New Family Car - Audi S6 V10 Content
Discussion
Exterior wise the S6 is more like the facelift ones anyway (LED rear lights and DRL) although all the bumpers are different to the standard cars anyway along with the wider front arches- inside your facelift will have the 3g MMI which later S6s had too, although mine is 2G. Not sure of many changes other than that between pre/post (except engine options being updated). Seat wise I don't know if the later A6 Sline/Le Man's got the same seat options as the S/RS bucket style seats as they make the interior for me.
3.0T is a great engine though and when mapped should be as quick if not quicker than the V10. The S6 is really not that fast considering the size of the engine and what some expect of it. I couldn't resist the noise and the chance to own a V10 though as I doubt we will see them again, especially in a wagon!
3.0T is a great engine though and when mapped should be as quick if not quicker than the V10. The S6 is really not that fast considering the size of the engine and what some expect of it. I couldn't resist the noise and the chance to own a V10 though as I doubt we will see them again, especially in a wagon!
Probably about time for an update - seeing as its been 10 months!
I'd like to say the car has been faultless - but whilst its been good it has required some little bits of work.
First off my niggly starting issue returned with a vengeance. It got so bad that it completely wouldn't start/run one day. Turned out to be the relay I had suspected so fortunately it was a fairly simple fix.
Second - after our trip across France to Le Man's I jumped in it to go to work the next day and the passenger side airbag light was illuminated. I'm certain its the wiring under the seat which is A) a common fault on C6's and B ) would tally with me fiddling around under there trying to find a dropped phone.
Other issues I had - the car was driven into whilst I was stationary. Minor damage to the rear quarter, bumper and boot lid. All was sorted by the other parts insurer at a bodyshop of my choice near me. These guys did a fantastic job and I definitely wouldn't hesitate to use them again. To be fair though - they do most of Porsche Reading's work as well as Aston and Lamborghini in Pangbourne so I had high expectations and wasn't dissapointed.
Next - I had all 4 wheels refurbed. Fantastic job was done on the wheels - however the jacking skills left a little to be desired. Managed to dent the sill and crack the undertray. Fortunately they agreed to replace the undertray and pay to get the sill sorted. Appreciate its a heavy car but still.....
Talking of Le Man's the car was awesome - we took Dover to Calais via Eurotunnel then avoided all Autoroutes and traveled across country. The car was excellent and performed faultlessly. Some very memorable drives over fantastic roads. We did only average 18.1MPG over 1000 miles though according to the trip computer!
Day to day - its still a great all rounder (MPG aside). Having just moved to a "project" house - the large boot and tow bar is proving very useful for tip runs.
The engine noise still makes me smile after nearly 2 years.
Gratuitous pics
Damage to the rear
Up on the cat and fiddle - slightly ruined by the fog!
Graphics Time!
Mulsanne
Pit Stop
Final trip before the stickers came off - towing our box cart ot the local charity race!
I'd like to say the car has been faultless - but whilst its been good it has required some little bits of work.
First off my niggly starting issue returned with a vengeance. It got so bad that it completely wouldn't start/run one day. Turned out to be the relay I had suspected so fortunately it was a fairly simple fix.
Second - after our trip across France to Le Man's I jumped in it to go to work the next day and the passenger side airbag light was illuminated. I'm certain its the wiring under the seat which is A) a common fault on C6's and B ) would tally with me fiddling around under there trying to find a dropped phone.
Other issues I had - the car was driven into whilst I was stationary. Minor damage to the rear quarter, bumper and boot lid. All was sorted by the other parts insurer at a bodyshop of my choice near me. These guys did a fantastic job and I definitely wouldn't hesitate to use them again. To be fair though - they do most of Porsche Reading's work as well as Aston and Lamborghini in Pangbourne so I had high expectations and wasn't dissapointed.
Next - I had all 4 wheels refurbed. Fantastic job was done on the wheels - however the jacking skills left a little to be desired. Managed to dent the sill and crack the undertray. Fortunately they agreed to replace the undertray and pay to get the sill sorted. Appreciate its a heavy car but still.....
Talking of Le Man's the car was awesome - we took Dover to Calais via Eurotunnel then avoided all Autoroutes and traveled across country. The car was excellent and performed faultlessly. Some very memorable drives over fantastic roads. We did only average 18.1MPG over 1000 miles though according to the trip computer!
Day to day - its still a great all rounder (MPG aside). Having just moved to a "project" house - the large boot and tow bar is proving very useful for tip runs.
The engine noise still makes me smile after nearly 2 years.
