718Driver

Guys -
Haven't been on the board in a long time, but my C5 A6 Avant just clicked over 151K and I'm looking at a '07 A6 Avant - Non CPO car from a non-audi dealer. All 4 rims are thrashed, but the car fax is clean and car seems to be in relatively good condition, execpt for the aforementioned trashed rims and need for an alingment. Wondering if there are any red flags to watch out for with this model A6? Any help is GREATLY appraciated.

T.

KevinGary

I have pasted in two of my earlier posts, which I have slightly revised and updated.

I have an 05 4.2 that I purchased new about 7 and a half years ago. She currently has 110k on the odometer. As far as reliability, she is ok, but she is no Lexus. But she is a lot of fun to drive. Most of the problems have been nuisances.

1. The airbag light came on two weeks after I purchased the car. It took them 10 days to figure out the problem. Audi then came out with a TSB on updating the computer software for the airbags.

2. The MMI "crashed" a year after I bought the car. After having the car for 8 days, Audi wiped the hardware clean and reinstalled the MMI computer software.

3. The MMI had a few bugs with not updating the satellite radio stations, losing surround settings and sometimes not automatically linking with my bluetooth phone. Audi had the car for a day and updated the MMI computer software. Audi has a TSB on this issue as well.

I have written those three problems off to having a very early computer software version. To give you an idea of the number of changes in the software, my car came with MMI version 10 and now has version 33. Since being updated to MMI version 33, around 2006 or 2007, I have not had any computer issues. I understand that there is now a version 46 that is available. Since my MMI has been stable with version 33 I have not upgraded to 46. From fellow Audi owners I understand that the differences between 33 and 46 are negligible.

As far as non-computer issues. I have had quite a few.

1. All 8 coil packs had to be replaced.

2. The lid for the gas cap would not open from inside the car. In order to open it I had to wedge my credit card inside the lid and open it from the outside.

3. The frame for the front passenger seat came loose and the entire seat had to be removed and the bolts tightened.

4. A rattle in the glove box area of the dashboard that required installation of additional insulation.

5. A bad tire pressure sensor had to be replaced.

6. A mildew smell from the air conditioner vents, which required the replacement of a ventilation duct.

7. A rattle from the rear fold down seats, which required a new clamp.

8. A rattle from the driver’s side of the dashboard, which required additional damping material.

9. The fuel-filter recall, which required a new fuel filter.

10. The fuel gauge started reading empty even though there is fuel in the tank, which required a computer software upgrade.

11. The transmission developed a chirping and the transmission software had to be upgraded.

12. The low coolant light would come on for no reason, which required an upgraded electrical circuit.

13. The power steering reservoir leaked and completely emptied itself, which required a revised clamp.

14. The front brakes developed a vibration at slow speeds and the brake caliper seals had to be replaced due to a re-design.

