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Reliable Transportation: 2005 Audi A6

21K views 72 replies 45 participants last post by  dyetrixy07 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello and welcome to chapter 2 of adventures in reliable transportation (see chapter 1 here). In this instalment I give you this fine example of a fully depreciated luxury sedan, this full size, this four door, this Audi A6.

Specs:
2005 Audi A6 3.2L FSI Quattro
Oyster Grey Metalic
Sport package
Cold weather package
Premium sound
Bi -xenon with AFS
113k miles
Check engine light: on.

First order of business was the headlights, these had some of the worst fogging I've ever seen.


IMG_20150713_091602 by Raven, on Flickr

It took about an hour per light, started with 800grit, then 1k, then 2k, then a plastic polish, and finished with a bit of wax.


IMG_20150711_172420035_HDR by Raven, on Flickr

It's not perfect but its a huge improvement and should get me by until I have a chance to shoot them with some clear coat.


IMG_20150712_202011492 by Raven, on Flickr

I'll update this thread as I fix the things that that have gone wrong with it (and what ever else self destructs along the way).
 
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#14 ·
The tiptronics get sticky servo valves in the valve body, and the Torque Converter seals leak. You can keep it in manual mode to mask some of the issue.

Technically the gearboxes are fine. You can replace the valves alone, but it's difficult to figure out which one you need. And the TC fix is pricey. Will make you strongly consider a manuel swap.
 
#21 · (Edited)
TLDR: I cleaned a thing, mended something, and the check engine light is now off.



First the front US plate panel delete with the grey plate filler.


IMG_20150717_173519607 by Raven, on Flickr

Simple to remove this piece - just two screws at the bottom.

IMG_20150717_173825132_HDR by Raven, on Flickr

The new plate filler panel

IMG_20150717_174033581 by Raven, on Flickr

IMG_20150717_174048580 by Raven, on Flickr

The floor mats were in bad shape, and rather than trying to clean them up I ordered some gey weathertech rubber mats (front and rear).

IMG_20150717_175012254 by Raven, on Flickr

IMG_20150717_175326973 by Raven, on Flickr

The cover of the hazard light switch had fallen victim to a shop vac by the hands of the previous owner. So I ordered a new switch.

IMG_20150717_175707745_HDR by Raven, on Flickr

IMG_20150717_175813625 by Raven, on Flickr

Sunday morning I addressed the check engine light. P0307A and P0068 together were suposed to indate a dirty throttle body that needed to be cleaned and then forced an adaptation. So I did exactly that.

The throttle body with notable carbon build up.

IMG_20150719_113625765_HDR by Raven, on Flickr

IMG_20150719_114403581_HDR by Raven, on Flickr

Removed and cleaned the throttle body with carb cleaner and a microfiber cloth.

IMG_20150720_093610 by Raven, on Flickr

IMG_20150720_093549 by Raven, on Flickr

Then I spent a good amount of time cleaning the engine bay (form the looks of it it had never been cleaned in all of its 114k miles. I also did a little more headlight polishing.

IMG_20150719_132245868 by Raven, on Flickr

IMG_20150719_175900593_HDR by Raven, on Flickr

De-badged the rear.

IMG_20150719_175930825_HDR by Raven, on Flickr


IMG_20150719_203927505_HDR by Raven, on Flickr
 
#25 ·
love a good thread. in for this :thumbup:
 
#27 ·
Bumping this.

Because I believe in rescuing cars from neglectful owners.
And because being self sufficient is awesome.
And because if we all stayed away from believed TCL nightmares, none of us would drive anything. Only Miatas.

And finally, because I really want to get back into an AWD wagon. I've been kicking around the idea of a non-turbo Forester (or Prius) to replace my SVT Focus very soon BUT I'd really prefer something nice, quiet - a little less agricultural, if you will. I want something that doesn't rattle and won't wear me out when I have my 200 mile sales call days.

I don't want a turbo Surbaru. Good with that.
I KNOW I don't want a 2.7tt unless it's in a B5 S4, which will then make the headache worth it.

Would one of these with the 3.2 be worthwhile/somewhat reliable? Or should I look elsewhere generation/range wise?

I understand the possible carbon downfalls of direct injection and also do my own work for the most part.

Sorry to try to derail the thread....I'd just like to know more. Fantastic work so far. :thumbup:
 
#28 · (Edited)
The title of the thread is both a carry over form my old "reliable transportation Corrado" thread, and a joke based on the fact that things like this (and the Corrado) don't always have the best reputation when it comes to reliability. In the case of my old Corrado and this A6, neither car was neglected - in fact just the opposite, both had extensive maintenance records.

The 3.2 isnt the hot engine for the A6, and to me that's a good thing when it comes to "reliable transportation". Like the VR6 in the Corrado the 3.2 engine is common to multiple vehicles in the VAG fleet across multiple years. This is a bonus to me because it shows robustness against a large range of applications and thus driving styles (start/stop, city, highway, full load, light load, ect.). Further (at least I hope) that makes parts more readily available.

With regard to the carbon build up, the 3.2 in my A6 has made it >100k miles with out leaving the PO stranded. So if it's accumulated some carbon on the intake valves and it begins to cause problems for me, the worst case scenario is I have to remove the intake manifold and clean the valves a bit for another 100k miles of carbon build up before it becomes a problem again. I had the throttle body off over the weekend and removing the intake didnt look bad at all.

The more expensive, more worrisome failure (for me anyway) is timing chain guide wear. When purchasing this one I made a point to listen to the chains. Having not heard any tell tell chain noise, i'll continue to follow the PO's 5k oil change regimen and hope for the best.

Would one of these with the 3.2 be worthwhile/somewhat reliable? Time will tell. It's made it to 114k relatively problem free so far.
 
#31 ·
Carbon buildup seems to be the only bad thing people say about the C6 3.2. It was a strong contender when I was looking for a car 3 years ago, but Avants don't come around that often and I found a B6 Passat 3.6 4motion wagon that I couldn't pass up. If you're looking for affordable and relatively reliable C-segment German cars, this should be on the top of your list.
 
#49 ·
My folks bought a CPO model which held up fine until almost a year after the CPO expired, then it started burning a good amount of oil. The car had about 120,000 km on the odometer :(

It is a shame because aside from the oil consumption issue it was a brilliant car. No CELs during ownership or unscheduled services. Great in the snow, really practical (A German Shepherd will love the back in an Avant) and plenty fast. Even in Prestige trim the handling was not too bad for a porky, AWD station wagon with the engine hanging out the front.

The "oil consumption procedure" that the dealer performed did not help much and IIRC the car would have needed new pistons and rings. An independent mechanic confirmed the engine would need a partial rebuild (I cannot remember exactly what was stated) so they traded it in for an A7 TDI.
 
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