Rather unexpected A6 purchase...

[quattrojames]

Brake enquiries continue....

This is the caliper fitted over my standard 288mm disc:



The good news is the 16" winter wheels fit! Tight to the caliper, but good enough.



My 288 discs sits fairly central in the caliper, it's a floating design which will centralise in use.



ECP have some A6 fitment 320mm discs which I think will try....

 

[6833jon]

My brother noticed that my calipers for my 288 discs were the correct fitment for the 312 discs. Fitted 312 discs last year and am currently running 16" wheels (after pothole f@*ked one of my 18's).

 

[quattrojames]

A lot of A4/6's come with 312 discs and 16" wheels, the 288-312mm conversion is a popular one as it's so easy.

 

[quattrojames]

Two new Pirelli's on the front yesterday, and new brake pad's on the rear tomorrow is about all I have to report.

Picked up a few idea's from AITP today...

 

[jojo]

Two new Pirelli's on the front yesterday, and new brake pad's on the rear tomorrow is about all I have to report.

Picked up a few idea's from AITP today...

Forgot to say hi to you mate, today has been a mad rush for me!

 

[quattrojames]

Forgot to say hi to you mate, today has been a mad rush for me!

I'm just as guilty @jojo saw you when I pulled in, but never again! till ADI.....?!

 

[jojo]

I'm just as guilty @jojo saw you when I pulled in, but never again! till ADI.....?!

I'm not a cert for ADI attendance bud. I know it's technically 'my' show, but without a car to head onto the track, can I motivate myself to do the 100 miles there on a working day?

 

[quattrojames]

Sometimes I wonder if at 42 I should be driving around in something "better"... but the truth is this continues to do everything I need and do it well! My commute is approaching 100 miles a day, and the involves some filthy country roads etc. This car is comfortable and economic, I get 47 mpg out of most tanks nowadays (Fuelly sig. figure is shown low due to previous mpg issues). I showed it a couple of hours love this afternoon as it was very grubby from lots of use and the recent weather. I noticed there is a bit of rust beginning to bubble around the front windscreen, to join that by the roof bars, but it's nothing of any consequence. I would doubt I'll spend any money on it cosmetically. A service is due imminently and the AC fan is getting louder but I hope that will wait till the spring. When I have a day and £150 spare I'll try and fit the 323mm front discs and calipers, the 288 discs aren't great when you really need them.

Right now I just need a comfortable, reliable and economic car and this is perfect. If it dies tomorrow heaven forbid, I'd probably lay £10k down on a 2010 onwards C6, probably a 2.0TDi 170 Le Mans/S-Line as they're a lot of car for the money compared to the 3.0 TDi quattro's and the lower running costs are good with the amount of miles I do.

I'll budget for new wipers front and rear next month and hopefully with the service and a kind MoT that will be it. Soon be time to seal the winter wheels and get them on again!

Here she was after today's wash

 

[Scottk]

Still the best looking A6 avant. I don't think the C6 looks as good. C7 is better but the C5 is a bit special especially in RS!

 

[quattrojames]

Still the best looking A6 avant. I don't think the C6 looks as good. C7 is better but the C5 is a bit special especially in RS!

I quite like the C6's.

@Scottk Your signature states a C5 3.0 TDi?

 

[Scottk]

Should be C6!! Started doing more miles so had to change. The C5 was great when I was doing about 8k miles but then I started working onshore and it shot up to about 30k.
Signature amended, thanks.

 

[quattrojames]

Ok, question answered!

 

[quattrojames]

MoT last week, straight through with no advisories.

Service yesterday, cambelt is due which I hadn't realised as although it's only 42k since then it was 6 1/2 years ago. I'll try and get that done as well as the electric fan soon as that's getting increasingly grumbly!

In the 120k the car covered prior to my ownership I'm not sure the original wheels were ever properly cleaned... so Wonder Wheels and Astonish oven cleaner were employed today to get them ready to go back on this winter.

Far from perfect, but quite acceptable. A quick polish and some wheel sealant and they're good to . Roll on December.

Before and after:



Ready to go:

 

[quattrojames]

I had the timing belt and the electric fan replaced last week. An OEM fan was approx £200 plus vat, but I managed to find a Hella one for £80 delivered which looks more or less the same and will hopefully last longer than a £40 eBay special! It's nice to run with the AC on all the time now.

Obviously in taking the front off the headlights are aligned lower than before which is annoying as it's dark most of the time these days! Unfortunately on the OS light the adjuster mechanism is missing. The below is from Google images, but the small white alignment "cogs" fit onto a splined rod and are wound by an allen key fitment, but one of them is entirely missing! I ran out of time today, but am hoping the rod will turn with some grips. As a temporary measure I have adjusted the light up on the mounting bolts.

