Allroad owners

[gmackay2]

I joined the Allroad club last March, picked up a 62 plate Bitdi which was the cheapest I could find online at the time! With a very impressive spec of options that totalled up to about £15k when it was new, on top of the £50k base price! It only had 2 owners from new and a full service history, mostly Audi.

It is now on 130k miles, but I have had some hefty bills this past few months at a VAG specialist near me. As it ended up needing new front callipers/discs/pads/ and rear discs & pads (although I am dubious these needed changed as well......) new brake fluid and then new front ball joints and 4 suspension arms and a 4 wheel alignment!

Prior to this work, I had been chasing a whining noise at speed and then more laterally a vibration when braking, so it also had both front wheel bearings replaced to rule out those!

It now drives as it should though, and I had the ZF box serviced very soon after I bought the car, as it was disappointing to see that the car had a full Audi history and extended warranty until 90k miles and the gearbox had never been touched by Audi!

I have 2 sets of wheels for it, the standard 18"s for the winter months and the titanium coloured 20"s from the facelifts for the summer months which it looks superb with. Still rides well too.

I also had mine remapped to stage 1 so 360bhp/550 lbs/ft and it is a lot of fun to drive now. Also mine is white and when on the motorway etc a lot of people think it is a plod car, possibly due to the non colour coded wheel arches etc. As the car does have a good presence on the road. MPG is respectable for a big heavy car too, mixed driving it averages about 36-38mpg and on the motorway it is around 43mpg. Although the optional 75 litre fuel tank is not fun to fill at the current prices we have......

[Antony Moxey]

gmackay2 said:

Also mine is white and when on the motorway etc a lot of people think it is a plod car, possibly due to the non colour coded wheel arches etc.

Stick a roof rack on it with a couple of bike racks and enjoy the roads. I had a white XF estate with a roof rack and two bike racks and found especially on the motorways stuff couldn't get out of the way fast enough!

[Jobbo]

I think all C7 model Allroads had the same fuel tank size - it's the C8 models where the standard capacity is a bit small (63l?) and you can spec a bigger one (73l?)

While I fancied a BiTDI when I bought my second C7 Allroad last year, I quite like the dual-clutch S-tronic box and I have read that the 272 is notably more economical; for my 70 mile (each way) commute I was more interested in the economy than the performance. I've been averaging 45mpg recently sitting at 70-75mph on the motorway which I think is excellent for a 1.95 tonne 4wd estate; I had a much shorter commute when I had my previous similar spec car and once got it down to 27mpg driving enthusiastically. Is there anyone with a mainly motorway commute using a BiTDI who can share their mpg figures?

Also, while the C8 Allroad should be the logical replacement for my car in a couple of years' time, I'm not sure they offer anything which the C7 doesn't apart from annoying touchscreen controls. Anyone tried or own a C8 and able to comment? Perhaps the economy is even better?

[PushedDover]

I was looking to the BiTurbo when I was on to my second - but i was worried that despite the purchase price similarities - the items you mention - uprated brakes etc would be punchy consumable / maintenance bills.

As for the Gearbox - no oil change either?
I have the 7 speed which demands it. if your does too and hasn't I'd be chasing Audi down.
It pissed me off that the car tells you when it needs a service, an oil change - but fails to mention the Gearbox and Audi were tts about it.

Dont ask me how I know !

[gmackay2]

PushedDover said:

I was looking to the BiTurbo when I was on to my second - but i was worried that despite the purchase price similarities - the items you mention - uprated brakes etc would be punchy consumable / maintenance bills.

As for the Gearbox - no oil change either?
I have the 7 speed which demands it. if your does too and hasn't I'd be chasing Audi down.
It pissed me off that the car tells you when it needs a service, an oil change - but fails to mention the Gearbox and Audi were tts about it.

Dont ask me how I know !

I know I went through the history specifically looking for it being done and also the dealer i bought the car off obtained a full print out from Audi just to verify it all and no mention of a gearbox service! So, it was booked into Mackies Transmission Services pronto! They said it was fine and advise servicing the 8spd ZF's every 5 years or 60k miles.

