Other 4G GS owners may have come to this crossroads as well before making a decision. To most, both cars look great and drive great but they obviously have their differences. As someone who values ratings & reviews, the A6 tends to come out ahead but I fear maintenance costs and potential unreliability like anyone else looking at these models might. A dependable 207k miles later, my 2000 ES has incurred $14k of R&M though the years (damn those sensors) but I don't know if that's good, great or terrible vs what I might encounter with an A6. Any 2012-2016 A6 owners / enthusiasts / haters care to comment on whether the high maintenance costs for a brand that has supposedly improved in reliability are overblown?

 

Would've spent close to $14K on repairs and maintenance on our 2010 A4 2.0t Quattro at less than 120K miles. The car was ok, besides expensive service intervals, during the warranty period. Everything started having problems after the warranty ended: A/C unit was replaced, engine oil consumption was crazy (1 qt per 100 miles), locking mechanism was replaced, when tires had a problem all four needed to be replaced due to Quattro, steering rack was starting to have problems, suspension needed to be replaced and the list goes on. Never had the engine oil consumption problem addressed before selling the car, but was quoted several thousand dollars to have it fixed. Engine was knocking like crazy.

I'd never recommend buying an Audi if you're thinking of keeping it past the warranty period. The maintenance is expensive on top of expensive parts. The dealer experience was terrible, and they never had enough loaners for their customers.

Audi are beautiful cars, and I'd consider leasing one if their payments/deals weren't so bad. Be prepared to pay much more a month on an A6 compared to a GS.

 

Every time I see a post like this I'm going to keep repeating that my sister just spent $5,000 for a new transmission in her seven year old Lexus RX 350. It has about 80,000 miles on it. So please, stop acting like Lexus' can't have expensive repairs out of warranty. Anyone who keeps any car over 100,000 miles should be prepared for expensive stuff going wrong. I agree that Japanese cars are the best, but there are plenty of stories for any car made anywhere.

BTW, you asked about even current year Audis. I put 8500 miles on a 2015 A7, and now have almost 6,000 on a 2016. They both have had zero problems and my dealer service and overall experience is incredibly good. In fairness, they have Lexus dealers too - Sewell. In fact, I'm about a week from trading our GS for a new GX and I'm getting it from Sewell in Dallas even though I live in the Houston area.

 

The problem is...these problems starting popping up around 60-75K miles. Every time we took it to the dealer for the oil consumption, they kept saying it was "normal." Of course it wasn't as bad until around 90K miles, but they kept saying it was fine. A/C unit went out around 70K.

Of course if you owned an Audi during the warranty period, you would think they are reliable. If you believe in your Audi so much, why don't you keep it past the warranty to find out about how dependable they truly are. Just telling OP my experience.

 

My previous experience with Lexus compared to BMW after the warranty expired, was like night and day. With my experience along with what multiple indy mechs tell me, I expect more of the same with any Euro brand compared to Lexus.

The improved reliability for Audi is great for marketing but that's only during the warranty period. I'd like to see them put their money where their mouth is after the warranty is up.

 

My Benz C240 2.6 V6 in the first three years, zero warranty claims.
Then heater $3.5k, ignition switch $2.9k, air con $4.5k, alternator $1.5k, and the plastics on dash, steering wheel and door trim all weeped oil.

I like the new C300, and want to buy another one for oldies, but I'm uncertain if their reliability has improved.

 

45 years and about 62 new vehicles and I've only kept two past the warranty. Keep in mind that I did agree that Japanese are more reliable. Just making a point that there are people like my sister who has a Lexus horror story.

I should point out that her husband has a twelve year old BMW 5 series. I've never asked him if he's had many problems, but my sister did say he has been out looking at new German cars"

 

I just sold a 16 year old BMW 5 Series (540i). I would be happy to share with you all of the maintenance problems that I had. Once I had a kid, I just did not have the time to invest repairing it anymore, nor was I able to deal with the inconvenience, between the repair shop and day care. Enter Lexus reliability.

 

I'm sure you won't get BMW or Audi owners to admit any fault in their cars. It would make them appear foolish if they did, right?

I'll take my Euro mechanic's and Consumer Reports/JD Power and Associates' word for it.

 

I think this is completely inaccurate. BMW, Mercedes and Audi have terrible track records with reliability. Lexus isn't #1 in quality and reliability by accident.

Whoever decides to head into the territory of some of these German cars goes at their own risk - it isn't like the facts aren't well understood.

 

Some people like safe, some like a little more pizzazz. There is a time and place for both. We have both a GS and Audi A7 right now - both my decisions. As was my previous BMW 550, and my 2010 GS 350 before that..... I'll gladly admit the faults of every one of them. What do you want to know?

I despise the GS' mouse controller and the fact that it is not nearly as responsive as my 2010 was. The BMW had a lot of awesome attributes, but I disliked the effects of the run flats, and poor drivability from a dead stop. Awesome power, stereo, and seats and felt bank vault solid. Oh, and the injectors had to be replaced at 23,000 miles. The Audi Stereo is sub par for this class of cars and....that is my only complaint with it.

BTW, I have zero regret about buying any one of them..

 

The annual Consumer Report car reliability issue should be out either March/April. I've been a subscriber for 25 years and the results have been VERY consistent. Japanese cars, esp Toyota and Honda, are more reliable the all of the German brands.

 

Speaking of Consumer Reports, this is from their 2015 Annual Reliability Survey:

"Lexus pulled off a rare feat, garnering top reliability marks for all seven vehicle lines scored in our survey. But it was the only strong Japanese luxury brand.

Audi, once a sinkhole of service problems, continued its recent roll and finished third, just behind Lexus and Toyota."

 

That is by far the exception though and not the rule. I know a lot of people with older Audis, and I had tires put on one of my Lexus sedans from TireRack at an Audi shop several years ago and was chatting with the owner about what sorts of issues these Audis have, and evidenced by the late model Audis in his shop, I believe him. I know a lot of people who have Audis that use a lot of oil, etc.

Within the warranty period I wouldn't worry about it...but if its something you're going to keep 200k miles I wouldn't even consider the A6.

 

I've heard of 3GS having its entire sat nav unit replaced for $7k, but it's more of the exception rather than the general rule.

As a general rule, I think 3GS has a 4.5 Star Reliability score from JD Power surveys, whereas the equivalent 5 Series was only 3.5 Stars.