What to look for while searching for an Audi A6 C6 3.2L Avant?

[arjun90]

Its getting increasingly difficult to find Audi wagons for sale these days. The most decent deal I came across was almost immediately sold the other day to someone else (was a 2007 Avant over at Bridgeport, CT.
I'm trying to get a A6 C6 Avant which is low mileage, no-fault codes, and doesn't exhibit any rust on the underbody.

I'm fully aware of a mixed number of cases of owners experiencing timing chain/tensioner issues which concerns me because there are dealers/sellers selling wagons around the 70,000 mile mark for in excess of $8000

There is one dealer that had a wagon shipped from Florida to New York, did repairs on the engine, and listed the vehicle at a whopping $13,000

My Audi OBD Scanner (Xtool Vag401) has been pretty handy even when searching for replacement wagon.

I've owned my '04 Wagon (Stock, daily driver) for over five years now (have done most of the repairs myself except for timing belt and replacing/welding down-pipes), but its getting close to 185,000 miles

[DC Dawg]

So what I learned in searching for my Avant is you need to look nationwide. I was only looking for a 3.0T so that made the search even more limited but I finally found the car I wanted - it was on the west coast I live on the east coast. I bought it and shipped and could be happier.

That said , you will pay for low mileage. IMHO miles are less important than service records, number of owners and of course the PPI which is an absolute must no matter what.

There is a nice 08 in Colorado at an Audi dealer - low miles sub 10k. Not sure the trim and options.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/233292548

Good luck in your search and don’t be afraid to buy a car that you need to fly out and drive back or ship. You are looking for a semi rare car. And I can’t stress this enough , get a PPI !!!

Good luck !!!

[arjun90]

Thanks DC Dawg, I actually got in contact with that seller the other day and thought about heading out there. Service records look clean (it has the S-line package), but there is a door sensor issue on the rear driver side door which is not really outstanding per-say and can be forgiven. I do think the price is a bit steep on this one (has a couple of body dings and scratches), would be great to negotiate on that price but is at an Audi dealer, what do you think? Also, the seller isn't able to produce any scans on the engine based on that four-page report which was e-mailed to me. Only fault code the technician could see was for a door lock. https://forums.ross-tech.com/showthr...Door-rear-left

My main concern is the engine, I don't want to have to shell out another 3 grand for replacing the chain and tensioner. Seeing that this car was predominantly driven in Colorado, I starting thinking about how much wear and tear the engine and transmission had to go through driving through the mountains.

Also, to confirm of any leaks, I checked out a similar model (but 2006) here in the Northeast, but it was a Florida-vehicle, had 60,000 miles and apparently had leaky valve cover gaskets, seller wanted an excess of $13,000

[DC Dawg]

Is it the door lock actuator ? Ie it doesn’t unlock with the key fob? If so that’s common and they can fix that easily or it’s a simple DIY.

As for not being able to scan the engine , do you mean they won’t produce a vag com scan to show any fault codes ? That seems odd to me, but dealers suck so who knows. So what I would say is “I want to get a PPI so please full a full scan for codes and provide all the details you would normally provide if a car was brought in for a ppi. Offer them the usual 109 bucks or whatever it costs. Tell them you will pay it regardless of your choice to purchase. And you should.

Here is why: if the PPI comes out spectacular you get a great car and it’s worth the price they are asking. If issues arise, then you have a lot of negotiating room. If they waffle on the ppi then tell them to pound sand and look elsewhere.

[arjun90]

Haha, I feel like my VAG401 scanner will do a much better job in showing me the results. I'd be much better flying out there and performing the scan myself, I can even scan for data blocks 93 and 94 (093 and 094). Apparently, these blocks measure current condition of the timing chain (according to other comments I came across on the forum).

According to the fault code VAG02115, the door opens from inside but not from outside; basically the lock assembly is faulty

I've learned to not buy a car from down south, the rear headliner droops,

Colorado is fine, but California, Oregon, and Washington are a bit extreme for me. Its hard to find it at a reasonable price inclusive of shipping. One wagon has 50,000 miles but the price was a bit steep for a 13 year old car

Is it the door lock actuator ? Ie it doesn’t unlock with the key fob? If so that’s common and they can fix that easily or it’s a simple DIY.

