What to look out for

[CraigRE]

Hello all..a current b7 a4 avant owner here, I'm wanting to buy a a6 avant preferably the 3.0 litre.

Not knowing much about them I was wondering if you gurus could enlighten me.

What model is best
Sline, se, lemans etc etc.
Is there anything I should be carefully about when buying?

Thing to watch out for etc

Have all automatics got the flappy panel gear box? If not which ones do have them.

What common problems do these cars come with.

Any information yous can give me would be most appreciated

Thanks
Craig

 

[elan2s]

Here are some thoughts.

• Specs for the C7 were SE, S-lIne, Black Edition and SE Executive (Face Lift oly) LeMans was a C6 spec
• SE has standard suspension and 17" wheels, S-Line Sports suspension, + 18" wheels, Black Edition adds 20" wheels. SE Exectuive was a run out version of the SE
• The key element to consider for the C7 is the facelift, introduced in late 2014. It is worth going for the facelift as it gives a higher spec, better lights and of cpurse is newer.
• Just prior to the facelift the Ultra 2litre (190bhp) engine was introduced to replace the 177bhp engine. This meant it was also Euro-6 compliant The 3.0 engines were changed to Euro-6 compliant in 2015 adding the use of AdBlue. Given the future likley legislation for diesel I would recommned you get a Euro-6 version
• All A6s have paddles, early front wheel drive cars has the Audi Multitronic CVT box, but this was replaced with the DSG box. All quattros have the DSG box and some higher powered 3.0 cars have the 8-speed Tiptronic auto box rather than the 7-speed s-tronic box
• One common problem is the fuel flap not opening due to locking mechaninsm (actuator) siezing
• The facelift changed the highend version of the sat nav, uses a hard disk not an SD Card for the map, from 3G connectivity to 4G/LTE connectivity and is faster although most of the connectivity benefits would require you to pay for an Audi COnnect subscription since for most cars the 3 year free contract will have ended

I'm sure there are other things, but this is what comes to mind first. Good luck in your search

 

[elan2s]

Here are some thoughts.

• Specs for the C7 were SE, S-lIne, Black Edition and SE Executive (Face Lift oly) LeMans was a C6 spec
• SE has standard suspension and 17" wheels, S-Line Sports suspension, + 18" wheels, Black Edition adds 20" wheels. SE Exectuive was a run out version of the SE
• The key element to consider for the C7 is the facelift, introduced in late 2014. It is worth going for the facelift as it gives a higher spec, better lights and of cpurse is newer.
• Just prior to the facelift the Ultra 2litre (190bhp) engine was introduced to replace the 177bhp engine. This meant it was also Euro-6 compliant The 3.0 engines were changed to Euro-6 compliant in 2015 adding the use of AdBlue. Given the future likley legislation for diesel I would recommned you get a Euro-6 version
• All A6s have paddles, early front wheel drive cars has the Audi Multitronic CVT box, but this was replaced with the DSG box. All quattros have the DSG box and some higher powered 3.0 cars have the 8-speed Tiptronic auto box rather than the 7-speed s-tronic box
• One common problem is the fuel flap not opening due to locking mechaninsm (actuator) siezing
• The facelift changed the highend version of the sat nav, uses a hard disk not an SD Card for the map, from 3G connectivity to 4G/LTE connectivity and is faster although most of the connectivity benefits would require you to pay for an Audi COnnect subscription since for most cars the 3 year free contract will have ended

I'm sure there are other things, but this is what comes to mind first. Good luck in your search

Also many people seem to have problems with the panoramic sunroof

 

[CraigRE]

Also many people seem to have problems with the panoramic sunroof

Thanks very much the type of reply I was hoping for...very clear information.

So is the sun roof not a good idea then...What is the problem and is it easy fixed.

 

[elan2s]

Thanks very much the type of reply I was hoping for...very clear information.

So is the sun roof not a good idea then...What is the problem and is it easy fixed.

Do a search on any of the forums to get the full undersanding, but leaks and mechanisms jamming are common. The Sunroof also has its own service regime which I seem to recall costs about £150 every couple of years. Personally, I would do without it. Given the price of the option when new it is not that common so it will not be hard to find a car without it

 

[L111 FAD]

If it helps, I have a 2011 SE 2.0 tdi saloon with 4 zone climate control (excellent for rear passengers or the pooch), quite a few option boxes ticked and it has factory fitted 19" wheels.

