irenesbob

Now that sunny days are back, so are the apparent swirls/scratches in the instrument cluster lens/cover of my 2013 A6 P+. I am entertaining getting a 2016 A6 when my current lease is up this fall, but the re-appearance of the swirls has me questioning that decision.
Doe anyone know if this is still an issue with newer (later than my 2013) A6’s?
It may seem like a minor issue to many, but to me I do not want another 3 years of this driving me crazy. The issue with this car is the first in my 50+ years of car ownership. A related question is whether switching to an A5, A4 or Q5 might help if these models do not have the problem - anyone know about them? I haven't uncovered the issue with a search of those models, but maybe those owners are just less critical of things.
Any input (including telling me I am nuts) is welcome.

MCRN

Of all my Audis:

2011 Audi A4 Avant - Had swirls upon delivery from their dealer prep
2013 Audi S4 - Swirls became apparent after about a year of ownership
2014 Audi A6 - Swirls on here as well
2011 TT - Only one with no swirls!

Cannot stand the material Audi uses for the lens covers, its complete garbage. I clean with nothing more than light compressed air when its just dust, and a quality microfiber with Plexus plastic polish when it needs a deeper clean and still have swirls everywhere.

Wife's Grand cherokee has the same style lens cover and you can damn near wipe hers with a paper towel and not a scratch to be seen, so poor choice in materials on Audi's part

That being said, wouldn't keep me from buying another Audi (clearly I keep repeating anyway).

irenesbob

I ha 2006 A4, 2008 A4 and 2010 A6 all with no such issues. I was told these all had glass for the lens cover. Your 2011 TT was based on a several years older chassis, so I suspect it had glass as well. The more recent MY Audi's all seem to be using this material which at various sun angles lets you see the molecular structure - I am told they are not swirls or scratches. I believe it given how cyristal clear the lens cover seems in shade, at night and in slow-sun seasons; I never see it in NYS winters.

MCRN

Our TT lens covers are definitely plastic and not glass, I do remember my old 2005 A6 had the glass covers that were coated as well in some type of anti-reflection similar to what you see on an Omega Watch cyrstal (they both had that blue/purple tint when viewed at certain angles).

Regardless of what its made of, its clear by my inspection of other makes that there does indeed exist a much better clear plastic lens material that looks far better than what Audi is currently using.

irenesbob

I agree. Last summer I had a deer hit in the A6 and had a Chevy Sonic for almost a month while the Audi was being fixed. I could not replicate the Audi cluster covering issues on the cheap little Sonic. This past January I rented a Chevy Cruze in Florida and had the same experience. Somehow Chevy can get decent material in its $18,000 to $23,000 cars, but not Audi on $50,000+ cars. I may well be a former Audi guy over this.

snagitseven

I was thinking of dumping my A6 because the left side cup holder is smaller than the one on the right.

ben_aip

++
Good one snagit!

fEArmE

For all seriousness, I only noticed the difference (after having the car for 2 years) when my buddy told me that after I complaint the cup holder would not fit a large iced coffee!

irenesbob

I chuckled at that, snagit. I see quite a difference in my “issue” and your “pretend issue”. I am actually pretty basic in what I look for in a car. I could live without power windows, power seats, leather seats and so many more things. I never use my sunroof (twice to show friends). A ton of the things my car has on it have never been used or accessed. To me simple is best, but whatever is there better work and be free of defects. To me this is really a defect. I could live with half the info that appears on the A6’s various instruments, but I can’t live with the cover (that should be clear and smooth in all situations) looking crappy. Yes, I am I guess ****, etc., but I see this kind of failure (like leather that cracks) as different from the features, etc. that a vehicle may or may not have. When I buy a car I can see that the left cupholder is too small but then I can decide “upfront” that it is OK and get the car anyway. When I looked into the 2013 A6 (after having three previous Audi’s from 2005 to 2012, all with glass cluster lenses that always looked 100%) I was not thinking the newer, better 2013 could have such an issue, but now I know and I have to decide what to do when the lease is up. I am seriously struggling with this and would love to get another A6, but every time I have to drive the thing looking at this kind of clouded, swirly looking cluster and having the date and miles readings unreadable because of all the swirly, scratched looking stuff, I just may give my 10+ year Audi streak a break and give another brand a chance to let me down.

pat clark

Just for the record, irenesbob and snagitseven are my two favorites in this forum. Just sayin.