Hi Forum members,

New to the forum, and Audi (came over from the old BMW camp), with a 2004 A6 Sline purchased five days ago.

Heres the rundown on the car:

1) Interior and exterior are perfect. Everything electrical works as advertised and the car as a whole is super clean.

2) One owner full service records and 78,000 on the odo. No leaks and engine produces prodigious amounts of power (I'm impressed for a car this size).

3) Paid $12K - I know you will all think thats too much but I could not find any of the 5K - 10K cars in LA that I've seen talked about on this forum that weren't total junk. KBB runs it at $13,270.

4) Known issues - Small rip in leather on driver side bolster about 1", fuel filler door locking mechanism has fallen off inside the quarter panel (I can hear it clicking when I unlock the car so I know it works but is not in place), attachment clips missing from the under pan.

So thats the car, and now if anyone could help I have a couple of questions:

At this milage, I need to get the timing belt, tensioners, water pump and seals replaced. Dealer wants $1300 and an INDY probably a bit less... should I go with the dealer or INDY? Are there benefits going through one or the other?

While it's in for the TB, is there anything else I should have addressed while the front is apart?

This car has such a nice ride and and I hope to use it as a daily commuter so any advice you can provide, please let me know.

Thank you and all the best...

P.S. I also need a service manual and all I've sound so far is the Audi A6 1998-2004 Bentley Service manual ISBN-13: 978-0-8376-1499-1...is that the best out there, or should I be looking at something else?

 

Isn't this completely dependent on what indy you go to?? I mean i know a few indies that have absolutely no clue what a german engine is, while others work on absolutely nothing but germans. The dealer is obviously going to do a good job, so it's up to you to make sure that your indy can do a similarly good job.

 

Good point mm3210, there are a few INDY shops near my house that represent themselves as "German Only" service centers... checking reviews on google has narrowed it sown some but I'm still on the fence (I want it done right the first time and not after a catastrophic, valve bending, piston shredding, lawyer dependent service dispute).

 

That sounds like a good price for a car in excellent shape and low miles (about 100k less than mine). As far as the bolster rip goes, it comes from sliding into the car rather than planting your butt in the center of the seat and swiveling. I had my bolster patched and have a quote to replace the panel for about $150, but not ready to spend the money yet. If you read the maintenance sticky or do a search on timing belts you'll see that you should replace all the tensioners, water pump, thermostat, serpentine, fluid. Some recommend cam shaft seals too, but I did not bother. TB is about a 6 hour job with dealers charging $125-150+/hr and indies less (mine in MI is $78/hr). I would think any good indie shop would provide references that you could call. A kit will be about $400 -- look into blauparts or ECS. If the car has not been chipped, you would be very surprised at the difference 318hp makes over 265. Have fun and welcome.

 

Thank you for the info and links ppgoal, I'll start collecting references from the three indy shops in the area that appear to know what they are doing, and see where that goes.