In general terms, you got the bulk of it!
One thing though, original VC gaskets were and still are rubber. I think where you're getting that from is that the rear timing covers are siliconed, no gasket goes there. Regardless, you can expect the VC gaskets, timing covers, camshaft control solenoid o-rings, and oil filter housing to leak. Just a matter of time so count on it. VC gaskets were cake to change, so are the o-rings for the cam control solenoids (see
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...olenoids-Fixed for reference), the timing covers are technically easy to do but can be a bitch to access if you have big hands (I actually have to do them along with the oil filter housing in the next few weekends sometime).
Unlike other engines, our coils do not go bad often at all. It still happens, but nowhere as frequent as with the 2.0T crowd for example.
The headlights suck. Plain and simple lol. Changing the HIDs for some fresh bulbs and keeping your housing lens polished (not yellow and cruddy) helps but even still, lights suck. They use a very hazy E55 projector lens. People here have just recently started to attempt retrofits to actual clear lenses. They are not as useless as 2000s Chrysler headlights and you'll get by, but when you're next to an Acura or a 370Z and your lights' output gets lost in theirs... lol.
Oh! speaking of headlights, if the A6 has AFS (the "auto-leveling/ turning with the steering wheel" system), chances are you will have a trouble code for it. VERY common. Lights still work as normal lights. Usually it's the side-to-side motor's harness that gets chaffed against something and shorts out (some brilliant engineer thought X was the perfect length for that portion of the headlight sub-harness without taking into account it would need additional slack for left-right movement). Again, your lights will still work like normal, and will still auto-level, but you'll have that annoying trouble code on the dash and unfortunately VAGCOM can't turn it off. Only way to really fix it is to cut open the headlights and re-solder the shorted/ cut wires, or buy new headlights.
Other than those things, honestly my car has been very reliable. It's a big tank but in Sport mode it really doesn't feel that way. Especially if you tighten things up by upgrading brakes and throwing an aftermarket suspension (if the fiance allows you to lol, I wish my wife would let me put the OE GLI suspension in her Jetta SE
). This big 4000lb car gets me a solid 29mpg cruising at 75mph on road trips (with the wife, 2 big dogs, and luggage in the trunk).
Good luck on the hunt!
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Originally Posted by 95blkmax
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