Re: V6 reliability???

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

i was somewhat reluctant to post that piece of info that i got from
speaking separately to various mechanics at the dealership here.  there
are individuals here who would flame (or harass thru email) if i cannot
provide absolute irrefutable proof. anyway, take this information for what
it's worth.  if it doesn't sound believable, don't believe it.

i was told by several mechanics that the v6 has a bad oil seal problem.
nothing serious, just that "those things leak oil".

i have personally seen a 90Q V6 and a A4 with just 4000 miles in the shop
with bent valves because the timing belt snapped.  in the case of the 90Q
it was due to one of the belt driven components (oil pump if i recall)
siezing while the A4 had an idler pulley sieze.  in both cases, the
snapped timing belt led to pretty extensive valve damage.

the guy who was working on the A4 says that he's seen 10 V6s snap their
timing belts through various causes.

and the oil leaks seem to plague a large proportion of them.

i also got word from a european audi dealer that the 30V engine had
problems that led to a temporary production halt thus affecting delivery
of 30V cars that are currently being sold in europe.

i'm sure that audi will eventually lick these problems, but i'm not
terribly encouraged by this news since the v6 has been around for 4 years
now.  it has certainly made me reconsider my timing towards purchasing a
30V a4.

both the 5 banger (in all power configurations), the VR6 and the V8
engines have been given hearty thumbs up from the same people as being
bulletproof engines.


eliot