Trying to verify what mechanic has said about my son's 1995 Audi A6 Quattro.?

Question

We knew it was leaking something from the engine. I had taken it to 3 other mechanics and they all said they couldn't find the source but that he would probably need a new engine in 2-3yrs. That was 1.5yrs. This mechanic said it needs half shaft work, because the boots are torn and hydrolic fluid is leaking and he could loose his streering. Are we safe until he hear noises from turning the steering wheel or should I start looking for a new car? They also said he needs new struts,shocks, upper&lower pan gasket work and two screws holding the skid plate.I"m a mom just trying to figure this out.

Answer 1

If the CV boots are torn, yes, the axles will eventually need to be replaced, preferably sooner than later. There was a young man that died a few months ago on I-95 because the CV fell apart. A friend of mine, who had been in the car recently, commented that it was surprising because the CV was not making noise. Goes to show that if the boots are torn, it should be replaced sooner than later, or if the CV is a rebuild, to make sure it's inspected thoroughly before installation.

Struts and shocks would show wear on the tire. Are the tires cupped, feathering, or wearing strangely? If you push down HEAVILY on the front and rear end individually, how long does it take before the shocks/struts stop oscillating? Depending on the weight of the car, it should not bounce more than 3-4 times.

If hydraulic fluid is leaking, that sounds like a rack or power steering pump problem. This should be addressed sooner than later.

Upper and lower pan gasket on WHAT, specifically? Oil pan gasket and transmission pan gasket? That's the only thing I can think of that could possibly be referred to as the "upper and lower" gaskets. Unless he's referring to the front and rear main seals. Even then, it should not be referred to as "upper and lower" pan gaskets.

It sounds like you're looking at a significant amount of work. Use it as a trade in on a newer vehicle, would be my sugguestion. And please, teach your son to not beat the holy living hell out of his cars. Upon checking several reporting agencies, everything you're listing are not common problems with the Audi A6. I drive a 1995 Saturn and it has never required as much work as you've listed here, and it's still on it's original engine and does NOT need any work.

Answer 2

The oil leaks or water or whatever from the engine are something that you can verify yourself by seeing the drips on the engine sometimes only down low, and also on the driveway. The halfshafts are the shafts that turn the wheels to drive the car. Torn boots are something else that you can verify yourself by looking under the car with the wheels turned toward one side or other should see the "rubber bellows" just inside the front wheels. There will be grease that has leaked out on them if town and you can see the cracks usually between the bellows themselves. Halfshafts are usually replaced in "rebuilt" sets with new joints, boots, etc. already on them and lifetime warranties as well. The shocks and struts could be bad, but just my instinct tells me that they are attempting to sell more than you need. Oil can travel from a leak and get all over the engine and make it appear that you have multiple leaks when normally you only have one single leak. That "upper and lower" gasket job sounds like a hoax to me. One thing you can do is to go to the local library and check out a manual on that car. Easy to read those and they have pictures and drawings in there that explain the parts affected. Look up "CV joints, or whatever to find out how to tell if they are bad and such and you can verifyif your mechanic is a liar and cheat, or if he or she is really telling you the truth. Only way to really know for sure is to do that, or have a very trusted friend who knows to double check for you. Car mechanic work is technical and skillful stuff, but doesn't not have to be for the owner to double check or verify the diagnosis if they don't have to do the work. You can easily observe this stuff if you know what to look for and make sure you aren't cheated. As to a new car, can't imagine that any of this work would justify buying a new car unless the rest of the Audi is in bad shape. Of course if they are overcharging them might seem like it. :-)

Answer 3

Keep fluids topped up and you should be fine. Axles need to be replaced as soon as they start clicking on turns when he accelerates. Shocks and struts can be expensive to replace because you will want to align the car then find out what else is worn in the front end. Many Audi's use Hydraulic brake boosters and fluid leaks might effect stopping power. There are lots of warning lights for this however. Always use the correct AUDI fluids in the hydraulic systems. Keep him in that car until he can buy a car of his own. Have him put aside 300 a month "get a Job" for down payment and teach him what insurance costs make him pay for all car expenses. Driving is a privilege. Tell him he can have any car just as long as he pays for it.

Answer 4

That is quite a list. For starters waiting until you hear noises could be a big problem. When the hydraulic fluid leaks out you will have no more power assist and if that happens at a slow speed while turning you could run into something. The question to replace or not is up to you, but the engine itself could set you back thousands of dollars, and the rest of the list could double the bill. Lets face it, most of us don't drive twelve year old cars because there is a point of where the cost of maintenance can exceed the payments on a new one.

Answer 5

Hello Mom it sounds as if the garage is short of work.lets go through it CV boots yes if torn replace.Hydraulic fluid is leaking from where?You have a fluid reservoir its a small black unit on the left side of your engine bay remove the top you will then see a dip stick attached it has a max and min mark on it fluid level should be above min mark.If you lost all the hydraulic fluid from your steering you don't loose steering it becomes MUCH harder to turn.Upper and lower sump pan makes no sense .New struts and shocks still worth doing . screws holding the skid plate simple to replace.I have driven and owned Audi for years also work on them.Regards Mick. UK.

Answer 6

I have had VW's and Audi's my whole life. They are well engineered vehicles as a whole, and if cared for regularly will last well over 250K. The list of fixes you state means one of two things.......you have neglected to perform regular preventive maintainance.........or you son is very hard on the car when you are not around.
In any event, the previous answers I believe are accurate when they indicate which fixes can, if not addressed, lead to a life-theatening accident. Please take corrective action quickly. You would not be able to live with yourself if he (or someone else) had an accident and were seriously hurt.

Answer 7

This sounds like my race car after 20 laps around Silverstone ......

Answer 8

To make it short Get a different car. ASAP.