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Audi A6 (1998) Track Rod Ends Shot at 50K Miles

How long should front suspension parts on an A6 last? At just under 50,000 miles, the track rod end joints are shot -- so much free play that the front wheel toe in can be changed by over 1/2 inch just by wiggling the tires.

Audi dealer says that "virtually the entire front end needs to be replaced"

-- for more than $3000 (US). I have a Carmax extended warranty, and they are now fighting with the dealer about coverage.

  1. Should these parts wear out in less than 50K miles? The car has never been driven on rough/unpaved roads.

  1. Is 00 a reasonable estimate to replace stuff in the front suspension, or is the dealer "padding the job?"

Reply to
stephens
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Can't it be that only the silent blocks are worn? That would not be abnormal after 5 years of service.

Ronald

Reply to
reply

My '98 A6Q wagon just turned 130K this past week and it has never had a problem like this. Likewise my '95 A6Q wagon which I traded at 140K.

Let us know if Carmax honors the extended warranty. I am guessing they will find some excuse for stiffing you.

Bob

Reply to
eBob.com

They have approved most things, but they insist that only 4.8 hours is allowed for replacing all four control links, while the dealer insists that it is 9.6 hours. The dealer will not provide any backup for their figure, and the Maxcare warranty people say they go by the "national labor estimates" for each make/model of car. Both are pointing fingers at each other.

I have contacted AudiUSA to see if they can help break the logjam. Meanwhile, my car sits not getting fixed!

Reply to
stephens

My '99 A6 had a track rod end go after less than 30K miles! There was a recall on some A6 models for track rod ends. (don't know whether it affected US models). My A6 was built after the recall period had finished but maybe yours wasn't.

It seems very unlikely that your whole front suspensions should need replacing after 50K unless you drive over very rough roads all the time. I would get it checked by another garage if not sure.

Mark

Reply to
nowhere

My A6 had to have the track-rod ends replaced at about 50K miles, and this was done under the Audi replacement scheme (my A6 is a 98 model quattro). I have now (at 130,000) got to have a number of suspension joints changed.

$3,000 does seem a little excessive, but most of that will be the labour, as all of the driveshafts etc. will need to be dismantled if they have to change hub assemblies etc.

But to counter Mark's comments, if a suspension joint has worn/failed badly, and you kept on driving it with a vibration (and, my theory is that you did, because of the 1/2 inch movement comment) then that vibration WILL have severely damaged all of the surrounding suspension joints. Driving at 30 mph with that much movement would be like driving at 100mph cross-country across the rockies.

Ashley

Reply to
Ashley Shepherd

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