What up guys,

I just wanted to know a couple things before I make my first Audi purchase. I am looking at an 05/06 A6 with 35k to 60k miles.

One, has anyone heard of Bruce Mendel as I plan to purchase a vehicle through him at a dealer auction at a 5% markup. Two, would you guys recommend getting an extended warranty or just to save a grand or two every year for maintence issues. If you would go with the warranty, does anyone recommend anyone in particular as there a ton of em out there. Thanks!

 

This is an opinion poll question. I'm not a big believer in warranties. However, before I bought a used car I would have it checked out by a reputable garage that knows Audis. Anything that needs fixing then comes off the price during negotiation. I'm not sure how this works at an auction, since I have never bought a car that way. If you get a limited warranty, like 30 days, or a guarantee to take the car back if an inspection finds a lot of problems, then you might be ok.

Otherwise, if you park $1-2k in the bank every year and be self-insured, you are better off. I put less than $3k in my A6 over four years and 100k miles: an alternator, clutch, and flywheel were the big ticket items. Most everything else was maintenance not covered under warranty anyway, like brakes, rotors, timing belt. In some cases, a clutch may be considered a maintenance item, too. Doing the math, if I saved $2k a year for potential repairs, I'd have a nice $5k nest egg by now. PS - I do not have an extended warranty and am now at 140k miles.

Maybe you'll save enough at auction, compared to a dealer or private used car price, to accommodate any unforeseen repairs. As always, caveat emptor.

 

So a 3k warranty probably is a waste, assuming nothing catostrophic happens and most everything is maintenance related anyway?

Any major problems with the 05/06 A6 other than replacing coil packs and the typical valve cover leaks (which are not major anyway)? One more question, the timing belt is usually replaced around 75k I do believe. Whats the avg cost for replacing this along with the water pump and anything else that needs replacing around this time? Thanks again.

 

r1racer - I'm only giving you my opinion based on my experience. There are others on this forum who received good value from the warranty. Others complained they took their car in only to be told the repair was maintenance, not failure. So, like everything, it depends.

Consumer Reports rates the 2005-on A6s higher in quality than the 99-04 models. That's in your favor. Also, $3k in the bank plus $1-2k a year gives you a nice cushion. But these things can be brutally expensive. If you need a tranny repair, you could easily be looking at $3-5k. I think the engines are pretty solid as long as you do the maintenance as required. If you live in an area where the roads are rough, you may be looking at tie rods and CV joints. Can't estimate because mine are original.

I have a 2.7T; you are looking at 3.2l engine, probably. Three years ago my TB kit cost about $400 and my indie shop charged me 6 hours labor for the work. At the the time, that was $65/hr. If you take it to the dealer you're looking at double the cost in parts and possibly $125+/hr for labor. My manual recommends 105k for the TB. Most forum members go conservative and suggest it be replaced at 75-80k. I did mine at 90k and now have 140k on the A6. So I'll do it again around 180k.

If you buy it, you might check in with an Audi dealer and see if they could pull the service history for you. It might be worth tossing a little business their way to get that history. But there is no guarantee the original owner had a dealer do the work.

 

Thanks goal. I will definitely have the records pulled but I think I should be ok since I am getting an off lease car. I'll probably wait on the warranty seeing as though can purchase one at anytime before 100k if necessary.