500 Euro Audi A6 C6 Winter Shed
Discussion
...ok so I'll admit, the term shed is probably going to be a little harsh!
First, some back story!
If you've seen my previous threads (which I'm awful at keeping updated) or see my profile, you'll note that I'm rather fond of Japanese tat. Up until a couple years ago, I'd always had company cars that I could daily year round and thus not have to worry about driving any of my own cars in poor weather or adding lots of mileage onto them. Only bringing cars out in nice weather or being worried about driving them daily is a questionable and touchy subject for some, but what can I say, I like to keep my cars nice
In recent years, I decided to go self employed (best decision ever btw) and also re-join my Father in the family business, which means I've been dailying (during the summer) one of my own cars;
Usually this, my 450hp T5 Manual.
...and then purchase a banger for the winter months. It's proved me well over the years, and usually results in me having a few months of stress free motoring with a car that I truly do not care about - Parking dings, bumps, scratches, all become a thing of the past, and I usually end up either selling the car on after winter (providing I think it's genuinely good enough to serve a purpose for the next owner) or scrap it. As winters now here, that's where this car comes in...
It's an incredibly dull 2006 Audi A6, with a pretty basic spec and a CVT automatic adjoined to a wheazy 2.0 TFSI petrol, pumping out a whopping 170hp! It's perfect.
The reason I made this thread, is for the cars backstory...See the issue I have, is that I don't think I can bring myself to be so laid back with this cars treatment during its duties as future winter hack. Allow me to explain.
As well as being self employed in my own venture, I also work alongside my Father rebuilding automatic transmissions. About 7 or 8 months ago, a man has turned up to our workshop with the A6 seen above, complaining of gearbox issues. Now the CVT in these are actually relatively reliable, but do suffer with mechatronic issues, and that's unfortunately what this A6 had. We gave him two options, of either having the existing mechatronic unit rebuilt ( 800ish all in) or getting a brand new mechatronic unit from the dealer and have us fit/code it ( 2600ish all in). To our astonishment, he decided to go for a brand new unit! Once the part arrived, we done the requested work, the customer went away happy (his accountant wasn't) and we never heard anything since except for a 5 star Google review - which was nice!
Anyway, fast forward to a couple days ago, and I get a phonecall...
PO: "Hello is that NateWM?"
Me: "Hi, Yes - How can I help?"
PO: "I'm getting rid of the A6 as something's broken on it, and the dealers offered me 500 but they're going to scrap it, and I feel the cars worth saving rather than doing that. Would you like to buy it instead?"
Me: "I'll certainly have a look anyway ..what broke on it?"
PO: "Uhh....yeah maybe have a look first and find out..."
Me: "
"
So, I rock up, and I'm greeted with this properly mint interior;
Ok, let's check the side out;
Looking good....engine bay?
I don't get it what is bro.....holyyyyy fuuuu
....yeah something's definitely broken!
Me and the seller get chatting, and it turns out that this particular A6 was owned by his Father since it was new. The seller then inherited it, and in the last few months since having us replace the mechatronic unit, spent a further 7894.21 euro on other maintenance and servicing with the local Audi dealership
and the car only has 100k on the clock, with tax and test! Work consisted of;
1. 5 new continental tyres (including spare)
2. Full service, an assortment of gasket and seals.
3. Timing belt kit, water pump and all aux belts/pulleys
4. Discs and pads all around and all calipers rebuilt
5. New shockers all round and an assortment of arms, bushes, drop links etc.
6. New fuel pump
7. Random sensors etc
8. All wheel bearings replaced
9. Front O/S driveshaft
10. All engine mounts
...and to be honest, stacks more that I haven't even been through yet.
This car is incredibly clean. Bar one small ding on the drivers door that I can get PDR'd out, the bodywork is flawless and a good machine polish and ceramic coat will bring it back up to par. The interior is truly mint, showing minimal wear and still has the original medical kit etc, and as for the drive.....well I don't know because the rear upper control arm has snapped, but it drove nice before all the work was done when I last seen it
The owner is incredibly lucky the arm at the rear snapped whilst he was pulling into the driveway. I did have a conversation with him about fixing it for him so that he could continue driving it himself and get some value out of all the money he has spent on it lately, but he's had enough and wants me to take it, so I have!
