'98 A6 towed AGAIN

[Wayne Dohnal]

Dave,

Sorry to hear about your misfortune.  It seems like the consensus of owners
is that Audis (and German cars in general) do have lower reliability than
Japanese cars, but the greater comfort and pleasure make it worth it.  The
other general consensus is that German cars are much less forgiving of
neglect than Japanese cars.  Of course, your example is cruel and unusual
punishment.  I assume you've got the 2.8L V6.  I've never owned one, but I
almost bought an Audi 90 with the 2.8 and did quite a bit of research on it.
My conclusion was that while a lot of owners have absolutely no problem with
it, too many owners are plagued by common problems that seem to be basically
bad design.  The inline 4 and 5 cylinder engines, on the other hand, have a
reputation for being able to take large amounts of abuse without anything
failing.
I've owned 2 Audis.  The 1984 4000 FWD is still in the family, running
strong but showing its age at over a quarter million miles, on its original
clutch and water pump.  The engine has never been open past the valve cover
and timing belt.  I've only had my current Audi for 8 months, but at 135K
miles it's solid and running well.  But in both cases, I've watched the car
closely and jumped on little problems before they had a chance to turn into
bigger problems.  (The 4000 had its weak points, needing frequent
replacements of mufflers, horns, voltage regulators, and door handles).
Audis are great cars for enthusiasts who like to get their hands dirty, and
I really enjoy them.  For someone who just wants transportation and doesn't
want to be bothered with the car (my wife would be an example), I
reluctantly admit that the Camry or its equivalent is a better choice.

Wayne Dohnal
1994 S4

>Well, just loaded my '98 A6Q on a tow truck AGAIN yesterday. This is now
>the fourth time in the less than two years and 25k miles that I have
>owned the car.
>
>1. Wouldn't restart after being backed out into driveway. Dealer
>replaced several ignition bits.
>2. Blew a water pump on the freeway. Dealer replaced water pump and did
>the timing belt because they were already in there.
>3. Tension roller broke, causing timing jump, on a major thoroughfare.
>Dealer rebuilt heads etc.
>4. Quit running on freeway yesterday. Suspected battery, towed to
>battery vendor, battery and charging system check out. Next tow to
>dealer, waiting for diagnosis.
>
>Those don't count the other times that the car has been in for regular
>service, recalls, and other minor repairs. Most of this has been covered
>under the Audi Assured warranty, which is nice...but the car has been in
>the shop for almost 3 months over the time that I have owned it. Heck, I
>have an '89 200Q with 232k miles, and it hasn't been this much trouble.
>
>Despite my preferences for German cars and Audis, I'm starting to think
>Camry. Talk me down off the cliff...
>
>Sorry for the rant. Thanks,
>
>Dave Kumpf