A6 Breakdown Record (was: type 44 breakdown survey)

[james accordino]

I feel your pain.  In this case it's not the cost
(obviously) but the inconvenience.  It's seems much of
this is either dealer service incompetance or parts
supplier QC issues.  I wonder how much of the new
style A6's "woes" are attributable to which?  You'd
THINK Audi would have beaten their suppliers into
improving the quality of the parts they're supplying.
As for the service?  Who knows?  I'm sure corporate
Audi is TRYING.

Jim Accordino

--- David C Kumpf <dkumpf at optimetra.com> wrote:


> Well, I've yammered about this before, but here goes
> (sorry for length):
>
> Bought the car (1998 A6 2.8Q) in August 2000 with
> Audi Assured coverage
> at about 38k miles. Around 65k now.
>
> 1. 43k. No start problem. This is described in an
> Audi TSB. Backed it
> out of the garage, shut it off, would not restart
> several hours later.
> Towed, replaced plugs, various sensors, injectors,
> thermostat.
>
> 2. 55.5k. Water pump failed catastrophically on
> freeway. Towed, replaced
> water pump, replaced timing belt and tension rollers
> since they were in
> there.
>
> 3. 56k. Had car back three days from #2, tension
> roller failed, timing
> belt slipped, bent valves. Towed. Replaced several
> intake and exhaust
> valves in head rebuild.
>
> 4. 62k. Oh, this one is lovely. Is it my fault? Had
> car back from 60k
> service, drove about 30 miles, dies on freeway.
> Towed. Replaced plugs,
> sensors, et al. Still not running. Discovered NO
> FUEL coming up rail.
> Ah, no gas in tank! But the gauge reads full. Hmmm,
> mechanic thinks
> "must be sender", replaces that, puts $5 of gas in,
> pronounces it
> solved. (Both fuel sender recalls had previously
> been performed...)
>
> Fortunately, I avoided a #5...I'm driving the car
> quite a distance after
> #4, and notice the gauge creeping toward F, not E,
> as I drive. Gee, must
> NOT be the sender, huh? Turns out that during the
> 60k service, the
> instrument cluster was replaced (LED display going
> out). But they put in
> the wrong part...looks identical externally but not
> intended for that
> exact model/year. Cluster replaced again, I'm back
> in business.
>
> The car has been in 5 other times to dealer for
> other repairs and
> regular maintenance (including the sender recalls);
> oil changes every
> 3-4k miles. All of the repairs HAVE been paid for by
> Audi Assured; no
> complaints about that. But in two years, car has
> been in the shop over
> 90 days.
>
> Lest someone think "ah, gee, one of those guys who
> has bad luck with
> cars":
>
> 1981 924 - owned for 19 years (since new) and 85k
> miles until I sold it,
> on a tow truck one time for fuel pump failure.
> 1985 911 - owned for 12 years so far and 35k of the
> 85k miles, on a tow
> truck one time for a very strange alternator
> failure.
> 1984 Nissan 4x4 pickup - owned from new to about
> 45k, never towed
> 1988 Pathfinder - owned since new, 203k on it now,
> on a tow truck one
> time, bad starter
> 1987 5kcsq - owned from 85k to 135k (when some
> nitwit ran into it while
> I was stopped at a light), on a tow truck one time -
> because I hit a
> curb during an ice storm and broke the control arm
> on the right-hand
> strut.
>
> (OK, if I seem a bit defensive, it's because I'm
> cranky after looking at
> my repair spreadsheet again... ;-))
>
> Dave Kumpf
> dkumpf at optimetra.com
>
>
>
>
>