Airbag

i think the original question is a bit ambiguous.

ANY engine can plast forever, it comes to how well its maintained and how many rebuilds you want to do . As long as you have an endless supply of engine parts and labour your engine will keep going. i think the real question is how long before it becomes economically unviable.

Lots of people give up when the cams go south on a 3 litre because the cars are worth so little now , in some cases to repair it or have someone else do it, is worth more than an engine .. or the whole car for that matter.

The 2.8 seems to just go forever , I have a had a few of the 2.8s and they truely just wear out . They are very robust but eventually the oil usage creeps up , and then it starts to affect the cats etc. It could easily be rebuilt with a a valve job, a new set of rings ,and maybe pistons and you are good to go .. is it economically viable ? probably not .. i replaced the whole car for a thousand dolllars.

probably in short it is evrything else that will wear out on your car that make it economically unviable before the engine..

reppucci

Ditto here! 04 2.7t 187,500 miles; oil change every 10K clutch at 170K (actually throwout bearing but replaced clutch while at it!) add 1 quart oil every 4-5K miles. Valve covers and rear cam seals leaking.

Runs like a dream 25mpg combined driving. Am thinking time to do shocks!

Prospeeder

198k on my 2.8 A6 and 208k on my Chipped 1.8T A4. Neither use any oil between changes. Both are a little rattly in the morning but whisper quiet in a moment or two. I expect 300k out of both easily. The A6 used to use a ton of oil, until i cleaned out all of the snot from the breather pipes and it went to zero oil consumption. Good cars, don't let mileage scare you.

tester123

Reaching the middle-age of 128k here. Take care of little problems asap so they don't become monsters and wreck the engine at the end.

ucme1065

I just retired my 1998 A-6 due to transmission failure. It had 364000 miles. I did all repairs after the initial 100,000 mile maintenance. Over the years I replaced an ECM, Starter, Cruise module, and window parts-- all considered normal wear and tear.

thall6594

My 3.0 is sitting in the garage with 185k needing a head gasket, add that to the $12k spent on repairs in the last two years and there is the reason I'm not fixing it. Already replaced the car, now I have to try to sell the A6 and get a little of my money back for the heap.

N_Jay

What was in the $12K

cvhhj

Beware of timing belt kits. There have been some customers with premature wear on the serpentine belts that came as part of a kit.

Sam DaMan

Seriously... What could you possibly spend $12k on in 2 years? or maybe not USD? Zimbabwe?

thall6594

Torque converter, servotronic steering rack, x2 full timing belt kits (water pump failed twice), brake caliper, and a bunch of smaller things that add up with parts and labor. A few $3k bills and others ranging from $80 to $900, USD.