sidehatch

When my certified warranty runs out on my 2005 a6 4.2, am i going to be screwed? The repair costs are crazy what can i do?

kemer1

Either buy an extended warranty for the car before the CPO expires, or it's time to look for another car. Or just buck up and pay for the repairs out of pocket.

am_ver

yeah.. my warranty is running out in about 100 miles. I think as long as I can find a good independent mechanic with reasonable rates, I should be fine. I am not planning to get the extended warranty.

kemer1

I have about a year to go. But the high cost of repairs on these things is just depressing. Plus mine has been kinda bitchy...not the model of reliability I was hoping for.

am_ver

what year is yours? Are you just facing the issues for which TSB's have been issued by Audi? If so, those are known problems that everyone is likely to experience - nothing specific to your car.

kemer1

Mine is an 05. I have had one TSB done, and it still hasn't fully fixed the cold stutter from a stand still issue. I have had the sunroof chew itself apart. A sensor in the steering column went causing the car to not recognise the key...so a tow to the dealer and a week later they replaced the entire steering column on my car. Brake light/turn signal (led area) fried, so a new tail light assembly was needed. Interior trim pices needed replacing. Power window switches in the drivers door...that's what I can remember from the top of my head.

billski

One thing to watch for on late models is that new technology requires new tools that indys may not have. My indy did my brakes all the way around, but got stuck when he couldn't get the emergency brake (control by wire) to work. He had to go out and buy some "expensive" piece of equipment to get it calibrated. It cost me an extra day of waiting for him to figure it out. Nothing wrong with the indy, it just seems that I was the first one to bring late models into him. I'm concerned in the future that he may not have the equipment for it and charge me more, which he said he would have if he knew the full extent of the work. Not a showstopper, just be aware of this when negotiating with your indy over issues like this.

seckler17

I'm going to be in the same boat you are in about 8 months when my CPO warranty runs out on my 05 A6. I have had the Trunk latch issue and a few misc. sensor issues fixed under the original warranty and the A/C compressor, windsheild washer fluid motor and some other sensor replaced under my CPO warranty. The dealership was actually good and just kept the ticket open and only charged me a one time fee of $50 to fix all of the said issues under the CPO warranty. I have relatively low miles 42,500. I plan on keeping the car barring any major issues so I will probably purchase an extended warraty.


2005 3.2 A6

seckler17

I also had to replace one of the rear tail light assemblies because of the LED's. I purchased the part online and replaced myself. I did'nt even check the dealership, probably should have in retrospect, I fugured since it was a light issure (wear and tear) it wouldnt be covered under the CPO warranty.

2005 3.2 A6

cynerjist

If your car was made in the last few years, especially, the manufacturers have put together very expensive computer/software packages for diagnostics and programming. There are also some specialized mechanical parts. Obviously, they are protecting the dealer service networks as I couldn't think of many good reasons Volvo was doing things the way they were.

The good news is that if you live in a metro area of a reasonable size the independents service enough cars and brands to justify the cost of staying current.

If the car is going out of warranty and I am still making payments on it and plan to keep it longer, I would go for an extended warranty. That way if an expensive repair pops up it is less painful on the cash flow. If the car is paid for, I would be more comfortable risking it without an extended warranty. Of course, much would depend on the coverage/price of the warranty.