Audi A6 Quattro Parts & Accessories

Cool Facts about the Audi A6 Quattro

• The Audi A6 line of vehicles made it to Car & Driver's Ten Best list twice. It did this in two consecutive years, 2000 and 2001. A year after its last award, it received a facelift, with revised headlight and grille design, exposed exhaust tips, slight changes to accessory body moldings, and taillight color from red to amber in North American models.


• Based on a rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States, the Audi A6 Quattro is currently the safest car in the world. In a research done by the committee, not a single fatality has been recorded in an Audi A6 Quattro since 2005.


• Quattro is the name used by Audi AG to refer to its all-wheel drive (AWD) technologies or systems that are used on certain models of Audi vehicles. It means four in Italian, referring to the four wheels of a car. It is a registered trademark of Audi AG under Volkswagen Group and is spelled with a lower case q due to nomenclature rights derived from the trademark. The quattro was first introduced in 1980 on the permanent four-wheel drive Audi quattro, and was eventually given to all subsequent AWD models-including the Audi A6 quattro.


• The quattro system is based on the Torsen (torque sensing) T1 centre differential technology, which replaced Audi's manually locking centre differential in 1987. The Torsen T1 system was proactive and had an element of fail-safe, but it was eventually replaced by the Torsen T3 centre differential technology due to some limitations. The T3 technology was eventually applied in longitudinal-engined quattro-equipped cars, including the A6 quattro.


• The quattro technology has evolved over the years since its inception. Every time a new version was debuted, however, it was not tied to a specific model and year. Rather, new developments in the quattro technology were applied to a series of vehicles within a specific period until improvements come along. The Audi A6 quattro is equipped with the Generation IV quattro system.


• Audi shares the same city with BMW as its headquarters-it is set up in Bavaria, Germany. Even with its German roots, however, Audi is named after a Latin word meaning hark or listen. Its logo is a representation of four companies that merged to form Audi AG: Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer.

The Audi A6 is a series of executive cars manufactured by Volkswagen-owned manufacturer Audi AG, starting with a mid-size car in 1994 and continuing to the present with a hybrid electric car. In 1999, a semi-offroad model was released as the Audi Allroad quattro, but it wasn't until 2005 that Audi redesigned and renamed the vehicle Audi A6 quattro. It had a few off-road styling cues including larger bumpers and sills and had remarkable sporty performance and operating convenience. It was plagued, however, with a few faults that prompted some recalls. Here are some of them.

Curtain airbags

Problems with the stitching process on the curtain airbag's seams have been reported in late 2011. Manufacturing faults like these pose a great risk to passenger safety in the event of a crash. A head curtain airbag may not even deploy during a crash because of this. Audi recalled around 300 A6 quattros and replaced the curtain airbags affected free of charge.

Fuel tank rollover valve

A defective fuel tank rollover valve can cause serious problems to the vehicle. A significant number of Audi A6 quattro units are affected by this problem, attributed to the material the fuel tank rollover valve is made from. The aging of the plastic material and the stress from the aluminum ventilation line may lead to cracking of the connection nipple. Ultimately, the damaged nipple could leak fuel, which could then lead to fire.

Audi recalled a number of A6 quattros in 2011 and reinforced the connection nipple on the rollover valve. Cracked connection nipples were repaired as necessary.

Electrical system

Some A6 quattros are observed to produce an electrical short that could potentially start a fire. Apparently, the A6 was designed with a weak knee bolster. When the driver's knees push against it, the wiring harness located under the dashboard may be disturbed and an electrical short can occur. The NHTSA, after observing this seemingly minor flaw, suggested that dealers install a protective covering on the knee bolster. Also, they need to check both the wiring harness and the felt protector on the left side of the dashboard for damage and replace either or both them if necessary.

I recently acquired a brand new Audi A6 Quattro. My question is, do I need to follow keep my speed between 40-50 mph, as well as patterned sitting and idling routines for at least a month? Honestly, I find it unnecessary and well, unreasonable. What do I do?

The answer to your question is no. Modern vehicles are designed by contemporary professionals who themselves have taken time to study their craft and have done away with those old men's tales. Vehicles these days are equipped with modern technology. Lubricants and engine oil have ingredients that protect those metal components under the hood. Basically, the engine itself is what you call factory conditioned. Meaning to say, it has been conditioned and treated, and yes, ready to assume the role of a travel buddy.

