of car development in terms of the sheer quality of the ride.

There's only two things really I would like to change on the car: A slightly stiffer suspension and an altered power distribution of the AWD drive system in favor of the rear (60:40 instead of 50:50) for better handling.

So, do you want to buy this car? I think, if reliability is what you're after, not really. You would be better off with a Japanese car along the lines of Infinity, Acura or Toyota, all excellent cars. However, if you are looking for a treat, something to behold, and are not afraid for higher maintenance cost because you know you are getting something in return, then should take a look at the Audi A6 (Quattro models only, of course).

This is a brilliant car.

I have a 2001 A6 2.7 Quattro and have bought it October 2007. Was wondering if anyone knew of any site where we could go through the service manual to troubleshoot some engine error codes. Also, a person earlier suggested getting a diagnostic reader for the laptop... where would you suggest buying one and how much would it be, if anyone knows..?

Thanks, Great car.. I enjoy driving it.

Last August I bought my dad's A6 2.7 Turbo. It had been a reliable car for him, with the worst problem being a bad wheel bearing. His Audi dealer "fixed" it for him but -- oops -- installed it backwards somehow, so that it failed a couple of months later.

Anyway, he did get it fixed correctly finally, and sold it to me for just 8 grand. It had only 64,000 miles. We certainly love driving it here in NH -- it's a smooth, powerful car and the Quattro is great in the snow. However, a couple of months ago I noticed that when I first start it up in the morning, put its Tiptronic in Drive and apply gas, the engine would rev a bit but the car would hardly move forward for 3-5 seconds.

This syndrome became more pronounced and frequent over the past weeks and I took it to my trustworthy mechanic (trained Audi/VW fellow) who said it was a bad torque converter. Apparently the ZF torques converters of the 2000-2003 or so Audis have a known defect -- poorly designed seals that leak internally and screw up the functionality of the unit.

Replacement TC's, which have an improved design, cost about $950 and, since the tranny has to be removed, the repair is estimated to take 17 hours. Any way you cut it, it's at least $2,000 and I've read that Audi dealers typically charge $3K+ for the job.

MY mechanic called his buddy at the Parts Dept. at the local Audi dealer, who said they sell about two TC's a week, so common is this problem. I thought I should flag this as an issue... I'm a bit surprised no one in this forum has mentioned or apparently experienced torque converter failure, since it seems to be an acknowledge problem elsewhere on the Web.

Also, given the somewhat low mileage of our A6, I'm surprised the TC has given up the ghost so quickly. Hope the turbos last longer! I've been using synthetic oil since I bought the car -- maybe that will help.

Andy - Southern NH.