C5 Audi RS6 avant
Discussion
Hi everyone
Bought my C5 RS6 avant back in september last year, thought it was about time I posted up. Id done my research on them for a couple of months when this one came up for sale. Always wanted a v8 and always fancied the idea of a fast estate.
This was for sale at a very reasonable price with 94k miles on the clock .
At the asking price it was at the lower end of things so I wasn't expecting much but the seller sounded good on the phone and said it had been well maintained so thought it was worth a look.
I drove the 2 and a half hour trip down to the south coast one morning,on arrival found the car parked up on the road a little neglected to be honest not even cleaned inside or out. Exterior wise it was a little tired , needed a good wax a few light scratches sorting, the headlights were oxidised but no dents or anything major.
Inside was in good condition with alcantara and leather seats with carbon fibre trim which I definatly wanted as the wood trim looks very dated now. A few wear makes on the switches to be expected really and like the outside not cleaned with quite a few dog hairs.
After looking through the paper work I noticed the seller had done all of around 6000 miles in the last four years and it turned out it was mainly used to ship his 2 dogs around.
It had full history most of it being with audi or one of the well know independants .New tyres, front discs and pads all round had not long been fitted which being quite costly on this car was one less thing to worry about.
Test drove the car, to be fair to the seller must have been the longest test drive Ive done. Could not find a fault with the car on the drive .
The only slight worry was that the gearbox underneath looked like it might be leaking but I convinced myself it was just a seal and paid the deposit for the car.
It had been serviced only 2k miles ago but I got it booked in straight away with an Audi specialist up north mainly to check the gearbox out but also got a big service done at the same time. The gearbox was serviced and sorted out with a new seal and output shaft. Other than that and some cheapo brake pads they said it was in very good order.
The car is completely standard apart form bilstein coilovers. Spec wise its got satnav , tv, 6 disc cd changer, heated alcantara and leather seats, alcantara headlining, auto dimming mirrors and the carbon fibre trim. Oh and you get a bag to put your skis in lol . £62,000 car back in 2003!
Im sure alot of you know the spec, it has the 4.2 bi turbo V8 motor making around 450 bhp and 428 lbs ft torque.
The power delivery is absolutely brutal with all the torque coming in at 1900 rpm. Really goes alot faster than it looks which is one of the things I really like about it, is that its quite discreet. Much less aggressive looking then the latest audi rs models, it can just blend into the crowd unless a real car enthusiast is about of course. Ive done 5000 miles in it and its been absolutely faultless so far. Ive only waxed it by hand it will have a proper detailing at some point anyway here is some pics:
Bought my C5 RS6 avant back in september last year, thought it was about time I posted up. Id done my research on them for a couple of months when this one came up for sale. Always wanted a v8 and always fancied the idea of a fast estate.
This was for sale at a very reasonable price with 94k miles on the clock .
At the asking price it was at the lower end of things so I wasn't expecting much but the seller sounded good on the phone and said it had been well maintained so thought it was worth a look.
I drove the 2 and a half hour trip down to the south coast one morning,on arrival found the car parked up on the road a little neglected to be honest not even cleaned inside or out. Exterior wise it was a little tired , needed a good wax a few light scratches sorting, the headlights were oxidised but no dents or anything major.
Inside was in good condition with alcantara and leather seats with carbon fibre trim which I definatly wanted as the wood trim looks very dated now. A few wear makes on the switches to be expected really and like the outside not cleaned with quite a few dog hairs.
After looking through the paper work I noticed the seller had done all of around 6000 miles in the last four years and it turned out it was mainly used to ship his 2 dogs around.
It had full history most of it being with audi or one of the well know independants .New tyres, front discs and pads all round had not long been fitted which being quite costly on this car was one less thing to worry about.
Test drove the car, to be fair to the seller must have been the longest test drive Ive done. Could not find a fault with the car on the drive .
The only slight worry was that the gearbox underneath looked like it might be leaking but I convinced myself it was just a seal and paid the deposit for the car.
It had been serviced only 2k miles ago but I got it booked in straight away with an Audi specialist up north mainly to check the gearbox out but also got a big service done at the same time. The gearbox was serviced and sorted out with a new seal and output shaft. Other than that and some cheapo brake pads they said it was in very good order.
The car is completely standard apart form bilstein coilovers. Spec wise its got satnav , tv, 6 disc cd changer, heated alcantara and leather seats, alcantara headlining, auto dimming mirrors and the carbon fibre trim. Oh and you get a bag to put your skis in lol . £62,000 car back in 2003!
Im sure alot of you know the spec, it has the 4.2 bi turbo V8 motor making around 450 bhp and 428 lbs ft torque.
The power delivery is absolutely brutal with all the torque coming in at 1900 rpm. Really goes alot faster than it looks which is one of the things I really like about it, is that its quite discreet. Much less aggressive looking then the latest audi rs models, it can just blend into the crowd unless a real car enthusiast is about of course. Ive done 5000 miles in it and its been absolutely faultless so far. Ive only waxed it by hand it will have a proper detailing at some point anyway here is some pics:
Welshbeef said:
Hi OP
A few things to check for
1. Rear wash wipe - check passenger side rear footwell they can fail and then it leaks there instead
2. I found the Sat nav a nightmare
3. It's analogue TV so will not pic up any channel now it's digital signal.
Also check the drainage bit under the battery tray for collected debris - on C5 platforms there was a tendency to flood the floorpan and ruin electrics!A few things to check for
1. Rear wash wipe - check passenger side rear footwell they can fail and then it leaks there instead
2. I found the Sat nav a nightmare
3. It's analogue TV so will not pic up any channel now it's digital signal.
I am keen to hear how you get on, as a very avid fan of this gen RS6. Still a brutishly handsome thing by today's standards, and you have a lovely spec with the light interior as opposed to black.
