Looking to Buy a B6 or a B7 Cabriolet - Help Please!?

[Springer*]

Hi there,

I've been trawling through this great site for info and owner experiences of the 2.5TDI B6 Cabriolet because there's a possibility I could be picking one up in the near future

I've also been trying to compare the pros and cons of the B6 2.5TDI Cabrio and the later B7 2.0TDI Cabrio...

It looks as though the 2.5TDI is probably the more prestige engine with its V6 smoothness and noise, but it has its downsides with so-so fuel economy and steep road tax. The 2.0TDI engine will be less smooth and will probably have a narrower power band, but offers better economy, cheaper road tax and also looks a little bit more modern.

There are a few other things though....

Firstly did any of the B6 2.5TDI Cabriolets come with a DPF? Or am I right in thinking these only featured in the later B7 models?

Is the 2.5TDI a PD engine like the 1.9TDI units found in the B6, and as such does it require the same special PD oil and servicing to avoid cam problems?

I've heard that the 2.0TDI engine has injector issues, but do they need the same special PD oil too?

It seems that the longlife servicing offered by AUDI dealers was a nonsense and should be avoided. Is the 2.5 more prone to damage as a result of the longer service intervals than the 2.0 unit?

What is the heavier 2.5 like on tyres? Due to the extra weight and FWD does it eat fronts? What mileage would you hope to expect out of a set of front tyres on a 2.5 with normal (i.e. not driving like a plonker) driving?

How robust are the hood motors? Can they get temperamental with age?

I've heard of great benefits by deleting the EGR on the 1.9 unit, such as marginal improvements in fuel economy and improved throttle response. Has anyone experienced the same from a 2.5 by fitting an EGR delete kit?

Are there any other things that you can do to improve the economy at all?

If I test drove some different cars, are there any obvious tell tale signs of knackered cams from how a car sounds or runs?

Should the 2.5 be serviced more often than the 2.0 due to its delicate cams?

Does the 2.5 have cambelts like the 1.9 or does it have a timing chain? If it has belts, at what age/mileage do they need changing? Am I right in thinking you need to change the water pump at the same time? Are there any other things that need doing such as tensioners too?

Do you get a spare wheel as standard?

Did they do an S-Line spec B6 2.5 or can I only expect Sport spec?

Are the B6s all 6 speed?

How much would I expect to pay for a DPF replacement pipe and remap in a B7 (just in case I ended up with a car with a clogged DPF and needed shut of it)?

What does the B7 chassis improve on over the B6 chassis and what other improvements were there on the B7 cabriolet over the outgoing b6 cabriolet, because they look even more similar than the B6 and B7 saloons do?

Are there any other common issues I should look out for on a test drive?

Apologies for the large number of questions - help with these would be really useful for me as my budget is pretty limited at around £6500 to £7000 as I will probably be opting for a car with anything up to 100000 miles on the clock. With this budget I'm going to come across a lot of tired out, unloved B7s but may find a belter with high motorway mileage. I am more likely to find some nice 2.5 B6s though and want to be sure that they are as worthy a purchase as the B7 model.

Cheers in advance...

J

 

[mattyboyc]

I've been looking for a decent B7 cabby for the wife and to be honest looking at around the £12-13,000 mark for a well looked after avarage milliage one not even seen a B7 with galactic milliage for the budget you have, i would say it will deffo be a B6 you would be looking at.

 

[pbarlow0032]

Have you considered the 1.8t petrol, or are you dead set on diesel? Bearing in mind that petrol's 8p/litre cheaper at the minute, and I think servicing works out cheaper too, plus less chance of big-cost repairs, no need to blank EGR etc.

i average about 33mpg from my B6 1.8t, mainly from country B roads, 10 miles each way to work each day. On a run it will do 37/38 mpg. I don't think the 2.5tdi will better this significantly?
I guess my point is that less people want petrol cars these days, so you might find yyour options open considerably by considering a 1.8t as many more cars with lower mileage will fall into your budget.
I bought my latest B6 1.8t sport 2 months ago (having previously owned a B6 1.8t sport and a B6 3.0 SLine) and paid a touch over £4k for it. Realistically it needs some paint correction, the interior leather refurbing, and probably some suspension refreshed, but it's a hell of a lot of car for the money and it makes me smile every time I get in it.
don't restrict yourself just to the diesels

 

[jon_273]

I have a late B6 S-line 2.5 TDi manual on a 55 plate.

