I came across what could be a great deal on an 05 a6 3.2 quattro. The car has 42k miles and is pretty clean. I will be replacing a 06 accord ex with 47k and 2 years left on the extended warranty for this.

The bad about the a6 it was a previously stolen car so there is no history about it or any kind of warranty and I don't know if I could purchase an extended warranty on a car that has a reconstructed title. Only reason for the r title is because it was stolen and plated.

Just don't know anything about audi's and their reliability or cost of repairs. My wife will kill me if this thing spends more time in the shop then on the road.

I do love the look of the car and it is a sweet deal the price of it reflects the title issue.

 

I have pasted in two of my earlier posts, which I have slightly revised and updated.

I have an 05 4.2 that I purchased new about 6 years ago. She currently has 88k on the odometer. As far as reliability, she is ok, but she is no Lexus. But she is a lot of fun to drive. Most of the problems have been nuisances.

1. The airbag light came on two weeks after I purchased the car. It took them 10 days to figure out the problem. Audi then came out with a TSB on updating the computer software for the airbags.

2. The MMI "crashed" a year after I bought the car. After having the car for 8 days, Audi wiped the hardware clean and reinstalled the MMI computer software.

3. The MMI had a few bugs with not updating the satellite radio stations, losing surround settings and sometimes not automatically linking with my bluetooth phone. Audi had the car for a day and updated the MMI computer software. Audi has a TSB on this issue as well.

I have written those three problems off to having a very early computer software version. To give you an idea of the number of changes in the software, my car came with MMI version 10 and now has version 33. Since being updated to MMI version 33, about a year ago, I have not had any computer issues. I understand that there is now a version 46 that is available. Since my MMI has been stable with version 33 I have not upgraded to 46. From fellow Audi owners I understand that the differences between 33 and 46 are negligible.

As far as non-computer issues. I have had quite a few.

1. All 8 coil packs had to be replaced.

2. The lid for the gas cap would not open from inside the car. In order to open it I had to wedge my credit card inside the lid and open it from the outside.

3. The frame for the front passenger seat came loose and the entire seat had to be removed and the bolts tightened.

4. A rattle in the glove box area of the dashboard that required installation of additional insulation.

5. A bad tire pressure sensor had to be replaced.

6. A mildew smell from the air conditioner vents, which required the replacement of a ventilation duct.

7. A rattle from the rear fold down seats, which required a new clamp.

8. A rattle from the driver’s side of the dashboard, which required additional damping material.

9. The fuel-filter recall, which required a new fuel filter.

10. The fuel gauge started reading empty even though there is fuel in the tank, which required a computer software upgrade.

11. The transmission developed a chirping and the transmission software had to be upgraded.

12. The low coolant light would come on for no reason, which required an upgraded electrical circuit.

13. The power steering reservoir leaked and completely emptied itself, which required a revised clamp.

14. The front brakes developed a vibration at slow speeds and the brake caliper seals had to be replaced due to a re-design.

15. The motor for the power tilt/telescoping steering wheel had to be replaced because of a groaning noise.

16. The MMI **** fell off.

17. The motor for the rear power sunshade had to be replaced because that motor was groaning and clicking.

18. The coolant temperature gauge stopped working and the sensor had to be replaced.

19. The trunk latch ceased working and had to be replaced due to a redesign of the latch.

20. The adaptive headlight malfunction light came on and the dealer had to upgrade the software for the adaptive lights.

21. The air bag light came on and the rear air bag sensor had to be replaced for a second time.

22. The Parktronic broke and the speaker had to be replaced.

23. The coolant gauge broke again and the sensor had to be replaced.

24. The coolant gauge broke yet again and the thermostat had to be replaced.

25. The gas struts for the trunk were replaced.

26. The air bag light came on and rear air bag sensor had to be replaced for a third time.

27. The LED unit had to be replaced in the rear right because the brake and turn signal light would fail to fire.

28. The coil packs were replaced under recall.

29. The air bag light came on and a rear air bag sensor had to be replaced for a fourth time.

30. The brackets holding the electric switch panel to the front passenger seat broke and had to be replaced.

31. The air bag light returned and the dealer upgraded the software yet again.

32. The upper control arms were replaced.

33. The motor for the power tilt/telescoping steering wheel had to be replaced yet again.

34. The air bag light came on and a rear air bag sensor had to be replaced for a fifth time.




Similar to the computer issues discussed above, Audi has TSBs on nearly all of these issues, seeming to indicate that the problems are not isolated to just my car. Audi has also issued dozens of other TSBs on issues that I have not experienced since I have the 4.2 engine instead of the 3.2 engine. In total, the 3.2 has over 200 TSBs. If you complain about these items while the car is under warranty, Audi will fix the problem for free, which sounds like a recall to me.