Is it necessary to change my brand new Audi's motor oil? Or does the task only apply to older vehicles?

Yes. Technically, a new vehicle's oil and filter are recommended for replacement anywhere between the 1,500 to 3,000 mile-mark, depending on usage and distance travelled. Modern Audis are products of advanced engineering technologies that succeeding oil change intervals could be at every 10,000 miles.

Is it true that my driving style factors in the frequency of my vehicle's oil change interval?

Yes. Vehicle owners have their preferred driving styles and adventures. Apart from that, other factors that affect the intervals of the recommended change oil schedule for your Audi include environment, distance, and temperature. Short distance city driving, for instance, keeps the vehicle at its warm up phase and does not allow it to reach its full operating temperature. As a result, more fuel is consumed. Also, city driving heightens the chance of oil contamination. On the other hand, highway driving allows the vehicle to reach its normal operating temperature and burns off the gases, which results to cleaner motor oil and improved fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, those who race push the engine to the limits, causing the motor oil to break down. That is why racing enthusiasts are encouraged to make use of racing oils that are highly recommended for such purpose.

I'm having a problem setting my gears. Whenever I do, the gear takes time to engage and the vehicle jerks. What could be wrong?

Jerking is not a good sign. The problem could be under your hood. Check your fuel filter and transmission fluids, as their levels could be lower than the prescribed normal range. You may use the dipstick to check. However, if you are clueless about how it works, then you could bring the car to a trusted mechanic for servicing. Remember that a scheduled maintenance is recommended for car experts to be able to check and monitor all essential parts that keep your car running smoothly. Skipping this part could lead to problems such as this. For your peace of mind, have a trusted automotive expert look into the problem so that proper solution would be administered and you would be saved from future worries.

If there’s one thing that German automakers are known for, it’s class. Audi, for over a hundred years already, has slowly but surely climbed to the top of the heap by manufacturing cars that are a perfect blend of reliable performance, great power, and unmatchable luxury. This year, in fact, it has overtaken competitors BMW and Mercedes Benz to become the world’s best selling luxury car brand. The Audi A6 Quattro, which debuted in 1994, is one perfect example of the kind of quality car that drives the brand’s success.

Audi’s mid-sized car used to be called the 100. When Audi gave the 100 an overhaul, it was rebranded as an executive car and given the A6 tag to fit the company’s new alphanumeric nomenclature. With the exception of new lights, a new grille, chassis and much-improved engines, the A6 was still very similar to the 100 that preceded it. To fit a range of needs, the car could be equipped with either a 1.8-L 20v inline-4 or a 2.8-L 30v V6—both being supercharged. More specifically, the A6 was full four-wheel drive—hence the “Quattro” designation.

In the latter half of 1997, the A6 finally became completely differentiated from its predecessor. This new A6 was, in fact, branded on the same level as BMW’s 5-Series and Mercedes Benz’s E-Class—both very luxurious executive cars. On the surface, the more modern, Italian-inspired design was praised for being both slick and classy. Two new 30-valve V6 engines—2.4-L or 2.8-L—replaced the older available engines, and 5-speed tiptronic automatic transmission was offered as an alternative to manual transmission.

In 2000 and 2001, the A6 featured on Car and Driver magazine’s Ten Best list. This inspired yet another facelift in 2002. Once again, the grille and lights were redesigned, exhaust tips were exposed, and the tail light color changed from red to amber. Under the hood, the powerful 2.8-L V6 was replaced by a massive 3.0-L that put out over 217 bhp—all controlled by Quattro. These changed were well worth the effort as the A6 Quattro won the World Car of the Year award for 2005—the very year the now-prestigious award came out!

After the dust had settled, Audi set out to prepare the A6 for the future. The first major change came in the form of another engine upgrade. The new 3.0-L V6 was supercharged and gave over 310 hp. It had a much higher state of tuning, as well as being mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Amazing new technology—like integrated heads-up display and Active Lane Assist—only added to both the A6’s appeal and safety. An already much-praised car became even better.

This year will see the introduction of the A6 hybrid—representing Audi’s foray into the “green” car market—as well as the A6 allroad Quattro—designed to be a more rugged version of the famed executive car. With this kind of momentum, backed by the strength of its history, Audi and its A6 Quattro are looking to cement their reputation as being top dog when it comes to performance and luxury.