I would certainly not say the economy was so-so! I have had in excess of 50mpg on the 300 mile run to Aberdeen on more than one occasion. In december I went down to London and averaged about 47mpg for the whole trip. Yes, they are pretty rubbish when the engine is cold and you are around town (28mpg or so) but this is only for the first few miles and really won't be costing much unless that is the only type of driving you do. As soon as you get on the motorway the economy goes up - the longer the trip, the better it seems to get. Having a manual probably helps economy a lot too. Realistically I average about 43mpg overall, with mixed driving.

Once you are on the move you would be hard pushed to tell it was a diesel. You can't really hear the engine, and even at idle, it sounds like a V6. Being a convertible, you've got to have a half decent sounding engine!

It is not a PD, but I use Quantum 5W40 oil. There is no DPF. Road tax is £250.

I have just put 4 Michelin Pilot Sport 3's on mine. I hope to get at least 20K out of them by swapping them around. I wouldn't exactly say it eats front tyres. I got 11k miles out of the half worn Pirellis that were on mine when I bought it.

I drove a B7 cab 3.0TDi Quattro tiptronic recently, thinking of trading mine in. It seemed to ride a bit better and be quieter (had the acoustic hood), but it was not twice the car mine was, even though they wanted twice the price. I think you will struggle for a decent B7 with your budget. The B6 is still a fine car IMO!

 

[JasonS]

I have an 05 reg 2.5 TDI Sport with the multitonic gearbox.. I prefer the B6 to the B7, they are exactly the same inside, only the exterior is different.

I went for the best spec I could find, heated leather, Xenon lights, RNS-e, bluetooth etc.. my car had 6k of options when new. (hasn't stopped me fiddling though, adding carbon fibre trim etc.)

I'm averaging 43MPG, mostly motorway (on cruise), my tyres are about to be replaced and have done 22k.

The V6 is lovely to drive.. I would have liked a manual, but there weren't many about when I was looking in February last year.
I did consider a 1.8T, I went to see a silver one with red leather and a red roof, but it hadn't been looked after.

I have a spreadsheet I use to work out the fuel cost, I get 600+ miles to a tank (65 litres to fill up), if I had a 1.8T I'd get 500..
That's another 100 miles I'm getting for £5 if my maths are correct.

 

[Springer*]

Wow, thanks for the replies peeps. Really appreciated (jeez this site is good!)


MattyboyC,

Yeah, ideally if my budget was larger I'd be shopping for a 58 plate S-Line with sub 60k on the clock, and £12k+ would certainly get me into one of those. However, I just can't stretch to that so I just need to get a feel for what I really can get. I've not actually been out and looked at any yet, but I am prepared for the usual bout of dressed up cr4p lol.

I've seen a few B7s out there for around £7000-£8000 and most have around 90000+ miles on the clock and are Sport spec. Some you can tell from the ads are polished turds but some do look reasonable. I'm certainly erring towards a late model B6 but was wondering if I could maybe find an early B7 that was something like.. guess not lol!

pbarlow0032,

Thanks for the tip on the 1.8T. I have looked at these and there certainly is a price advantage due to them being a lot less desireable to the masses. I've had cars with that 1.8T engine before though and I do wonder about its reliability, what with sludge issues, iffy coilpacks, cam bother etc. Its a funny one, because I'm sure there are thousands of them out there that are absolute belters lol!

The one thing I did find about the 1.8T lump though was that the economy was never great, and that could be a bit of a ******. The thing is that the best you could probably expect out of the 1.8T on a motorway run is maybe 38-40mpg, whereas the diesel could offer anything up to 48-50mpg...

