Audi S6-any owners? Happy with ?

[mikeesik]

Hello.
Been looking at the Cayenne's and by accident I was introduced to an Audi S6 Avant Wagon.
I do dig Wagons.

I stumbled upon an Audi S6 along with it's owner that was experienced and knowledgeable about upgrades.

It has some upgrades. Cat./ Exhaust/ Ceramic Brakes and blacked out grill, after-market blacked out wheels.

To me, looks darn good.
Unfortunately it did not come with a manual transmission!-WTH !

Anyone out there have ownership experience of what is a contrast of good and bad?

[fanaudical]

Which model year of the S6 Avant are you looking at? Which engine?

[zotman72]

I have had an '95.5 urS6 Avant for 12 years now. Fantastic vehicle with a manual gearbox and very comfortable sport seats. Great car IMHO.

[mikeesik]

Apologize.
Model Year 2002.
4.2 liter.

[fanaudical]

Zotman's urS6 is the previous (C4) chassis (and a great find!).

I have a 2002 A6 Avant (along with a few other Audi's) in the driveway. The good/bad (my opinion only) of the C5 platform:

BAD:

Ground clearance - It's a low car (especially if you were looking at a Cayenne or other SUV originally).

Suspension wear - The six-link suspension up front really doesn't like very rough roads (gravel, logging roads, etc) and experiences premature joint wear.

Transmission - Some of the ZF five-speeds had reliability issues with the added torque of the V8. Very expensive to replace.

Packaging - Under hood access is relatively tight. They did a great job getting stuff to fit, but getting to it is another matter. (Just a consideration if you're a DIY guy.)

Center display fade - Some versions of the dash center display start dropping entire lines of pixels.

GOOD:

Fabulous ergonomics and handling. Very comfortable on long trips. Configures well for cargo duty.

[mikeesik]

Thank You.

[zotman72]

Funny thing my urS6 PO traded it in for a 2002 S6 Avant on a Friday. I bought his urS6 on Saturday AND the PO was back at the Audi dealer on Monday morning wanting his old Avant back! The dealer called me wanting to buy the urS6 back and I said no. I was off a year in my earlier post.

[fanaudical]

I can understand the guy wanting his urS6 back. The V8 is nice but just not as fun as that turbo motor.

I do think the C4 chassis feels more "solid" than the C5 (I have one of each). The C5 will run rings around the C4, but the C4 always seems more "reliable and ready".

[onewhippedpuppy]

I did some research on the S6 before buying my S8, they have some similar issues. Regarding the transmission, conventional wisdom says to change the fluid and filter at about 80k then every 40k after that. If I remember correctly that was based on ZF (not Audi) guidance. There's no such thing as lifetime fluid. Otherwise they seem to fail (if they're going to) in the 120-180k range based on the reading that I did.

Suspension bushings can be expected to fail before 100k, but the same can be said for every Audi, VW, BMW, etc. A high quality kit to replace everything up front can be had for around $500 on the S8, I assume S6 pricing is similar.

Had I been able to find a nice C4 S6 Avant I would have been all over it. With it being an older car they all seem to have 150k+ on them, and many have lived a hard life. Great cars though, the turbo-5 is fantastic and damn near bulletproof, even when making silly HP.

[kaisen]

Consider the Allroad version if you've got issues with the S6 ground clearance or automatic. They were available with manual transmission, and they had tall air suspension standard

[onewhippedpuppy]

The air suspension and the 2.7T in the Allroad are SCARY from a maintenance and repair perspective. Those cars can be bought cheap but get expensive in a hurry.

[Hydrocket]

How reliable are the V10 S6/S8??

[onewhippedpuppy]

I haven't done much reading on the d3 S8, but I know they have an adjustable air suspension. That's a bad deal in my book, as even Toyota (Lexus) can't build an air suspension that is reliable long term.

[MRM]

Just do it right and get an RS6. Modify it a bit and it will be able to keep up with traffic.

[Laneco]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I haven't done much reading on the d3 S8, but I know they have an adjustable air suspension. That's a bad deal in my book, as even Toyota (Lexus) can't build an air suspension that is reliable long term.

Yeah...the air suspension reliability thing baffles me. It is built to be reliable enough for a commercial use in an 18 wheeler - but we can't make it reliable in a car?

Why?

angela

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Laneco

Yeah...the air suspension reliability thing baffles me. It is built to be reliable enough for a commercial use in an 18 wheeler - but we can't make it reliable in a car?

Why?

angela

Designed obsolescence?

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by Laneco

Yeah...the air suspension reliability thing baffles me. It is built to be reliable enough for a commercial use in an 18 wheeler - but we can't make it reliable in a car?

Why?

angela

It's a good system in the Allroad, I had about 80k on mine when I sold it and never an issue on the air suspension. I have heard that harsh climates seem to shorten the life span on them. Now the one on our Cayenne... that's a different story.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Scott R

It's a good system in the Allroad, I had about 80k on mine when I sold it and never an issue on the air suspension. I have heard that harsh climates seem to shorten the life span on them. Now the one on our Cayenne... that's a different story.

I did some research on them, the combination of cheap prices, 6-speed manual, and the 2.7T was really tempting. I think the air suspension gets flaky at higher mileages, so you probably sold at the right time. I've seen a few modified ones that have been lowered on coilovers, that would be a pretty fun car and remove one major potential issue.