15. The motor for the power tilt/telescoping steering wheel had to be replaced because of a groaning noise.

16. The MMI **** fell off.

17. The motor for the rear power sunshade had to be replaced because that motor was groaning and clicking.

18. The coolant temperature gauge stopped working and the sensor had to be replaced.

19. The trunk latch ceased working and had to be replaced with a redesigned latch.

20. The adaptive headlight malfunction light came on and the dealer had to upgrade the software for the adaptive lights.

21. The air bag light came on and the rear air bag sensor had to be replaced for a second time.

22. The Parktronic speaker broke and had to be replaced.

23. The coolant gauge broke again and the sensor had to be replaced.

24. The coolant gauge broke yet again and the thermostat had to be replaced.

25. The gas struts for the trunk were replaced.

26. The air bag light came on and rear air bag sensor had to be replaced for a third time.

27. The LED unit had to be replaced in the rear right because the brake and turn signal light would fail to fire.

28. The coil packs were replaced under recall.

29. The air bag light came on and a rear air bag sensor had to be replaced for a fourth time.

30. The brackets holding the electric switch panel to the front passenger seat broke and had to be replaced.

31. The air bag light returned and the dealer upgraded the software yet again.

32. An upper control arms was replaced.

33. The motor for the power tilt/telescoping steering wheel had to be replaced yet again.

34. The air bag light came on and a rear air bag sensor had to be replaced for a fifth time.

35. The entire steering column had to be replaced.

36. The oil pressure sensor had to be replaced.

37. The air bag light came on yet again and this time the right rear supplemental (optional) air bag was replaced.

38. The fuel filter was replaced.

39. The coil packs were replaced.

40. The LED unit had to be replaced in the rear left because the brake and turn signal light would fail to fire.

41. Right side motor mount was replaced.

42. All 4 upper control arms were replaced.

43. Both front sway bar links were replaced.


Similar to the computer issues discussed above, Audi has TSBs on nearly all of these issues, seeming to indicate that the problems are not isolated to just my car. Audi has also issued dozens of other TSBs on issues that I have not experienced since I have the 4.2 engine instead of the 3.2 engine. In total, the 3.2 has over 200 TSBs. If you complain about these items while the car is under warranty, Audi will fix the problem for free, which sounds like a recall to me.

Despite the car being at the dealer for 83 days for repairs during the last 91 months, not maintenance, I would certainly buy the car again because the 4.2 is a lot of fun to drive, especially on the highway, and the dealer gives me a loaner. However, I would check which MMI software version is currently in the car. If it is below 33, I would take it to Audi and have it updated as soon as possible. In addition, I would check the car's VIN and compare it to the Audi TSBs and see what issues you need to keep an eye on. You can get copies of the Audi TSBs at Erwin's website. The dealer will probably give you the car's maintenance records. While the car is still under warranty, I would make sure you complain about any issues contained on the TSBs issued for your VIN. If you are buying an aftermarket warranty I would get an exclusionary warranty that your local Audi dealer accepts.

Despite the issues with the car, I think that it is a great driving car. However, keep in mind that I am an original owner who paid close to $60,000 for my daily driver and who according to my wife is the President of the "More Money than Brains" club. For example, changing the transmission fluid costs over a $1,000 just for the fluid (the fluid is $57 per liter), not including labor. Also keep in mind that the 55,000 mile service is the "major" service for the car. The 75,000 mile service is also significant, in that the nose of the car needs to be removed on the 05 and 06 4.2s. If money is an issue, you may want to look for a car that is cheaper to "maintain". Regardless of your decision, you will enjoy driving an Audi, but you may not enjoy the maintenance. Good luck.

Kevin

Here is my post in response to a related topic:

I am afraid that Audi has TSBs on nearly every one of the problems that I experienced indicating that I am not alone with these issues. As far as not hearing about these issues on the forum, I point out that I am one of the few original C6 owners on the forum with the corresponding 7 and a half years of experience in owning one of these cars. I doubt that when these cars are purchased used that the original owners are so honest with the buyers. In contrast to my 7 and a half years of experience, many of the C6 owners on this forum have less than a year’s experience with the "maintenance" on these cars. With that said, I think that the C6 is a great driving car and is a lot of fun on the highway. I would also buy it all over again. You just need to make sure that you are carrying some type of warranty coverage.

Kevin

A6Gary

My '06 A6 Avant w/ 55.5K miles on it has been very reliable since I bought it 4 years ago, no major problems (coil packs and left front adaptive headlight were replced under warrenty). IMHO, the MY '07 A6 has the best options of the C6 platform (e.g., Advanced Partronic w/ camera, headlight washers w/ cold pkg, etc.), and because Audi started to eliminate items, such as the storage bins beneath the front seats. Re: MMI software, I updated mine to Verison 4140, which has been very stable w/o any errors. So, if this '07 A6 hasn't had the MMI updated to at least Version 4140, I would recommend doing that as a minimum.

