Possible Allroad 2.5Tdi purchase, suspension advice

[Ay3]

Looking at something to have as the second car that will also do a bit of towing, economy not too important but want something nice to drive with plenty of space and pulling power from wet grass / bit of mud. Looked at the series 1 freelanders but the build is shocking (coming form someone who's loves german quality!) and also the x-trail which is built better but has a Renault engine / Turbo etc (and guess what it's the turbos that give trouble)

I have spotted a 2003 A6 Allroad 2.5TDi Quatrro with a 6 speed manual box, 140k with history.

The suspension air compressor is a bit "slow", seems to get to level 3 ok but stuggles to get to 4 without a restart. Comes down and settles levels fine. Apparently it will also drop when it's left for a few days which is making me think it has an airbag leak which has caused the compressor to be struggling. (Or do these cars drop natrually when left like the Citreon systems?)

I'm pretty handly with tools and also have a father and neighbour who are mechanics but they haven't had the experience with the air system on the allroad.

Tempted to buy as it's a good price, how easy are these systems to diagnose? I read something about leaving the car in "jack mode" overnight so if it has a leak on one corner it won't level itself out making the faulty bag easy to see. I also see you can get seal kits for the compressors, has anyone had success with them?

 

[adamss24]

Looking at something to have as the second car that will also do a bit of towing, economy not too important but want something nice to drive with plenty of space and pulling power from wet grass / bit of mud. Looked at the series 1 freelanders but the build is shocking (coming form someone who's loves german quality!) and also the x-trail which is built better but has a Renault engine / Turbo etc (and guess what it's the turbos that give trouble)

I have spotted a 2003 A6 Allroad 2.5TDi Quatrro with a 6 speed manual box, 140k with history.

The suspension air compressor is a bit "slow", seems to get to level 3 ok but stuggles to get to 4 without a restart. Comes down and settles levels fine. Apparently it will also drop when it's left for a few days which is making me think it has an airbag leak which has caused the compressor to be struggling. (Or do these cars drop natrually when left like the Citreon systems?)

I'm pretty handly with tools and also have a father and neighbour who are mechanics but they haven't had the experience with the air system on the allroad.

Tempted to buy as it's a good price, how easy are these systems to diagnose? I read something about leaving the car in "jack mode" overnight so if it has a leak on one corner it won't level itself out making the faulty bag easy to see. I also see you can get seal kits for the compressors, has anyone had success with them?

i don't know what engine code is in the one you're thinking of but i would look for a later 2003/2004 with the BAU cam roller engine, they are better than the early AKE engines but not bullet proof. The cam roller heads are better, lower friction but the hollow cams are still rubbish and result in dropped valves. Suspension is not too hard to work on if you're technically minded but it will need the leak sorting + a new compressor as a minimum. Also the valve block is known to give trouble and it's a very expensive part 280 quid on trade !
Also i would be vary of manual gearbox allroad from 2003 as they released a lower 163Bhp engine which is well underpowered for it's size ! Most later 180Bhp were auto !

See classifieds, i am selling a 2004 model allroad, fully loaded: cruise, climate, alcantara seats, 180Bhp, auto, factory fitted towbar, etc. It's had a new gearbox, rebuilt BAU engine with solid cams conversion, new airbags, new compressor, etc. Drives well and has full service history but it's on 172k. Not asking that much for it, especially considering the amount of money i've spent on it ! Based in N. London.
Regards,
Chris- 07789912128.

 

[Ay3]

Thanks for the reply, it is a 180hp model but not sure on engine. Will probably take a look but the more i read the less I'm sure I want the running costs!

 

[adamss24]

Most likely it will be a AKE 180Bhp engine which is good as long as it has not been on Longlife servicing. They have a habit of wearing the cams/rocker arms and top of the lifters. They have a distinctive clackety noise when the top end is worn ! The allroad is a good motor as long as you get a good one and keep on maintaining it ! My other w reg allroad was so good in the 3-4 years i had it it only let me down once when it dropped a valve due to worn cams ! Knew about it at the sale but i have postponed for too long, no issues with drivetrain apart from replacing a few control arms and upgrading the antiroll bars to rs6 spec ! I now have flywheel shudder but 60k a year towing it's not easy on clutch- no slippage yet !