The car is still on his driveway awaiting my recovery guy, and I'll then fit two new rear arms and it's winter daily duties can commence. Once home, it'll have a good polish and ceramic coat, and I've some odds and sods coming for it like mudflaps, cruise control retrofit kit, rubber mats and some stereo upgrades - Basically the essentials to make its daily duties more comfortable.
....now the question is, with its low mileage and history, do I drive it into the ground or show it some love?
Time will tell.
First, some back story!
If you've seen my previous threads (which I'm awful at keeping updated) or see my profile, you'll note that I'm rather fond of Japanese tat. Up until a couple years ago, I'd always had company cars that I could daily year round and thus not have to worry about driving any of my own cars in poor weather or adding lots of mileage onto them. Only bringing cars out in nice weather or being worried about driving them daily is a questionable and touchy subject for some, but what can I say, I like to keep my cars nice
In recent years, I decided to go self employed (best decision ever btw) and also re-join my Father in the family business, which means I've been dailying (during the summer) one of my own cars;
Usually this, my 450hp T5 Manual.
...and then purchase a banger for the winter months. It's proved me well over the years, and usually results in me having a few months of stress free motoring with a car that I truly do not care about - Parking dings, bumps, scratches, all become a thing of the past, and I usually end up either selling the car on after winter (providing I think it's genuinely good enough to serve a purpose for the next owner) or scrap it. As winters now here, that's where this car comes in...
It's an incredibly dull 2006 Audi A6, with a pretty basic spec and a CVT automatic adjoined to a wheazy 2.0 TFSI petrol, pumping out a whopping 170hp! It's perfect.
The reason I made this thread, is for the cars backstory...See the issue I have, is that I don't think I can bring myself to be so laid back with this cars treatment during its duties as future winter hack. Allow me to explain.
As well as being self employed in my own venture, I also work alongside my Father rebuilding automatic transmissions. About 7 or 8 months ago, a man has turned up to our workshop with the A6 seen above, complaining of gearbox issues. Now the CVT in these are actually relatively reliable, but do suffer with mechatronic issues, and that's unfortunately what this A6 had. We gave him two options, of either having the existing mechatronic unit rebuilt ( 800ish all in) or getting a brand new mechatronic unit from the dealer and have us fit/code it ( 2600ish all in). To our astonishment, he decided to go for a brand new unit! Once the part arrived, we done the requested work, the customer went away happy (his accountant wasn't) and we never heard anything since except for a 5 star Google review - which was nice!
Anyway, fast forward to a couple days ago, and I get a phonecall...
PO: "Hello is that NateWM?"
Me: "Hi, Yes - How can I help?"
PO: "I'm getting rid of the A6 as something's broken on it, and the dealers offered me 500 but they're going to scrap it, and I feel the cars worth saving rather than doing that. Would you like to buy it instead?"
Me: "I'll certainly have a look anyway ..what broke on it?"
PO: "Uhh....yeah maybe have a look first and find out..."
Me: "
"So, I rock up, and I'm greeted with this properly mint interior;
Ok, let's check the side out;
Looking good....engine bay?
I don't get it what is bro.....holyyyyy fuuuu
....yeah something's definitely broken!
Me and the seller get chatting, and it turns out that this particular A6 was owned by his Father since it was new. The seller then inherited it, and in the last few months since having us replace the mechatronic unit, spent a further 7894.21 euro on other maintenance and servicing with the local Audi dealership
and the car only has 100k on the clock, with tax and test! Work consisted of;1. 5 new continental tyres (including spare)
2. Full service, an assortment of gasket and seals.
3. Timing belt kit, water pump and all aux belts/pulleys
4. Discs and pads all around and all calipers rebuilt
5. New shockers all round and an assortment of arms, bushes, drop links etc.
6. New fuel pump
7. Random sensors etc
8. All wheel bearings replaced
9. Front O/S driveshaft
10. All engine mounts
...and to be honest, stacks more that I haven't even been through yet.
This car is incredibly clean. Bar one small ding on the drivers door that I can get PDR'd out, the bodywork is flawless and a good machine polish and ceramic coat will bring it back up to par. The interior is truly mint, showing minimal wear and still has the original medical kit etc, and as for the drive.....well I don't know because the rear upper control arm has snapped, but it drove nice before all the work was done when I last seen it
The owner is incredibly lucky the arm at the rear snapped whilst he was pulling into the driveway. I did have a conversation with him about fixing it for him so that he could continue driving it himself and get some value out of all the money he has spent on it lately, but he's had enough and wants me to take it, so I have!
