The V8 daily driver - 2000 Audi S6
Discussion
Having developed some health issues over the last couple of years that have made driving a manual somewhat difficult at points I've been looking for an automatic car to use as a daily driver. So when a friend told me he was emigrating to Australia and asked if I'd be interested in taking his beloved S6 off his hands it felt rude not to!
The car is a 2000 model on a W-plate, and the kit level is pretty decent for a 16 year old car with Xenons, cruise control, full leather heated Recaros front and rear, dual-zone climate control and of course let's not forget the 340bhp 4.2 litre V8 under the bonnet
The car also has an LPG kit fitted which means it does the 10 miles each way to work and back in the week without bankrupting me and I can switch over to petrol for the weekends for the full V8 experience.
The crappy weather hasn't allowed me to get any decent pics yet but here's a couple from when I met up with the previous owner for a RWYB day at the Pod last year:
The good:
The bad:
The car is a 2000 model on a W-plate, and the kit level is pretty decent for a 16 year old car with Xenons, cruise control, full leather heated Recaros front and rear, dual-zone climate control and of course let's not forget the 340bhp 4.2 litre V8 under the bonnet
The car also has an LPG kit fitted which means it does the 10 miles each way to work and back in the week without bankrupting me and I can switch over to petrol for the weekends for the full V8 experience.The crappy weather hasn't allowed me to get any decent pics yet but here's a couple from when I met up with the previous owner for a RWYB day at the Pod last year:
The good:
- It's insanely easy and comfortable to potter about in day to day but when you open the taps it piles on the speed with ease, 30-100 is effortless in this car
- The ride is smooth and with just the right undertones of waft. Proof that 18" wheels don't automatically mean a crashy ride.
- Surprisingly practical - I helped a friend pick up their new 43" TV the other week and the boot just swallowed the whole thing, didn't even have to lower the back seats!
- Plenty of grip and for such a big, old barge car it feels remarkably nimble when hustling it through the twisties, body roll is minimal and it feels very responsive to the steering inputs
- The auto box seems to get it right 9 times out of 10 in day to day driving, it holds on to the gear nicely when you're accelerating hard and moves smoothly up at reasonably low revs when you're not. It sucks when your hooning the back roads but that's what tiptronic mode is for
- The noise, oh good god the noise!
- The looks are nice and subtle with the flared arches adding a hint of muscularity to it without being brash (I've got the scooby for that
)
The bad:
- The car has the Bose upgrade but this is negated by one of its previous owners fitting this god-awful headunit that is big on features (DVD, TV, BT, USB etc etc) but low on quality. When I've got some spare funds that thing is getting ripped out!
- Occasional starting problem - it just spins and spins on the starter and won't catch unless you pump the throttle pedal. It's not a regular occurrence but it needs looking at
- The LPG tank is pretty small (It's in the spare wheel well) so I find myself needing to fill up 1-2 times a week, which is an irritation as obviously only certain garages have gas. Especially irritating given..
- The "fuel gauge" for the LPG system consists of four tiny LEDs, which are "conveniently" positioned so that they are blocked from view by the steering wheel when you're driving. And if you don't spot when it drops from 2 lights to 1 you have no f
king clue when you are likely to run out of gas, which leads to making extra trips to the LPG pump just to be safe! - It's great fun on petrol but it drinks it so fast it makes alcoholics look like Quakers
- The DIS LCD has the common problem loads of C5-platform cars had of lines across the screen, I've downloaded some how-to guides for a DIY fix though so maybe one weekend when I'm feeling brave I'll break out the electronics tools and have a go at fixing it.
Lovely car, bet it's a great long distance cruiser with the LPG.
I'd be tempted to take it back to standard as I love the snowflake wheels they did for these.
How much does it cost to fill the LPG tank and how many miles does that get you?
Is it actually any slower on LPG than when on VPower etc?
I'd be tempted to take it back to standard as I love the snowflake wheels they did for these.
How much does it cost to fill the LPG tank and how many miles does that get you?
Is it actually any slower on LPG than when on VPower etc?
HybridAero said:
Lovely car, bet it's a great long distance cruiser with the LPG.
I'd be tempted to take it back to standard as I love the snowflake wheels they did for these.
How much does it cost to fill the LPG tank and how many miles does that get you?
Is it actually any slower on LPG than when on VPower etc?
It costs about £23 to fill the LPG and that gives me about 80-100 miles round town, haven't had chance to really try it out on a long run yet but will be interesting to find out. It does seem to lose a bit of grunt on LPG but it's not drastic, when we were at the Pod my friend accidentally did a run on LPG and his time wasn't a million miles off what he was doing on petrol.I'd be tempted to take it back to standard as I love the snowflake wheels they did for these.
How much does it cost to fill the LPG tank and how many miles does that get you?
Is it actually any slower on LPG than when on VPower etc?
Cupramax said:
Yes, those wheels REALLY dont suit that car, put the original Avus alloys on.
Not sure what I'm going to do about the wheels yet - initially I really didn't like the ones that are on it but I must say they have grown on me, they definitely look better in the flesh then they do in pics. I don't have the original wheels and genuine Avus's tend to be £££ so will see how it goes.Well it's been an expensive few months in V8-land..