Despite the car being at the dealer for over 50 days for repairs during the last 76 months, not maintenance, I would certainly buy the car again because the 4.2 is a lot of fun to drive, especially on the highway, and the dealer gives me a loaner. However, I would check which MMI software version is currently in the car. If it is below 33, I would take it to Audi and have it updated as soon as possible. In addition, I would check the car's VIN and compare it to the Audi TSBs and see what issues you need to keep an eye on. You can get copies of the Audi TSBs at Erwin's website. The dealer will probably give you the car's maintenance records. While the car is still under warranty, I would make sure you complain about any issues contained on the TSBs issued for your VIN. If you are buying an aftermarket warranty I would get an exclusionary warranty that your local Audi dealer accepts.

Despite the issues with the car, I think that it is a great driving car. However, keep in mind that I am an original owner who paid close to $60,000 for my daily driver and who according to my wife is the President of the "More Money than Brains" club. For example, changing the transmission fluid costs over a $1,000 just for the fluid (the fluid is $57 per liter), not including labor. Also keep in mind that the 55,000 mile service is the "major" service for the car. The 75,000 mile service is also significant, in that the nose of the car needs to be removed on the 05 and 06 4.2s. If money is an issue, you may want to look for a car that is cheaper to "maintain". Regardless of your decision, you will enjoy driving an Audi, but you may not enjoy the maintenance. Good luck.

Kevin

Here is my post in response to a related topic:

I am afraid that Audi has TSBs on every one of the problems that I experienced indicating that I am not alone with these issues. As far as not hearing about these issues on the forum, I point out that I am one of the few original C6 owners on the forum with the corresponding 6 years of experience in owning one of these cars. I doubt that when these cars are purchased used that the original owners are so honest with the buyers. In contrast to my 6 years of experience, many of the C6 owners on this forum have less than a year’s experience with the "maintenance" on these cars. With that said, I think that the C6 is a great driving car and is a lot of fun on the highway. I would also buy it all over again. You just need to make sure that you are carrying some type of warranty coverage.

Kevin
__________________
Original owner of a 2005 A6 4.2 - Night Blue Pearl Effect, Platinum Voltera Leather and Wood Interior, Navigation, Premium Sound, Sirius Satelite, DVD Player with Screens in Headrests, Heated Front and Rear Seats, Heated Steering Wheel, Ski Sack & Headlight Washers, Advanced key, Hartmann S8 Summer Wheels, Continental DW (Summer), Dunlop M3s (Winter), Solar Sunroof, Power Rear & Manual Side Sunshades, Rear Side Airbag Supplemental Restraints, Rear Parktronic, Voice Recognition, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Bi-Xenon Adaptive Headlights, Power Adjustable Steering Column, Auto Dimming and Compass Interior Mirror, Power Folding and Dimming Exterior Mirrors, Memory Seats, Trip Computer, Homelink, Storage Package, H&R Rear Sway Bar, Koni FSD dampers.

 

Holy crap I think your car has had some problems. But it seems like you said more computer and nuisances then anything mechanical. Most repairs I can make myself I have no problem pulling the motor out in my garage its the computer stuff your stuck taking it to the dealer for.

Are you saying this car is still under warranty because its under 50k even though its 6 years old cause if it is thats the first place it will go for the computer updates.

Whats the 55k service entail? Has it ever left you stranded?

Thanks for all the input.

 

I purchased a 100k warranty day one.

The car has never left me anywhere.

The 55k is a major service. There is a great DYI 55k write up in the C6 forum over at Audiworld. It is a sticky and is located up top.

 

I've owned my A6 since April 2005 (purchased from original owner with 37k) and now have 190k. No where near the problems listed. Replaced clutch and flywheel, alternator, and secondary water pump. Sealed off headlight washers due to leakage. It now reads celsius instead of F most of the time because the ECU is senile. It only left me stranded once when the alternator died, because I knew it could not make it 170 miles home on the battery at night. Still have original shocks and battery! She has made a lot of 2000+ mile road trips and taken me across Michigan in terrible winter snows, and did it better than any other vehicle I have owned. I think the advantage of the 3.2 is you don't have to worry about turbos. However, if it was me, I would worry about what might have happened to it when it was stolen. The whole re-titling sounds fishy -- why wasn't it just returned to the owners??

 

Wow, it sounds like Kevin had some issues. I can say that except for a couple of recent items (aside from the Coil recall, Rough Idle TSB, Fuel Pump TSB, Fuel Cap repair, Bluetooth flash for iPhone) mine has been trouble-free at 73,500 except for a couple of items that recently popped up (rear taillight issue, and rough idle). I would buy the A6 again in a heartbeat.

 

That all good info to have thanks. I think as long as I can get it for the right price it will be mine.

The stolen issue doesn't bother me because of how clean it is. It was stolen and replated. The original owner was notified but was already compensated by the insurance company. But because it was stolen it gets issued a salvage first then it can be re-tilted as reconstructed after that.At least that is how it works in PA. It doesn't really worry me because it wasn't a wrecked car that was reconstructed and not fixed right.

And how do I find the list of tsb's?

 

Here is my own personal TSB library

Audi A6 TSB List