As for not being able to scan the engine , do you mean they won’t produce a vag com scan to show any fault codes ? That seems odd to me, but dealers suck so who knows. So what I would say is “I want to get a PPI so please full a full scan for codes and provide all the details you would normally provide if a car was brought in for a ppi. Offer them the usual 109 bucks or whatever it costs. Tell them you will pay it regardless of your choice to purchase. And you should.

Here is why: if the PPI comes out spectacular you get a great car and it’s worth the price they are asking. If issues arise, then you have a lot of negotiating room. If they waffle on the ppi then tell them to pound sand and look elsewhere.

[DC Dawg]

Yeah that’s the actuator. Easy fix. My passenger door does it too. Haven’t bothered to fix it yet.

No reason you can bring your vag com and scan it prior to the test drive :-)

[arjun90]

You think I should be greatly concerned about the timing chain and tensioner on this listing?

Lol, a member of the family suggested me to get a VW Tiguan, I immediately looked away, Audi may be made by VW, but they are both totally different realms. A wagon is not the same an SUV

[DC Dawg]

I don’t see a mention of the timing chain - is it listed in the details?

[arjun90]

Its not listed, but before initiating my search for an A6 C6, there were several members of the forum talking about timing chain and tensioner issues on the A6 C6 3.2 and 4.2 models. Its not clear if the issue was prevalent or affected only a small population. Its also good to know and factor these attributes to the decision-making process. There are no Audi Technical Bulletins as far as I know

[DC Dawg]

Well the tell tale sign is a rattle on a cold start. The tensioners can be replaced without pulling the motor but the guides and chains themselves require engine out.

It’s all about how well the car was taken care of - especially good oil and regular oil changes.

The mileage on this car is very low which leads me to believe it was driven as a second car or simply not very much which is in your favor.

I recently read about scanning for the timing chain issues which I plan to do.

Honestly it’s always a crap shoot with used Audi’s but there are simply no other cars with as much soul and so we all take the plunge, cross our fingers and listen to every single odd sound while we drive. Then we post on forums and search for DIYs and complain and curse the day we bought these cars. The next morning we wake up itching to drive them again. All while the majority of the world happily drives a CRV and gives up a little bit of their soul for piece of mind.

[arjun90]

Here's a video of the vehicle's cold-start, might need headphones. What do you think? Can you hear anything out of the ordinary?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jfw...ew?usp=sharing

Well the tell tale sign is a rattle on a cold start. The tensioners can be replaced without pulling the motor but the guides and chains themselves require engine out.

It’s all about how well the car was taken care of - especially good oil and regular oil changes.

The mileage on this car is very low which leads me to believe it was driven as a second car or simply not very much which is in your favor.

I recently read about scanning for the timing chain issues which I plan to do.

Honestly it’s always a crap shoot with used Audi’s but there are simply no other cars with as much soul and so we all take the plunge, cross our fingers and listen to every single odd sound while we drive. Then we post on forums and search for DIYs and complain and curse the day we bought these cars. The next morning we wake up itching to drive them again. All while the majority of the world happily drives a CRV and gives up a little bit of their soul for piece of mind.

[DC Dawg]

Here's a video of the vehicle's cold-start, might need headphones. What do you think? Can you hear anything out of the ordinary?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jfw...ew?usp=sharing

Holy Shit that's a clean engine bay. Startup sounds very normal to me. This seems like a pretty solid car? How far are you from it? I would post in the local forum if you are far away and have somebody check it out

[arjun90]

I'm 1,760 Miles away. Dealer Handling Fee is not included and estimated shipping cost is in excess of $1000

Clean engine bay it is, its at an Audi Dealership

Holy Shit that's a clean engine bay. Startup sounds very normal to me. This seems like a pretty solid car? How far are you from it? I would post in the local forum if you are far away and have somebody check it out

[DC Dawg]

I'm 1,760 Miles away. Dealer Handling Fee is not included and estimated shipping cost in in excess of $1000

Post on QW or some local forum and ask somebody to check it out for you. They love doing that. Is he happy to if you find one in the DC NOVA MD even PA area.

1700 miles you could fly out and drive back , probably be cheaper than shipping assuming you got a cheap flight and went cheap on food and the hotel for 1 night.

