brevee12

I currently own a Pontiac Bonneville with over 200xxx miles. It has been nothing but good to me over the years. I like that platform, features. and looks of the A6 but I would like some insight into their reliability and some things to look out for. I'm aware of the timing issues and that the cvt is less than desirable but that's about where my knowledge stops. Just looking for advice. Thanks in advance!

uberwgn

Brevee, welcome aboard! What country are you writing from? CVT?

brevee12

Writing from USA

LarryJa

i had '92 & '97 Bonneville SSE's. Great cars!
i now have an '06 A6 quattro 3.2. This is truly a class car!
However, the 12 yr old A6 does take more attention, on an ongoing basis, than the SSE's did.
The 1st thing that I did when I became interestedin buying on, was find the independent (indy)maintenance service that I'd use.
The 2nd thing that I did was get an edition of the Ross Tech vcds software to monitor & diagnose conditions off of the car's 20 computer modules.
Each summer, for the last 3yrs, I take a week off to do preventive maintenance & any minor repairs( leaky gaskets, brake pads, etc.) on the audi.
I do put a lot more effort into maintaining the audi, as compared to those Bonnevilles, but this car is sooo....rewarding!!!

uberwgn

OK, thanks. No CVT in the A6 in the USA. Thank God.

These cars could be all over the place in terms of purchase price. I think they're generally very good cars, but they won't tolerate lack of maintenance. Try to find an honest car and keep plenty of $$$ in reserve for emergencies and on-going catch-up work.

The maladies of this series is well-documented in this forum. Spend an hour or two reading about the various mishaps. If you have to farm out all the work, you may think twice about such a purchase. If you're able to DIY the majority of maintenance, I think they're a very fine car. I see the quality of materials used after this generation has declined. Our 2006 wagon is still my preferred road trip car, great seats, supremely comfortable on the road. 142k miles. No serious repairs - - luv the car, will miss it when gone.

brevee12

Thanks for the advice! I'm definitely capable of doing preventative maintenance and more depending on how much time I have. The pricing where I am seems really good when you consider what you are getting.

Good tip on the diagnostic tools. I have a bluetooth code reader that works for what I need now and even though it says it supports Audi it might not be as fully featured as it could be.

No CVT in the US? I read that all FWD models have the CVT. But now that you say that, I drove one a while ago and it seemed to shift like a normal transmission so I'll trust you on that one!

Would it be worrysome to find something that already has 150xxx miles on it or are these reliable enough that it would have life left in it? I know that it is super dependent on the specific car in question and that there are lemons in every bunch but just trying to get a better idea of these as I am admittedly a noob.

LarryJa

I bought my '06 with 151k miles on it. It has 192 now. It still runs like a bear!
However, when I replace it, I'll be looking for one with no more than 125k miles, or less.
My maintenance is starting to increase, as is my age...(67).

uberwgn

Is the FWD CVT??

Brevee, can you look for a car under 100k miles?

KevinGary

SvdSinner

I've been playing with an '06 Quatro with 225K miles. General thoughts:

• The plastic seems more brittle on Audis than GM cars. Luckily, most electrical plugs are the same general style on the Audi, so once you get good at removing them, you won't break them very often. Everything else pastic can break when messed with pretty easily. (Hoses, etc.)
• Be prepared to deal with carbon build-up on these FSI engines. These engines need valve cleaning every 30-50K miles.
• Expect wiring harness issues on Audis.
• Get a VAGCOM reader. I use the OBDEleven and like it. Several times more useful than a basic reader, and neccesary for things like throttle body alignments that are needed after cleaning out carbon deposits
• The A6 is a really fun car to drive.