As for the brakes! The VAG specialist said the Bitdi brakes are almost RS Audi brake prices at cost from TPS where he buys parts from, even he was surprised at this. It was annoying though as the previous owner had fitted new discs and pads all round as well about 6 month before I bought the car, and had complained about the same issue I had as the notes were in the history receipts. But the independent garage that did the work, either never picked up on the seized front callipers/chose to ignore it or the previous owner didn't want to pay to fix it by replacing them......... it's done now and the brakes feel like they should do for a big heavy car.

[gmackay2]

Antony Moxey said:

Stick a roof rack on it with a couple of bike racks and enjoy the roads. I had a white XF estate with a roof rack and two bike racks and found especially on the motorways stuff couldn't get out of the way fast enough!

Vans are particularly wary of me driving behind them at dusk on A roads!!! Especially older vans.

And if i have my bike to go cycling somewhere in the car and have a hi viz jacket or top on, then people tend to move out of the way for some reason and slow down........

[Jobbo]

PushedDover said:

I was looking to the BiTurbo when I was on to my second - but i was worried that despite the purchase price similarities - the items you mention - uprated brakes etc would be punchy consumable / maintenance bills.

As for the Gearbox - no oil change either?
I have the 7 speed which demands it. if your does too and hasn't I'd be chasing Audi down.
It pissed me off that the car tells you when it needs a service, an oil change - but fails to mention the Gearbox and Audi were tts about it.

Dont ask me how I know !

I'm sure the gearbox on the S-Tronic has oil changes in the service schedule; mine's not due yet (only done 31k miles) but I will make sure it gets done.

Having had the ZF 8-sp in a 5-series (and indeed, various ZF auto boxes in BMWs) I'm well aware they benefit from a fluid change but the dealers just tell you they're sealed for life. So it was amusing to have a warranty replacement gearbox at something over 140k miles in one of my previous 5-series

[PushedDover]

Jobbo said:

I'm sure the gearbox on the S-Tronic has oil changes in the service schedule; mine's not due yet (only done 31k miles) but I will make sure it gets done.

It does. 38,000 miles. But the point I am making is that Audi told me "its all electronic service schedule now" the "OBD will tell you what is needed when"


It doesn't. You need to look it up in the manual, and remind yourself.

[prand]

gmackay2 said:

It now drives as it should though, and I had the ZF box serviced very soon after I bought the car, as it was disappointing to see that the car had a full Audi history and extended warranty until 90k miles and the gearbox had never been touched by Audi!

I also had mine remapped to stage 1 so 360bhp/550 lbs/ft......

I was on the lookout for a BiTDi Allroad, but "regrettably" found a really nice quattro a6 Avant recently and I went for that instead. Its done 60kish miles, and I've had an an oil service (due to extended servicing it's only had 3 in its life!), but I was, like you also concerned about the transmission servicing.

I'm just about to get the gearbox service done on mine, just need an excuse to get down to Guildford way, but from what I can tell from researching online, the ZF 8 speed mated to the BiTDI is more robust, requires less attention (perhaps double the service interval), than the Audi/VW 7 speed Steptronic that pretty much needs mandatory oil changes for it to last without major issue.

I do have a question about your remap though, who did you get it from? I'm interested, not just for out and out performance, but also I'd like to iron out the hesitation off the line and also improve MPG which I suspect has taken a hit since the Dieselgate recall. I would welcome your thoughts on that.

[Jobbo]

I’m not sure any VWs use the same S-Tronic fitted to the Allroad; my wife’s Skoda with 7-sp DSG has a dry clutch not the wet clutch Audi box.

Having owned many ZF autos and now on my second Allroad with S-Tronic, I don’t think the ZF is the automatic (ha) choice, unlike the Multitronic/Tiptronic era.

