2003 170k C5 Allroad 2.7 V6 T - when will it explode...

[rezaq]

Hi all.

Went to see one of these, 6 speed manual.

Nice seller, bought from his dad who ran it from
80k up to 170k.

Massive, massive history all receipted for at proper Audi specialists. Has had all four air springs replaced and a recent exhaust camshaft, timing belt and water pump at a cost of £1800.

Original turbos! Original clutch aswell....

I took it for a run, wallowy for sure but a delight to drive. Obviously I didn’t stretch it’s legs but everything felt nice including a wonderfully light clutch and positive gear-change.

So what haven’t I purchased it? I am led to believe it’s a ticking time bomb....

There is a rear main seal leak, and the front suspension arm bushes are perished, but what scares me most is the engine out turbo replacement!

Does anyone know what the average life of these K03’s is? It’s obviously been well loved and serviced from new but the thought of a £3k bill kind of puts me off....

[Escy]

It's a how long is a piece of string question but in my opinion, any turbo that's done 170k is on borrowed time.

If it's the right price, run it until something breaks and sell it for spares or repairs

[A14RGS]

I ran a 2002 C5 A6 2.7T quattro avant for over 3 years, taking it up to 242000 miles - same motor, but 'standard' A6 as opposed to an Allroad.
I bought it with a very comprehensive service history, which I continued with. It was on original clutch, turbos and exhaust when I bought it - and all remained in good working order throughout my ownership.
It drank fuel, unsurprisingly (I never saw anything close to 30mpg, usually low 20s) - I worked out that fuel costs over it's lifetime were ~£50k!!

Anyway, for sure it's a ticking timebomb, but a bloody versatile and fun old bus to enjoy until the fateful day.......

I replaced mine with a C6 3.0TDI Allroad, which I still have as my daily.