If anyone has any knowledge or experience of these little bits, and whether they can be bought individually please let me know!

Found time for a good wash and hoover today, and also put the winter wheels on just in case the temp ever drops under the current 10C! No pics cos' it was dark by the time I finished, but I'll try and update re the headlight soon.

 

[quattrojames]

This is the bit I need!

 

[quattrojames]

With some prudent use of the right foot I hit 50.3 mpg with the last tank!

 

[jojo]

With some prudent use of the right foot I hit 50.3 mpg with the last tank!

Amazing economy, given the size and weight of the car! The best I've got out of my old 1.9tdi Passat was 48mpg average on one tank! My BiTdi though, is averaging 30mpg! It's ****** rapid though!!

 

[quattrojames]

Amazing economy, given the size and weight of the car! The best I've got out of my old 1.9tdi Passat was 48mpg average on one tank! My BiTdi though, is averaging 30mpg! It's ****** rapid though!!

I'm lucky enough to drive a BiTdi at work, and can confirm that they are indeed ****** rapid!

I'm pleased with 50mpg, especially given that I do so much driving on rural lanes etc.

 

[quattrojames]

Not much going on here, I still get 47 - 50 mpg, which with diesel at 99.7 makes my 100 mile a day commute much more bearable! Add in the heated seats, comfortable ride and sure footedness from the winter tyres and it's all good.

There's no issues on the horizon that I'm aware of, soon the weather will improve and a good spring cleaning can begin. The summer wheels have some chips on which need some work before they go back on, but nothing major. Road tax due this month, not too bad at £180, and might treat myself to some new wipers and that's about all!

Living costs are crippling me at the moment, but I do scout Auto Trader from time to time looking at 2.0TDi Le Mans C6's etc just to keep my interest in

 

[jojo]

Living costs are crippling me at the moment, but I do scout Auto Trader from time to time looking at 2.0TDi Le Mans C6's etc just to keep my interest in

I looked at C6s for the last couple of years! lol There's so many about for sale, but the one that you really want is always 150 miles away! Yet somehow, I ended up with a C7.

 

[quattrojames]

Can't believe I've not posted since Feb, it's almost time to put the winter tyres on again!

16,000 miles in the last year, and just passed the MoT again this morning. Two advisories, some play in the lower arm bushes, and haziness of the headlights.

I've been looking at the Meguiars headlight restoration kit, but the garage said they'd do them for a tenner each, so I'll probably just let them crack on!

168k now and still averaging 43 mpg.

 

[technics100]

I just did my lights last weekend.. see pics in here.. some difference.. 6k xenons going in tonight..

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/back-in-a-b6-a4-1-8t-cab-a-few-issues.291307/#post-2833932

 

[quattrojames]

Nice to hear from you again, good to see you back in a B6!

The lights make a massive difference, they modernise and freshen up the whole car I think.

 

[quattrojames]

I got round to fiddling with the offside headlight adjuster today, courtesy of the ones @ScottD3 sent me recently from his B5.

This is how they should look:

This is how mine looks...

You can see how much the B5 "cog" is bigger than mine though:

This applied to both of the cogs:

Through much filing I made the two cogs "fit" but reducing the diameter so much has altered the angle and depth of the splines so I'm not sure they're going to work. Hopefully, worst case, they will at least stop the headlight alignment lever creeping down over time.

 

[quattrojames]

That headlight bodge didn't work! I'm not gonna faff about anymore, every few weeks when the offside light drops I'll pull the adjuster back with my Leatherman. Simple.

I took my main beams bulbs out, they were Philips Silverline or something, and replaced them with these:

Not sure I notice much difference but hey ho, I feel better.

I also put the old 100w bulbs from my A4 into the front fogs, you still can't tell if they're on or not - hopeless!

I want some new LED sidelights too as mine offer a strobe light show currently.

Talking of headlights, the MOT place offered to buff them up today for £20, so I let them.

The offside looks much better, the nearside has condensation so isn't as effective. I've ordered some silica get sachets to go inside it so hoping that will help. If not, I'll remove it and dry it out and seal it as best I can. Typically, it isn't the one with the broken adjuster! Pics below.

Off to France next week for a family road trip, so going in for a service on Thursday as it's only a few hundred miles off one anyway. Fingers crossed..

 

[Samuel c5 Q]

You've probably figured it out but your discs aren't passing through the pads properly. I drive 95 miles a day to work and have a blanket for my heated seat as the new thermostat I put in along with the new water pump seems to be not working and I haven't had a chance to replace it. I was absolutely froze a few weeks back. My worst tank mpg in a 99 AHU 1.9tdi seat (don't worry I have two Audi a6's) Cordoba vario was 56mpg when I was ragging it and 68mpg being very saintly and real world average of 64-66 mpg is the norm.

