SvdSinner

I'm considering buying an '06 A6 3.2 Quattro that needs some repairs. There are a few things I want to double check before deciding:
1) There is an oil leak under the drivers side valve cover that has been leaking oil onto the serpentine belt. Before I assume it just needs a new valve cover gasket, is there anything model specific that might indicate a bigger issue than something a competent DIYer can fix in a hour or two?
2) The panels on the bottoms of all 4 doors (the bottom 4-6 inches of the outside of the door) have terrible fit problems. There are gaps up to 1/2" between the door and the lower panel. They aren't loose, rather it appears that the black adhesive that holds it on has sagged, wrinkled and bunched up so that the panel can't get all the way into its proper position. Is this a known issue with these cars? Is there a known fix? If the issue wasn't on all 4 doors, I would've assumed it was somebody's ghetto body work,
3) Is there anything else model specific I should check before deciding?

NOTE: Revamping sub-$2K cars is a hobby of mine. I (mostly) know what I'm getting into from my inspections of the car.

akingzkid

Hello,
Take it from another newcomer to Audi and to this forum..........don't buy that piece of junk. I just bought a 2006 A6 3.2 and it is a mess. I have had it for 2 weeks and it is one thing after the next. To answer your questions...
1) I have an oil leak also. I had to take the front bumper off to remove the headlights to work on them and I can see a TON of oil inside the engine compartment. But rest assured, the dealer that I got it from had the top of the engine looking pretty. I will have to figure out where the oil is coming from eventually. Too many other issues with the car that I am now currently addressing.
2) I have 3 of the 4 door panels also coming apart like you do. The passenger front door is the worst.
3) Is there anything else? Let's see...where do I start?

- The car was sold to me as a "Mechanics Special" and was discounted. The issues that they (Dealer - Audi dealership) were up front with me about were: told me it failed state inspection for the following: Headlights (hazy), check engine light, power steering pump was bad (actually to me the check engine light was on for that....Huh??), front left and right upper links were bad (suspension component). When I got there the check engine light was not on but I discovered that the battery was dead, the driver headlight (Xenon HID) would flicker when turned on and then go out after a few seconds.

A few days later, the check engine light did come on (they probably cleared it at the dealership just before I came because I had an appt. In hindsight, it was probably not smart on my part to make an appt). The code for the CEL is P2404 and it is also a well documented issue on this site with these cars. Is a terror to try to solve. The car doesn't idle great (it's not horrible but noticeable not smooth), and it has more exhaust emissions coming out than it should have. It's not smoke but an abundant amount of emissions. That's how I would describe it. I am thinking this code (evap system leak) may have to do with this.


Now, after buying the car and now owning it for 2 weeks I have purchased a $150 batter and I have discovered that the "Adaptive headlight malfunction" light that was on in the dash at the dealership is no minor issue. It means that the VERY EXPENSIVE headlight has an issue with the internal parts. I spent 20 hours over 3 days working on my headlight (after replacing the $60 HID bulb which I found on Amazon) (which was very cheap because they can cost $100) and found lots of wires inside to be brittle and exposed so I soldered and shrink-wrapped ALOT of them. I literally performed surgery on that light and I am ready to claim that I am the resident expert in this entire forum on the internal components of that headlight (not the technical workings but the actual physical components). Anyway, I did find a wire that was totally severed and I put the light back in the car and now the high beam doesn't work so I am getting a separate but equally annoying "Service" error loud beep for the faulty high beam. This headlight issue is WELL DOCUMENTED on this forum.

I have also found these other issues.............

