Hello. My 1st visit & post here. I have the opportunity to buy a 2005 A6 Avant, 60K miles. I know the owner, excellent condition. No issues. I would keep the car for approx. 175,000 miles. Any thoughts, suggestions, cautions would be appreciated. Will this car last if maintained? It has lots of advanced electronics etc that cost big bucks if they need replacement. Thanks, PeteM.

 

Hmm. Hopefully it won't be too expensive because in about a year (or you could get away with two) you're looking at a timing belt/water pump change which typically runs near $2K (though you can easily get it cheaper if you know people).

If you know the car has been doing really well, without a lot of little bugs here and there, then the chances are that it's a pretty clean car. Usually Audi's will show signs of being "lemon"-y before 50K, and further down the road if they get past 100K without too many hiccups, you can be pretty confident that you aren't going to have any major issues (outside of typical high mileage cars).

On your question of maintenance: just like any car, if you treat it nicely you'll generally be treated nice back. Just make sure to keep up on all little things and I don't really think you'll have too many troubles. And just curious, how do you know how long you'd keep the car? Or was that basically saying you'll have it for a while?

 

Thanks for the reply. I agree about the timing belt etc. I had that done to our MDX a few years ago. Cost about $1K or so. Good local guy. The MDX now has approx. 135K miles. Runs & looks great. The A6 is my brother in law's. He buys new & keeps them to about 60K then sells them private. Excellent care & maint.by him. No dents or wrecks, no smoking.
I'll keep the MDX till about 175K. That's been our history. My wife drives that. I'll drive the A6. PeteM

 

I could be wrong, but depending on the engine, 05 and up used timing chains.

 

The C6 engines have timing chains.

In addition I have pasted in two of my earlier posts.

I have an 05 4.2 that I purchased new nearly 4 years ago. She currently has 55k on the odometer. As far as reliability, she is ok, but she is no Lexus. But she is alot of fun to drive. Most of the problems have been nuisances.

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.

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.

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 41 that is available. Since my MMI has been stable with version 33 I have not upgraded to 41. From fellow Audi owners I understand that the differences between 33 and 41 are negligible.

As far as non-computer issues. I have had quite a few. The first was that all 8 coil packs had to be replaced. The second was 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. Audi had the car for 2 days to fix these problems. The third was that the frame for the front passenger seat came loose and the entire seat had to be removed and the bolts tightened. The fourth was a rattle in the glove box area of the dashboard. The fifth was a bad tire pressure sensor. The sixth was a mildew smell from the air conditioner vents, which required the replacement of a ventilation duct. The seventh was a rattle from the rear fold down seats, which required a new clamp. The eighth is a rattle from the drivers side of the dashboard, which required additional damping material. The ninth is the fuel filter recall, which required a new fuel filter. The tenth is the fuel gauge sometimes reads empty even though there is fuel in the tank, which required a computer software upgrade. The eleventh is that the transmission developed a chirping and the transmission software had to be upgraded. The twelfth is that the coolant light would come on for no reason, which required an upgraded electrical circuit. The thirteenth is that the power steering reservoir leaked, which required a revised clamp. Fourteenth, the front brakes developed a vibration at slow speeds and the brake caliper seals had to be replaced due to a re-design. The fifteenth is that the the motor for the power tilt/telescoping steering wheel had to be replaced because of a groaning noise. The sixteenth is the motor for the rear power sunshade had to be replaced because that motor was groaning and clicking as well. The seventeenth is that the coolant temperature gauge stopped working. The eigteenth is that the trunk latch stopped working and needed to be replaced. The nineteenth is that the adaptive headlights stopped working and needed a computer software upgrade. Similar to the computer issues discussed above, Audi has TSBs on 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. From what I have seen in the TSBs for the 3.2 it suffers from some oil leaks and cam problems. In total, the 3.2 has over 200 TSBs.

Despite the car being at the dealer for over 45 days for repairs during the last 47 months, not maintenance, I would certainly buy the car again because the 4.2 is alot 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. 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 4 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 4 years of expereince, most of the C6 owners on this forum only have a few months of experience with the "maintenance" on these cars. With that said, I think that the C6 is a great driving car and is alot 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

 

Thanks very much for the in depth info. The 2005 A6 in question has approx. 60K miles. Can the seller or I purchase an extended warranty on a 2005 car with 60K miles? If so, any general idea of the cost of that & where to purchase it?

 

My oh My!!!

It must be a real fun to drive a car like this!!! And value every moment on the road!
One must have a number of spare cars and an excellent road assistance program and a special mental set !!!
You must know all dealership staff by first name.

As many times expressed here I personally believe that the philosophy behind an Audi Quattro is to be driven on The Long and Winding Roads, slippery roads, where it performs the best.
On a highway - what is the fun driving on a highway? (even my wife gets bored)

 

nemohm, perhaps a Toyota Corolla is more like your cup of tea