Hi Everyone,

I have a A6 4.2 Quattro.
I'm curious as to the lifecycle of the A6.
150k, 200k, 300k, 400k??
What kind of life span is expectedfor an A6 before major failure that would be too unreasonable to fix?

 

If you properly mainatain it, 200K. Proper maintenance includes, 5K oil changes, 50K transmission fluid changes,and 100K changes for timing belt, water pumpand suspension parts.

 

Interesting that you say that.
If you can use it as a gauge, I guess you really don't see many out there at least for sale with mileage over 200k.
Not like you do with hondas or toyotas that is.

 

Holov, I think the reason you don't see many VW/Audis out there with 200k miles on them is for several reasons. The first would be the type of person buying the car. A person buying an VW/Audi has very different expectations of what the car will do for them. People tend to hold onto their aging european cars until it is time for the junk yard. My last car was a Volvo 850 with 313k miles on it when I let it go. Our BMW has 240k miles on it and have no intention of replacing it. My A6 has 124k miles on it and I will run it into the ground. I owned several Honda/Toyotas in the past and really like them. Every day, year after year it just started, the a/c just worked, the car was a great appliance. It was a sole less, boring, well built, but poorly tuned machine. In all the years I owned my Japanese cars, I put very little money into them, and they gave me very little back. In all the years of driving european cars (minus my newer Saabs) I had/have a great driving experience. But I do have to maintain the car more than my Japanese cars, I can't neglect my Audi and expect 200k + miles like I could with my Honda. But if I treat it right, change worn parts before they break, it too will last to 200k +. Once it gets to 200k, there is no point in selling it, the car has no value, you might as well keep it until the very end. People don't fear buying a Honda/Toyota with 200k miles on it, so you see them for sale because the market it there. People run, even me, from an unknown maintained 200k + european car. money pit comes to mind, so you don't see them for sale. There are also a lot less Audis out there as there are Honda/Toyotas.

If you want a car that takes nothing from you(money), and gives you nothing in return, buy a Honda.

Sorry for the long winded response, guess I must have been bored.

Jeff

 

Jeff,
I agree with you that driving experience, when the car is completely functioning properly, is a good one.
Quattro handling and performance is quite impressive and the exterior and interior styling which in my opinion is very well thought out.

You know there is a point though where the budget has to come into question.
I've had my A6 for about 2 years now. I'd say I've spent around 4k in the past year on repairs and maintenance. I think this is just plain unreasonable. Thats not including the time and money for the ABS module, multiple MAFs, window guides, and repairing the auto-leveling headlight adjustment that I've done myself. I thank the forums for helping me to do many of the repairs myself.

My previous car was an Acura and so I guess that it makes me a little spoiled from the reliability side of things.
Didn't seem to matter what you threw at that car, just kept on ticking and cost next to nothing to run. In fact I'm sure that the person I sold it to is still running it with similar thoughts. I liked it a lot, but I sold the car with a 145k for the thrill and flare that the audi gave me on the test drive. It wasn't long before problems started occuring that lessened the thrill that I had.

I find myself now subconciously driving more gingerly and being gentle with the car, treating it like a fragile package for fear that something else will go wrong. I shouldn't have to feel like this, but I can't help it. There has to be a point when a short lived great experience doesn't measure up to a long lived good experience.

Don't get me wrong, I love the car, when its working, but it pains me to say that its current track record is starting to make me look around for a replacement. I keep trying to look for a reason to keep the car. I don't want to sell as I feel that I'll lose some of the feel that comes with owning/driving an audi.

Lately I've been looking at the awd subaru legacy gt limited. This car stock has the same power to weight ratio as the a6I drive.
There are tons of mods and it comes with that japanese reliability, but still I can't decide what to do.
Audi seems to have something that just keeps you sucked in. I don't know what it is, but unfortunatly I can't keep affording where its taking me.

Sorry for the long response as well, but thanks for responding.

 

In hindsight, you should have purchased an extended warranty when you bought the car. Having researched Audis before I bought my 05 4.2 as a new car, I also purchased an extended warranty to cover the car through 7 years/100,000 miles. The extended warranty through the AAA was cheaper than the $4,000 you have spent on repairs. Owning an Audi outside of the warranty period can be expensive.

 

holov, I understand your frustrations with Audi, off all the european cars I have owned they are the worst, maybe tied with Saabs for reliability. My hondas/toyotas were bullet proof, I know they have their problems, but nothing like the typical european car does. One european brand in my mind shines above the rest for reliability is BMW. We are on our third 3 series and this one has 240k on it and is still probably the most reliable car we have ever onwed. Outside of the two we owned. Is sickens me how we can beat the shi* out of that car day after day, year after year and still, it runs great, drives great. If I did the same thing to my A6 or a past Saab that thing would be needing shi* left and right. Probably leads you to wonder why I drive an Audi and not a BMW. Well, I find them uncomfortable, their interiors look cheap, seats suck, and their pretensious. I don't want a sports car, I wanted a comfy, smooth, large wagon to drive around in, thats why I choose the A6 for now. I do believe my next car will be a 3 series wagon since they are finally importing them and by the time I get around to replaceing the A6 they will be cheap.

My father in law has two Subie wagons, they have been disgustingly reliable, sorta fun to drive. The A6 is more fun, nicer, and classier, but better be for the 20k price premium.

Jeff

 

I wish there was more to add but I believe everything previously stated is accurate. I have 120K on my 00 2.7T along with several modifications. I just put $900 on a passenger side tie rod, passenger side CV boot and a passenger side window regulator and an oil service, but in retrospect, the tie rod was OE original, the CV boot was the second replacement in about a year and a half ( the CV boots are known to get torn from road debris, my case exactly) and the regulator was the OE original. I guess I can't complain though! The car looks great, handles well and has great drivabilty, but it does come at a price! I feelthe japanese DO have a more reliable car (Lexus), but they have NO feel whatsoever and they are not fun to drive. I have driven them all from Lexus, Acura, Infinity and so on and they are all the same. I want the car I drive to become an extension of my hand and none do it better then the germans. So....if it cost me a bit more for more fun....I'll accept it!

OOOO

 

Joe that is exactly how I feel. Well mostly, I don't want a sports car, but I want a car that is competent, so when I need it, it is there. I accept the extra expense of owning a european car because of what it gives back to me. There are definetly Japansese cars that are comfy, large, smooth (not any wagons though) that I could buy, but none that get my heart pounding while driving back home in rural WI up and down the bluffs like my A6 or our 3 series does. Safety is what brought me to the Audi dealer in the first place, I wanted a wagon, with side airbags, had to be european and I could buy for less than 12k. That left me with Volvo v70s, Audi A4 & A6's. I had my Volvo 850(now s70) for ever and loved it, but that car was probably the most boring car I have ever owned. I looked at the A4 and felt the interior was not my style, I looked at the A6 and knew I had to own that car. And now I do, and I and love my car, day in and day out. It will cost more than the typical european car, but I feel it is worth it.

Jeff

 

Jeff,

Couldn't agree more....and let me add that 2 of my neighbors, 1 owns a Lexus GS300 and the other has an M3 and theylove there autos. The Lexus owner has driven both my car and the M3 and he has plainly said that our cars keep you "involved" with your driving because of how they feel and respondon the road to where he said his Lexus can lull you to sleep because of the lack of "feel". He is an older gentleman that said he preferred the Lexus because of his age and the "comfort" factor, but he saidif he was younger could see himself driving the BMW and Audi. He also said our interiors looked more elegant as well.

OOOO