Hi guys!
I have a 2000 A6 2.7t with 160,010 miles lol I'm planning to go
on a roadtrip from NY to Miami. That's bout 2600 to 2800 miles if u add
local driving over there!
now this may sound crazy to some people, taking an old car with so many miles on such a long trip? But I love my car n I'll love to drive there. I mean what's d point of having a car right?! Since I got d car is been more park then on d road, I changed d oil like 2 months ago n it doesn't even look black, burned !!!
Now my question is what u guys think I should look into as far as what I need to make there n back safe n hopefully no issues while driving. Is it a good idea, should I rent a car better?
Is gonna b me, my girl n her sister plus 3 bags on d trunk.
I got new tires a month ago so that's out of d way! What else guys?
Thanks for d help!!

 

If your car hasn't given you any major trouble in the past few months and you just did the oil change and tire check/replacement, I don't see an issue with that. You might want to make sure your air and cabin filters are clean/new but other then that I can't think of anything before heading out on a long enjoyable ride.

Just make sure you have some extra cash on the side in case something does happen and as a precaution look into some kind of towing service (just in case, it might be very expensive towing your car all the back when you are half way there or so).

 

Thanks 4 replaying Sheldon!
I will look at both filters n replace them if necesary.
Yea definally gonna put some $$ aside just in case.
Should I change d spark plugs? I never had n who knows when was
d last time it was done?! Thx again

 

Just replaced air/cabin filters! Anything else I should look into??

 

There are so many things at this mileage you can look into and fix/replace to play it safe but it really depends on if the car has shown any signs or concerns.

When was the timing and serpentine belt changed last? Have you had any miss firing or Check engine lights? What about power loss while accelerating? Oil leaks? Coolant leak?

The timing belt should be changed every 60k-80k miles while Serpentine belt around half that time/mileage. If you are not a racer Spark plugs should be changed at about the same time you do the timing belt.
Do you know if you ever had the coil packs replaced, maybe even under a recall? I know several models and years of Audi's had huge problems with them and a lot of power loss - would be worth every penny if it never has been done (better mileage, huge power increase).

But it all really depends on how well you know what TLC the car had over the past months/years.

 

Thanks 4 d reply!
Honestly I have d car since it had 138k so b4 that I have no idea what was done to it?
I had missfire b4 So I took it to d dealer n it looks like coil packs were replace so d problem ended it up being d 2 ICMs on top of d air filter. I got them online n replaced them myself! I have no idea when d timing n serpentine belts were done? I was thinking of doing them after d trip cause that's gonna b a lot of $$
I do have a minor oil leak not enough to b scared but I know I need to fix it, again was gonna do that with d timing belt change!
I mean d car run Smooth no tranny or suspension problems but I guess u right! With this amount of miles is a gamble! Maybe I'll just rent a car to b on d safe side Lol
I'm gonna replace spark plugs later this week, all fuids r good, tires r good. Should I change d serpentine belt at least for now?
Or should I take to shop n have them look at it n hopefully not get rip
off?!

 

So in your case I'd say my main concern would be timing belt and serpentine belt. The serpentine belt shouldn't be hard to tell - Jack up the car, remove the underbody cover and use a bright flash light to check how the belt looks like. First signs are cracking/aging of the belt, then horrible sounds, then snap :P

The timing belt however is a different story once that goes you have to rebuild the engine! This is very expensive and probably not worth rebuilding if that happens! Since you had the car for the past 20-30k miles my guess is they did the timing belt somewhere between 80k and 100k. You should replace that timing belt every 60k to 80k unless you like gambling, then follow the service manual which states 120k lol

Since I personally like to play it rather save then sorry I stick with an 80k replacement. Since you have no idea when it was done, I suggest thinking it was done around 80k. Another 80k and you are 160k which is where you are at now. I recommend getting it replaced rather sooner then later. A timing belt job will run you (DIY) around 500-700 bucks with all the parts you need (tensioners, belts, waterpump, etc). At the shop it will run you about 1500-2000. An engine rebuild probably like 4k :P

 

Wow.. Looking at it that way I think I'm gonna play it safe n rent a car n do d timing belt when I come back from my trip. I can't do it now cause of d vaction trip. Also most likely I'll take it to d shop cause it's too much for me to do it myself! :-(
but u right I'm not taking that gamble n have it break on me, I'll just rent
thanks again for replying!!!

 

Renting is probably a wise choice if you don't know what maintenance has been done on your A6. I have 190k on mine and have no fear running it from MI to NY or MI to FL, but I keep up on the maintenance. Your first concern is the timing belt. It's parts + 6 hours shop labor which will run about $900 at an indie (just did mine for the second time in Dec) or $1500+ at the dealer. When it is being done, have them check all the radiator and heater hoses and replace if necessary. The antifreeze, t-stat, water pump, all tensioners, and serpentine belt are generally changed at the same time. Plugs need to be done every 100k. Brake fluid flush and refill every 2 years. I also believe in changing tranny fluid (but mine is an MT6) and both differentials roughly every 60k. I suggest you make sure the emergency brake cables are lubed and move. One of mine got stuck and dragged a rear brake pad on my last trip, causing me to replace the rotor and pads. I did all four since it had been over 70k since they were last replaced. Suggest you change the fuel filter as well. That interval are unclear but I think every 60k is about right.

 

Thanks for replaying ppgoal!!
im thinking of doing d timing belt plus valve cover/cam seal gaskets, spark plugs n have them check d tranny fluid n just take my car on d trip! Just cause I still have to do it when I come back from d trip. A rental car for almost 2 weeks is gonna cost me prob d same anyway, no? I really enjoy driving my car even if I don't get to drive it as much!
What u guys think?