Any 100/A6 V6 Mechanical Gotchyas?

[Mike Veglia]

This type 44 thread got me to wondering what the known gotchyas are for the
2.8L V6 100s and A6s of the world. From what I gather, either they are rock
solid reliable (compared to a type 44 at least) and/or not many here are
into DIY maintenance and don't say much about the problems they encounter.
Our "youngest" car and new primary road tripper is the '95 A6q Avant we got
a few weeks back and I want to be sure I stay on top of things. Since it is
my 9th Audi over the past 14-15 years I feel I know Audis pretty well, but
the latest model year I had owned prior was an '88 80q (and that was back
when they were new).

I did just encounter the ignition switch syndrome, thank you to all who
replied on that post last week. I changed it out Saturday and the switch
that came out was indeed to original and was cracked as I gather they
commonly are. I changed the outside temp display illumination bulb while I
was in there, but managed to kill one of the speedo lamps (oh well...easy to
change--just have to order some). Thank you Rod at TPC for the $10.00 part
to fix it!

The timing belt (along with two new heads, water pump, tensioner, and all
related gaskets) was done by a dealer in Texas around 30k miles ago (@85k)
so I shouldn't have any timing belt worries for another 30k (at which point
I'll be begging, renting, or buying the appropriate tools).

The transmission was recently worked on by the Livermore (CA) Audi dealer
for the PO, tailshaft bushing, gaskets, fluid flush, etc. so that should be
a non-issue for a while too.

Everything visible under the hood looks great. There is a plastic tank
radiator to keep an eye on, anyone know if the heater valves explode like in
the type 44?

All the fluids look fresh and correct. Hoses look good.

I know the PS hydraulic high pressure hose could go at any time, like a type
44, but that's a given I suppose ;-)

I'll likely update the struts at some point to Bilsteins. Beyond that, is it
a mom's taxi and family road tripper so my only intent is to keep it well
maintained and (hopefully) reliable.

Besides gas, services, and go...what should I be on the lookout for in this
beast as we rack up the miles? The car feels as solid as a rock so I'm not
too concerned really. Over the years every Audi I have owned has been very
good to me and problems that do crop tend to be pretty easy to resolve,
thanks in no small part to this list! BTW, we really are enjoying this car a
lot and my wife loves it!

Mike Veglia
Motor Sport Visions Photography
http://www.motorsportvisions.com