[gmackay2]

prand said:

I was on the lookout for a BiTDi Allroad, but "regrettably" found a really nice quattro a6 Avant recently and I went for that instead. Its done 60kish miles, and I've had an an oil service (due to extended servicing it's only had 3 in its life!), but I was, like you also concerned about the transmission servicing.

I'm just about to get the gearbox service done on mine, just need an excuse to get down to Guildford way, but from what I can tell from researching online, the ZF 8 speed mated to the BiTDI is more robust, requires less attention (perhaps double the service interval), than the Audi/VW 7 speed Steptronic that pretty much needs mandatory oil changes for it to last without major issue.

I do have a question about your remap though, who did you get it from? I'm interested, not just for out and out performance, but also I'd like to iron out the hesitation off the line and also improve MPG which I suspect has taken a hit since the Dieselgate recall. I would welcome your thoughts on that.

I have always used Mackies Transmission services in Glasgow for autobox servicing as they are the ZF specialist. The reason the ZF 8spd was fitted to the Bitdi models in Audi's range was due to the torque. The S-Tronic's can't handle the same level of torque, although it is interesting that Audi chose to fit the S-tronic box to the C7 S6 models......

Certainly, when I got my gearbox serviced I asked Mackies about the longevity of the S-tronics having previously owned a Mk6 GTI DSG that I also had the box serviced. They obviously tend to see the other side of the coin more often, in that they see a lot of VAG DSG/Stronics with failures purely down to lack of regular oil changes. They didn't rate them as competent gearboxes compared to the ZF 8spd which is more robust generally.

I got mine remapped in Edinburgh by RD Motorsport as they also did my GTI as they are an agent for Celtic Tuning. However, I would also like to get the gearbox remapped too, as Darkside Developments in Yorkshire specialise in diesel tuning. As such they are able to remap the ZF 8spd to work better with the remapped Bitdi engine. If you are thinking about getting your car remapped and you are in England than I would definitely contact them.

If your car has had the diesel gate recall, then from what i can gather that does hamper the mpg and performance of the Bitdi for some reason? But remapping them appears to restore it and then some!

[bristoltkm]

Would you walk away from a 118k miler with only one recorded S-Tronic gearbox oil change at 38k? It's the 272 version.

The oil has been changed but it's been done by the dealer selling it as I brought it up. I'd hope they've used the correct oil and that's something I'll double check but should I just wait for one that definitely has had all the work done properly?

There must be quite a few out there without the regular oil change. Does anyone know what tends to happen to the box if it does go 80k between a change?

Cheers

[PushedDover]

bristoltkm said:

Would you walk away from a 118k miler with only one recorded S-Tronic gearbox oil change at 38k? It's the 272 version.

The oil has been changed but it's been done by the dealer selling it as I brought it up. I'd hope they've used the correct oil and that's something I'll double check but should I just wait for one that definitely has had all the work done properly?

There must be quite a few out there without the regular oil change. Does anyone know what tends to happen to the box if it does go 80k between a change?

Cheers

Top lurking !
Mine have a weak synchromesh in fourth apparently. Most likely not connected to the oil change but Audi were not interested in helping under warranty with the absence of the 38k change (mine was at 50k miles)

Does it drive right, now ? As a dealer, does it come with any mechanical warranty often offered?

[bristoltkm]

Haha, cheers.

It will come with a 3 month warranty. I haven't actually driven it yet as it's 'oop North but planning on going up this week. Spec is quite nice but I also picked up on an oil leak found at a previous MOT which they said was a rocker gasket issue. That's been replaced at the same time as doing the gearbox oil.

It's a nice car but these are all questions someone will ask me when I come to sell it so just need to work out whether I like it enough.

[gmackay2]

bristoltkm said:

Would you walk away from a 118k miler with only one recorded S-Tronic gearbox oil change at 38k? It's the 272 version.

The oil has been changed but it's been done by the dealer selling it as I brought it up. I'd hope they've used the correct oil and that's something I'll double check but should I just wait for one that definitely has had all the work done properly?

