Breakdown paranoia

[Donmeister]

As i check the forum everyday to pass the time until my build date late January, i find myself reading lots of tales of woe of broken A6's - if its not sticky fuel caps and adblue disasters, its dodgy batteries etc etc etc. Being a man of modest means, who is just recovering financially from buying a 4 wheeled money pit last year, you start to think, what am i getting into here.
Anyway, i suppose one has to logic it out that its only human nature that forums tend to become depositories for stories of misfortune as people seek help and advice, and that actually, there are hundreds of happy A6 drivers out there on the roads who are too busy enjoying their cars to find time to come on the forum and say how much they like like their cars - that's what i am telling myself anyway!!

[belly buster]

Mine's never gone wrong. 2 years and 35000 miles.

[noscream]

Paranoid you are, you’re buying new so you have money to start with..... Many can't afford new and buy used where issues crop up more often, so be happy…..

Every car new or old will have issues, it's just with wear & tear those add up.... The frequency may vary with model, spec, age, mileage but generally for the complexity they are way better than the old days. Back in the 70's 80's it was common to tinker weekly with your motor, being less complex the rate of failure I would say is was a lot higher, just the problems we less unique.

Most members don't post on a forum to say how well things are, but generally post to ask for help & advice... In 5 years I've had an inlet manifold butterfly valve failure, fuel tank lower level sensor failure, water pump leak, EGR valve fail, Vacuum pump fail, reversing sensor fail, rear light electrical issue. So I've had a fair share of issues.... but I've enjoyed every mile I've done in general. The systems and system checks made by the onboard computers tend to give warnings far in advance of total loss of use.

I’ve never had a fuel flap fail or several of the issues mentioned in current Oct 15’ threads, most of the issues I’ve had have been mentioned in AUDI TSB’s (Technical service bulletins), so I’ve mostly had info to read prior to the forum….

So to give you an extra dose of Paranoia, feast the link below…
Audi A6 TSB - Read About Audi A6 Technical Service Bulletins | AutoMD (https://www.automd.com/tsb/audi_m/a6_mm/)

[Donmeister]

Yes, i see where you are coming from - as modern cars get more sophisticated, its only inevitable that more can go wrong - we want all the toys but we don't want them to break.
My father is strictly old school and looks back with fond memories (probably rose tinted glasses in reality !) of the days when cars had points and many breakdowns could be fixed at the side of the road with a little mechanical knowledge and a basic tool kit. He still moans to me that you cannot specify wind down windows on the drivers side of a modern car, admitting grudgingly that you need them for the passenger side, as the driver cannot reach them whilst driving!

As you say, i will have 3 yrs warranty, or more if i extend it so i should not get too concerned about faults.

[zollaf]

in the 70s and 80s you would see broken down cars all over the place. if it rained there would be minis broken down everywhere. parts of cars that had rusted off could be found in hedgerows. the sound of all the leyland stuff trying to start on a frosty morning, many flat batteries or frozen coolant. yeah, old cars were great. sure, modern stuff has its problems, but if you want a car you have to accept that it could break down, a bit like the fact that one day we are all going to die.

[Donmeister]

I think also that with any car, a lot of mechanical problems, especially on manuals, has a lot to do with the way they are driven and used - having been a passenger many times in other people cars, i am amazed how rough some people can be, eg bumping over speed humps & mounting pavements to park at crazy speeds, or riding the clutch at lights for lengthy periods of time.

[GDA6]

Don't let forum break down stories or other problems scare you - forums are great for sharing what we like about our cars but they are also a great place for asking for help so naturally there are going to be some 'bad news stories'. Thinking back over 30 yrs of motoring and about 12 cars some have been entirely trouble free and some have needed work in addition to normal maintenance. But...... only 2 have ever broken down at the roadside and needed to be recovered. One was a Fiat 131 (first car) which had a carburettor problem (remember them!!!) and the other was a 3 series BMW which had a failed coil pack at less than 12 months old. I'm now on my 3rd A6 in a row and covered about 130,000 miles in them in the last 8 years without any problems. Stop worrying and just enjoy the car when it comes.

[A6S]

I wouldn't worry too much. cars are designed to break otherwise car manufacturers and parts manufacturers will all be out of business.
My experience with Audi customer service has been pretty good. Car breaks and they deliver a hire car to you within 24 hours to use while yours is getting fixed so you are always mobile.
My first A6 faultless in the 18 months and 18ks. Second one started going wrong after a thousand miles, broke down a few times but they got there in the end and now been going strong for 10k +.
I like these that much I'm going for my third C7;)
if you start reading all the different forums looking for issues then you will never buy a car. They all have problems, every manufacturer and every model.

[pxr5]

I don't post much as I don't have much to say really and I'm happy with my car. I'm on my 3rd A6 since 2009, and the only thing that went wrong (with the first A6) was the DPF sensor went and I ended up in limp mode for a bit. That was fixed by Audi Assist who changed the sensor on my drive, took about 20 minutes.

Oh yeah - touch wood lol

[istate75]

I'm on my 3rd A6 and I have to say I have had minimal issues with any of them. My first was a 2003 and in the 3-1/2 years and 87,000 miles I drove it, never had a problem, just servicing. My 2nd was a 2006 and in the 6 years and 87,000 miles covered the only repair I had was an EGR valve. Now on my 3rd, a 2013 and the only problem I've had is a data controller failure at about 1 year old, which was repaired over a couple of days by Audi under warranty. The delay was cause by waiting for the part. The car has now covered 54,000 miles in total with no other issues. Won't hesitate on buying another when this one hits 85,000 miles 'ish'

[Q7quattro]

In 2006 I bought an R plate 1998 2.8 Quattro estate with 110000 miles on it , with full main dealer history , kept the car for 6 years got rid of the car in 2012 with 177000 miles on the clock the only thing that went wrong was the Radiator started to leak ,replaced it problem solved - (replaced consumables pads/tyres etc- but that doesn't count)

[B5NUT]

99% of threads on the forum will be "my cars got a fault" or "how does this work" or "can I retrofit this?"

I've yet to see a thread "my car is x years old and not one problem"​ or "my cars done xxxx miles and not one problem"​ If these were common threads then it would make for a boarding forum.

[nevbadger99]

I put about 130k miles on my last A6, and 110k on the A4 I had before that, and very little trouble. 30k on the current A6 so far.

Like others said, not very interesting when things just work, but that's why I keep buying them....

[Scott K]

Just over 170k on my C5, traded in my C6 with 130k on the clock. Only reason I traded it in was I got a great deal and the car was needing quite a bit done (service, brakes and pads all round, gearbox oil change and suspension arms were needing done.) it was still running really well when I traded it. Nothing major just consumables. A lot of the problems are people getting expensive cars for little money but not keeping the servicing up to the correct level. Once they get to a certain age/mileage, they do need work done to keep them running well.

[estwick]

Hi Zollaf, you've just taken me down memory lane, back to the bad old days of car ownership. Remember when preparation for long journeys required essential passengers like tools, oil, spare fan belt, etc.

With modern cars you generally never need to lift the bonnet unless the washer fluid level light makes an appearance.

My last A6 Avant 2.7tdi Q auto, bought new in Sept 2005, served me faithfully for 9 years (73k miles). In that time, the only costs incurred were fuel, four scheduled services, four sets of tyres, one set brake pads, two bulbs and a new battery.

Apart from the 78% depreciation and one breakdown from a puncture, I would say that's pretty good going.