 

[quattrojames]

I'm more than happy to be proved wrong, but I'm not sure anyone has routinely averaged over 60mpg in an A6...?

A lot of it depends on your roads, when I was commuting 80+ miles daily trundling along A roads 50mpg was possible, now I have a shorter commute which is up hill and down dale on very rural C roads I'd challenge anyone to improve on this mileage with the same parameters.

 

[Samuel c5 Q]

I don't get that mpg in an a6, it's in a small Cordoba. I did manage 70.9 mpg in a mk1 Leon with me and the Mrs and a few suitcases from our home to Pedigo passing through Enniskillen, a 100ish mile trip. I dove a 56mph the whole way. I drove the same way home and only managed 66mpg this was due to the temperature being -3deg C or so. The Leon had 0.216um bosio fratellia nozzles, 3 bar map sensor and tuning box. The road was mainly flat motorway and a roads. Alright this is Northern Ireland so there were a few hills thrown in but fairly smooth with no stopping really.

 

[quattrojames]

I dried the steamy headlight out this week and stuck a couple of silica gel sachets in there, still dry 48 hours later so here's hoping.

Other than that, wash and polish and a hoover ready for the road trip to The Alps.

 

[quattrojames]

Back from the Alps, 1800 miles in 6 days and the car performed faultlessly! Spotted a few more C5's in France, but like over here they're a relatively rare beast these days it seems. I can't speak highly enough of mine though.

Averaged 41mpg on the way home, 795 miles at 130 kmh most of the way, five up with a roofbox is ok I think.

I failed miserably for scenic pics with the car in them, so this will have to do!

On a side note, no idea what's up with Photobucket?! All the pictures show on the app on my phone, but on the website they've all disappeared. Been like this for a couple of weeks now...

 

[quattrojames]

Photobucket have replied, due to "a technical issue that had 1 out of a billion odds of occurring" they have lost ALL of my photos! WTF?? So I must apologise but for now at least, this thread is useless without pictures.

 

[Samuel c5 Q]

Nightmare fella. How come you just don't upload them from your phone memory or hard drive would work wouldn't it? The upload function on here is great, real easy to use.

 

[quattrojames]

I've been using this site since long before they offered the ability to do that, I used Photobucket as at the time storing images in the cloud was in it's relative infancy and I've kept using them as all my images were neatly stored and backed up. So I thought.

I probably have a lot of the images on various hard drives and memory sticks, but it's going to take a long time to sort them, upload them and replace the broken links in all the guides! Time I don't have at the moment. Maybe when I'm 65....

Photobucket have excelled themselves and offered me a years ad-free membership!

 

[jojo]

I've been using this site since long before they offered the ability to do that, I used Photobucket as at the time storing images in the cloud was in it's relative infancy and I've kept using them as all my images were neatly stored and backed up. So I thought.

I probably have a lot of the images on various hard drives and memory sticks, but it's going to take a long time to sort them, upload them and replace the broken links in all the guides! Time I don't have at the moment. Maybe when I'm 65....

Photobucket have excelled themselves and offered me a years ad-free membership!

I've not checked my photobucket!

 

[quattrojames]

Where does the time go...?

Little to report really, 2 x Nexens were fitted earlier in the year. A change from my usual Pirelli's but noticeably cheaper and they seem to be a good tyre so far (summer months).

Car went into limp mode last week, no engine management light which troubled me a little bit but a scan revealed a MAP sensor fault. That was replaced and fighting fit again now. Over 180k now and the mpg has dropped over 2-3mpg in the last 12 months so not sure why that is. I'm probably just driving faster! MoT in a couple of weeks so fingers crossed for that.

I bought one of these Ecocut Pro gimmick devices a few weeks ago. My Bosch Aeroblades were barely 6 months old and had 2 lines showing in the wipe pattern. I was surprised how much it cuts off but it has improved the wipe which is encouraging.

 

[Samuel c5 Q]

My time goes on cars and work. All work and no rest makes Sam a dull boy. Birthday is coming up so time for a weekend away or similar.

Is it a 115bhp tdi Quattro?

 

[quattrojames]

Is it a 115bhp tdi Quattro?

It's a 1.9tdi 130 fwd.

 

[Samuel c5 Q]

Pd then. Looks nice. It's been a while since I seen it. Suppose that's the way you like it, less to do to them the better. I'm not getting it that way at the minute.

 

[quattrojames]

Looks nice. It's been a while since I seen it.

Thanks, been a while since most people have seen it as Photobucket lost all my photos! I'll try and take some next time I clean it.

 

[quattrojames]

I bought some clip in window shades this week, I'm very pleased with them. I've never been a big fan of dark tints on these colour cars for some reason.

I will do some better pics when it's a bit cleaner...