Well, I changed my mind on the S4 and have decided to go with an 05 A6. I drove one today and fell in love. I want an Audi Certified vehicle with around 30K on it or so with Navigation and all the goodies. I think I want the v6 and not the v8, just due to the fuel economy and I do a lot of highway driving.

My question is, is there anything specific I should look or ask for when finding an A6? If there is a sticky that addresses this, let me know. I searched, but maybe I wasn't using the right terms or something, I didn't get great results.

Thanks and great site. I can't wait to join the A6 club and start messing with mine.

 

well check the sticky if you go with a 2.7t its the first thread on the a6 home page... if your going for reliability go with the 2.8 a6 ... the 3.0 is ok and neither 2.8 and 3.0 can be modded to hard ... 2.7t is the way to go however be ready for maintenece and you can mod the hell outta it ... the 4.2 is the wide body nd is sexy and luxurious ... if your doing highway driving you would want the v8 your engine would be at a lower rpm and pretty economical ... so if your lookin for reliability 2.8 if you wanna mod 2.7t if you want stock power and smooth highway driving 4.2 ... let us know what ot get

 

Okay, now I'm just confused. I was under the impression that the 05's only came in the 3.2 V6 (which is what I drove today) or the 4.2 like the S4. Is there something I'm missing?

 

This is probably a dumb reason to get the 05 instead of the 04, but my final breaking point on why to go with the 05 was the dash mounted cup holder on the 04. I love the MMEI or whatever it's called on the 05 which weighed on my decision, but the dash mounted cup holder is going to cost me about 7 grand or so. I'm stupid, I know.

 

You are right Husker...in 05 they changed the engine to 3.2 and 4.2. I bought 06 A6 3.2 fully loaded. I love the Technology and Premium package and have amaretto leather. Depends on where you are located...I would recommend buying from Riverside Audi in NJ...they have very competitve prices and I saved a lot of money on a certified car. They ship all over US too.

 

Husker,

Before dealing with the pros and the cons of the 05 A6, let me say that Riverside can be hit or miss. They do a large volume in used cars but they acquire many cars at auction, including police auction, and then resell them. So be very careful and inspect the car before you purchase.

As far as your question on the 05 A6. I havean 05 4.2 that I purchased new. As far as reliability, she is ok, but she is no Lexus. 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.

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 eighthisa rattle from the drivers side of the dashboard, whichrequired 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. Currently, the motorized tilt and telescoping steering column is creaking, which according to the TSB is likely a motorized belt that needs to be replaced. Similar to the computer issues discussed above,Audi has TSBs on all17 of these issues, seeming to indicate that theproblems are not isolated to just my car. Audi has also issued approximately 2 dozen other TSBs on issues that I have not experienced sinceI have the 4.2 engine instead of the 3.2 engine. In total, the 3.2 hasover 40 TSBs, whichis Audi'slingo for an unpublished recall. 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 22 days for repairs during the last 36 months, not maintenance, I would certainly buy the car again because the 4.2is 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 eBahn's website. While the car is still under warranty, I would make sure you complain about any issues contained on the TSBs issued for your VIN.

As far as the 3.2 engine, which I don't have, I understand that it not only suffers from the issues I discussed above, but it also suffers from oil leaks and some strange noises from the cam area. The 3.2 is also underpowered in my opinion. If you were previously looking at an S4, you may want to be looking at an engine that is more powerful than the 3.2. The 4.2 is a wonderful engine and does 23/24 mpg on the highway. Unfortunately, it only does about 14 mpg around town.

Regardless of your decision, you will enjoy driving an Audi, but you may not enjoy the maintenance. I suggest that you get an extended warranty. Good luck.

Kevin

 

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Awesome information Kevin, thanks a ton. I will probably be purchasing my Audi from Molle Audi in Kansas City. It's a fairly small dealer that seems to know their stuff and don't bs you just to try to sell a car.

As far as the warranty, I am going to make sure that it's Audi Certified so I get a warranty up to 100K miles or 6 years, which would basically be 3 years from now. I am VERY conscious about noises and stuff in my cars and am not afraid to use the warranty to it's fullest. One question on the MMI, you say to make sure that it's above version 33 or whatever, but how do I check that?

As far as the motor goes, I'd love to have the 4.2, but not sure I want to spend the extra money or have two cars at home with gas sucking V8's. Our LS gets about what you are saying your 4.2 gets, it's okay on the highway, but in town it's like it's leaking out of the bottom of the tank, it's horrible.

I see where the 3.2 has 250 hp, which seems like it would be plenty of power for that size of car.

Thanks again for the post, that was very helpful. Like you said, it seems like you had more nuisance problems than major repair issues. I'll let everyone know what I pick up. I have to sell my pickup first which looks like might happen in the next few days. I'm pretty pumped about getting a car this nice though, I know that.

 

I just checked the ebahn website and checked on the number of TSBs issued on the 3.2. I counted191TSBs, even if I miscounted a few I think you get the idea. With that said, I would still buy my 4.2 all over again. It is a blast to drive and is a great highway car.

 

Glad I could help. You asked some good questions and clearly understand that with a used car, especially an Audi, its prior history and treatment is an important factor in getting a "good deal". Without a good maintenance history, and proper care, an Audi can become a very expensive car to drive no matter how little you pay to initially aquire it. Sticking with a reputable dealer and purchasing a well maintainedcar is a good start.

You should know that the American Automobile Association now offers an 8 year/120K mile all inclusive warranty, with a zero deductible, that my local Audi dealer tells me that they will accept. So dependingon how long you keep the car it may make sense. It will give you five years of coverage from today or 120K total miles, which is longer than Audi.

As far as the MMI software. After you turn on the car press theMMI "car" button, on the bottom right hand corner of the MMI screen the word "version" will pop up, press the bottom right hand MMI button and a screen will pop up. The top line will read something like "SW: C6 HU 33.6.0 0632" The numbers "33.6.0" in my example is the MMI software version.

Good luck.