3.0 TDI A6 Buyers Guide

[PeteS]

Hi
I am looking at buying a 3.0 TDI A6 over the weekend. Any advice on things to check would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

PeteS

 

[crispin]

good choice!! Check full service history..they are pretty bullet proof, just check well looked after and that all the buttons work.

 

[snapdragon]

If you have a laptop, buy VAGCOM VCDS HEX CAN for £100 ish.
I did this to find faults, but turned up other problems.
I have looked at two A6s so far and both were found to be clocked when I ran a scan.
It seems they clock them every year before the MOTs so that the mileages on only MOTs look OK.
e.g. The mileage was 11000Km lower this month than in march, similar story since 2009.


Address 0E: Media Player 1 Labels: 4E0-910-111.lbl
Part No SW: 4E0 910 111 C HW: 4E0 035 111
Component: CD-Changer H44 0340
Revision: 00000000 Serial number: AUZ5ZBD4025313
Shop #: WSC 00000 000 00000
VCID: 193244C1AE83

2 Faults Found:
02261 - Data Medium
014 - Defective - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00101110
Fault Priority: 7
Fault Frequency: 2
Reset counter: 191
Mileage: 222028 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2011.10.13
Time: 20:03:46

Freeze Frame:
Text: 0000840E

00532 - Supply Voltage B+
002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100010
Fault Priority: 7
Fault Frequency: 7
Reset counter: 198
Mileage: 233369 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2011.03.04
Time: 07:32:27

 

[yendall24]

i have often wondered about clocking before the first mot i suppose this carry on makes it even more important to make sure it as a full main dealer service history or can this also be scammed . i hope you reported the clocked car to the local trading standards office at the end of the day its theft and fraud and needs stamping out

 

[1animal1]

good info on the clocking.....

Im curious why you are paying £100 for vcds leads though? when a £15 lead off ebay and their freeware will scan fault codes for you?

I had one of these and used without issue before I bought the full version for £250 (cheapest your likely to get it!)

 

[snapdragon]

Good point about the availability of cheaper VACOM clones, I wanted to use later versions of the software which requires the genuine lead to act as a licence key.

 

[1animal1]

Im interested to know what you have for £100 over my genuine lead?

 

[snapdragon]

I have had a look, seems the price of what i have is $349 now :note:
Ouch. Back in the day I had the free version 4.19 (before VCDS Lite) and most labels were blank and things in the channels were not labelled. There was a warning not to scan the airbag as it could go off on some models and one couldn't reset V6 TDI service indicators or read the mileage from the engine ECU. Maybe the cloned ones are better these days?

 

[1animal1]

no idea, i only know my £15 ebay jobby could do some logging, all fault code reading/erasing, and that was pretty much the lot.....

 

[jojo]

If you have a laptop, buy VAGCOM VCDS HEX CAN for £100 ish.
I did this to find faults, but turned up other problems.
I have looked at two A6s so far and both were found to be clocked when I ran a scan.
It seems they clock them every year before the MOTs so that the mileages on only MOTs look OK.
e.g. The mileage was 11000Km lower this month than in march, similar story since 2009.


Address 0E: Media Player 1 Labels: 4E0-910-111.lbl
Part No SW: 4E0 910 111 C HW: 4E0 035 111
Component: CD-Changer H44 0340
Revision: 00000000 Serial number: AUZ5ZBD4025313
Shop #: WSC 00000 000 00000
VCID: 193244C1AE83

2 Faults Found:
02261 - Data Medium
014 - Defective - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00101110
Fault Priority: 7
Fault Frequency: 2
Reset counter: 191
Mileage: 222028 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2011.10.13
Time: 20:03:46

Freeze Frame:
Text: 0000840E

00532 - Supply Voltage B+
002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100010
Fault Priority: 7
Fault Frequency: 7
Reset counter: 198
Mileage: 233369 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2011.03.04
Time: 07:32:27

Interesting, do these faults just come up as part of a scan, or did you have to look for them?

 

[snapdragon]

Autoscan scans all modules one by one.

Not trying to hijack thread but it is a useful question for buyers, are all front wings and bonnets supposed to be aluminium?
The A6 2006 brochure suggests so, but a few I have looked at are obviously steel as they have a bit of brown rust on chips or on the wing where loadstones hit it at the bottom and on further inspection look like body shop replacements anyway.

I keep forgetting to take a fridge magnet to test them with.

I have to say, these cars and their sellers seem to suffer much higher levels of 'dodginess' than any other I have looked at.

 

[snapdragon]

Autoscan scans all modules one by one.

Not trying to hijack thread but it is a useful question for buyers, are all front wings and bonnets supposed to be aluminium?
The A6 2006 brochure suggests so, but a few I have looked at are obviously steel as they have a bit of brown rust on chips or on the wing where loadstones hit it at the bottom and on further inspection look like body shop replacements anyway.

I keep forgetting to take a fridge magnet to test them with.

I have to say, these cars and their sellers seem to suffer much higher levels of 'dodginess' than any other I have looked at.

 

[elan2s]

Autoscan scans all modules one by one.

Not trying to hijack thread but it is a useful question for buyers, are all front wings and bonnets supposed to be aluminium?
The A6 2006 brochure suggests so, but a few I have looked at are obviously steel as they have a bit of brown rust on chips or on the wing where loadstones hit it at the bottom and on further inspection look like body shop replacements anyway.

I keep forgetting to take a fridge magnet to test them with.

I have to say, these cars and their sellers seem to suffer much higher levels of 'dodginess' than any other I have looked at.

I believe only the S6 and RS6 have aluminium wings and bonnet. As to A6 sellers being dodgier than most, I suspect it may have something to do with how well Audi builds its cars and thus even those with a few years and high miles behind them are still very good condition and therefore prime candidates for clocking