The car is still on his driveway awaiting my recovery guy, and I'll then fit two new rear arms and it's winter daily duties can commence. Once home, it'll have a good polish and ceramic coat, and I've some odds and sods coming for it like mudflaps, cruise control retrofit kit, rubber mats and some stereo upgrades - Basically the essentials to make its daily duties more comfortable.
....now the question is, with its low mileage and history, do I drive it into the ground or show it some love?
Time will tell.
Edited by NateWM on Tuesday 11th November 14:42
keo said:
Looks a proper bargain!
I'm super happy with it to be honest! In Ireland it's hard to find anything half decent for under €2000, especially with Tax and Test, so €500 for this was more than reasonable, even with its suspension issue. For the low mileage and history, it truly is a bargain.macron said:
How did you get 450bhp from the Volvo???!!!!??!
Just bolt ons (fuel system and injectors, hybrid K26 turbo, 3 inch exhaust and downpipe etc) and independent management! It's a B5244T5 (260hp stock) which are highly regarded as one of, if not the, best engine Volvo made - I searched years for one in manual form, and eventually found the one above, which is only 1 of 3 registered in Ireland.. They're incredibly strong, with guys in Sweden and Europe putting the same engine into the RWD Volvo's for drifting (same bolt pattern for the gearbox) and pushing 700+ hp still on stock internals, albeit pushing their luck. If I went fully forged on the internals with a block brace, you can push over 1000hp out of these
NateWM said:
macron said:
How did you get 450bhp from the Volvo???!!!!??!
Just bolt ons (fuel system and injectors, hybrid K26 turbo, 3 inch exhaust and downpipe etc) and independent management! It's a B5244T5 (260hp stock) which are highly regarded as one of, if not the, best engine Volvo made - I searched years for one in manual form, and eventually found the one above, which is only 1 of 3 registered in Ireland.. They're incredibly strong, with guys in Sweden and Europe putting the same engine into the RWD Volvo's for drifting (same bolt pattern for the gearbox) and pushing 700+ hp still on stock internals, albeit pushing their luck. If I went fully forged on the internals with a block brace, you can push over 1000hp out of these
macron said:
Oof, where's the thread on that?!??!
Here 
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Unfortunately, I've not updated it in over 3 years, so apologies for that! The car looks marginally the same as I wanted to turn it into a "sleeper"....of sorts, but here's two photos without de-railing the thread. I'll get around to updating the Volvo thread someday, alot has changed, and it was actually refreshing to re-read it just now
I had a feeling I'd seen that, I was second to reply!
Anyway I'll shut up about it, have you seen the thread here about the 2.7 where the owner has got fairly deep into it?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Not sure the prop shaft is something that will trouble yours, but maybe some useful intel from the rest of it?
Anyway I'll shut up about it, have you seen the thread here about the 2.7 where the owner has got fairly deep into it?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Not sure the prop shaft is something that will trouble yours, but maybe some useful intel from the rest of it?
macron said:
I had a feeling I'd seen that, I was second to reply!
Anyway I'll shut up about it, have you seen the thread here about the 2.7 where the owner has got fairly deep into it?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Not sure the prop shaft is something that will trouble yours, but maybe some useful intel from the rest of it?
That's a previous gen C5. To be honest, the thought of anything with the 2.7 turbo terrifies me :heheAnyway I'll shut up about it, have you seen the thread here about the 2.7 where the owner has got fairly deep into it?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Not sure the prop shaft is something that will trouble yours, but maybe some useful intel from the rest of it?
Triumph Man said:
The engine bay of that Audi looks refreshingly empty and straightforward to work on. Slight shame about the multitragic box behind it, but for what you paid you can't really complain! Good luck! Volvo looks amazing too...
