Hi all, I just sold off my Mustang and bought a 99 A6 wagon due to a new addition to the family.

Some concerns, I couldnt afford much so the car isnt perfect by any means but it seems to run well. I know my fair share about cars and have been into it for several years now but Im new to Audis so I am open to your insight.

After getting the car it overheated on the way home. Possibly water pump or thermostat, not sure which but the guy I bought the car from is getting it fixed. That and the speedometer doesnt work as well as the LED status panel on in the dash cluster seems to be wonky.

Are there any common problems I should be aware of on these cars? Where can I get parts for them and are any of the issues I described common and easily fixable?

 

Welcome to the audi club. Prepare to get frustrated, angry, broke, and confused with these cars. How many miles did it have? A good interval for the timing belt/water pump is 80 000 miles. Speedometer, probably a sensor because I don't think they are mechanically driven. The LED display is a common thing on these cars.

 

Car has 86000 miles. Not sure if the timing belt has been replaced. Ill have to call and check with the dealer I bought it from. If it turns out the water pump is bad I will just have to have him swap the belt out while he is in there. I thought the speedo might have been a sensor issue but again, Im not anywhere close to familiar enough with these cars to know.

I am coming from a 2002 Mustang GT with 160k miles on it so I thought this HAS to be more reliable.

 

Sorry but your in for a rude awakening if you expect reliability from an older Audi. There are a zillion things that go wrong beginning with the timing belt every 80K or so and ending with electrical problems. In between there is the transmission, front end bushings, windows, and whatever else you can think of.

If we haven't scared you away you need a survival kit consiting of the Bently repair manual, a VAgCom to read the CEL codes, a reliable source of new and used parts, and a good independant Audi mechanic to do the things you don't have time or knowledge to do.

Search this section for the VagCom and Bently info. As your searching you will learn about some of the other things and hopefully see leads to an Indy in your area. As for parts, I like Force Five in Concord NH for new and used parts but there are other places that can be found on-line. Some of the guys like Blauparts, and Shokan. Both good-

So stop being concerned and have fun -- but expect to get your hands dirty real soon.

 

Just out of curiosity, but what goes wrong with the transmissions? I am pretty cable of working on my own vehicles but I avoid working on tranny problems like the plague.

Ive already looked up the procedure for replacing the timing belt and it seems fairly easy to do albeit time consuming. What are the telltale signs if you have gone too far long without replacing the timing belt? Do these engines just start to run rough or does the belt snap and grenade the engine?

 

Also, is the repair manual Bently or Bentley?

Are one of these what I am looking for? http://www.bentleypublishers.com/findMyCar.do

And another thing, is VagCom a software package or software and a hardware interface? I have a laptop that the software can run on but what type of interface for the ECU will I need?

 

That is the correct manual. This is the vag-com cable I have :http://www.alpha-bid.com/vagusb.html

Then get yourself the shareware version of the vag-com software to run on your laptop.

Don't be too afraid of an Audi, even an 99 with 90k on it. Get your TB changed, maybe change the tranny fluid and buy the manual your linked to. I have 160k on my 00 2.8 avant and it has been one of the better cars I have owned. Now it will NEVER be a Honda/Toyota, or even a Ford, but it is pretty average for a Euro car.

You will eventually learn the ins and outs of this car, fixing many things as they go bad, but you will gain the knowledge of that task, and it will serve you well for the rest of your car owning days. My best advice with any car, but especially a Euro car, fix things before they break. When the car makes a weird noise, diagnose it, don't wait until it leaves you stranded and took out 5 other things with it.

enjoy your wagon, I know I sure do and welcome to Audiforums.com

 

one more thing. About your transmission, don't sweat it. It's a ZF 5HP19, and is a fantastic transmission. They use it in our 3 series as well as a lot of other vehicles. It's funny to me, here in Audi land, people talk about watch/be careful with the tranny, but when I cruise the BMW e46 forums, people say nothing but good things about it. In Audi land people say use OEM tranny fluid or else, but in BMW land they say anything works. I think Audi owners in general are a little to anxious and probably newer to the Euro car world than say BMW owners, but what do I know.

The 5HP19 tranny is less reliable in the 2.7 twin turbo'd engines for obvious torque related reasons. Check out passworld.com, there you will find a wealth of info on what fluids to use, how to change the fluid and tips. Their 2.8l is the same as ours.

Drive your new wagon like you would with your grandma in it, and it will reward you with a long service life. But with the 2.8 (as I know), you have no choice but to drive a little slower than others.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP19_transmission

 

Yeah, I didnt buy it with any aspirations of performance in mind. I have always been a domestic muscle car V8 RWD kind of guy and more than likely always will be. I bought this car to drive slow and fit my family and all of our belongings in it. Its nice, just not a race car. lol

Maybe when I have extra funds in the future it will be fun to toy around with performance but until then, this A6 is doomed to a life of mundane daily driver status.

Also, has anyone on here changed their own timing belt without the use of a professional mechanic? It seems fairly straight forward but maybe a little overwhelming. I have done serious engine work before on my 86' 5.0 Mustang back in high school from tearing it down to the heads and replacing just about everything in it but this is no domestic V8 so I think I am just being a little on the cautious side.

 

Yep Bentley -- ya gotta get one.

VagCom - Ebay cable and free RossTech software seems to be the way to go for basic info. Good 98% of the time.

timing belt is a lot of fun. change the idlers, water pump, tensioners, and front seals when your there to save future headaches. Check out Blauparts TB Kit (everything except tensioners) and consider renting their complete TB tool set for the locking bar etc. They even supply directions.

Transmission oil change is up in the air.. Some say do it and others say don't -- I have 240K on a 97 A6 avant without a trans problem and no fluid change - I have heard other say they had trouble after changing the fluid.. It's a crap shoot with strong opinions on both sides.


don't be shy about doing some searches in this forum -- there is lot's to learn about VAGCom TB changes and other fun things. And don't believe everything you read.. Follow 99% of what AudiTech75 says (I think I got the 75 right) and you'll be OK.

I hope you didn't pay too much! LOL