On the plus side, it rides superbly and not as 'crashy' as my previous S line on 18's, but perhaps not as taught (it's an FWD with the weight of a dead cow in front of the front axle, so it's never gonna be brilliant!) as an S line.
I had a cheeky little stage 1 remap (230bhp and a fair bit more torque) with a carbon clean done.
It's a great cruiser with excellent economy (around 55mpg on a motorway) and a fair amount of grunt when needed.
The only niggle is the loose door mirror glass in both mirrors.

 

[CraigRE]

Not realy bothered about a sun roof ...So 1990's lol

Plus if they have an added problem and cost to consider then it's a noooope from me.

Got my heart set on the avant ...Always prefer avant over saloons.

Engine wise I've got my heart set on the 3.0 (my current b7 avant is the 2.0 tdi with a whopping 140bhp, which needs a 2 minute head start when pulling away from the lights. )

Also..have all a6 c7 got reverse cameras or are they added extras from the factory

If they havnt got them, can they easily be fitted.

Thanks

 

[rjwojcik]

Not realy bothered about a sun roof ...So 1990's lol

Plus if they have an added problem and cost to consider then it's a noooope from me.

Got my heart set on the avant ...Always prefer avant over saloons.

Engine wise I've got my heart set on the 3.0 (my current b7 avant is the 2.0 tdi with a whopping 140bhp, which needs a 2 minute head start when pulling away from the lights. )

Also..have all a6 c7 got reverse cameras or are they added extras from the factory

If they havnt got them, can they easily be fitted.

Thanks

Reverse cam was an option from the factory, I had mine retro fitted

 

[AlS3BE]

Here’s my thoughts after owning 3 c7’s. 1 pfl and 2 fl

All 3 of mine was sline or above spec.
for comfort I would say the 18in wheels were the best for comfort and economy. The 20in black edition can be a bit crashy on rough surfaces but looks the best. 19s is the best compromise. on the fl cars the road tax was higher on cars with 19in wheels or above as they had higher emissions.

Here’s a few thing to think about the spec.
the standard Audi audio is pretty good but the Bose, either on BE or standalone option, is pretty good and if you can find one the B&O is on another level. The b&o is rare as it was a £5k option. only ever seen the b&o on demo/courtesy cars.

pfl had the analogue crappy climate control unless the 4 zone climate was chosen as an option. 4 zone was standard on fl 2014-2018.

electric memory seats was also standard on fl cars with sline spec or above.

heated seats were an option then the later facelifts had them as standard.

sunroof, mentioned above. More hassle than it’s worth IMO. There were cases of them cracking and breaking as well not just on the a6 but a lot of the pano roofs on all audis.

headlights, pfl had xenons lights on sline and above. fl had led headlights on sline and above. Both had options for matrix headlights which is pretty cool as the light turns as you corner but it was an expensive option so rare.
fl has dynamic indicators.

Electric folding mirrors is not standard on them all. Same across all audis of that era. All the ones that had dimming wing mirrors should have electric folding mirrors. Be warned the glass in the dimming mirrors are expensive when they go wrong or break. £3-400 for the glass.

Engines. The 2.0tdi in 177 or 190 was pretty frugal and not really slow. I got 50+mpg on long journeys on both. These were mainly fwd and later fl had Quattro as an option.
3.0tdi was the pick of the crop. They were all silky smooth and torquey so effortless driving and overtaking. Low powered ones were fwd and had 204/212bhp.
the higher powered 245/272 and the 312/320 were all quattros. The 245/272 had 7 speed dsg and the higher powered ones had an 8 speed torque converter boxes.
all fl diesels had adblue which is a pain as it needed refilling every 7ks
There’s was also a rare 3.0 tfsi engine available on the pfl. Same engine as the s4 3.0 supercharged engine for the petrol heads. This was dropped in the fl.

electric powered tailgate was option on pfl and standard on fl avants only.

Tech pack on pfl and fl is a must as the standard tiny screen for nav was bad and low resolution. You also got a coloured DIS with the tech. on the fl with tech pack you could display nav on the dis between the Rev meter and Speedo.

If I was to get another c7 this will be the spec
Facelift
272 or 320 tdi
Black edition
Folding mirrors
Tech pack
Heated seats
Extended leather
Light pack
Acc
Air suspension
Electric tailgate
B&o

To be fair that’s pretty much what I had apart from the air suspension,b&o and acc on my last one with the 272 engine.

