A6 question

[Kent McLean]

Alexander Lee wrote:
 > On Friday, a co-worker purchased a '99 A6 Quattro w/ 72 K miles.
 > Friday night, the car was coming dangerously close to overheating.
 > The dealer is trying for a repair so he doesn't have to abide by
 > 3-day money back guarantee, but has yet to figure out the problem.
 > Any thoughts?

I'd be *real* careful. He could replace a thermostat to "fix"
the problem, but if a head was warped, it might not show as
a problem (a slow antifreeze leak, or oil in the antifreeze)
for a while. Then in a few months, the dealer will say, "Oh?
You need to replace the head." Out of warranty, of course.

 > There is one other thing, the information cluster in the center
 > of the dash does not work. Is this a major concern?

Maybe.  It may be as simple as a loose connection to the cluster.
But if the electronics are bad, replacing it will be major $$$.

If your friend decides to keep the car, make sure the dealers
fixes the cluster, and warranties the overheating problem they
fixed. But that's just my cynical car-buyer, dealer's-are-crooks
side showing.

--
Kent McLean
'94 100 S Avant, "Moody"
'89 200 TQ, "Bad Puppy" up in smoke