2000 Audi A6 2.7 quattro 2.7 Bi-turbo from North America
Summary:
A great performance car if you don't mind a heavy, less-than-reliable vehicle
Faults:
Water leaks into rear tail light. Dealer replaced it once, but it still occurs.
Brakes squeal incessantly, creating much embarrassment when stopping. Dealer says it's normal and will not fix.
Fuse for interior lights was blowing constantly, crippling the alarm, windows, sunroof (which was stuck open!), etc. Took dealer 3 days to locate a short under the seats.
One of the Xenon headlights will not light at random. Dealer replaced assembly; it still happens.
Cup holder broke after 1 week.
CD player will randomly stop, or go to another song. (I'm assuming it's not commentary on what I'm playing...)
Brakes totally and inexplicably failed while I was approaching a stop light. Problem never resurfaced; no indication why it happened.
Air conditioning is not adequate to cool the car.
How many Audi/VW owners also take exception to Audi's Incredible Hulk door stops, which often send the door flying back into you as you're trying to get out??
General Comments:
Regarding performance, the car is amazing. It's heavy, so it takes turns hard unless you remember to keep the wheels driving -- the quattro then takes over and keeps the car planted.
I have no complains about the engineering or the performance, however a luxury car should have better reliability, and the dealership should be more responsive. Because of my experiences with this car, I'm living for lease-end when I'll choose another manufacturer.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 6th May, 2002
5th Jun 2003, 14:29
This is a follow-up from the author of the original review. Last month I gladly turned in the Audi A6 at lease-end. I could have understood a failure here and there, but my 39-month experience with this car was full of annoying and repetitive faults, and repeated trips to the dealer to fix the same problems. As I said in the original review, I did appreciate the car's engineering; it was the lack of reliability and the sheer weight of the car that disappointed me. My new car is a 2003 Honda Accord Coupe and, believe it or not, it equals the performance of the A6 for about $20k less. The Honda's weight advantage, 240HP V6 performance, and re-engineered suspension in this all-new 2003 model please me more than the Audi ever did. It's toss-able, looks great, and I got out the dealer's door for less than $24k. I'm smiling more now. Sadly, for me the Audi name tag simply wasn't worth the price.