I just called Audi USA. I asked if the extended warranty for carbon buildup that they issued in 2013, for 2013 and older cars, also applied for 2014+ vehicles. She said that extended warranties are VIN specific and I would have to give her a VIN to find out. So I quickly looked online and found a VIN for a 2015 A6 3T. She said that this specific vehicle has no extended warranties on it.

So it looks like the carbon buildup extended warranty does NOT apply to 2014 and newer vehicles.

Lardog, as to first paragraph of your post above I don't think this is the case. Not in Audi's best interests and I'd like to think that no letter for /14+ as result of design change and Audi's hope that this is no longer an issue. Time will tell but if AoA extended warranty for the earlier years I would think good chance if us /14+ model year owners have this issue AoA will stand behind the product. Let's hope.


If indeed the problem manifests itself north of 70K miles and a $1,200 repair not end of world and possible AoA/dealer might help out on the cost if you have maintained car well and have a good relationship with dealer.


Finally, I know some of our friends on this board will disagree with me (I respect their opinions but I'll go my own way on this point), but I will continue to change my oil and filter at 5K intervals and change air filter every 15-20K. It might be overkill but it is not expensive in the grand scheme of things and if it keeps things engine cleaner than going 10K between oil changes and changing air filter at Audi recommended interval I'm good with that. It will help me sleep better - LOL.


Final word, I would not shy away from this car because of this historic problem -- very good chance that solved in the more recent model year cars.


Best,
Jeff

Keep in mind that the 10 yr/120 Mi carbon build up extended warranty for pre-2014 3.0/3.2 engines only covers the SAPs and does not include other areas of the engine such as valves, etc. Unfortunately, fuel does not come in contact with the secondary air ports (the fuel ignotes higher up in the cylinder before it reaches the SAPs) so preventative measures like using Top Tier Fuel or extra additives won't help here as it might with the valves.

Agreed. This issue (really a non-issue right now) is not steering me away from the A6. If this turns out to be a non-issue, great. Otherwise, even if (in the worst case) $1200 is the price I have to pay to drive what I consider a world class car, I'll pay it. I've test driven a lot of cars other than the A6 - and was never impressed (with one exception). After one A6 3T test drive, I knew immediately that I wanted this car, and this topic isn't steering me away.

Thanks to this forum I come away a bit more educated: I know what to expect (I hate surprises), and I know the best ways to prevent carbon buildup. I just need to buy the car now, have fun with it, and never look back.

I really appreciate everyone's responses and time put into my post, especially you Jeff, Jim, and snagit.

Larry

Acuransx, "Finally, I know some of our friends on this board will disagree with me (I respect their opinions but I'll go my own way on this point), but I will continue to change my oil and filter at 5K intervals".
You're Right, it is overkill. I purchased the Audi maintenance contract, and that covers Oil/Filter Change every 10K miles or once each year whichever comes first. With Modern Synthetic Oils and larger crankcases, that change interval keeps the car in Warantee. BTW my Porsche Boxster required Oil Change (Mobil 1 Full Synthetic) every 15K/1-year and Filter to be changed every-other Oil Change.

Larry, what was the exception? FWIW, before I gave up my Acura TL for the A6 I drove lots of cars as well. The A6's direct competitors were not very impressive. E350 not very engaging and long in the tooth (being replaced very soon I believe) and the 535i just felt big and ponderous. There is a lightness and fleet of foot feeling that the A6 has which I found missing in the other two German sedans. The wonderful ZF 8 speed transmission coupled with the 3.0T engine's torque available at the tap of a toe is a wonderful combination. Good luck with your search.

Summary of my test drives (my opinion only): The Lexus GS was a big car that felt even bigger. The E350 was a quality car that was nicely built but not that fun to drive - at least not to justify the price (but more fun than the GS). The new C-series was actually very nice, but leaning to luxury not performance. I wanted to like the BMWs, and I drove many, but they didn't do it for me. The 428 had ergonomic issues (for me), the steering was over-boosted, and everything looked and felt cheap inside. I liked the Cadillac CTS: good size, nicely appointed, the turbo was powerful with no lag, and was relatively fun to drive, but not as fun as the A6.

The 'exception' that I was referring to was the Cadillac ATS. That car is a blast to drive. It made me want to speed up before every corner. Owner satisfaction is low, reliability is rated as 'poor' (mostly due to 1st year recalls and issues that I think have been worked out). The only issue I had with it was that it was pretty small - hard to throw the wife, the sister-in-law, and a set of golf clubs in it and go on a drive-vacation. They also depreciate like mad. Maybe I'll pick one up in the future.

Larry, FWIW my friends with Cadillacs have not had exactly exemplary service experiences and that cue system is horrible. This was one of the biggest fears I had with the A6 (not the service experience, but, rather, the MMI). The MMI turned out to be a piece of cake thanks to the fact that there are enough knobs/buttons, etc. such that I don't have to look at some funky touch screen and scroll through a bunch of menus to get to what I need while on the fly. And yes, the ATS is tiny especially in back seat -- a non-starter for me as well.


dicktahoe, as regards the "overkill" I won't argue the point with anyone -- to each his own. I'm guessing that my 5K intervals are part of reason my local Audi dealer likes me so much -- LOL. However, my long time friend and master Acura tech who works on my NSX is happy to change the oil and filter in the A6 at the Acura dealer for $15-20 in labor if I supply the parts which represents a big savings over the $170 the Audi dealer charges for an oil change. Thus my "intermediate" oil/filter changes while perhaps overkill won't break the bank!


Best,
Jeff

$170 for an oil change by an Audi dealer is over the top. My dealer charges $110 and when they run a coupon, it's been $80 all in.

Agree 100%. Unfortunately competition here in the Motor City tri county area (population approx. 3.8 Million per /10 census I believe) is not very robust. 3 Audi dealers in total. One in Farmington Hills, one on far east side of town and the other in Ann Arbor. This is part of the reason I almost pulled the trigger on a CPO car in Princeton, NJ. Ultimately I wound up with a new /15 that dealer in Ann Arbor was motivated to discount and fortunately it was optioned exactly the way I would have ordered the car. With my VAG supplier discount, Acura conquest money, incentive for financing through Audi Financial and discount to make way for /16 MY cars the price came into my comfort zone. Sticker on my car was just shy of 60K and I paid slightly under 52K before sales tax. Discount was approx. 13% when everything was factored in which is pretty good around here given the lack of competition.


Best,
Jeff