Audi A6 C6 Avant advice

[Busso GTA]

I am currently running a 2004 Volvo V70 D5 and quite tempted by an A6 am I right in thinking a manual 2.0TDI will have the least potential to ruin me?

I am going to have a look round this week upper limit of 6.5k are the multitronics worth considering or had I best best to steer clear ? and is the 2.0 ample performance wise or will i be found wanting ?

[Maracus]

The multitronic 2.0 TDI will be the most ruinous for under £6.5k!

The 3.0 TDI will be the most reliable anecdotally.

The 2.0 had adequate performance at best in 140BHP, but it depends what you're used to or compare it to.

Expect mid 40s at best for the 2.0, and low 40s for the 3.0 on long runs.

IME

Edited by Maracus on Monday 27th October 08:48

[Busso GTA]

Maracus said:

The multitronic 2.0 TDI will be the most ruinous for under £6.5k!

The 3.0 TDI will be the most reliable anecdotally.

The 2.0 had adequate performance at best in 140BHP, but it depends what you're used to or compare it to.

Expect mid 40s at best for the 2.0, and low 40s for the 3.0 on long runs.

IME

Edited by Maracus on Monday 27th October 08:48

Even in manual guise ? Ah well on this occasion bigger may well be better , back to the hunt for a nice 3.0 then is there any common issues I need to watch for ?

[Maracus]

There's loads of threads on here about the 3.0TDI. Have a scroll back over the past few weeks!

[Busso GTA]

Hah there are enough threads to put me right off for every engine and gearbox combo

Edited by Busso GTA on Tuesday 28th October 09:04

[Maxem888]

I wouldn't get the Multitronic, i heard it had some issues and just don't like it, id take the 3.0 TDI tiptronic (Quattro) if i was you

[Maracus]

Maxem888 said:

I wouldn't get the Multitronic, i heard it had some issues and just don't like it, id take the 3.0 TDI tiptronic (Quattro) if i was you

This is the only combo worth having IMO.

[Busso GTA]

Advice taken I am going to see a few this weekend is this a good checklist ?

Leave it to idle (how long?) to check injectors are not kaput
Water ingress into rear lights
Damp in passenger footwell and boot along with previous signs of water damage
Gearbox oil change needed ? if not done should it be the first thing I do ?
Wheel bearings
Fuel sender replacement
Chain rattle (what to listen for and when?)
Manifold flaps (how to check?)

Any more (in depth) advice greatly appreciated

[JaseB]

I've been running a 2.7 tdi manual for the last 40k miles (now has 120k) without incident.

It does have the emissions light on but then it has done for 20,000 miles so I can't get too excited, I would have had the 3.0 given the choice but the 2.7's a nice engine too albeit with a little less oomph. It's not slow by any means, I bought on condition and ran out of time to find my perfect 3.0 but haven't been disappointed.

I guess what I'm saying don't necessarily discount the 2.7 if you happen across a nice one.

[Busso GTA]

Cheers I will keep it in mind is the emissions light tied in with injector failure ?

[RichV6]

JaseB said:

I've been running a 2.7 tdi manual for the last 40k miles (now has 120k) without incident.

It does have the emissions light on but then it has done for 20,000 miles so I can't get too excited, I would have had the 3.0 given the choice but the 2.7's a nice engine too albeit with a little less oomph. It's not slow by any means, I bought on condition and ran out of time to find my perfect 3.0 but haven't been disappointed.

I guess what I'm saying don't necessarily discount the 2.7 if you happen across a nice one.

Same as this but without the warning light. Has cost us one ECU in the early days due to water ingress, full set of brake pads, a pair of front discs, and a set of glow plugs. Bought as an ex Audi demo in 2007, S line Avant with loads of extra kit inc auto tailgate, 19" alloys (rides ok but tyres £ steep), MMI upgrade, tints, etc etc. Wifes car, she loves it and can't think of what to replace it with. Only downside is FWD so it tends to be a little short of grip in the worst winter weather. Apart from the glow plugs which made it a little smoky it has never missed a beat and looks like a car with half the mileage on it.

[JaseB]

Busso GTA said:

Cheers I will keep it in mind is the emissions light tied in with injector failure ?

I 'think' it's a swirl flap thing rather than injectors, I'll have it checked out as it's due a service this month.

Mine's an SE, just for the motorway grind, agree 2wd can slip I have winter tyres from last year to go back on soon, they make a noticeable difference and better than a quattro on summer tyres in the snow and ice.

[Andy JB]

I've had my 2009 3.0 tdi Quattro for a year & my friendly Indy said it was defintely the way to go for reliability over 2.0 units.