 

[CraigRE]

Here’s my thoughts after owning 3 c7’s. 1 pfl and 2 fl

All 3 of mine was sline or above spec.
for comfort I would say the 18in wheels were the best for comfort and economy. The 20in black edition can be a bit crashy on rough surfaces but looks the best. 19s is the best compromise. on the fl cars the road tax was higher on cars with 19in wheels or above as they had higher emissions.

Here’s a few thing to think about the spec.
the standard Audi audio is pretty good but the Bose, either on BE or standalone option, is pretty good and if you can find one the B&O is on another level. The b&o is rare as it was a £5k option. only ever seen the b&o on demo/courtesy cars.

pfl had the analogue crappy climate control unless the 4 zone climate was chosen as an option. 4 zone was standard on fl 2014-2018.

electric memory seats was also standard on fl cars with sline spec or above.

heated seats were an option then the later facelifts had them as standard.

sunroof, mentioned above. More hassle than it’s worth IMO. There were cases of them cracking and breaking as well not just on the a6 but a lot of the pano roofs on all audis.

headlights, pfl had xenons lights on sline and above. fl had led headlights on sline and above. Both had options for matrix headlights which is pretty cool as the light turns as you corner but it was an expensive option so rare.
fl has dynamic indicators.

Electric folding mirrors is not standard on them all. Same across all audis of that era. All the ones that had dimming wing mirrors should have electric folding mirrors. Be warned the glass in the dimming mirrors are expensive when they go wrong or break. £3-400 for the glass.

Engines. The 2.0tdi in 177 or 190 was pretty frugal and not really slow. I got 50+mpg on long journeys on both. These were mainly fwd and later fl had Quattro as an option.
3.0tdi was the pick of the crop. They were all silky smooth and torquey so effortless driving and overtaking. Low powered ones were fwd and had 204/212bhp.
the higher powered 245/272 and the 312/320 were all quattros. The 245/272 had 7 speed dsg and the higher powered ones had an 8 speed torque converter boxes.
all fl diesels had adblue which is a pain as it needed refilling every 7ks
There’s was also a rare 3.0 tfsi engine available on the pfl. Same engine as the s4 3.0 supercharged engine for the petrol heads. This was dropped in the fl.

electric powered tailgate was option on pfl and standard on fl avants only.

Tech pack on pfl and fl is a must as the standard tiny screen for nav was bad and low resolution. You also got a coloured DIS with the tech. on the fl with tech pack you could display nav on the dis between the Rev meter and Speedo.

If I was to get another c7 this will be the spec
Facelift
272 or 320 tdi
Black edition
Folding mirrors
Tech pack
Heated seats
Extended leather
Light pack
Acc
Air suspension
Electric tailgate
B&o

To be fair that’s pretty much what I had apart from the air suspension,b&o and acc on my last one with the 272 engine.

Thanks another very in-depth reply
Most appreciated

 

[AlS3BE]

Thanks another very in-depth reply
Most appreciated

forgot to add 2016 onwards models with tech pack can get android auto or CarPlay which brings it a bit more up to date.

 

[Antonyb]

forgot to add 2016 onwards models with tech pack can get android auto or CarPlay which brings it a bit more up to date.

This is the one thing I just think audi are 5years behind everyone else!

I’ve had a B7 avant
Then a c6 avant black edition
And now we run a 2017 272 allroad c7 but still the sat Nav is dire!

Is there a way of updating the sat nav? I.e loading a sd card etc up with say google maps??

sorry to jump on this thread!!

 

[AlS3BE]

This is the one thing I just think audi are 5years behind everyone else!

I’ve had a B7 avant
Then a c6 avant black edition
And now we run a 2017 272 allroad c7 but still the sat Nav is dire!

Is there a way of updating the sat nav? I.e loading a sd card etc up with say google maps??

sorry to jump on this thread!!

I’m afraid if you got the non tech pack rmc sat nav there isn’t much you can do. You might be able to get one of those CarPlay unit off aliexpress but I know the rmc unit was pretty limited so it might not work.
a retrofit of the MMI high/4g is expensive but worth doing if you are keeping the car long term. Don’t think that will give you CarPlay either as the licenses needs purchased from Audi and if your car didn’t have the right kit from factory you can’t buy it.
some folk on the vwaudi forum had some luck with screen mirroring from their phones but you don’t have control of the phone/nav so still breaking the law if you touch your phone.
maybe @DJAlix has a solution.
my first c7 had the rmc and that eventually bugged me after a year so I traded it in for a fl 190 first edition or whatever it was called then wanted more power so got the 272. Both the 190 and 272 had similar spec with tech pack and electric boot etc.