If you had bought a rebuilt alternator for less than $300 and a new battery for less than $100 and the BentleyPublishers.com Audi CD shop manual you would have spent less. However, putting an alternator in some of the newer A6s is not as easy as on the 1998 A6 wagon, with C4 chassis, which I have.
Many auto stores will test your charging system for free. Many batterys fail after just two years, while some last a few days past the warranty.

 

yes. you are advised to change your battery. it is also true that the battery is soppose to recharge as you drive. this is why, the battery acts as an accumulator, holding charge as you drive when all is fine, but in cases like yours, when the battery is put to the limit, its accumulating capabilities fail and it stops holding charge.if unchanged, you risk having only one or two chances to cranck your engine upon every start after which you will need jump starting.in addition this chances reduse to zero if you dare forget any light on or turn the radio on without having your engine running aswell. this will be temporal as down the road especialy in cold conditions you may expirience a total battery failiur

 

Search the forum for "Alternator Removal help needed ASAP! ", which is about changing an alternator on a 2001 Audi A6 2.8L Quattro with the 30 valve engine, at http://www.audiforums.com/forum/show...ght=alternator .

 

Search the forum for "A6 Alternator DIY " at http://www.audiforums.com/forum/show...ght=alternator , which is about a 1999 A6 2.8L. Something about removing the alternator from below when the car is in service mode (position), instead of removing the front end.
That is why you need the Audi shop manual CD.

 

The Voltage light went on again after alternator was replaced couple of weeks ago. Dealer also suggested replacing newly bought battery and I declined thinking that I replaced it within a month. He said the battery is killed when alternator is out. With new alternator, the voltage indicator started with 14-15 voltes so dropped down to 9-10 quickly. Here is my question: should voltage stays above 12 voltes when car is running even the battery is bad? Also is it safe to disconnect the battery when car is running?

thanks a lot!

 

With new alternator, I disconnected the battery when the car was running. To my surprise, the voltage indicator keeps going down as well and stays around 10.. Should it be at least 12 volts without battery connected? Seems like that it is something else which is causing the problem..

Help please..

 

my understanding is, you disconnected the bat while the engine was running but the engine did not seize. if this is true, then the primary DX remains the bat. yes it is likely that a 1 wk bat goes bad on a failed alternator.

 

1000.00 for an alternator !?