Vibration in 2002 A6 4.2

[Mark Reis]

James,

You migbht want to check out the audiworld.com forums.  I *had* this problem
with an '01 allroad, as have many others.   Hadn't heard of it having
afflicted a6 owners, but that's not a surprise given the similarities
between the two vehicles.  Try a search on "45 mph wobble".

To make a long story short -- I just replaced my '01 allroad tiptronic with
an '03 allroad 6spd, after fully convincing myself that not only the
dealerships, but Audi themselves is baffled by this problem.   People have
had Transmission Control Modules changed, drive shafts swapped out,  as well
as the laundry list your dealer has tried.   A careful study of postings
will reveal that this only afflicts the auto trannies, so be careful about
becoming fixated on wheels/alignment.


----- Original Message -----
From: "James Zwahlen" <jzwahlen at houston.rr.com>
To: <quattro at audifans.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 6:14 PM
Subject: Vibration in 2002 A6 4.2


> Has anyone experienced in problems with a uncurable vibration in the A6
> 4.2?
>
> My 2002 A6 4.2 was delivered in May of 2002, and currently has 17k miles
> on it.  Shortly after delivery we began to notice a vibration most
> noticeable between 45 and 55 MPH manifesting itself as a shaking of the
> steering wheel and mild to moderate vibration felt in the seats.
> Although noticeable when driving straight, it is more pronounced when
> making gentle sweeping curves.  It is noticeable at speeds up to at
> least 80mph although at a much higher speed-related frequency. At high
> speeds the vibration makes the car feel 'nervous'.  I first took the car
> to the dealer to fix the problem at 3,800 miles and it has been back to
> the dealer 4 times and they have been unable to sort out the problem.
> The dealer has:
>
> Balanced the original OEM tires (ContiSportContact)numerous times,
> including a higher tech wheel and tire matching.
>
> Replaced front brake rotors (I believe there was a mild warpage of the
> rotors)
>
> I replaced the ContiSportContacts under warranty and got the 'new and
> improved' ContiExtremeContacts.  Installed at Goodyear.  These new tires
> made absolutely no difference in the vibration.
>
> After four visits and 13k miles of dealing with the dealer, I called
> Audi Customer Service and they are working with the dealer to arrive at
> a solution to the problem.  Both the dealer and Audi seem committed to
> arriving at a fix.
>
> The dealer has now tried other tire/wheel sets (all used) on the car
> with no improvement.  The dealer inspected and tested the wheels 17" and
> they say they are true.  It's taking between 3-5 ozs per tire to get
> them in balance but they are balancing.  After swapping out one tire
> with TireRack, the road forces are reading between 3 and 10.
>
> They have replaced all four axles.  No good.
>
> The dealer is now looking at the tires again (the new ExtremeContacts
> have less that 400 miles on them) and the dealer thinks the tires are
> not seating properly on the wheels and 'squirming' on the wheels.
> Continental was contacted again for warranty and are inspecting the
> tires again tommorow.
>
> Have any of you experienced a similar problem?  Please email me direct
> at jzwahlen at houston.rr.com.
>
> Currently,
> 2002 A6 4.2
> 2001 S4
> 1994 Porsche 968
>
> Formerly,
> 1993 100CS
> 1987 5000CS TQ
> 1985 5000S
>
>
>