Yeah I suppose I will have to take the plunge sometime...I was hoping for something a bit less complicated than timing belt...In my former life I took a 1968 Mustang down to the block and back together...I'm guessing these are a bit more complex...lol

I might have answered my own question about Bay Area Audi Shops...Here's my list based on Research...
[ol][*]East County European Autoworks (In Brentwood) http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=191710[*]Advanced Audi in SF[*]Streetwerke in Palo Alto (expensive)[*]BR Racing in Los Gatos[*]034 Motorsport in Fremont[*]Griffin Motorwerke in Berkeley[/ol]
People seem to really like Freddie at East County so I will be giving him a call on Monday morning...

 

If you have non service rocrods, go to your local Audi dealer with the VIN #, and they will be able to pull the records of all the work done at Audi dealerships. But if the previous owner(s) did not go to AUDI dealers and did not leave any records, then no luck. Did you buy the car from a dealer? if so, they might take it back? Go talk to them. I know of people who were able to return the car. Some dealers don't want bad publicity, trials....nand some even have... decency
I would 1) get a second opinion, then 2) if cost is still high, then try and return it. OTHERWISE do the math, what's the most $$$.. selling it and losing $ or paying the repairs.

Oh and never everbuy again, especially an Audi , a car without paying an specialized indy for a PPI. wihtout history or/and warranty.
Good luck and sorry about the problems.

 

Very good advice gigi

That looks like the game plan for right now...I did get the Car from a dealer...But a small dealer that sells luxory cars through internet ads...

I did consider going back if the 2nd opinion is too high....

Maybe they would give me a break or work something out even though they have no obligation to. The only thing I could do is threaten to Publically respond to their CL adsand other online ads with details of this sale...Could cause them some problems for business...

After I get the 2nd estimate I will go to them with the details and see what they have to say about it....

But I still hold myself more responsible because I did not get all the facts before I acted...

 

vibration when braking is usually warped rotors, timing belt doesn't have to be done till 70K on the earliest notice.
2.7T cars have notoriously leaking valve covers, it's no big deal ($20 gasket plus couple hours of your time).

Here's what to do about maintenance records:
1)Pull car fax on the car
2)Call dealers around the locaiton of where the car has been previously registered and ask them for maitenance records.


I bought my A6 with 110K off an auction and got the full maintenance history from 20K to 100K from two different audi dealers.

 

OK Here’s my $0.02 worth of trivial comments..

Your probably OK because the #1 mechanic said the vehicle was in good shape.

At 55K I would not be surprised that the front brakes were close to needing replacing. $500 is a bit high for pads and rotors but the guy is probably giving you a high number to protect himself. (It is easier to say something cost less than more.) I would suspect $400 would cover it

$400 for a front wheel bearings is a bit high. More like $200 for one. But at 55K it is highly unlikely.

$1500 for a TB etc. is about right.

That leaves $2350 for the oil leaks ---- (do the math!) He’s half way there when doing the TB so I can’t understand this one.


I would not bail out,. But I would do the following –

Certainly check on the repair history –

Get the second opinion or even a third.

Have the front brakes done and wait another 70K for the TB. If the oil leaks are a problem I would have them fixed then. A wheel bearing usually makes a lot of noise when it goes bad-- wait and see if the brakes fix the problem.

 

Yes, I put away 2K for these initial repairs...But when I was quoted at $4,500 I was thrown a bit.

I am taking the car to Freddie at East Country European Autoworks tonight. If I could get down to 2K and theissues resolvedI will be a happy man...

Should I consider an Extended Warranty for these repairs? It looks like some Warranties cover timing belt etc etc....I think the plans run about 2K and I would be covered for the future...If so, Can anyone reccommend a good Ext Warranty Company?

 

Pretty much same thing as the others are saying, but here are my thoughts.

- Shimmy sounds like warped rotors, as everyone is saying. You can actually do those yourself if you feel like it; but in reality, other than bugging you a little, it really does not affect the performance/safety of the car. I would wait until the next brake job to replace the rotors and all. As for the bearings, unless you are hearing constant humming while driving, I say it is fine.
- Timing belt and water pump from a mechanic will run you anywhere from $1500 to $2000 if you get it from a repair shop. As for the oil leak, it is typical with these cars. I would not worry about small residue, unless you are seeing drips. Just wait until 75K or so to do the timing belt and deal with it all then and keep your eyes on the oil level. Sometimes these cars burn through 1 qt per 1000 miles, and it is considered normal.

I wouldn't consider your car a lemon. These are just typical issues with A6s. Just keep your eyes open for any drastic changes and change oil with good quality synthetic often. It's will keep your turbos alive. Audis are great cars, but are not cheap to maintain. Consider this the hazing period, and welcome to the brotherhood.

 

Udpate...

Freddie at East County quoted me at $2,600 for the repairs...
HE was lower than the first estimate by about 2 grand...He also notified me of Some other potential issues with the car...

I did some research and found I could get into an extended warranty for about 2K...

I went back to the dealership with the estimates in hand ($4,500 and 2,600)...And told them about the additional issues. They offered to have their mechanic look inot the issues and give me a quote (they thought it might be around $1,500) at the dealers prefered rate...

I was not satified with this as I was not sure if the mechanic would be looking out for me or the dealers interests. And I was weary of getting stuck in a car that I am upside down by 5K (the warranty + fixes) plus the additional issues identified by Freddie at East county...Intermitent Codes, stripped wheel lug, blown spare tire, incorrect bake pads...Plus mods etc etc

Based on the research and costs asscosiated I had already decided I was going to opt out of this vehicle.I was one week outof signing so no cooling offperiod was available.

I pushed the dealer to cancel the deal very hard...Stateing that both mechanicsopinion that the dealershipnot honest about the condition of the car.I was able to get out of the deal(even though I paid some small fee's). Considering that I would likely lose money on trade in or sale I jumped at he opportunity...I was pleased that they stepped up and took responsibility for the car...And I promised them I would not bad mouththeirbusiness so they will remain nameless


I realize that the 2.7T was not the engine for me...I was somewhat interesed in the mods but more interested in reliability...The 4.2 has enough power stock to keep me happy (for now) and having the CPO 100K warranty is big espcially with the wife...

I like the 2005 interior much more (amaretto)and the car has rear sun shades (bonus for my 8 month old) and Advanced Key (not sure yet about this one)...Overall the car feels more luxorious which pleases me a bit more than the turbos (it is close!)

I am paying more (obviously) but I feelits worth itit seems thiscar will be much more reliable. I am crossing my fingers...

Thank You all for your help...

 

You will enjoy the 4.2 and the C6 body. Mine has been a lot of fun.

 

i'm pretty sure that an 05 4.2 is a good bit faster than the 2.7t

and yeah new interior, exterior is really nice.