Gratuitous pics
Damage to the rear
Up on the cat and fiddle - slightly ruined by the fog!
Graphics Time!
Mulsanne
Pit Stop
Final trip before the stickers came off - towing our box cart ot the local charity race!
Edited by a7x88 on Tuesday 23 July 11:50
Another update
Car is still ticking along nicely. Its had a fair amount of money spent on it though...
First up, I noticed it was losing a tiny bit of water (it hasnt used any the whole time ive owned it) which warranted a bit of further investigation. Inspecting the water bottle showed what looked to be a small leak from the hot return hose. I went to remove it to basically find the whole lug where it attached to the water bottle had got so brittle that its was barely attached.
A new water bottle was ordered and I swapped it out. Pretty easy job once all the airboxes are removed. One of the Y pieces was also worse for wear so I replaced that at the same time. All has been good now thankfully.
Next up was it's service. I usually use a local specialist however Audi have their "fixed price" servicing - under and over 2.0L. Trying my luck my local dealer refused, however the next nearest were happy to oblige! Ended up getting Audi to service it for a fair chunk less than any of the specialists. Bearing in mind it needs around 10 litres of oil its always a relatively pricey affair.
It then got treated to 4 new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S’s
I've had some knock coming from the front end that has progressively worsened. Audi picked up some worn bushes on the front suspension and completely shot ARB droplinks while it was in for its service. I booked it in with the specialist for new upper and lower suspension arms and new ARB droplinks. The front end felt much better but it was still grumbly especially over poor quality road surfaces.
After it had the suspension work I booked it in for a full 4 wheel laser alignment. It wasnt a million miles out but needed doing, however it was discovered that one of the front track rods was seized solid. As they are up high and near a lot of other rubber bushings there was only so much heat that could be applied. Long and short of it was that I booked it in to have both track rod ends replaced as well (hoping these may be causing the knocking). In the meantime I did a bit of reading on potential other causes.
Took it into the specialist who did the track rod ends, I also shared that apparently its pretty common for the steering boxes to become un torqued! They were aware of this so agreed to check it while doing the track rods. Lo and Behold it was pretty loose. Re torquing it involved degassing the AC and moving some coolant pipes so it did add extra time onto the job. But its all good now and tracking is spot on. It feels like a new car again!
I still really enjoy the car - its very under the radar, and exceptionally practicle - theres not many other cars that can be taken for a fun drive in the morning, have the rear loaded up and a trailer on for a tip run at midday and then take a caravan, bikes on the roof and a family of four on holiday all in the same day (this actually happened!). I was however wanting for something a bit smaller and more chuckable. I also wanted a manual again......
so.........
I bought my wife a new car
I'll do a readers cars thread on it soon - but suffice to say its a 12 year old manual 5 door hatchback with 380bhp going through its front wheels! Its chalk and cheese compared to the way the Audi goes about its business, although it does still fly relatively under the radar!
I find they make for quite a good pairing - The Audi is slower in a straight line but is far more sure footed and relaxing, its also brilliant at covering distance and would show the new car a clean pair of heels in anything other than perfectly dry conditions. It excels at slightly larger sweeping style A roads. However - a nice dry sunny day and some good B roads and the I'd definately pick the hatch!
Car is still ticking along nicely. Its had a fair amount of money spent on it though...
First up, I noticed it was losing a tiny bit of water (it hasnt used any the whole time ive owned it) which warranted a bit of further investigation. Inspecting the water bottle showed what looked to be a small leak from the hot return hose. I went to remove it to basically find the whole lug where it attached to the water bottle had got so brittle that its was barely attached.
A new water bottle was ordered and I swapped it out. Pretty easy job once all the airboxes are removed. One of the Y pieces was also worse for wear so I replaced that at the same time. All has been good now thankfully.
Next up was it's service. I usually use a local specialist however Audi have their "fixed price" servicing - under and over 2.0L. Trying my luck my local dealer refused, however the next nearest were happy to oblige! Ended up getting Audi to service it for a fair chunk less than any of the specialists. Bearing in mind it needs around 10 litres of oil its always a relatively pricey affair.
It then got treated to 4 new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S’s
I've had some knock coming from the front end that has progressively worsened. Audi picked up some worn bushes on the front suspension and completely shot ARB droplinks while it was in for its service. I booked it in with the specialist for new upper and lower suspension arms and new ARB droplinks. The front end felt much better but it was still grumbly especially over poor quality road surfaces.
