palermo22

My plan all along was to buy a 2013 A6 - probably the 2.0 with the 8 speed transmission + quattro. So, naturally, I have been following many of the threads on here for the past six months. I know this is a small sample and with any blog or review - most people only post their problems and don't post when things are going good. But it seems to me that the longer people drive their 2012 A6 the more problems that are popping up. I am doing this from memory but these are some of the things I have read about in the past few months:

1) Seats not comfortable
2) Leather seats not wearing well
3) Transmission is herky-jerky
4) People here a grinding noise
5) People report air leaks when driving on the freeway
6) Brakes are soft
7) Gas pedal and brake pad are too close to each other
8) Some people having problem with the navigation system
9) Some complain about the sound system being inferior

Some of these items are minor and obviously some have not expereinced this - but it does make me wonder what of you will be complaining about after a few years. I guess I am taking a few steps back and will also look at other cars - one in particular that has my attention is the 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid.

s4str

There's a saying, "opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one." Drive the car, do your research...and yes, forum opinions/issues are one form of research and then make an informed decision. But if you're making a decision based simply on "forum chat," you'll never find a car. And BTW, love my C7, no issues, would buy another one....there's some more research for you

WannaS6

My opinions:

Had the car for 4 weeks now.

1. Seats are fine, not nearly as good as the BMW obviously
2. Leather seems fine
3. No transmission issues yet
4. No grinding noises
5. Maybe an air leak, not sure. Sometimes it seems like there's one
6. Brakes are fine
7. Pedals are fine
8. Nav is great for me
9. I have the Bose system. It's fine. Quality is good to me.

MileHighJC

I'm in the market right now as well... Have not made my final decision yet, but I am going to see an A6 tonight that is the color combo I think I want. Its a premium plus, not a Prestige (hmm, not sure about that one).

I've seen the same threads. I look at them as data points, nothing more. I also am gathering as many other data points as I can, and the most important ones I have so far are:

• Test drives. Have driven the Audi A6, S5, and S4, and a BMW 535xi. Ive sat in the 335 but not driven it.
• My personal experience with my A4 (which is that it has been a fantastic car for 15 years)
• My personal experience with my wife's cars, which has not been nearly as good as my experience with Audi.
• Other Internet research - most of which says the BMW, Mercedes E class, and Audi ALL are exceptional cars.

From what I read, I gather the grinding noise is a CVT issue, but not a rampant one. Ill be buying a 3.0T, and I don't recall hearing that issue except with CVT. The hard shifts bothers me a bit (especially since multiple people are reporting it), but I still don't believe it is a pervasive problem. If it is, based upon my personal experience with Audi, I would expect them to stand behind it (much as they seem to be doing with the Leather issue). Air leak? - had one in my A4, solved under warranty. Pedals too close together - I have not noticed that as a problem on my test drives, don't expect it to ever bother me. Sound System - could be a point here. My A4 had the concert stereo, it was always a little weak. I could have replaced it with an aftermarket unit, but frankly was not worth it to me.

I have noticed that the seats seem a bit uncomfortable to me. They seem hard, especially in comparison to the BMW seats. This as much as anything is a negative to me. I expect this to be a cruiser car... I will take it on many trips that will put me in that seat for 10+ hours in a day. I do wonder if they "break in" over time. My A4 did soften up after about about 6 months. Having said that, the leather in the bolster finally failed last year (14 years).

Regarding ALL of the mechanical "issues", I expect I will either negotiate or purchase the 4 year maintenance program. If the car is giving me grief at 4 years, Ill move to something else. If not, I would expect to keep the car 10-15 years just as I have with my A4.

Just my $0.02, but while I do value what I read in the forum (I think it is one of the best resources out there - has been for me for 15 years, all the way back to the days of "Jets A4 pages" (lost my old id tho). I do take what I read here with a grain of salt. We as enthusiasts are hard to please. We expect the cars to be perfect, a reasonable expectation given the price point. But... I keep in mind that they are anecdotal stories. Because the problem is reported here does not mean the problem is pervasive, and in fact most of the time I believe they are not. If they were, the threads would be MUCH larger (go look up forums for Chevy Trailblazers and you will see what I mean - don't ask me how I know).

In fact, I see what feels like a mind numbingly large collection of people that are delighted with their A6s.