I imagine the dealer has about 1500 bucks worth of wiggle room on this car.

Now all that said, there are plenty of these right now it seems , all I am saying is never worry about the distance. If it’s the right car that 1000 bucks to ship or 500 to fly and drive is a lot cheaper then a poorly maintenance local car that is gonna need an engine out service.

Again, anything you find within 100 miles of 20815 I will gladly check out for you. I’ll bring my vag com :-)

[DC Dawg]

Have you looked at this? The wheels are a little much but that is easily remedied. Its about 2 miles from a good friend of mine who can check it out for you. AZ car so no rust.
https://cargur.us/sQlpw

Its lowered on ST coils which you could raise, its a little too low for my taste but sub 100K miles and its a prestige s line which is rare.

[B. Rock]

Audi Glenwood Springs has a pretty good reputation. They're a little on the $$ side because outside of Denver, they're the only Audi dealer in that part of the state. Kind of awkward to fly out an drive home though since it's ~4 hours from DIA.

[DC Dawg]

Audi Glenwood Springs has a pretty good reputation. They're a little on the $$ side because outside of Denver, they're the only Audi dealer in that part of the state. Kind of awkward to fly out an drive home though since it's ~4 hours from DIA.

Ahh. Yeah that’s would be a tough trip. Would have to ship the car or you could ship it 4 hours to the airport :-)

[B. Rock]

That or a really expensive uber ride. There are buses and a train that would get you there, no idea on cost or schedule however. You'd be going through a sweet canyon to start the drive back east though.

[DC Dawg]

That or a really expensive uber ride. There are buses and a train that would get you there, no idea on cost or schedule however. You'd be going through a sweet canyon to start the drive back east though.

The summer after I graduated high school, 2 friends and I drove from DC to Aspen to be laborers on a construction site. Great drive.

[arjun90]

Negotiating is definitely something I considered. I spoke to Edgemotors today (they have a grand presence on YouTube with Audi Repairs); the fellow I spoke to today claims to have come across a plethora of A6's with 3.2 engines; every other 3.2 engine he came across had to get its timing chain and/or tensioner replaced at low mileage (60-75,000 miles). He suggested me to look at the 2.0T models (A4 avant or Allroad). Frankly, I still prefer naturally-aspirated V6's; not really a fond believer of the turbo's because the numerous complaints I've heard about turbo's failing.

The Glenwood dealership is still in my mind; thanks for the zip code, I'll certainly check to see what is available around you. :)

In the meantime, my '04 C5 A6 Avant seems to be in dire need of attention for servicing this week--drove about 80 miles today. I'm wondering about the whereabouts of 4rings2turbos; he had a great presence here on the forum back in 2015.

Post on QW or some local forum and ask somebody to check it out for you. They love doing that. Is he happy to if you find one in the DC NOVA MD even PA area.

1700 miles you could fly out and drive back , probably be cheaper than shipping assuming you got a cheap flight and went cheap on food and the hotel for 1 night.

I imagine the dealer has about 1500 bucks worth of wiggle room on this car.

Now all that said, there are plenty of these right now it seems , all I am saying is never worry about the distance. If it’s the right car that 1000 bucks to ship or 500 to fly and drive is a lot cheaper then a poorly maintenance local car that is gonna need an engine out service.

Again, anything you find within 100 miles of 20815 I will gladly check out for you. I’ll bring my vag com :-)

[DC Dawg]

Negotiating is definitely something I considered. I spoke to Edgemotors today (they have a grand presence on YouTube with Audi Repairs); the fellow I spoke to today claims to have come across a plethora of A6's with 3.2 engines; every other 3.2 engine he came across had to get its timing chain and/or tensioner replaced at low mileage (60-75,000 miles). He suggested me to look at the 2.0T models (A4 avant or Allroad). Frankly, I still prefer naturally-aspirated V6's; not really a fond believer of the turbo's because the numerous complaints I've heard about turbo's failing.

The Glenwood dealership is still in my mind; thanks for the zip code, I'll certainly check to see what is available around you. :)

In the meantime, my '04 C5 A6 Avant seems to be in dire need of attention for servicing this week--drove about 80 miles today. I'm wondering about the whereabouts of 4rings2turbos; he had a great presence here on the forum back in 2015.

