I bought a 99 A6 2.8 Quattro about 17 months ago with 53k miles, my wife liked it so much that she bought a 98 A6 2.8 Quattro about 4 months later. Her car had about 75k on it. Well, her car now has about 80k miles on it and we are getting near the dreaded checkup. In Salt Lake, there were several good independent shops that knew Audis in and out and a few dealers too. We just moved up to Boise, Idaho and I don't know of any good shops up here. I found a Gemini Goodyear shop that seems fine for oil changes and such, and they supposedly have all the tools and such to do the checkups and maintenace. They also warranty their work nationwide, but I feel a little uneasy taking my car into a place that doesn't necessarily specialize in Audis. Am I just being silly?
One thing I noticed about this shop, I am not sure if the guy was completely straight with me, but I could just be paranoid. One of my tires had picked up a screw a little close to the sidewall (not right up against it. but close enough that they said they couldn't repair it because they would not be able to get a patch on it with out filing down the side wall to plae the patch), the tires I had on there were the ones that were on the car when I bought it. They were 16 inch H rated radials. The guy told me I should have a V rated performance tire which he said was recommended for the A6 quattro. At this store the H and V were pretty close in price (150 vs. 147), but I am not sure I really needed V's anyway. They are really nice tires and all, but I was a little upset I had to shell out all this cash when I had just come in for an oil change. Maybe it is just sour grapes on my part, but before I take my care in for any maintenance or work more serious than an oil change I want to be sure that the shop is capable and not ripping me off. Any thoughts, especially on the 82k and 60k mile maintenance?
Thanks in advance,
Preston

 

Preston,

You're not being silly. Audis are some of the most technically sophistocated cars on the road and, under the best of circumstances, can cost a lot of money to repair/maintain. As such, making sure you are spending your maintenance dollars efficiently is a very smart thing to do. This means making sure you're getting things done in a timely manner and done right.

So, you need to find a good independent mechanic in your area who specializes in Audis. Best way to do this is by searching the appropriate regional forum (search first, then post a query is no results come up) here and/or at www.audiworld.com. These are the two big sites for Audi enthusiasts and you can tap into a network of Audi owners who have the same concerns/interests that you do.

Next, no worries on the tires. V rated tires vs. H rated tires are not a big deal. Upgrading to the V was a good idea given the small cost. You were not taken here.

The 80k maintenance is an expensive one ($1000-1500). It is during this that you should have your timing belt replaced. Audi says you can go as far as 100k, but the costs of a failed timing belt is HUGE (think "new engine") so most people play it safe and get it done a bit early. When this work is done, they've got to remove the front bumper and do other scary things. As such, it's a good idea to replace the water pump, tensioner pulleys, and a few other things along with the timing belt. Check out www.ecstuning.com for "The Ultimate Timing Belt Kit" to see what is recommended. May make sense to buy that and find a good indie mechanic to do the work.

The 60k is not as big a deal. Here's a link to the 1999 recommended maintenance schedule: From Bently Publishers. Here's the one for 1998: From the same place.

Good luck!

 

Thanks so much for the reply. That puts my mind at ease. I wish I had had my wife's 80k done in SLC as I knew a lot more good mechanics down there. Thanks for all the tips. One more question, how does ecstuning stack up with blauparts?
Thanks,
Preston

 

Sorry, to keep pestering. But the link you posted has oil changes ever 7500 miles for the 99. Have I been wasting time/money changing my oil every 3k miles? Or is there a special oil you need to be using to go 7500 between changes. Thanks.
Preston

 

Preston,

Don't know how ECS compares to Blauparts -- just gave you that reference because I know they have a kit that includes everything that should go with a timing belt replacement. Feel free to use that parts list as a reference and shop around.

7500 may be assuming a synthetic. If you're using regular oil, 3K is pampering but not out of line. Short money given the protection you're providing. Move to synthetic and you can easily double your between change mileage. If you're already using synth and are changing it every 3k, you're throwing away some good oil. Mobile 1 is readily available and pretty well respected.