advice on A6 Avant's tdi

[sliced]

Hi guys I'm going to be looking at a few A6 Avant TDi's tomorrow and was hoping for some advice

I understand there are 3 models

2.0 TDI, 2.7 TDi and the 3.0 TDI
which engine is the best in terms of reliability and running costs?

Any common faults to look out for?
Is the cambelt supposed to be done at 60k?75k?5 years?
How often is the gearbox oil supposed to be changed on an automatic?

Thanks in advanced

 

[RoyC]

Go for a facelift model if pos. (58 plate onwards)
The 2.7 & 3.0 TDI engines are basically the same (V6, No cam belt)
Go for 3.0tdi, these are 4x4 and have the tiptronic auto box.
Change atf every 80k tiptronic or if 2.7tdi, multitronic auto box, change atf every 38k.

 

[Scottk]

As above, the early 2.7 and 3.0 have some issues with injectors and chain stretch/ tensioners. The 3.0 is a peach of an engine-fast and pretty economical. Great cruiser. My 2005 had 130k trouble free miles so you might get lucky but if you can get a facelift, that's what to get. Look for FSH. There are some manuals but most are tiptronic. Tiptronic oil is supposed to be sealed for life but ZF recommend changing the oil at between 80 and 100k.

 

[B5NUT]

To be fair all A6's regardless of being a FL version will at some point issues with injectors, chains & tensioners. (these parts don't last forever) Yes early A6's 2005/2006 will have a known injector failure (caused lot of smoking) but most will have been replaced by now. My 2006 A6 has had injectors @ around 180K miles but so far no trouble with chains or tensioners and the engine now had just under 210K miles.

I would say around 250 would be the life of most chains & tensioners.

 

[Scottk]

250 would be a good lifespan, just a shame it will make them uneconomical to repair.