Is my Audi A6 a 'Quattro' and will it need a four-wheel alignment check?
My 2001 Audi A6 1.8T suffered a front wheel impact, which caused me to suspect the tracking may need to be checked. My local tyre dealer confirmed on his rig that the alignment was indeed out of specification, but said that the latest Audi software update prevented him from resetting it, and referred me to an Audi dealer.
I had the car serviced at my local dealer and asked for the front wheels to be tracked, but was told that as the car was a Quattro it would need a complete four-wheel alignment check. I pointed out that the car was not a Quattro - as I understood a Quattro to be, with four wheel drive -- but was told that “Quattro” was a term used to describe cars with a particular wheel alignment configuration, and not necessarily 4WD. I have had the steering alignment checked and adjusted before by tyre dealers. Had I been misinformed about the work done previously, or is there a retrospective change in technology at Audi?
I had the car serviced at my local dealer and asked for the front wheels to be tracked, but was told that as the car was a Quattro it would need a complete four-wheel alignment check. I pointed out that the car was not a Quattro - as I understood a Quattro to be, with four wheel drive -- but was told that “Quattro” was a term used to describe cars with a particular wheel alignment configuration, and not necessarily 4WD. I have had the steering alignment checked and adjusted before by tyre dealers. Had I been misinformed about the work done previously, or is there a retrospective change in technology at Audi?
Asked on 11 March 2012 by KG, Warlingham
Answered by
Honest John
A "Quattro" is four-wheel drive with a diff for both the front wheels and the rear wheels. It the car does not have a front and rear diff it is not a "Quattro". But it may still need a four-way laser alignment at a branch of alignmycar.co.uk and, as part of this, it will need the steering angle sensor reset, otherwise the performance of the ESP will be adversely affected.
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