I am looking into splurging a bit and going with a used 2005 (verses 2001/2002) 4.2 Liter A6. I am not great with fixing cars on my own so please humor me with a few answers to what may seem like silly questions to some of you.

1. Does anyone have any mile per gallon reports on the 4.2? I do mostly country road/highway driving.

2. As far as normal maintenance goes (crossing my fingers nothing crazy happens), how much should I expect to pay for oil changes (I have heard crazy prices....nothing like the $30 I pay for my little old elantra) and brakes (assuming I will need to replace those once in my lifetime with the car (2-3 years).

3. Are there any other items I should plan for in my budget?

I love the car and also want the bigger 4.2 engine, not the 3.2, but I am also not looking to go into complete debt with egg on my face because people told me this car was going to become a "money pit"

Any advice/prices you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

1) Here is a prior post regarding my own experience on highway gas mileage. By the way I average about 15 mpg around town.

Prior Post

Well I continued the MPG experiment this morning and took my car, a 2005 4.2, back on the interstate and using the trip computer’s speed, not the speedometer (which German law requires to be inaccurate by approximately 3% on the high side), I set the cruise control for 70 MPH and 75 MPH and left it set at those numbers for a distance of 10 miles for each speed (because the Long Island expressway is relatively flat, with a total elevation difference of less than 100 feet, each 10 mile section was roughly comparable). The car’s trip computer reports the following average MPGs for each speed (including the mphs from last weekend's experiment):

55 MPH – 27.3 MPG (25.3 mpg adjusting for Audi’s optimistic trip computer (7.5%))
60 MPH – 23.7 MPG (21.9 mpg adjusting for Audi’s optimistic trip computer (7.5%))
65 MPH – 22.8 MPG (21.1 mpg adjusting for Audi’s optimistic trip computer (7.5%))
70 MPH - 24.1 MPG (22.3 mpg adjusting for Audi's optomistic trip computer (7.5%))
75 MPH - 22.6 MPG (20.9 mpg adjusting for Audi's optomistic trip computer (7.5%))

I was so surprised by the bump in mpgs at 70 mph that I did the 10-mile experiment two more times on different 10-mile sections of road, getting a computer reading of 24.0 mpg and 24.5 mpg. As a result, there appears to be a sweet spot on the 4.2 for highway gas mileage at 70 mph, which is 73 mph on the typically German optomistic speedometer.

2) I have experienced the following dealer prices: a) oil changes - $130 b) ATF change $1,000, c) replacing all 4 rotors and pads - $1,200, d) OEM replacement floor matts - $280.

3) As set forth in a prior post, which I have pasted in below, there are a several items you should look out for

Prior Posts

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 nearly 5 years ago. She currently has 63k on the odometer. As far as reliability, she is ok, but she is no Lexus. But she is alot 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, about a year ago, I have not had any computer issues. I understand that there is now a version 41 that is available. Since my MMI has been stable with version 33 I have not upgraded to 41. From fellow Audi owners I understand that the differences between 33 and 41 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 motor for the rear power sunshade had to be replaced because that motor was groaning and clicking.

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

18. The trunk latch ceased working and had to be replaced due to a redesign of the latch.

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

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

21. The Parktronic broke and the speaker had to be replaced.

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

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



Similar to the computer issues discussed above, Audi has TSBs on 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 over 40 days for repairs during the last 57 months, not maintenance, I would certainly buy the car again because the 4.2 is alot 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 eBahn'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. 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 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 4 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 4 years of expereince, most of the C6 owners on this forum only have a few months of experience with the "maintenance" on these cars. With that said, I think that the C6 is a great driving car and is alot 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

 

Thanks a bunch!! Great info! Guess I need to start thinking about other cars if I am on a somewhat limited budget.

 

If you have a restricted budget, the 2005 A6 4.2 may not be the best choice. But it is sure fun to drive.