 

[adamss24]

This is my old allroad, s8 alloys, rs4 brakes, rs6 interior, larger nozzles, hybrid turbo and much, much more ! They really look good with a few simple tweaks...

 

[Ay3]

Yes it's the AKE 180hp manual (with the low ratio box which would be great for towing I suspect!), drives very nicely and has a folder full of receipts with full history dating back to new (serviced every year - sometimes twice in a year when it did bigger miles!) Heated leather, Bose etc.

Passenger front door doesn't always close fully when slammed but does when closed gently (common Audi problem i believe?) and the headunit has a few lines of pixels missing plus a bit of wear on the Aircon buttons etc so nothing major noted.

Two bits of work on the suspension in the bills - Broken wire and a NSF level sensor so nothing major done on that side (so probably need to budget £800 for that!). Cambelt, waterpump, pulleys etc done last year ~10k ago

Have the previous owners details so going to try and get in touch (owned by a doctor before that) - Very tempted....

 

[Ay3]

OK, previous owner only had one suspension issue in the 3yrs of ownership which was when he was up in the Alps at -12c. Once down and conditions warmed up things where fine (and he had it checked upon his return). Changed it due to rising mileage and wanting a bigger car for the family.

Going to think about this overnight!

 

[adamss24]

The low range gearbox has only been fitted to cars until 2001, it was too expensive option from new...

 

[Ay3]

The low range gearbox has only been fitted to cars until 2001, it was too expensive option from new...

I guess it hasn't then, I said that as first gear was stupidly short so I assumed it must have one fitted. However maybe they are all like that?

Turns out a friend knows the previous owner too...lol

 

[adamss24]

Every v6 tdi has a short 1st and 2nd gear to aid towing especially if it's got a towbar from factory. They also rev a little higher than a normal a6 2.5 tdi quattro. I have a 51 reg a6 tdi quattro and the w reg allroad, both have same gearbox code/rear diff combo yet they so different when you drive them ! 3000rpm's in the allroad is 90 Mph and 110 Mph in the a6 ! Granted the a6 is a couple of hundred kilograms lighter...If you go for a car with factory fitted towbar then you get the aux. electric water pump which is a bonus as it's cooling the engine oil which is like a turbo timer but better !

Out of curiosity, how much is the allroad you took for a test drive ?

 

[Ay3]

Every v6 tdi has a short 1st and 2nd gear to aid towing especially if it's got a towbar from factory. They also rev a little higher than a normal a6 2.5 tdi quattro. I have a 51 reg a6 tdi quattro and the w reg allroad, both have same gearbox code/rear diff combo yet they so different when you drive them ! 3000rpm's in the allroad is 90 Mph and 110 Mph in the a6 ! Granted the a6 is a couple of hundred kilograms lighter...If you go for a car with factory fitted towbar then you get the aux. electric water pump which is a bonus as it's cooling the engine oil which is like a turbo timer but better !

Out of curiosity, how much is the allroad you took for a test drive ?

£3250 and I have just placed a deposit! Fingers crossed nothing major goes wrong

 

[adamss24]

£3250 and I have just placed a deposit! Fingers crossed nothing major goes wrong

Seems to me that pricing my 2004 allroad under 3k is putting people off ?! Might as well sell missus a4 quattro and keep the allroad as a runabout for her to do the school run !

 

[Ay3]

Seems to me that pricing my 2004 allroad under 3k is putting people off ?! Might as well sell missus a4 quattro and keep the allroad as a runabout for her to do the school run !

Wouldn't have put me off espicially considering the work it's had done. However I no longer have the time or motivation to travel any kind of distance to get a car these days!