After it had the suspension work I booked it in for a full 4 wheel laser alignment. It wasnt a million miles out but needed doing, however it was discovered that one of the front track rods was seized solid. As they are up high and near a lot of other rubber bushings there was only so much heat that could be applied. Long and short of it was that I booked it in to have both track rod ends replaced as well (hoping these may be causing the knocking). In the meantime I did a bit of reading on potential other causes.
Took it into the specialist who did the track rod ends, I also shared that apparently its pretty common for the steering boxes to become un torqued! They were aware of this so agreed to check it while doing the track rods. Lo and Behold it was pretty loose. Re torquing it involved degassing the AC and moving some coolant pipes so it did add extra time onto the job. But its all good now and tracking is spot on. It feels like a new car again!
I still really enjoy the car - its very under the radar, and exceptionally practicle - theres not many other cars that can be taken for a fun drive in the morning, have the rear loaded up and a trailer on for a tip run at midday and then take a caravan, bikes on the roof and a family of four on holiday all in the same day (this actually happened!). I was however wanting for something a bit smaller and more chuckable. I also wanted a manual again......
so.........
I bought my wife a new car
I'll do a readers cars thread on it soon - but suffice to say its a 12 year old manual 5 door hatchback with 380bhp going through its front wheels! Its chalk and cheese compared to the way the Audi goes about its business, although it does still fly relatively under the radar!
I find they make for quite a good pairing - The Audi is slower in a straight line but is far more sure footed and relaxing, its also brilliant at covering distance and would show the new car a clean pair of heels in anything other than perfectly dry conditions. It excels at slightly larger sweeping style A roads. However - a nice dry sunny day and some good B roads and the I'd definately pick the hatch!
Edited by a7x88 on Tuesday 11th February 18:14
FRA53R said:
Gotta be a Mazda 3 MPS surely?
Great read about the estate, I had a mate who bought one and gave it back after it threw a cam sensor issue almost immediately. Apparently the sensor is cheap but the job is huge requiring engine out etc.. so he managed to argue the dealer into taking it back.
Hope this one keeps treating you well.
i've had a fair amount of experience with the MPS platform (I ran a ~450bhp 6 MPS for a few years). It was fun but I wanted to try something else this time around....Great read about the estate, I had a mate who bought one and gave it back after it threw a cam sensor issue almost immediately. Apparently the sensor is cheap but the job is huge requiring engine out etc.. so he managed to argue the dealer into taking it back.
Hope this one keeps treating you well.
I'll write up a thread this afternoon on it. I guess technically its a lot less interesting/unique than the Mazda.
Small update on the Audi.
As we really have no need for two cars currently and it is the car that attracts the higher tax its been SORN'd until it's needed again.
Im making sure to start it and run it for 15 minutes or so every week to make sure the fluids circulate and keep the battery topped up. I'm also moving it slightly to stop the tyres just sitting in one spot.
Thinking it would be a great opportunity to do any niggly little things that I dont get round too I decided to go about writing a list. I guess somewhat fortunately there is only two tiny things! I think there is a small leak in the washer fluid bottle somewhere as it likes to empty itself over the period of about a week. Will take it out and see if its fixable or just get a new one delivered. The other is that the wiper blades need adjusting - the rear one has drooped a little over time so just need reseating - the fronts need a minor adjustment too.
Ive also got a DA polisher, some pads and some nice S20+ polish to give it and the Ed30 a nice correction detail.
Looking forward to taking it out and blowing out the cobwebs when this is all over.
As we really have no need for two cars currently and it is the car that attracts the higher tax its been SORN'd until it's needed again.
Im making sure to start it and run it for 15 minutes or so every week to make sure the fluids circulate and keep the battery topped up. I'm also moving it slightly to stop the tyres just sitting in one spot.
Thinking it would be a great opportunity to do any niggly little things that I dont get round too I decided to go about writing a list. I guess somewhat fortunately there is only two tiny things! I think there is a small leak in the washer fluid bottle somewhere as it likes to empty itself over the period of about a week. Will take it out and see if its fixable or just get a new one delivered. The other is that the wiper blades need adjusting - the rear one has drooped a little over time so just need reseating - the fronts need a minor adjustment too.
Ive also got a DA polisher, some pads and some nice S20+ polish to give it and the Ed30 a nice correction detail.
Looking forward to taking it out and blowing out the cobwebs when this is all over.
Still got it yes! Still like it a lot. Haven’t driven it since lockdown 1.0 though - we’ve only needed one car so I SORN’d it and we’ve just been using the Edition 30. Imagine we won’t need it again until next year. I was planning on rotating them a bit but I’ve been doing some jobs on the S6 (brakes etc) and I’ve found that I think my runner flaps on the intake need doing, so I haven’t swapped them.
