Anyone else own a 2.5 TDi 180 Avant Quattro?

[Devonjohn]

Looking at the forum posts it would seem that the 2.5 TDi 180 Quattro auto is somewhat rare.

Does anyone else have one?

If so - what has their expereince been - reliability, mpg, servicing costs, faults etc.......

I havn't picked mine up yet but it is an imaculate September 2003 1 owner vehicle with full Audi service history, 70K mileage. Interior with light cream leather and blue carpets is like new and it drives beautifully.

Wasn't sure I would like it after my BMW X5 - but fell for it imediately I sat in it and confirmed after driving it for 2 minutes.

 

[maxlbrown]

a colleague of mine had one on the whole from what i know of it no real difference between any other a6 i found the diesel slightly more noisy inside than my petrol but i think the average 17 - 23 mpg was the downer compared to the bmw 2.5d. not good for a diesel.

usual stuff cv joints electrics can be fragile and the abs systems can go awol and is expensive to replace (repairs can be done relatively cheaply if your prepared to ship the unit out). Tires wear is heavey as its a heavey car just under two tonnes.

and cam belts are due every 80k so your new one will be due soon. and audi will want 1400 notes to do.

has your new car had the cam belt done and is it private sale if so thats probably why its for sale?

if its a garage get them to change it before you take it then you fine.

hope this helps

 

[Devonjohn]

Thanks for that.

It is a purchase from a diesel specialist garage.

They are replacing the cam belt and the water pump associated, giving it a full service, MoT and polishing / touching in the paint before supagarding it and repairing 2 of the alloys which have slight kerbing.

Interior looks as new.

I have a taken out a 3 year all inclusive parts and labour warrenty up to the full value of the car and including all parts - critically including the turbo, air con, abs and auto box.

The electrics could not be any more fragile than my X5!!!

It is a simpler car in many respects than the X5 without the sat nav, folding mirrors, communications pack, memory seats, sliding sun roof, in built DVD / TV and LCD screens.

But all of these things have developed faults on my x5 - plus the gear box, stereo, battery, tyre pressure monitors and parking sensors have all had their problems.

My hope is that slightly simpler car with many less in-built toys will = much more relaible!

Finally I note that the tyres cost roughly 1/2 those on the x5 and they are the same on all 4 corners. A big bonus to me.

Time will tell but my first impressions are that it may not be as flash or as impressive a design as the X5 but it could be a lot easier to live with.

Your figures for the fuel economy are troubling - I was hoping for 30+mpg average. I get 26.6mpg average out of the x5 and up to 31 on a long run but very low 20s around town and 17-18 towing.

Audis figures led me to beleive I was not over optomistic - are they wrong?

 

[maxlbrown]

'i have seen seen on my colleagues and average of up to 23 mpg. we worked it out and thats not short runs. Dont forget more power takes more fuel.

Manufacturers numbers are always optimistic and dont take into account start stop journeys or booting down a motorway.

I have to say my colleague wasn't the slowest driver on the road. time will tell for you.

I also have a 5 series and believe me the electrices on that are a damn site better than the audi I have to say the audi seems a more technologically advanced car with more toys but bmw give you what you need and cant play with. honestly the most gremlin i have had to date is a couple of blown light bulbs and a faulty seat sensor mat.

On the audi first and foremost
very poor headlights they are dire unless you have hid. Or upgrade the bulbs to either osram or phillips 50% brighters that works well.

CV joints and CV boots.

Door switches controlling lights and alarms. these are part of the door lock mechanism and expensive

MAF sensors are renowned to go south on the diesels.

they use oil at an alrming rate compared to a bmw. never topped mine up in 7 years of ownership

alarms can give up the ghost.

Fuel gauges can be temperamental. these have two 1 £30 & 1 at £140

Central locking can play up but so can most cars

and my indicators seemed to have a mind of there own for about 3 hours been fine since.

Also brake light switches are a pain and can be fiddly to replace and set up properly.

Hope this helps

Max

 

[fjtwelve]

I've got a manual version. If you search for fjtwelve on the forums i've posted several issues. Still looking for a decent independent Audi dealer in the South West.
Now up to 179000 miles. Since 109000 miles when i bought i have chipped it, replaced front wheel bearings, CV joints, cam belts (£500 a more realistic figure), brake pads, tyres, best car i ever had until the engine failed (the chain driving the oil pump broke). Now rebuilt and back on the road. Averaged 33mpg until i came down South, seems to be around 30 now, but jumps back up as soon as i get out of the lanes.

 

[Devonjohn]

Thanks for that - more positive reply!

 

[SiliconS]

If I use supermarket diesel I get about 30-32mpg but if I use Shell regular diesel I get more like 35mpg from my '99 150bhp 2.5 TDI Quattro Avant. This is for full tanks of fuel in average driving - 30 minute journeys across country. Long motorway journeys are perhaps 1mpg better but short journeys are a killer. It takes 20 mins for the engine to warm up fully in this cold weather.

Your 180bhp engine might not be up to 35mpg but it ought to be better than the mid 20s that you mention.

 

[maxlbrown]

Devon john

you asked about reliability thats what you got. If you dont lkike replies after you bought the car then dont ask! maybe you should have asked before paying money thats what these forums are about.