FWIW I had a 140 tdi as a company car & its wasn't nice. The 3.0 is a lot nicer to drive but fuel struggles beyond 35 perhaps 40 on a sedate motorway run but it is nearly 2 tons. My petrol A4T is better on fuel - to consider if this is the main choice.

I had gearbox (tiptronic) oil replaced - often Audi say sealed for life but manufactirer recommends around 75k miles. It was very clean when changed they couldn't find any deposits - peace of mind but about £30.00 per litre isn't cheap but better than replacing gearbox. Shame no one specced the manual but 3.0 & Tipt do work well together. Tax on Auto £480.00 !!!

Otherwise due to weight its heavy on tyres & brakes & arms as stated in earlier posts but overall so good so far.

[Maracus]

Andy JB said:

Tax on Auto £480

Only on some 06/56/07/57 models.

Ours was a 58 reg, the latest renewal before we sold it was £280 p.a.

[GreenMan]

Don't forget the 3.0 supercharged petrol (badged 3.0T or TFSI) if you can find one at the right price. .. A cracking engine, highly tunable, reputedly durable and, at high-20s mpg average, not that much worse on fuel than the 3.0 diesel (and "only" £280 tax)...

[Kell]

I love our 3.0TDi.

Plusses. More than enough power for 95% of driving situations - I think it would need bigger brakes before it needed more power. Big, comfortable, quattro, huge boot, tiptronic is a lovely gearbox, 40+ mpg on longer trips (had 42.5 showing last week), plus an 80 litre tank means longer between fill-ups.

Negatives: seems to attract dings. The mirrors aren't great and I find it hard to gauge where the left hand side of the car is so I often find I've parked it 2ft from a kerb. Fuel economy around town can be sub-20mpg. The size means that it can be a pain to park and I often have to pass spaces that I would fit the Mini in easily, it's looooong and, as ours is a Le Mans/S-Line it's low too. This causes problems with some speeds bumps round us and I couldn't have owned this car at our last house as it would go over the crest on our drive.

Overall, it's the most complete car I've ever owned. As an ownership proposition it's been far better than the E61 530d that it replaced. The only things I think I'd change are the ride height (we did toy with getting an allroad, but I couldn't stand that blingy grille) and the mirrors.

ETA: common failures:

The rear wash-wipe can fail (it did on ours).
The wheel bearings are like chocolate, we had one fail on ours at about 40k.
The unit for the central locking can fail on the passenger door - ours has just gone (at 67k).

Edited by Kell on Tuesday 4th November 10:26

Edited by Kell on Tuesday 4th November 10:31

[Busso GTA]

Well I have jumped in and will update with a week or two under my belt , 2005 3.0 TDi S-line only issue so far was the drivers vent was blowing out hot air no matter what I did, bit of internets and 45 mins later I have cleaned gunk off a valve in the engine bay and normal service has been resumed

[Andy JB]

Maracus said:

Andy JB said:

Tax on Auto £480

Only on some 06/56/07/57 models.

Ours was a 58 reg, the latest renewal before we sold it was £280 p.a.

..so was yours a manual? Mine is also an 09 58 plate but with tiptronic (most are) - so just over the 230 Co2 limit above the tax level before hiking costs- i believe the manual was just under the limit. Mine is also an Allroad so may be a tad heavier than normal Q4. Sounds like theres some variables here.

[Maracus]

Andy JB said:

Maracus said:

Andy JB said:

Tax on Auto £480

Only on some 06/56/07/57 models.

Ours was a 58 reg, the latest renewal before we sold it was £280 p.a.

..so was yours a manual? Mine is also an 09 58 plate but with tiptronic (most are) - so just over the 230 Co2 limit above the tax level before hiking costs- i believe the manual was just under the limit. Mine is also an Allroad so may be a tad heavier than normal Q4. Sounds like theres some variables here.

No, it was tiptronic. There was a tweak around mid to late 2007 that brought the emissions to 225 from 226 for tiptronics, and into the 'cheap'tax bracket.

[Andy JB]

Maracus said:

Andy JB said:

Maracus said:

Andy JB said:

Tax on Auto £480

Only on some 06/56/07/57 models.

Ours was a 58 reg, the latest renewal before we sold it was £280 p.a.

..so was yours a manual? Mine is also an 09 58 plate but with tiptronic (most are) - so just over the 230 Co2 limit above the tax level before hiking costs- i believe the manual was just under the limit. Mine is also an Allroad so may be a tad heavier than normal Q4. Sounds like theres some variables here.

No, it was tiptronic. There was a tweak around mid to late 2007 that brought the emissions to 225 from 226 for tiptronics, and into the 'cheap'tax bracket.

Interesting then how a late 08 build car registered Apr 09 with 3.0 tdi tipt has higher tax bracket, unless you are incorrect i need to review the tax class - has this ever been done & challeneged?