I haven’t gone down the exhaust route.... yet. There was a used miltek on eBay for about £600 that I was sorely tempted by, but the money would be better spent on the intake and I also really like the standard car and the more subtle side of it. I think I’d like to try one with an exhaust before commiting in all honesty as I suspect it would be easy to ruin my enjoyment of it.
I think key with the S6 is to remember it’s NOT an M or AMG competitor. Don’t expect the handling and noise/power of an M5 or E55/63. It’s more like a 550i and E500. I find it fantastic but it depends what you are after. I’ve found it most at home blasting across rural France. Reminded me of the old Jag saying - pace, space and grace (ok maybe not the last bit as it is an Audi! but it’s a hell of a lot less in your face than most!)
I haven’t gone down the exhaust route.... yet. There was a used miltek on eBay for about £600 that I was sorely tempted by, but the money would be better spent on the intake and I also really like the standard car and the more subtle side of it. I think I’d like to try one with an exhaust before commiting in all honesty as I suspect it would be easy to ruin my enjoyment of it.
I think key with the S6 is to remember it’s NOT an M or AMG competitor. Don’t expect the handling and noise/power of an M5 or E55/63. It’s more like a 550i and E500. I find it fantastic but it depends what you are after. I’ve found it most at home blasting across rural France. Reminded me of the old Jag saying - pace, space and grace (ok maybe not the last bit as it is an Audi! but it’s a hell of a lot less in your face than most!)
I’ve had an interesting time with this over the past few months
A new car scheme at work has had me seriously considering getting rid and swapping to something with an electric motor. I ended up test driving the Polestar 2 Dual Motor and the model 3 long range. Both are seriously impressive and arguably better cars on paper - they are faster, handle better etc etc. I just felt they both lacked character. And looks aside the driving experience for both was almost identical.
Cost wise, after the loss of my car allowance they were within £20 a month of being net neutral to the costs of the Audi (fuel, maintenance, tax and insurance). Add this to the fact that they can’t tow and I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of the old barge just yet. I figure I will be driving electric cars for the next 30 years, I may as well enjoy the V10 for a bit longer!
Getting it back on the road was more of an affair….
It was laid up for essentially a year on a c-tek charger. I’d start it up and get it warm once a month or so and drive it round the roundabout to rotate the tyres.
Put it in for its MOT and passed with another clean bill of health with no advisories! 3rd year in a row!
However…….
I had started to notice a ticking coming from the top of the engine whilst it was running and suspected that the inevitable had finally happened to the car. The inlet manifolds on these have plastic runner flaps that move; shut for torque, open for power. Over time they break up and end up falling to pieces, hence the rattling.
Audi wanted a not insignificant £3800 just for the manifold
TPS weren’t much better at £2700.
I’d been keeping my eyes out for one for a while and was considering picking up one with the flaps removed or doing that myself to my current one. However, I managed to source a brand new one with the revised internals for just over £1000.
Here it is in all its magnesium alloy glory:
With that bought off it went to have it fitted along with a nice service. Also had a CV joint in the OSF done as it was starting to click after a long run.
Went to The Phirm as usual who removed the intake manifold to find my oil separator was leaking along with a split in my PCV valve. Not only that but a piece of one of the flaps was resting on the intake valve of cylinder 5!!! Lucky escape.
Considering it had only done 30k the valves also needed another carbon clean….
All said and done I ended up with a fairly chunky bill. That said, all in it came in for less than TPS wanted just for the manifold.
Driving it home it felt like a different car though. I suspect the flaps haven’t been right since I bought it (looking back I imagine one breaking is what caused the runner motors to malfunction). The low down torque whilst always decent is now seriously impressive. I would recommend for anyone debating wether to delete the flaps or get a new manifold that the difference is definitely noticeable.
Looking forward to taking it on some longer runs again - I forgot just how great it is as on long trips. The space, effortlessness and just how comfortable the seats are (stereo is great too) makes them so easy. Interestingly when cruising at motorway speeds the engine is so quiet and vibration free that it’s just as quiet if not quieter than the polestar/Tesla I drove. It just has the added bonus of making a great noise when you do wake it up! Got a trip to wales followed by a trip up to York (towing) that should put it through its paces again!
A new car scheme at work has had me seriously considering getting rid and swapping to something with an electric motor. I ended up test driving the Polestar 2 Dual Motor and the model 3 long range. Both are seriously impressive and arguably better cars on paper - they are faster, handle better etc etc. I just felt they both lacked character. And looks aside the driving experience for both was almost identical.