Smart *** comments are not appreciated on this forum as other threads have shown.

30MPG for a diesel at 150 BHP. Buy a petrol 180 BHP will be even less.

Especially as diesel is dearer to buy. if you wont torque then diesels fine.

My indy loves audis and all VW cars (why becasue they are so unreliable it keeps him in work.) His words yesterday not mine.

m

 

[charlie_kerr]

I have recently changed from a 1.9TDI (110) manual to a 2.5TDI Quattro sport (180) with multitronic, the consumption rate on the 2.5 is almost half of the 1.9. But if you want the power and comfort you need to pay for it.

Re supermarket fuels, stay away, this stuff is sh1t, expect 3-4 mpg less and listen to your engine, it does not like it. I find Shell regular diesel to be the best in the Audi, after a long testing process.

Regardless of the tax issue can anyone explain why we are the only country in the world where diesel costs more? it costs less to make and incurs the same tax, should'nt we be looking at the oil company policies in this country.

 

[smurf2.5tdi]

T've just picked mine up will let u know how i get on after a few miles , now selling my old 1.8t. More accurately mines also a sport model , I presume that relates to the suspension ?

 

[Devonjohn]

Devon john

you asked about reliability thats what you got. If you dont lkike replies after you bought the car then dont ask! maybe you should have asked before paying money thats what these forums are about.

Smart *** comments are not appreciated on this forum as other threads have shown.

30MPG for a diesel at 150 BHP. Buy a petrol 180 BHP will be even less.

Especially as diesel is dearer to buy. if you wont torque then diesels fine.

My indy loves audis and all VW cars (why becasue they are so unreliable it keeps him in work.) His words yesterday not mine.

m

Well..... smart comments are what I do and I like it. Deal with it or dont reply.

Now on a more positive note......

I have had my Audi for about 14 months now. I regularly get 30mpg out of it but that does drop significantly for short trips on narrow roads especially if it is cold as it does take maybe 15 minutes to warm up.

I have had zero problems with the car.

Except an intermittant fault with the gear sellector. Common I belive but it never really amounts to much. Had it from February to April last year and it reappeared 2 weeks ago. Start and restart seems to cure it most times.

The car is still under a full 3 year warrentee so really I should get it checked out and replaced as I know what it is and it is a gog costly thing to replace with most Audi garages replacing the whole gerabox I am told.

Was out in the snow in it today and had some fun throwing it around whilst out of traffic - almost felt like my MX-5!

The whole car desparately needs a full valet inside and out plus a really good polish and wax - but that will have to wait for the Spring.

Best MPG? 42 on a 100 mile journey with the car fully warmed up and mostly flat or downhill on motorway. 34 more normal on a motorway. 27 on B roads and a bit less on twisty back roads or in heavy traffic.

Looked about changing it recently but to be honest, aprat from the mpg I just cannot find anything I like even half as much for the money.

 

[936ADL]

I had one last year for about 8 months.

I was getting 27ish around town on short runs, and 32ish on a run.

The only problem i had was water in the passenger footwell, which caused the central locking to go a bit wonky.

I'm not sure about the 23mpg comment. I don't get much less then that out of my S6!!

 

[quattrojames]

I'm not sure about the 23mpg comment. I don't get much less then that out of my S6!!

I agree, I have the 180 engine in my A4 and average 33 - for this engine to be doing 17-23 then surely something was wrong with it!

 

[monkeyboyuk]

i've got an allroad with the 180 2.5, auto, the car has been great in the 6-7 months i've had it with no returns to the garage for anything!

mines is a hulk of a car but the engine has plenty pull and i don't miss the power i had in my previous 3.0 petrol bmw, and the auto box is 10 times better in the audi than bmw!! economy could be better, but in a heavy car with an auto box i'm not complaining too much, i got 430 miles out of a full tank on a speedy long motorway run so it was ok, if not groundbreaking!!

my only niggle has been that i haven't always been able to get comfy in the seats, more so on long journeys. after a while i start getting a sore butt, and most recently seemed to pin it down to not having the lumbar adjustment set correctly, so just waiting now on the next 'long' trip to test it out again!!

hoping that my cq20v that i'm away to pick up in a couple of weeks doesn't have the same trouble!!!

 

[692DPG]

I have a 2001 manual 2.5 TDI avant q sport and am thoroughly impressed with it. Bought with 80K and FASH last September and other than a failed wiper relay at £22 it has been excellent with no major problems.:thumbsup: The comfort and driving experience are great and fuel economy is between 30 and 35 dependent on usage/style of driving

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

Mines a 2000 tiptronic model with 127k on the clock,bought 15 months ago.

The only things I've had go wrong with it was a seized rear brake caliper (it had a split dust boot and been stood for a while) and a seized wiper rack (common fault). Other than that I can't fault it, its a fabulous car.

I fitted a tuning module before Christmas to improve fuel consumption,and boy has it. On a long run down South, sitting in traffic on tickover and crawling on the M11/M25 for an hour and a half, and when moving doing 80 - 100mph I returned just over 5000mls from a tankful. Even at 60mph the OBC (not totally accurate I know) shows 50mpg! Absolutely incredible for a heavy auto quattro. I have nothing but praise for this car.