There must be quite a few out there without the regular oil change. Does anyone know what tends to happen to the box if it does go 80k between a change?

Cheers

^^ I would say it will probably be ok. My old MK 6 GTI with a DSG had covered the first 57k of its life without a DSG box service and I serviced it as soon as I got it (VW do fixed price servicing on DSG/S-Tronic) at the local VW dealership and it was perfect.

Like you say, because most owners are not aware that DSG/ S-Tronic boxes need regular servicing and unless their local garage tells them, many fall out with the service cycle for them.

[Gazzab]

deadtom said:

I've just joined the Allroad club, though at much closer to the bottom end of the market than the rest of you...



I am enjoying it so far, however I think timing chain replacement will have to be done in the not too distant future, which I understand to be a bit of a beast of a job.

Does anyone have recommendations for the best UK owners forum for these cars?

Aha that pic is taken 50 metres from my house (well my girlfriends house). That house was owned by her uncle until a year or two ago.

[PushedDover]

Natural Environment? On top of the moors....

[Zebedee22]

deadtom said:

I've just joined the Allroad club, though at much closer to the bottom end of the market than the rest of you...



I am enjoying it so far, however I think timing chain replacement will have to be done in the not too distant future, which I understand to be a bit of a beast of a job.

Does anyone have recommendations for the best UK owners forum for these cars?

Nothing wrong with that..my previous Allroad looked exactly the same..and same wheels as well.

[Searider]

gmackay2 said:

I joined the Allroad club last March, picked up a 62 plate Bitdi which was the cheapest I could find online at the time! With a very impressive spec of options that totalled up to about £15k when it was new, on top of the £50k base price! It only had 2 owners from new and a full service history, mostly Audi.

It is now on 130k miles, but I have had some hefty bills this past few months at a VAG specialist near me. As it ended up needing new front callipers/discs/pads/ and rear discs & pads (although I am dubious these needed changed as well......) new brake fluid and then new front ball joints and 4 suspension arms and a 4 wheel alignment!

Prior to this work, I had been chasing a whining noise at speed and then more laterally a vibration when braking, so it also had both front wheel bearings replaced to rule out those!

It now drives as it should though, and I had the ZF box serviced very soon after I bought the car, as it was disappointing to see that the car had a full Audi history and extended warranty until 90k miles and the gearbox had never been touched by Audi!

I have 2 sets of wheels for it, the standard 18"s for the winter months and the titanium coloured 20"s from the facelifts for the summer months which it looks superb with. Still rides well too.

I also had mine remapped to stage 1 so 360bhp/550 lbs/ft and it is a lot of fun to drive now. Also mine is white and when on the motorway etc a lot of people think it is a plod car, possibly due to the non colour coded wheel arches etc. As the car does have a good presence on the road. MPG is respectable for a big heavy car too, mixed driving it averages about 36-38mpg and on the motorway it is around 43mpg. Although the optional 75 litre fuel tank is not fun to fill at the current prices we have......

Now you’ve sorted a few things how is it generally? My budget is likely to dictate a higher mileage one. I’ve had olde4 high mileage Audis before (B5 S4s) and they felt well screwed together, better than the C6 A6 I had.

[Searider]

sprinterjk said:

I've had a C7 Allroad BiTDI since 2017. Fantastic car, really does serve a lot of purposes very well with minimal compromises. Currently on 96k, and only considering selling it to get a company EV and the beneficial tax treatment. I will miss the hooligan noise and discrete pace of the BiTDI though for sure.

Sad to hear that Audi may not produce the Allroad series any longer, they are a worthwhile addition to the range for those who want more than the average estate without going full SUV. Despite the history of the C5 and C6, I've not had a single air suspension issue over the years, which is to it's credit.

A few images from the last few years below. Thoroughly recommended. I had a C6 Avant 3.0 TDI Le Mans prior to this, which was also excellent.

Did you sell or keep?
I’m thinking that it’s nearly time to get one of these.