2013 A6 (3.0T) Reliability

[PopTart]

I found an A6 priced well. How reliable are these cars? The transmission?

[Audibot]

The 8 speed ZF is a great transmission and has been bulletproof for many. Lately there have been folks on hptuners (and now AZ) that are tuning theirs as well. But it holds up well and while not as quick as the DSG, it does shift surprisingly well. It's also not as maintenance-heavy as the DSG.

The 3.0T engine is pretty bulletproof from everything I've read; I believe there were some thermostat or coolant-related issues at some point previously (check the B8 forum). The B8 tunes and mods are also supported by this engine, so it's a well-established platform to modify if that's your jam.

The A6 itself is very comfortable to drive, enough that I barely even touch my C5 (already have had to replace the battery once b/c of it). Just a lot of smiles per gallon for me.


My personal experience:

I have a '16 TDI since March. It's gone to Audi 3x: 1. Maryland State Safety Inspection. 2. 35k service. 3. (currently) wheel bearing replacement, passenger mirror motor replacement, and MMI software update. Wheel bearing is likely b/c Maryland's roads suck. The mirror has a thing will it would sometimes unfold and sometimes not. And the MMI is inconsistent in providing me a playlist when I'm streaming music from my phone. Other than that, it's been 8k trouble-free miles, and, minus the wheel bearing, are minor things.

[PopTart]

The 8 speed ZF is a great transmission and has been bulletproof for many. Lately there have been folks on hptuners (and now AZ) that are tuning theirs as well. But it holds up well and while not as quick as the DSG, it does shift surprisingly well. It's also not as maintenance-heavy as the DSG.

The 3.0T engine is pretty bulletproof from everything I've read; I believe there were some thermostat or coolant-related issues at some point previously (check the B8 forum). The B8 tunes and mods are also supported by this engine, so it's a well-established platform to modify if that's your jam.

The A6 itself is very comfortable to drive, enough that I barely even touch my C5 (already have had to replace the battery once b/c of it). Just a lot of smiles per gallon for me.


My personal experience:

I have a '16 TDI since March. It's gone to Audi 3x: 1. Maryland State Safety Inspection. 2. 35k service. 3. (currently) wheel bearing replacement, passenger mirror motor replacement, and MMI software update. Wheel bearing is likely b/c Maryland's roads suck. The mirror has a thing will it would sometimes unfold and sometimes not. And the MMI is inconsistent in providing me a playlist when I'm streaming music from my phone. Other than that, it's been 8k trouble-free miles, and, minus the wheel bearing, are minor things.

Thanks for replying. I heard the 3.0T is reliable, even when tuned. This may be a stupid question...is the ZF8 used in the 2013 A6...the same transmission that's used in a 2013 A5?

[Audibot]

My understanding is the C7 A6 did not get the same transmission as the B8 S4/S5.

[bahula03]

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...urs-holding-up

Probably the best thread so far for this question. Short answer (and this reflects my 3.0T ownership experience) is that the big-ticket items are very reliable, but there are a number of smaller things (engine mounts, wheel bearings, etc) that are more when than if. If you're looking at cars that are out of warranty/CPO, I'd also try and avoid cars that have timing chain tensioner rattle on startup (IMO, not something to lose sleep over reliability wise, but a very cringe-inducing sound from a luxury car).

[PopTart]

It seems like the A6 is one of the more reliable Audis.
The A4 (2.0T) has all those timing chain tensioner failures.
The S4 (3.0T) has all those DSG transmission failures.