Thanks for the comments and tips chaps.
Well the plans when I first bought it were slightly louder exhaust either aftermarket or go down the custom route with the back box deletes, I will probably go for the latter at some point.
The chrome around the grill and windows I was considering wrapping black but at the minute Im kinda thinking leave it as standard.
Remap - yes as tempted as I am to get it done which would make it around 500 odd bhp Ive not yet thought this car needs more power yet !
I guess at some point I may consider it but then you got to consider the gearbox is going to be under more strain.
Currently its running very smoothly and nothing bad found when the gearbox was serviced but yes Im aware of the issues with them, I made sure I went in with open eyes. It didnt put me off enough not to buy one!
The current brake pads will be replaced with ferodo ds2500s , currently its on some cheap ones . They aren't actually that bad now they have bedded in but when heated up there is brake fade.
Cambelt has only done 15k miles but time wise it is soon due so will be getting done at the next service this winter. Ive had a quote for it already and will get a few other bits sorted at the same time.
welshbeef - yes I will double check that , I beleive its when the rear washer jet is blocked ? or can it leak inside at anytime?
Well the plans when I first bought it were slightly louder exhaust either aftermarket or go down the custom route with the back box deletes, I will probably go for the latter at some point.
The chrome around the grill and windows I was considering wrapping black but at the minute Im kinda thinking leave it as standard.
Remap - yes as tempted as I am to get it done which would make it around 500 odd bhp Ive not yet thought this car needs more power yet !
I guess at some point I may consider it but then you got to consider the gearbox is going to be under more strain.
Currently its running very smoothly and nothing bad found when the gearbox was serviced but yes Im aware of the issues with them, I made sure I went in with open eyes. It didnt put me off enough not to buy one!
The current brake pads will be replaced with ferodo ds2500s , currently its on some cheap ones . They aren't actually that bad now they have bedded in but when heated up there is brake fade.
Cambelt has only done 15k miles but time wise it is soon due so will be getting done at the next service this winter. Ive had a quote for it already and will get a few other bits sorted at the same time.
welshbeef - yes I will double check that , I beleive its when the rear washer jet is blocked ? or can it leak inside at anytime?
Yes the satnav its pretty ancient we have moved on a little since, it still works but yea its not great but hardley use it.
Mpg - well Ive averaged 17 mpg since but Im not too worried Im not using it to commute or anything so can live with that.
I have got a shell loyalty card now though!
Mpg - well Ive averaged 17 mpg since but Im not too worried Im not using it to commute or anything so can live with that.
I have got a shell loyalty card now though!
In relation to the gearbox rebuild, if...or when it needs doing, suffolk gearboxes are really good. 2.5k for a full rebuild and a 12 month/12k warranty.
MRC do all the other work for me, the guys down there are very knowledgeable. Its currently there getting a broken camshaft and follower fixed!
MRC do all the other work for me, the guys down there are very knowledgeable. Its currently there getting a broken camshaft and follower fixed!
Nice motor!
I too bought one at the bottom of the market and my thread has been rather dull due to very few problems happening over the last few years. So far keeping it going is costing just under £200 a month which isn't too bad for the type of car it is.
Only advice I can give is leave it alone, as tempting as it is to remap. They are plenty fast enough standard. The engine is massively restricted in its torque output. Remaps just remove this safety margin and you'll spend all your time worrying when, not if it breaks the gearbox.
I too bought one at the bottom of the market and my thread has been rather dull due to very few problems happening over the last few years. So far keeping it going is costing just under £200 a month which isn't too bad for the type of car it is.
Only advice I can give is leave it alone, as tempting as it is to remap. They are plenty fast enough standard. The engine is massively restricted in its torque output. Remaps just remove this safety margin and you'll spend all your time worrying when, not if it breaks the gearbox.
Uggers said:
Nice motor!
I too bought one at the bottom of the market and my thread has been rather dull due to very few problems happening over the last few years. So far keeping it going is costing just under £200 a month which isn't too bad for the type of car it is.
Only advice I can give is leave it alone, as tempting as it is to remap. They are plenty fast enough standard. The engine is massively restricted in its torque output. Remaps just remove this safety margin and you'll spend all your time worrying when, not if it breaks the gearbox.
Good to hear of one running well over a long period. I too bought one at the bottom of the market and my thread has been rather dull due to very few problems happening over the last few years. So far keeping it going is costing just under £200 a month which isn't too bad for the type of car it is.
Only advice I can give is leave it alone, as tempting as it is to remap. They are plenty fast enough standard. The engine is massively restricted in its torque output. Remaps just remove this safety margin and you'll spend all your time worrying when, not if it breaks the gearbox.
Yes totally agree with you there on the remap.
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