Cost wise, after the loss of my car allowance they were within £20 a month of being net neutral to the costs of the Audi (fuel, maintenance, tax and insurance). Add this to the fact that they can’t tow and I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of the old barge just yet. I figure I will be driving electric cars for the next 30 years, I may as well enjoy the V10 for a bit longer!
Getting it back on the road was more of an affair….
It was laid up for essentially a year on a c-tek charger. I’d start it up and get it warm once a month or so and drive it round the roundabout to rotate the tyres.
Put it in for its MOT and passed with another clean bill of health with no advisories! 3rd year in a row!
However…….
I had started to notice a ticking coming from the top of the engine whilst it was running and suspected that the inevitable had finally happened to the car. The inlet manifolds on these have plastic runner flaps that move; shut for torque, open for power. Over time they break up and end up falling to pieces, hence the rattling.
Audi wanted a not insignificant £3800 just for the manifold
TPS weren’t much better at £2700. I’d been keeping my eyes out for one for a while and was considering picking up one with the flaps removed or doing that myself to my current one. However, I managed to source a brand new one with the revised internals for just over £1000.
Here it is in all its magnesium alloy glory:
With that bought off it went to have it fitted along with a nice service. Also had a CV joint in the OSF done as it was starting to click after a long run.
Went to The Phirm as usual who removed the intake manifold to find my oil separator was leaking along with a split in my PCV valve. Not only that but a piece of one of the flaps was resting on the intake valve of cylinder 5!!! Lucky escape.
Considering it had only done 30k the valves also needed another carbon clean….
All said and done I ended up with a fairly chunky bill. That said, all in it came in for less than TPS wanted just for the manifold.
Driving it home it felt like a different car though. I suspect the flaps haven’t been right since I bought it (looking back I imagine one breaking is what caused the runner motors to malfunction). The low down torque whilst always decent is now seriously impressive. I would recommend for anyone debating wether to delete the flaps or get a new manifold that the difference is definitely noticeable.
Looking forward to taking it on some longer runs again - I forgot just how great it is as on long trips. The space, effortlessness and just how comfortable the seats are (stereo is great too) makes them so easy. Interestingly when cruising at motorway speeds the engine is so quiet and vibration free that it’s just as quiet if not quieter than the polestar/Tesla I drove. It just has the added bonus of making a great noise when you do wake it up! Got a trip to wales followed by a trip up to York (towing) that should put it through its paces again!
Unfortunately the time has come to put this up for sale. Very reluctantly I might add!
It’s been an amazing family car and has been an brilliant car to own. It’s been 5 years now and I’ve taken it from 86k to 113k so just over 25k miles. Hopefully whoever buys it will have many more years of trouble free ownership, especially as the big jobs have now been done.
Will be sad to see it go but a change in our car policy at work meant I couldn’t reasonably turn down the company car anymore. With an extension planned the cash this will free up will also help contribute towards that.
The golf will stay as my toy car and to satisfy my petrolheadedness. Even if it can’t compete with 10 cylinders!
It’s been an amazing family car and has been an brilliant car to own. It’s been 5 years now and I’ve taken it from 86k to 113k so just over 25k miles. Hopefully whoever buys it will have many more years of trouble free ownership, especially as the big jobs have now been done.
Will be sad to see it go but a change in our car policy at work meant I couldn’t reasonably turn down the company car anymore. With an extension planned the cash this will free up will also help contribute towards that.
The golf will stay as my toy car and to satisfy my petrolheadedness. Even if it can’t compete with 10 cylinders!
My mileage was lower than I’d expected, but that’s mainly down to the fact that when Covid hit I SORN’d it. It ended up being off the road for around a year as we just didn’t need the two cars. I put it back on the road in June last year and got the intake manifold sorted before we went away in it on holiday.
Hard to price them as there are relatively few (imagine E500’s are the same!). There’s a couple listed currently and I’ve got it advertised at a similar price point. Hopefully the history will help as I doubt any others are as comprehensive! Appreciate they are niche cars though so it will probably take a while for the right buyer to come along.
Hard to price them as there are relatively few (imagine E500’s are the same!). There’s a couple listed currently and I’ve got it advertised at a similar price point. Hopefully the history will help as I doubt any others are as comprehensive! Appreciate they are niche cars though so it will probably take a while for the right buyer to come along.
Edited by a7x88 on Sunday 30th January 22:38
Edited by a7x88 on Sunday 30th January 22:42
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