Firstly the car was getting increasingly unreliable when it came to starting - especially if the engine was warm. I suspected the engine coolant temperature sensor so dropped it in to my local VAG specialist for investigation, a service and an MOT.
The starting issue was indeed the temp sensor so that was fairly straightforward, the MOT? Less so. Turned out that it needed a NSF wheel bearing, various front suspension components, two new front tires, a reverse light switch headlight range sensor, oh and the emissions were a spectacular failure which ended up requiring a pair of brand new sports cats grafting in to replace the failing original ones. That little lot cost me ~ £1.6k
Still, at least it wasn't going to raid my wallet again for a while, right?
Wrong. about two weeks later I was driving along only for one of my new front tires to go utterly flat, turned out to be a crack in the alloy so I had to get the wheel repaired and replace the tire (again).
Two days later my OSR tire decides to commit hari kari at 60 mph.. the other side is looking a bit scrubbed so another two new tires needed. But before I can even get home after the blowout I make a quick stop to fill the LPG tank, only to discover that the sodding filler pipe is leaking
I haven't had chance to put the car in to my local LPG certified garage to get that sorted yet, but otherwise things ran pretty smoothly for a few weeks, until last Tuesday that is when the car overheated in spectacular fashion on my way home from work. Some quick roadside diagnostics pointed the finger at a failed thermostat so back to the VAG specialist for another round of work. The good news is that the thermostats on these are only about £25 a pop, the bad news is that to change it you have to take the whole front end of the car off, and the timing belt for good measure. The belts weren't far off a scheduled change so being forced into a slightly early change isn't a big loss and at least it's an opportunity to change out the increasingly noisy alternator before it decides to die on me (although £285 for an alternator did feel a little..erm..harsh!) so for a little over £1.3k of my hard-earned the big old barge is back on the road and I'm pleasantly surprised at how much the alternator change has improved the sound.
Hopefully I'll get a few drama-free months to let my bank balance recover!
Remember kids - big complicated cars with big complicated engines come with equally big and complicated bills to match
Firstly the car was getting increasingly unreliable when it came to starting - especially if the engine was warm. I suspected the engine coolant temperature sensor so dropped it in to my local VAG specialist for investigation, a service and an MOT.
The starting issue was indeed the temp sensor so that was fairly straightforward, the MOT? Less so. Turned out that it needed a NSF wheel bearing, various front suspension components, two new front tires, a reverse light switch headlight range sensor, oh and the emissions were a spectacular failure which ended up requiring a pair of brand new sports cats grafting in to replace the failing original ones. That little lot cost me ~ £1.6k
Still, at least it wasn't going to raid my wallet again for a while, right?
Wrong. about two weeks later I was driving along only for one of my new front tires to go utterly flat, turned out to be a crack in the alloy so I had to get the wheel repaired and replace the tire (again).
Two days later my OSR tire decides to commit hari kari at 60 mph.. the other side is looking a bit scrubbed so another two new tires needed. But before I can even get home after the blowout I make a quick stop to fill the LPG tank, only to discover that the sodding filler pipe is leaking
I haven't had chance to put the car in to my local LPG certified garage to get that sorted yet, but otherwise things ran pretty smoothly for a few weeks, until last Tuesday that is when the car overheated in spectacular fashion on my way home from work. Some quick roadside diagnostics pointed the finger at a failed thermostat so back to the VAG specialist for another round of work. The good news is that the thermostats on these are only about £25 a pop, the bad news is that to change it you have to take the whole front end of the car off, and the timing belt for good measure. The belts weren't far off a scheduled change so being forced into a slightly early change isn't a big loss and at least it's an opportunity to change out the increasingly noisy alternator before it decides to die on me (although £285 for an alternator did feel a little..erm..harsh!) so for a little over £1.3k of my hard-earned the big old barge is back on the road and I'm pleasantly surprised at how much the alternator change has improved the sound.
Hopefully I'll get a few drama-free months to let my bank balance recover!
Remember kids - big complicated cars with big complicated engines come with equally big and complicated bills to match
Edited by KaraK on Saturday 16th September 12:31
To be fair at the price I paid for it I can't really complain!
For a car I bought purely as a daily slogger I'm getting surprisingly attached to it, the relentless way the V8 pulls through pretty much the whole rev range is great for really eating up the miles and the bonkers response when you really floor the throttle is addictive. It's like a yobbo in an expensive suit
Since the belts and thermostat etc mpg on petrol has actually climbed from 14.9 to 18.7 which is a nice little bonus.
The bills do keep on coming though... Air con pump gave up on life a few weeks back and since the PAS pump was starting to sound a little grumbly it made sense to change that as well so that was another £766 to do those, the wheel that cracked on me has failed again along the repair so I'm going to bite the bullet and pick a new set of 18" wheels for it and try to make it a bit more resilient to the never ending string of potholes that pass for roads around here, it is bit of a kick in the teeth because of how few miles I've done on these current tires but that's the way it goes I guess.
