CanyonBlaster

I am continually having prob's with the cheesy engineering of the front clip. It has proven very easy to rip from the bumper, just pull slightly over a curb/parking stop and back up!! I paid $380 to repair the first time. Wife just did it again. I have seen alot of A6's around town with the same prob! I am considering a clas action to force recall. Any takers???
99 A6 Avant
86 4000 CS Q

mikef4.2

Like it is the cars fault it drives up on objects.

derfA8L

It's my understanding that Audi re-designed the front bumper clips some time ago to specifically make it easier for the bumper to separate from its retaining structure without causing body sheet metal damage to the front end. Early on, '98 A6s had stronger clips, but when the front bumpers got caught on high street curbs or other parking ubstructions they ripped off the front end with the above mentioned body damage. I guess they just pull off easier now.

I consciously try to NOT pull the car up too far into the curb or cement wheel retainer when parking. I can understand why Audi/the dealers don't warn owners upon delivery, but they really should.

CanyonBlaster

I used the site search engine of the A6 front clip problem and found several postings. I'm not talking about resonable driver error. I'm talking about BARELY scraping a typical cement parking stop and it TEARING loose the clip as you back-up. I had a 944 (very low valance) and it was indestructible compared to the A6. there's no question that it is week engineering. I see a hanging A6 clip every day here in Denver. I am looking for some others with the same problem, not a smart remark from an Quattro Club newbie.

Bollinger

A front clip is a term that includes the front end and both fenders. for $480, I presume you only got a new bumper fascia.

There are plenty of other cars which do this that aren't Audis. If you succeed on your class action, you'll probably create a new cottage industry, like suing big tobacco or the gun makers.

Here's a crazy idea: don't pull up onto parking stops.

Pete RD

each of you spend some time driving the car and "practicing" parking in order for each to find some visual "clues" that tell you where the front of the car is. All A6s have the same problem, and new cars with the sports package are lower than stock. And those of us with the Eibach springs are lower still, so we must be carefull or really "pay the price!"

If each of you can find some references that help in this scenerio, then I think each can enjoy driving this great car with a little less "fear".

HTH

uwg

A few other things I've noticed, that I want to sue Audi for:
- If you open the drivers door too fast and it meets with a solid object, it dents.
- I tried to throw a stone at another driver the other day (as a friendly reminder who's got the nicer car), but my passenger-side window was down. Now I have to pay for broken glass -- it's just not fair.
- I found out that the in-dash CD player only takes ONE CD at a time. The dealer didn't explain this to me, and I learned the hard way how expensive a Symphony unit is.
- Every week or so, a yellow warning light comes on that looks like a little robot. I take it to the dealership, and they insists that the car needs "fuel" and that that isn't covered by the Audi Advantage thingie. Nobody told me this car was going to cost me $40 a week in additional parts every week!!
- Since I'm so handy with cars, I went to check my oil the other day. When I started the car, I couldn't see a thing in front. It was all black. I drove to the dealership in reverse (12 miles, city traffic!!) where a helpful mechanic "closed the hood" for me. I didn't like his attitude, but at least they didn't charge me this time.

With so many things going wrong already, I'll NEVER EVER buy another Audi. What a piece of junk, requires me to think and all that.

PS: ;-)

Steve's 3.2 TT/Avant

And mine won't go around corners unless I turn the steering wheel!!

Richard Solomon

<i>I am looking for some others with the same problem, not a smart remark from an Quattro Club newbie.</i>

Well, I'm certainly not an old-timer, but I've been hanging around here most of '00 and this is the first posting from <b><i>CanyonBlaster</i></b> that I can recall. On the other hand, <b><i>Mikef4.2</i></b> has been a contributor for some time here, posting <b>useful</b> information.

Where do you get off calling him <i>"an </i>(sic)<i> Quattro Club newbie"</i>???? With an attitude like that, you'll get no help or sympathy from me! Yes his remark was sarcastic, but if you'd spent any time on this forum or used the archive search before posting, you'd have found that: a) the problem <b>IS</b> common and perhaps inherent in the body design b) the average Audiworld reader doesn't have much tolerance for calls to class action lawsuits over operator error.

Gripe about the design as much as you like, but the fact is that <b>you</b> broke it! The argument that Audi owes you protection from error holds as much water as <b><i>uwg</i></b>'s posting above!

Just my $.02

Richard Solomon

I backed into a light pole yesterday and caused $4000 worth of damage to my "trunk" (whatever that is). Luckily my bumper caught on the parking stop, so I just left all that useless sheet metal sitting in the parking lot.

What on earth was Audi thinking when they made this car stick out beyond the windows?!?!?! How am I supposed to park when I can't see the edges of the car? This is more confusing than voting for President! (I think I voted for Bush/Loserman somehow, we should have a new election.)