so my uncle sells cars independently and he has an 01 a6 2.7t with 84k miles on it that he said he would give me for 6k. I have been online for days reading consumer reviews and i have read tons of horror stories about $5k routine maintainence and things of that sort. Im just curious if these things are a normal occurance or if people are exaggerating or what. i love the car and i understand its a german auto and repairs arent going to be cheap but i dont want to be in the shop constantly.

also i was considering purchasing an extended warranty from a place like warrantydirect.com to avoid these pitfalls but it isnt available in california. does anybody know of a way to get a warranty in california?

also, any tips that 2.7t owners can give me to avoid problems would be much appreciated. ive read tons of posts here but im sure i missed a few with important info

 

The best reading is in the tips and suggestions for the new 2.7t ownerat the beginning of the A6 forum. Routine maintenance from a dealer is not cheap, with shop rates of $150+ hour. A good independent should be a lot cheaper and if you are mechanically inclined, you can do some things yourself. The two biggest risks you face are the turbos or the auto transmission failing, either problem could easily cost $3k to resolve. Most other issues, like suspension or brakes, are just more expensive x2 than a domestic US car. Since the vehicle has 85k miles it is facing a timing belt replacement in the next 5-10k miles, and that will set you back $1000-1800 depending upon where you have it done. Otherwise make sure everything works - and I mean check everything, dash options and all - before you buy. He ain't GIVING it to you. You might also try and contact the previous owners and find out how they drove it, what maintenance was done, and why they sold/traded it.

 

If it's manual transmission, make sure to ask if the clutch has been replaced. I bought an '03 2.7T with 75K miles and right around 80K my clutch/flywheel were burned. Make sure you know how the previous owner drove it! I'm at 95K and still have original timing belt/water pump.

 

It needs regular maintenance just like any other cars!!!!! A Are you sayinf you would not service your car every 5k miles if it was another brand?
Agood oil change every 5k instead of 10k recommended in the book will help you and use a good full synthetic oil. If not done, upgrade the DV's to the N710's ($35-40 x2)from the TT and get a new upgraded TBB liek the SAMCO($60-70) or the APR bipipe kit ($350).
Get the maintenance and repair history/receipts and post them. If nothing is available, take it or the VIN # to the nearest AUDI dealer and have them pull the service history. They'll be bale to see all the maintenance, repair and recall work done at dealerships' service area. It might help. YOu NEED to know if the Timing Belt/Water pump 75k service was done, if NOT IT NEEDS TO GET DONE ASAP or you will WATES THOUSANDS!!!! Do NOT WAIT 95k just to postpone the 1000$ expense or it might cost you a few times that and some serious frustration!
The key is religious maintenance and common sense in driving this twin turbo car. So appropriate warm up and cool down times apply, checking oil andcoolant regularly... In spite of what you might hear, the tip tranny is pretty tough and withstands lots more power than stock. It'll be fine it taken care of, unless you go STAGE 3 and then you should upgrade the TC and possibly valve body.
If you do the TB service, ask your mechanic to check/repace all seals, install a APR sub mount.
You should search the forum and Audizine, there are countless thread liek this one with very useful info.
The A6 2.7T is a great car stock and has lots of potential in terms of performance upgrades (horsepower, braking, handling, lookd too)and other mods with countless tuners offering parts for it.

Good luck.