Have got my eye on a nice looking set which with a set of boots is going to sting me for another grand so will probably be done in the new year.
Oh and that crappy head unit? After a few months of increasing reboots and general stness it finally croaked so I'm currently using a Bluetooth speaker sat on the passenger seat and paired to my phone, I've got a new unit all ready to go just need to sort getting it fitted.
For a car I bought purely as a daily slogger I'm getting surprisingly attached to it, the relentless way the V8 pulls through pretty much the whole rev range is great for really eating up the miles and the bonkers response when you really floor the throttle is addictive. It's like a yobbo in an expensive suit
Since the belts and thermostat etc mpg on petrol has actually climbed from 14.9 to 18.7 which is a nice little bonus.
The bills do keep on coming though... Air con pump gave up on life a few weeks back and since the PAS pump was starting to sound a little grumbly it made sense to change that as well so that was another £766 to do those, the wheel that cracked on me has failed again along the repair so I'm going to bite the bullet and pick a new set of 18" wheels for it and try to make it a bit more resilient to the never ending string of potholes that pass for roads around here, it is bit of a kick in the teeth because of how few miles I've done on these current tires but that's the way it goes I guess.
Have got my eye on a nice looking set which with a set of boots is going to sting me for another grand so will probably be done in the new year.
Oh and that crappy head unit? After a few months of increasing reboots and general s
tness it finally croaked so I'm currently using a Bluetooth speaker sat on the passenger seat and paired to my phone, I've got a new unit all ready to go just need to sort getting it fitted.steve-5snwi said:
Are those wheels replicas ? that would explain why they keep cracking .....
Almost certainly. Low-pro tyres on cheap/replica alloys is a recipe for getting very friendly with your local wheel repair guy. Love the car, but for me they are the worst part of it - they stand out a mile, and cheapen what would otherwise be a subtle/classy motor.
C70R said:
steve-5snwi said:
Are those wheels replicas ? that would explain why they keep cracking .....
Almost certainly. Low-pro tyres on cheap/replica alloys is a recipe for getting very friendly with your local wheel repair guy. Love the car, but for me they are the worst part of it - they stand out a mile, and cheapen what would otherwise be a subtle/classy motor.bungz said:
Great car.
Debadge it and run it on steelies, look infinitely better than them nasty alloys it has had inflicted on it and far more practical.
Know how it feels to constantly be chasing part after part but it does slow down when you have replaced everything.....
The badging is actually pretty subtle, tbh most people seem to ignore it and get surprised when I put my foot down and the V8 roars. It can pile on the speed VERY quickly when it wants to!Debadge it and run it on steelies, look infinitely better than them nasty alloys it has had inflicted on it and far more practical.
Know how it feels to constantly be chasing part after part but it does slow down when you have replaced everything.....
Impressively I actually had the traction control light flashing in 3rd gear yesterday!
KaraK said:
C70R said:
steve-5snwi said:
Are those wheels replicas ? that would explain why they keep cracking .....
Almost certainly. Low-pro tyres on cheap/replica alloys is a recipe for getting very friendly with your local wheel repair guy. Love the car, but for me they are the worst part of it - they stand out a mile, and cheapen what would otherwise be a subtle/classy motor.Well the S6 is back on the poorly list... While out and about last week the gearbox decided to throw it's toys out of the pram 
according to diagnostics it's throwing fault codes about incorrect gear ratios on 2nd and 3rd so it's in with my local specialist who are getting an autobox expert they work with in to have a look at it next week so will be crossing fingers and hoping it's not too bad!
according to diagnostics it's throwing fault codes about incorrect gear ratios on 2nd and 3rd so it's in with my local specialist who are getting an autobox expert they work with in to have a look at it next week so will be crossing fingers and hoping it's not too bad!Get the gearbox oil levels checked. Also check the gearbox oil filter/oil pickup is not cracked from overtorquing.
Have a quick look underneath, the sump is also prone to taking a hit which can close up the gap between the bottom of the pickup pipe and the bottom of the sump. Effectively you get oil starvation resulting in gearbox fault codes.
Does it feel like when in 2nd and 3rd gear accelerating that the box slips, the revs flare and the gears jump jnto place with a bang at higher revs? Does driving very gently mitigate the gear change issues a little?
It's a shame you are paying others to look after your car as they are very capable of running up massive bills for labour. The parts are not that expensive in the grand scheme of things.
Stick at it, these are great cars when sorted. Never seen a silver S6 saloon, cant be many about now!
Have a quick look underneath, the sump is also prone to taking a hit which can close up the gap between the bottom of the pickup pipe and the bottom of the sump. Effectively you get oil starvation resulting in gearbox fault codes.
Does it feel like when in 2nd and 3rd gear accelerating that the box slips, the revs flare and the gears jump jnto place with a bang at higher revs? Does driving very gently mitigate the gear change issues a little?
It's a shame you are paying others to look after your car as they are very capable of running up massive bills for labour. The parts are not that expensive in the grand scheme of things.
Stick at it, these are great cars when sorted. Never seen a silver S6 saloon, cant be many about now!
Edited by Uggers on Monday 1st January 14:03
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