Isn't it funny to think at one point in time, people would have turned their nose up at the A6 when it was new, stating it's too modern and complicated to work on I guess the sentiment is true for every generation of car, but I have the (dis?) pleasure of working on modern cars, and the leaps and bounds they have took in technology is astounding, but also terrifying when repairs are needed!Agreed about the CVT. Not my ideal choice, but we rebuilt this one only a number of months ago back when the previous owner had it, infact it has warranty left on it
so it should go on for many years to come. By all means, it's not going to be thrilling or engaging to drive with, but wafting along in comfort and dealing with traffic easier sounds like a win-win!Thanks for the compliments about the Volvo. It's a car I searched for in Ireland for years, and eventually found 1 of 3 manual T5 facelifts (the best one
) in the country. Most here are automatic, which do not suit the car at all and give tremendous issues. I'll really have to get around to updating the Volvo's thread UPDATE:
Daily driver duties have now commenced! Both rear arms were replaced and I've been driving it around to pick up on any other faults. So far all I can find is;
1. Tracking is ever so slightly off.
2. Very noisy EVAP valve. Replacement ordered ( 16 Euro) and a 5 minute job to fit. Common issue on TFSIs.
3. Incredibly slow drivers window. Hoping it's just a dirty or dry window track, but the PO reckons his dad had it replaced a while ago and they fitted a generic one. Will need to investigate more on this.
Overall, very happy with it, and the interior is an incredibly dated BUT very comfortable place to be.
In a little stroke of luck, I was recently servicing my neighbours VW Jetta, and discovered his front tyres were nearly worn out. He asked me to find him some part worns, so I got on DoneDeal and found these.
They're 2022 Audi A4 wheels, sitting on nearly brand new Michelin tyres. My neighbour will get the tyres, and I'll have the wheels for my A6 and swap over the brand new Continentals that are on the current A6 wheels - A win win situation, and the alloys and tyres only cost 250!
Plan for the A6 is to simply commute in it for the remainder of the week, then commence with operation "lipstick on a pig" over the weekend. It'll be getting a deep clean and machine polish/ceramic coating, and I've an array of upgrades like LED bulbs, cruise control retrofit and other goodies to get on it. I'll also be giving the engine oil a change.
I can feel the jealousy from the Volvo as I type this.
Daily driver duties have now commenced! Both rear arms were replaced and I've been driving it around to pick up on any other faults. So far all I can find is;
1. Tracking is ever so slightly off.
2. Very noisy EVAP valve. Replacement ordered ( 16 Euro) and a 5 minute job to fit. Common issue on TFSIs.
3. Incredibly slow drivers window. Hoping it's just a dirty or dry window track, but the PO reckons his dad had it replaced a while ago and they fitted a generic one. Will need to investigate more on this.
Overall, very happy with it, and the interior is an incredibly dated BUT very comfortable place to be.
In a little stroke of luck, I was recently servicing my neighbours VW Jetta, and discovered his front tyres were nearly worn out. He asked me to find him some part worns, so I got on DoneDeal and found these.
They're 2022 Audi A4 wheels, sitting on nearly brand new Michelin tyres. My neighbour will get the tyres, and I'll have the wheels for my A6 and swap over the brand new Continentals that are on the current A6 wheels - A win win situation, and the alloys and tyres only cost 250!
Plan for the A6 is to simply commute in it for the remainder of the week, then commence with operation "lipstick on a pig" over the weekend. It'll be getting a deep clean and machine polish/ceramic coating, and I've an array of upgrades like LED bulbs, cruise control retrofit and other goodies to get on it. I'll also be giving the engine oil a change.
I can feel the jealousy from the Volvo as I type this.
Edited by NateWM on Tuesday 18th November 20:23
SitCet said:
Love how you own two grey, conservatively styled, euro saloons of approximately the same age... and that's where the similarities abruptly stop.
They certainly are two very different machines. The Volvo is an absolute riot, but I've felt guilty dailying it the last while and prefer to leave it for the odd fun drive, as it keeps the excitement going. In fairness to it though, I've owned it for the past 100k or so, and it hasn't stepped a foot wrong.CornedBeef said:
That interior is cosy, id never seen one before with a monochromatic display and not the colour screen!
There's base spec, and then there's Irish base spec The option this car has is the comfort seats, other than that, a Dacia Duster would have more kit on it...but there's something rather charming about that!Today I test fitted the "new wheels".
Old:
New:
It's only a test fit for now until I get the larger tyres off of the old wheels and swap them over, but I think styling wise, it's a big improvement!
Next I cleaned the engine bay:
After:
I was very careful where I sprayed water and took my time*
- I blasted snowfoam straight over everything and rinsed it off.
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