LMSI-G35X

I've had an '08 A6 Avant I bought CPO in December this past year. I honestly wouldn't recommend buying an Audi without some kind of warranty. Even if the carfax is clean that doesn't mean the car will never have an issue and it's damn expensive to repair these cars. I've had mine in for a couple of small things and I'm damn glad I had a warranty. I love the car though, it's been great.

DudeDah

++++++1

Could NOT agree with this post more. Warranty is a MUST, got my '08 Avant around the same time (day after T-Day last year) as LMSI-G35X and had cam-postion sensor (I THINK that's what it's called) issue that threw a CEL and had a blower motor go out. Tanksfully these were both fixed under warranty. Even WITH the original warranty and CPO these cars are expensive to maintain. Just got a little $699 crack in my windshield last week. Nevertheless I LOVE it and would do it all over again. Hoping that by the time this one is paid off that maybe Audi will have brought the A6 Avant back to us and I can get another one.

A6Gary

An extended warranty is especially needed if you don't/can't DIY repairs/maintenance. For me, I've never had an extended warranty on any of the VAG cars I owned (a total of six since 1976), and I've done essentailly all needed repairs/maintenance on all of them using OEM parts bought on–line. For my '06, I did choose to have my local dealer implement the TSB re: the cracked/broken rear window washer hose (using a A of A $100 parts coupon), and fix my MMI to correctly reflect left and right sides for the climate controls after my MMI update. Other than these two items, I done everything required to keep it in top shape. But there is always that BIG repair, e.g., timimg chain(s), tranny, etc., that could come back to bite me. Living of the edge!

beep-beep

1. I would ask for service history. also check where it was serviced
2. I would look for signs of structural repair (i.e. if fender bolts were replaced).
3. I would look for any signs of ricing (modified suspension, intake, exaust, etc).
4. Since the rims are trashed, I would also look for damage to the suspension.

Otherwise it could be a grandma who had problems with parallel parking and hit the curb every time. You probably can rebuild the rims or get used ones from ebay. They could be cheaper if you can still use your current TPMS sensors. I would personally recommend to stick with OEM rims.

beep-beep

With all respect to other posters, I would like to express dissent on the necessity of extended warranty. Policy issuers have enough stats to see how much they need to pay off to an average policy holder for this type of car (a.k.a. "math expectation"). If your car is close to average, you will pay much more for the policy, then they will pay for its repair. And there is not so much discussion for outliers since its is all limited by the replacement cost of the whole car.
Since you are repeated owner of A6 Avant, I would assume that you have cash reserves to cover for repair in case of really bad case. So I would consider to take a risk and pay for repairs out of pocket.

718Driver

Guys - Thanks so much for the help on this. My '00 just clicked over 151K - and I've been actively searching for a replacement. Since the models changed since I bought my last car - was concerned about electric gremelins, etc... with the newer models. This was great input for me.

Thx.

John Simcox

I had an 09 A6 Avant (facelifted version) and had no real problems with it in the 3 years I owned it. The only issues were the securing lock on the load cover failed and was replaced under warranty and shortly before I exchanged it the valve in the Diesel Particulate Filter got stuck and was also replaced under warranty. Other than that it was perfect, it was my fourth Audi in a row and was only replaced because the dealer gave a deal too good to refuse on a brand new C7 Avant.

The only significant Avant specific issue on the C6 is that the pipe of the rear washer goes along the floor (left hand side) of the car and passes close to the convenience module (handles BT, central locking etc and is located in front left hand footwell under the seat) and then travels up through the left hand rear wing where the MMI unit is located. If the car is used in a cold location then it is possible for the washer nozzle or pipework in the hatch to freeze and if the driver tries to use the washer the build up in pressure can cause the pipe to either pop apart at a join or even split. This can lead to water getting into either the MMI unit or the convenience unit with expensive consequences. Depending on where the car has lived this may not be an issue but certainly worth checking that the rear washer works properly and after use there is no water (or sign of previous water) in the footwell carpet or rear LH storage compartment.