ok so my son and his bio dad had a falling out dad took his Mustang I bought him a 2001 Audi A6 3 weeks ago.

He called tonight stranded. He said it sounded like a moped and he headed home then it died on him. We got it into a parking lot. It just flutters quickly when we try to start it. The lights etc. work and it doesn't seem hot no smells or anything. We tried to jump start it but my posts are pretty corroded so not sure if it was going through. It would not start just the fluttering noise. I have spent every dime I had to buy the car along with the license and title transfer etc. I get paid Friday. I am hoping this is not going to be more than my check! From what I have been reading I should have read up on these cars before we bought! Please anyone have any idea what it might be? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

not sure what exactly a "flutter" is, and sounded like a moped isn't exactly descriptive either. could be something simple like a fuel filter, or it could be major like goodbye engine... you should probably find a mechanic

Short story, the car needs 3 things to run, fuel, air, and spark. if it isn't running, it is most likely missing one of those three things. first step should be to get the car scanned and see what codes come up. most chain autoparts stores will scan it for you and tell you what the codes are. they, most likely, can't tell you what the codes mean, but we can your best bet is to try to find someone near you with a vag-com scanner to scan the car for you.

also, it helps quite a bit to know which engine we are talking about (2.7T, 2.8, 3.0, 4.2). If money is an issue, and it seems to be in your case (no judgement, I'm in the same boat). you should probably try to get the car running and then look to "unload" it on someone that will be able to afford the repairs and maintenance. hopefully you can break even. look at getting your son a honda, or a toyota or some other cheap beater car.

good luck

 

^^ Ditto on what 02A6Beau said. These are expensive cars to maintain. Sell it ASAP.

 

'95 accord is a perfect cheap reliable car.

 

The mechanic said it's the alternator. I am glad it's not anything worse.. We will be looking for something to trade it in on. He goes to college an hour from home and needs reliable so you all are probably right a Toyota or Honda is in our near future. Thanks for the advice!

 

If you have the 2.8, just keep the car. That engine is plenty reliable. Slow, but reliable.
You will be taking a huge loss on trading the car at the dealer.

 

I recently had the same issue. Stranded me about 10-15 miles from my college campus. Thankfully, AAA to the rescue. If you (live in the U.S. and) don't have AAA, and plan to keep the car, it would be a solid investment.

2nd. If you do plan to sell it, the best thing to do is to try to sell it to an enthusiast who is looking for one. He/she will likely be willing to pay more as it will be worth more to him/her. Forum classifieds are a good place to post an ad.

From personal experience, I can attest that these cars are high-maintenance to keep in tip-top shape. They're pretty reliable from day-to-day, though, and if you don't care about a little non-threatening issue here or there with some regularity, you can get by for a while without visiting a mechanic.

 

I had my alternator go about a week after I did the timing belts. I was pissed to say the least.

 

Had mines go out the next day after doing my timing belt service..

smh

 

Wow....he took the mustang? Low....

Anyways, If it's just the alternator, then keep the car. The Audi dealers will rip you a new one if you trade it in. Just tell him to keep in mind once the car hits around 100k if it hasn't already to replace the serpentine belt and the water pump. If the car hadn't already had that done....then you should get that done. The last thing you need is the water pump to go out, your engine will quite literally fry.

Audi's are good reliable vehicles. They run very nicely if they are taken care of and if you have one that doesn't need maintenance every hundred miles. I have one and I work at walmart. But then again....I do all my own work :P

Again...Audi's are good nice and fun cars. Just gotta take care of them like any other car. The only thing that's gonna kill ya us labor. A lot of stuff can be youtubed. But for the big stuff (Water pump) take it to a mechanic. Don't risk that.

Good luck!
Matt