Questions for 2003/2004 A6 4.2 Owners....
11-10-2003, 09:15 PM
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Questions for 2003/2004 A6 4.2 Owners....
1. How many of you have the Vibration problem?
2. For those of you that have the problem, how long did it take for the problem to appear? 10 Miles, 1000 Miles...?
3. Would be able to determine if a car has the problem during a test drive?
I'm still considering getting a new A6 4.2 to replace my 2000 BMW540.
Thanks,
Mike
2. For those of you that have the problem, how long did it take for the problem to appear? 10 Miles, 1000 Miles...?
3. Would be able to determine if a car has the problem during a test drive?
I'm still considering getting a new A6 4.2 to replace my 2000 BMW540.
Thanks,
Mike
11-10-2003, 09:34 PM
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Answers.
I bought my '03 4.2 new in June. From day one, my car had a slight "wobble" in the steering wheel when I drove at 55 - 65 m.p.h. We (the dealer and I) attributed it to one or more tires with temporary flat spots that had come about as a result of the car sitting undriven for several months before I bought it. (The car was in new car inventory, sitting in the plastic in the dealer's overflow lot.) I agreed to drive the car for "awhile" and see if the flat spot(s) disappeared.
Bottom line: The symptoms did not go away. I took the car back to the dealer and they confirmed that 1 tire had a slight flat spot. They replaced the tire and did a 4-wheel roadforce balance on a Hunter (GSP 9700?) balancing machine. During the balancing, they found all 4 wheels to be out by up to .75 oz. After these repairs, my car had zero wobbling, nada. That was only a few hundred miles ago, but so far, so good.
In my case, the symptoms appeared every time I drove the car within the vulnerable speed range (55 - 65). They didn't appear every moment; for some reason, they'd kind of come and go every few minutes or so. Still, before the problem was fixed I'd only have to be driving a few minutes within the 55 - 65 range and the symptoms were certain to appear. It was easy to demonstrate to the service folks.
As I said, the car now drives beautifully. Though not everyone here agrees, I'm absolutely convinced that in the case of my car, at least, the vibration was due to tire and wheel balance problems and not an inherent A6 design problem. I absolutely love this car and recommend it highly.
Hope this helps...good luck.
Bottom line: The symptoms did not go away. I took the car back to the dealer and they confirmed that 1 tire had a slight flat spot. They replaced the tire and did a 4-wheel roadforce balance on a Hunter (GSP 9700?) balancing machine. During the balancing, they found all 4 wheels to be out by up to .75 oz. After these repairs, my car had zero wobbling, nada. That was only a few hundred miles ago, but so far, so good.
In my case, the symptoms appeared every time I drove the car within the vulnerable speed range (55 - 65). They didn't appear every moment; for some reason, they'd kind of come and go every few minutes or so. Still, before the problem was fixed I'd only have to be driving a few minutes within the 55 - 65 range and the symptoms were certain to appear. It was easy to demonstrate to the service folks.
As I said, the car now drives beautifully. Though not everyone here agrees, I'm absolutely convinced that in the case of my car, at least, the vibration was due to tire and wheel balance problems and not an inherent A6 design problem. I absolutely love this car and recommend it highly.
Hope this helps...good luck.
11-10-2003, 10:28 PM
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You should remember that around here you will hear complaints louder than you'll hear satisfaction.
Of course, it's still wise to pose the question and work it out to your satisfaction...due diligence....
11-11-2003, 03:14 AM
#5
I will be picking up my 02 S6 today....
I have had it about 6mths now, and it has had the vibration issues from day one. The dealer has always been very helpful (the car has been back 7 times to fix this.) I hope to have great news around noon today.
This is where I am: I think the OEM 255/40-17 Conti Sport Contacts stink (they are flat spotted every morning.) The dealer claims to have fixed the problem by road forcing as best they can. The fronts are at 7lbs each and the rears are 12 and 14lbs. (Michelin Pilot Sport AS.) The AOA rep stated that he prefers a stiff side wall tire for the 255/40-17 sport setup (ie. Michelin or Dunlop, not Conti or Pirelli.) AOA claims that the tires should all be 10lbs or below, but this can be very hard b/c the tires these days are not as good as they used to be (dealer claims to see more out of round or bad tires in the last three years than in the previous 15 years.)
DO NOT LET the vibration issues some of us have/had stop you. I would get the sport package and enjoy a 4.2. I had a 540iT and the S6 is much more of a car, granted I did not have the sport package on the e39.
Go for it!!!
This is where I am: I think the OEM 255/40-17 Conti Sport Contacts stink (they are flat spotted every morning.) The dealer claims to have fixed the problem by road forcing as best they can. The fronts are at 7lbs each and the rears are 12 and 14lbs. (Michelin Pilot Sport AS.) The AOA rep stated that he prefers a stiff side wall tire for the 255/40-17 sport setup (ie. Michelin or Dunlop, not Conti or Pirelli.) AOA claims that the tires should all be 10lbs or below, but this can be very hard b/c the tires these days are not as good as they used to be (dealer claims to see more out of round or bad tires in the last three years than in the previous 15 years.)
DO NOT LET the vibration issues some of us have/had stop you. I would get the sport package and enjoy a 4.2. I had a 540iT and the S6 is much more of a car, granted I did not have the sport package on the e39.
Go for it!!!
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11-11-2003, 04:15 AM
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Answers
1. Had the problem - AoA buy back.
2. First noted around 500 miles.
3. May or may not notice during test drive. Alot of guys here have repairs that work at first, then the vibration reappears.
Good luck - maybe get something in writing like a 30 day test drive/buy back if not satisfied. Hopefully you will be fine.
If problems arise, document it all and make sure they make notes on your service sheets.
2. First noted around 500 miles.
3. May or may not notice during test drive. Alot of guys here have repairs that work at first, then the vibration reappears.
Good luck - maybe get something in writing like a 30 day test drive/buy back if not satisfied. Hopefully you will be fine.
If problems arise, document it all and make sure they make notes on your service sheets.
11-11-2003, 05:12 AM
#10
Re: Robert, good info on the tires. Thanks.
My 03/4.2/sport now has 7000 miles on it and the vibration is the same as day one. 99% of the time it only appears for the first 2-3 miles of highway driving each morning. I can be any speed above 45. As soon as the tires warm up it goes away. I have the contis. I will be putting snows on in the near future and will change to 235/45's. I'll let you know if these are any different.