- Driver's door does not lock with the remote, nor when you press the lock button on the door. Will probably end up taking the inside door panel off and buy an entire locking mechanism or the lock actuator ($250 - $300 for the part). Not sure on this one yet as I am still researching.
- TPMS sensor on one tire went out a few days after purchasing the car. Most cost $45 or so. Oh no, the one for this car is around $140. I found one on ebay for $60ish and will pay $35 in the next few days to have it installed and programmed (it is arriving today).
- Found out a few days ago that the windshield fluid would not squirt on the windshield. The motor was not even making the typical hum sound that they make when you try to wash your windshield. At that moment I almost wanted to drive the car off a cliff. I disassembled everything last night to take a look at the motor which is attached to the reservoir bottle (had to remove the driver front tire and remove the wheel well cover to be able to access the bottle/motor. Ordered a new motor last night (cost's $50ish but I found one for $15) and will install it in a few days. Hope that fixes that issue.

And I still have to address the power steering pump, fix the suspension components (upper links), evap system leak (CEL 2404) and the oil leak.

What's next!!!!????

Do yourself a favor and stay away. You will regret it later.

raj99

Paying money to buy someone else's "headache" is always a bad idea. The reason dealers sell "mechanic specials" is that they know that it costs them more to address the known and unknown issues than it'll ever be worth.

akingzkid

I now understand that. I felt (and still feel) that I could fix the issues that they told me about. It's all of the other issues that I am now discovering or are now happening that are making me "sick".

goblue8763

It could one of the best things or the worst. I have quickly found that out with my $400 A6. But there was nothing too major to do. Of course once you dig deeper you can find a lot more trouble.

A6Gary

For the PITA DTC P2404, the most likely problem is your engine control module (ECM) has a defect. If you have VCDS, perform the 073 test (under Basic Settings) when the engine just starts up cold and returns to idle speed. If the test states "SYSTEM OK", then the problem is definitely the ECM. To have this lovely module replaced, you will need to pay your Audi dealer about $1,600 - $1,700 due to the Generation IV immobilizer on the C6 A6 and all of the required ECM programming, which requires connection to Audi AG (some shops may be able to due this, but they need to have the VAG software to make the module swap). I have the same issue on my 2006 A6 Avant for nearly 3 years. I attempted to have the ECM repaired, but was informed it couldn't be repaired, and had to be replaced. Currently, I only just clear the CEL when is illuminated, and continue driving (no affect on the engine performance).

Your rough engine may be caused by carbon buildup on the intake valves and manifold. This problem is caused oil vapor sticking on these surfaces w/o the benefit of the detergents in gasoline cleaning them (the "benefit" of direct injection).

akingzkid

$400? Did you mean $4,000?

akingzkid

Thanks for your comments A6Gary. I do not have a VCDS. Would love to spend the money and get one but having to dump money into all sorts of other things and don't want to spend money on that right now. I wish there was someone near me that had one that would help me out. I will not buy an ECM. I would just keep clearing the CEL like you do. I have one of the cheap Bluetooth diag reader tools that allows me to clear the code. I cleared it 2 days ago and am waiting for it to come back.

As far as the rough idle, I bought some "Gumout Multi-system Tune up" today and plan to put it in when I need some gas. I have a full tank right now. I was doing too much research on what I should get and I finally just decided to give this a try for the first go round. The car is also putting out a foul smelling exhaust and it has more exhaust than it should, especially at idle. I would not call it smoke but I would say that it is the type of "smoke" that quickly evaporates, kinda like how your car does when it is cold outside. But it has about twice the amount that I feel it should have and it smells weird. Ugh.

A6Gary

Putting anything in the gas tank won't clean you intake valves or manifold surfaces for a direct injection engine. The only sure way to clean these parts is to remove the upper and lower manifolds, and scrapping/scrubbing/digging at the carbon buildup. After I had to replace the Bank 1 lower intake manifold for a failed vacuum actuator, I cleaned the valves, intake ports, and diverter plates. After re-assembly, I then ran Seafoam slowing thru the vacuum line (using a needle valve) off the EVAP N80 solenoid valve with the engine running. I now do this once a year when I change the oil/filter to try and keep these parts clean. So far, it appears to do the job.

goblue8763