I just finished replacing the front and rear brake pads on my 2002 A6...with the help of some tech articles and forum research, of course. This was the first time I've ever done work on a car and I completed the job with surprisingly few head scratching moments! My vehicle is a 3.0l quattro and is just about to turn over to 82k miles. I'm about to travel cross country and can't waittt to hit the open road. So, any advice on prepping this puppy before I let it loose? Also, since I'm going to be turning a lot of miles, any ideas on major/minor repairs I will be facing in the near future??

thanks,
nick

 

First thought is of course timing belt job. Has it been done recently? It would be on the top of my list if i were you, 80k is the prime age.

(that's right, if you copy/paste so will i! from here)

 

haha.....you got me. well I'm not sure if the timing belt has been replaced or not. I picked up the car with 74k on it, what are some signs if the timing belt is close to biting the dust?

 

Bleh, um there really isn't a great way to tell. I would REALLY contact the previous owner and find out. You could see if the tensioner/water pump look reasonably new, but that's a little subjective.

 

As one member put in the forums somewhere the 80K mark is the time to either get rid of your Audi or be prepared to drop $5000K in maintenance and repairs (maybe $2500 if you do a lot yourself).

I too have an '02 3.0L A6. Here is my run down:

As mentioned, the Timing Belt is big job. They just don't give an indication of failure, so it is best to just replace it. You need to find out what has been done to this vehicle because the Timing Belt is the gateway to all the other components that are a PITA to fix so they should be replace as well. The TB job is well documented on this site, search around.

When doing TB I would recommend:
Both Inner and Outer Cam Shaft Seals
Water Pump
Thermostat
TB Tension Arm/Pulley
Serp/ Belt Tension Arm & Pulley
Engine Coolant Temp Sensor
Valve Cover Gasket
Tighten or Replace Clamps on Power Steering Intake Line
Serp. Belt

Other fun things:
O2 sensors
CV Joint Boots
Upper control arm gaskets (basically all the gaskets on my control arms and tie rods are cracked and need attention)
Trunk Latch
Motion Sensor Disable and Trunk Open switch


The CV boots are the most likely thing that is either currently torn or will tear, depending on whether it already happened to the previous owner.

Good luck, welcome to club.

 

thanks for the rundown on potential problems! i'd say that if i replace the TB in the near future, all those others will have to be later in the future...but thanks for the help!