Its a tough one, and I'll certainly look out for a few 1.8Ts..!

Jon273,

Superb reply mate and very insighful. Its very interesting how the economy can vary on the 2.5s depending on driving conditions and style. The driving I will do will be a mixture but will involve plenty of longer journies on the motorway, so the car should be up to temperature on most runs.

I particularly noted your comments about the newer cars not being twice the car, despite being twice the price. I guess with the Audi badge there's a lot of image and kudos about a car's age and so on and so newer ones can command top dollar. That was why I was interested in the specific differences between the B6 and B7 models because whilst I was sure that the B7s would offer some styling upgrades I had heard that they were very very similar pretty much everywhere else.

I have seen a couple of late model B6s that still do look great... I think too that my budget will allow me to go for a car with a decent spec, so this is where I think I'll be heading!

Jason,

Thanks too for your reply... I'm not a fan of autos and so I'm not going to be looking for those, but its interesting to see what kind of economy you are getting. There also seems to be a heck of a lot of different specs and styling options too.

Due to the kinds of trips and mileages I'll be doing, I think the overall range from a tank will be a big factor, hence the interest in the diesel models...

Really useful stuff though guys. Cheers,

J

 

[adamss24]

The BDG engine as fitted to the b6 cabriolet is the best v6 tdi engine they came up with ! Don't be put off by the low Bhp count, it's the torque that matters and with a remap the v6 opens up to up to 200Bhp and 400Nm of torque. That coupled with a 6 speed gearbox makes for a very lazy drive with plenty of power on reserve.
I do not know how the 1.8T folk get up to 40Mpg out of theirs, i have a 2x b5 1.8T quattro sports and they don't average more than 28 Mpg and about 350 miles on a tank, the similar v6 tdi quattro i had would do 550-600 miles on a tank full.
Not many issues to report on the b6 v6 tdi, only one i know is common is the throttle valve. The cams are hollow and they can get damaged in cased of a messed timing belt job...find someone that knows these engines for a good job and you won't look back. The 1.8T is not a bad drive but it lacks torque so it feels sluggish ! V6 tdi mapped feels wicked and will give many "sports" cars a good run for their money !

 

[lewie]

I have a '06 1.8T, paid around £11k a couple of years ago with approx 40k on the clock.
Its an auto- i suppose if im lucky I get 40mpg on a motorway run-

I do love to drive it and thats what matters

 

[hades-]

9k for a 18T s-line 36k FSH silver with black hood etc etc etc 2007

 

[hades-]

The BDG engine as fitted to the b6 cabriolet is the best v6 tdi engine they came up with ! Don't be put off by the low Bhp count, it's the torque that matters and with a remap the v6 opens up to up to 200Bhp and 400Nm of torque. That coupled with a 6 speed gearbox makes for a very lazy drive with plenty of power on reserve.
I do not know how the 1.8T folk get up to 40Mpg out of theirs, i have a 2x b5 1.8T quattro sports and they don't average more than 28 Mpg and about 350 miles on a tank, the similar v6 tdi quattro i had would do 550-600 miles on a tank full.
Not many issues to report on the b6 v6 tdi, only one i know is common is the throttle valve. The cams are hollow and they can get damaged in cased of a messed timing belt job...find someone that knows these engines for a good job and you won't look back. The 1.8T is not a bad drive but it lacks torque so it feels sluggish ! V6 tdi mapped feels wicked and will give many "sports" cars a good run for their money !

mines a 18T man with a remap
i get around 26mpg on a 420 mile run 80 stop and start rest motorway
average 80/90 mph

 

[adamss24]

mines a 18T man with a remap
i get around 26mpg on a 420 mile run 80 stop and start rest motorway
average 80/90 mph

That's what i mean, don't know how folk get 40Mpg in their 1.8T especially as i drive mine on a daily basis. 2.5 tdi quattro does easily 42Mpg on the same trip as yours at speeds a little higher than 89/90 mph ! A FWD v6 tdi with the BDG engine will do up to 48 Mpg on a motorway run...