2002 S6 reliability?

[rulaxin12]

Any potential problem prone areas? Any major concerns?

Thank you in advance

[Korben007]

Auto Transmission>replace with manual>most reliable Audi ever...

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[rulaxin12]

Any other known issues? Parts difficult to find? Timing chain problems?

[royrogers]

I just bought a 2000 with 46000? kms, well last april? Put 20k/kms on it so far. CV boots. Parking sensors. Rear view mirror. Just recently drivers window not working. Parts are not that bad, they are available but obviously more expensive than a north american vehicle. The drivers window regulator without a motor cost me 60 bucks, it was 40 for my Lincoln LS. Am also finding there are very few at the wreckers obviously no S6's but a few A6's.

Car more than makes up for it though. Sure feels confident on the road goes where you point it.

rr

[rulaxin12]

Auto Transmission>replace with manual>most reliable Audi ever...

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You didn't have any issues with yours? Why did you have to swap to s8 engine?

[Gogeees]

The auto trans like everyone says, but car is so much nicer now with 6 speed. My ac compressor went caput and my power steering pump is on its way out at 160k miles.

[jpaan]

The C5 S6 has the timing belt V8, which is very reliable - as opposed to the timing chain V8. The biggest engine related issue is probably the intake manifold actuation system. The actuator arms become brittle over time and break; luckily, there are a few aftermarket options which eliminate the potential failure, such as aluminum actuator arms.

Besides the transmission (which others have mentioned), the only other issues are common across the C5 family, such as window guides.

Overall, the C5 S6 is reliable, comfortable, and has pretty good power.

[rollerton]

Once you deal with the transmission the S6 is arguably one of the most reliable Audi's ever made. Aside from the trans problems you basically just have to keep an eye on maintenance, fix the little things that any Audi eventually has break, and put gas in it.
The ONLY downside the V8 has is the fuel mileage. But, if you want to be 100% realistic- ALL awd Audi's of that era suck gas like crazy. We have a 1.8 A4, a 2.8 A4, V8 S4 and the V8 S6...and the 2.8 is the best on gas but not by a large amount. I get 13-15mpg in town in the V8, the 1.8 gets 15-18, the 2.8 gets nearly 20mpg. All around total average fuel economy is about 20-30% better on the smaller engines. You'd expect those to be MUCH better...but they're still heavy AWD cars.
Any Audi with a turbo you'll usually* do 100% more maintenance/ repairs just due to heat cycling and extra stuff/ plumbing for the turbo. The S6 though...is rock solid. I've owned 4; swapped 3 of them to manual. That's really really important unless you have a good reason to keep the auto.

[Brooklyn67]

I've owed my '02 S6 for about 7-8 years..completely stock. I bought it with about 85k and now it has 144k. It's been one of the most reliable and fun cars I've ever owned. I bought it because I needed space for hauling things every now again, I [had at the time] 3 dogs, and wanted something that was a blast to drive and was normally aspirated, non-turbo. Granted, after a certain amount of years/mileage, all vehicles become somewhat idiosyncratic, but mine has been (overall mechanically) fantastic. I always change oil/filter within 4500 miles. I have upgraded the sway bars with larger Hotchkiss ones (fantastic upgrade) and put in heavier duty Bilstein shocks on the rear (I'll put them on the front too soon). I've heard/read so many (negative) things about the automatic (I will put in a 6-speed one day), but it's been great...granted, I do baby it and when parked on an incline/decline, I put the E-brake on before putting it into Park. Besides standard maintenance items (oil/filter/brake pads/rotors/worn upper strut bearing/etc.), the only failure it has had is the hazard/turn signal switch - easy/inexpensive replacement. I drive it in all conditions, especially deep snow (and though I wish I could control the ride height - like the Allroad), it's been fantastic with regular all season performance tires...I also stuck with the stock rims/tire size. I experimented with larger wheels with lower profile tires, but since I drive in NYC a lot of the time, I have broken 2-3 wheels and destroyed 35 series tires.

However, last night after driving back 3 hours from upstate NY, my shift lock failed. Meaning, after stopping 45 minutes from home and putting it in Park...it wouldn't shift out. Again, this isn't a failure specific to this car, but it was the worst thing to go wrong so far. I'm mechanically inclined and more so, persistent. I sat there with my car full, with dog, trying to figure it out. The manual doesn't help and (amazingly) there's nothing online specific to the c5 a6/s6 regarding this issue. After 45min of taking apart the trim around the shifter and looking for anything that looked like some type of shift release..I found it! Couldn't believe it. I was able to get it into D and get home. I still have to fix it, but again...this is the worst thing to happen to my S6, which overall, isn't so bad at all. Gas mileage will be crap...I rarely average over 19mpg, but you don't buy an S6 because you're looking for an economy wagon. It has a big fuel tank and it's a blast to drive...and it looks so badass for a wagon. Oh...about a month ago, the exhaust resonators, in between the Cats and mufflers, were rusting away. Instead of replacing them, I had my local shop swap in straight pipes - it sounds so great, but not loud or annoying, just a bigger growl when you're on the gas. There's a lot of crap out there, so definitely check out the S6 your considering thoroughly.

[C5S6]

I'll agree on the '02-'03 S6 reliability. I've had x4 C5 cars since 2004 & bought the S6 I have in 2008. It has been the most reliable of the bunch. I continue to wait for the automatic transmission to fail so I can 6-speed swap it...