Don't read my comments wrong... I'm not in any way trying to be critical of the concern for the problems reported here. Each of us has to make a decision about how to spend our money. I expect to make a decision soon, and I'm grinning ear to ear about the choices we have. I'm pretty sure I'm always going to be a German luxury car guy now... just like they way they drive.

dht34

+1

Pop your head into any auto forum and you'll see your share of complaints and opinions. I've been following the BMW 5 series and 2013 Lexus GS forums for a new car and they ALL have post for minor to major issues.

Good luck finding your car!

Jatmobil

Las but not least, an ES300?? Really? No comparison!

stoulana

If you look at other forums as you noted people tend to complain about issues, but as an A6 owner most of issues people complain about are minor, and low in volume, some are also a charcteristic of vehicle for example:

3) Transmission this is same ZF manufacturer who does new BMW 5 series, and this is not seen by many owners or they ignore it as it does not impact performance
1,2) are folks comparing to other cars also most of owners find seats comfortable & no wear issues
4) One incident from CVT, also characteristic of electric power steering when wheels are locked & car moves slowly, some do not notice it unless you lock wheels at low speeds but does not impact performance
5) there is a TSB to reduce wind noise it helps after I did it, but compared to my BMW it has bit of wind noise, turning radio a bit covers it
6) not performance impacting brakes are fine just different travel distance as compared but stopping distance 60--0 in outstanding 110 feet.
9) I tend to agree but subwoofer upgrade + speakers would be best & I found most of default sound system same like other brands like BMW, in fact Audi A6 has 10 speakers if i'm not mistaken which is quiet good

I also own 535i got a hits with fuel pump failures but still love the car also if you look at:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=591357
you will see issues reported by BMW owners, I'm sure Lexus, MB will have issues what is important is how severe they are.

The fun & handling that A6 offers exceeds minor issues reported so far but good approach to check other cars & compare.

MileHighJC

Are you callin me fat?

Ok, so Im not 145 pounds anymore. I did think the seats in the "Premium" that I drove a few weeks ago seemed a little hard. Ive been in worse tho... much worse. Think I want to do a little comparo tonight on the Premium plus vs Prestige seats. They are clearly different.

Drove an S4 Friday. The sport seats in that fire breathing beast were excellent. That was a truly fun car to drive, but I think I want a little bit bigger car this time around.

jc

snagitseven

I feel compelled to respond to your post. I'm about to be on my 4th Audi and have been a member of Audiworld for 11 years. I can't remember a single new model that hasn't had it's share of complaints on the Forums here - something by the way, that you'll find also holds true at forums for BMW, Mercedes, Lexus , etc.

These boards are a place that enthusiasts gather to air their likes and dislikes, representing a fairly narrow segment of very picky owners. I know...I'm one of them.
My point is, with thousands of variables in people and cars, no one owner or one car in these forums will sneak by without something that isn't 100% or that bothers someone. Sometimes, the issue is universal and worthy of concern (and usually corrected by Audi) and sometimes a very few will find something that they just don't like and wish was different.

At the same time, if you read the posts voicing complaints, I think you'll find the large majority of these same owners love the car overall, whether it's an A6, A7 or some other model. I can tell you from personal experience that all of my previous Audis were not 100% perfect - there were some issue and things I wished were different or better. Yet I keep coming back, spending oodles more money each time. Why? Because the overall experience, for me, has been superior overall to all the other 20+ cars of different brands I've owned over the years.

You said it yourself - most people only post when there's a problem. I would further modify that to say, in the case of Audi owners posting here, most people also love their car and only in rare cases is there regret for the purchase.

If you haven't driven an A6, go drive one. Taste it. Feel it. You may, as just about all the others on this forum do, fall in love and be willing to risk a few wrinkles that frankly, you would find on any brand in one way or the other. Or not and you will move on to something else that works for you. Either way, don't judge the car solely by reading posts on an enthusiasts forum (or reading car reviews - although in the case of the new A6 have been very favorable, more so than just about any other Audi in recent memory). In any case,you will likely not get the full picture unless you experience it yourself.

MileHighJC

^^ Well said.

I believe the fun of this hunt is the opportunity to drive a COLLECTION of exceptional automotive machinery, and select the one I LIKE the best. Last time it was Audi. I strongly suspect it will be again, althought he competition is very good. I believe especially BMW and Audi are pushing each other to automotive excellents. Ill toast to that... Cheers!

jc