Doesn’t the 2.0T motor have the same tensioner and chain ? I could be wrong.

As for turbos scaring you. Fair enough. However if you aren’t tuning the car and pushing it , it really isn’t that much more prone to failure than any other part on the car - especially at the stock boost pressure put out by that motor.

That said , you could stick in the C5 family and find a nice S6 - NA v8 or a v8 Allroad.

Or just buy an extended warranty and make sure it covers the timing chain. That’s what I did.

Good luck !!!

[arjun90]

The 2.0T motor has a similar setup with the tensioner and chain, but the motor is an entirely different design with the inclusion of the turbo. And according Edgemotors, the orientation of the tensioner and chain makes the repair process a lot easier (apparently don't have to remove the motor from the chassis). Yes, there have been a fair number of complaints on the 2.0T motors as well but not to the same high extent as the 3.2/4.2 motors. There was a coolant pump recall on Q5's and A4's which had a notorious presence between 2009 and 2014. Since the inception of the 2.0T motor, a lot seems to have been improved --- internally, and has a major presence across most of Audi's lineup. The same 2.0T motor is in the VW Tiguan if I'm not mistaken.

There was a 2004 Audi A6 C5 3.0L Quattro Avant in my area going for $6000 at 92,000 miles (Used Car Dealership --- not a private seller). According to VAGCOM, all looked fine until I stumbled across the Coolant Fan Control Module fault code (usually requires the replacement of one of the auxiliary fans). Another code showed low power supply terminal voltage--indicating that the battery terminals were disconnected at some point perhaps when battery underwent replacement, etc.

I had a similar code for the coolant fan control module on my current vehicle in which upon replacing the passenger side fan, the fault code went away; that's a $200-$300 repair.

There are a lot of used car dealerships in my area that tout in having been in the business over XX number of years, gotta' be very careful around these players.

Doesn’t the 2.0T motor have the same tensioner and chain ? I could be wrong.

As for turbos scaring you. Fair enough. However if you aren’t tuning the car and pushing it , it really isn’t that much more prone to failure than any other part on the car - especially at the stock boost pressure put out by that motor.

That said , you could stick in the C5 family and find a nice S6 - NA v8 or a v8 Allroad.

Or just buy an extended warranty and make sure it covers the timing chain. That’s what I did.

Good luck !!!

[estomax]

the 3.2 is what i went for when looking for my c6 a6 avant, it is a very reliable motor as long as basic maintenance is taken care of. i bought my 2007 a6 avant with 235k miles and the timing chain tensioner as far as i know is still original, only a half second rattle on cold start so not too bad. Make sure the transmission feels fine during a test drive and there is no weird lagging in higher revs. On my car the cooling fan (140$ for generic) and cooling fan module (180$ for audi pn) had failed when i bought it and i broke the very brittle plastic coolant pipe (~100$) while replacing it, so watch for that. Also one of the auto aiming headlights was bad, those can be expensive but i bought a used one for 200$ and no longer have an annoying chime on startup. The start/stop button next to the shifter on my car doesnt work also but that is a minor thing as the key has to be put in anyway, even after i replaced it (the stop works, start doesn't).

[arjun90]

Yeah, I'm definitely resuming my search for a 3.2 A6 Quattro Avant, can't always rely on CarFax, hopefully, the day comes when I come across one that has received utmost care

the 3.2 is what i went for when looking for my c6 a6 avant, it is a very reliable motor as long as basic maintenance is taken care of. i bought my 2007 a6 avant with 235k miles and the timing chain tensioner as far as i know is still original, only a half second rattle on cold start so not too bad. Make sure the transmission feels fine during a test drive and there is no weird lagging in higher revs. On my car the cooling fan (140$ for generic) and cooling fan module (180$ for audi pn) had failed when i bought it and i broke the very brittle plastic coolant pipe (~100$) while replacing it, so watch for that. Also one of the auto aiming headlights was bad, those can be expensive but i bought a used one for 200$ and no longer have an annoying chime on startup. The start/stop button next to the shifter on my car doesnt work also but that is a minor thing as the key has to be put in anyway, even after i replaced it (the stop works, start doesn't).

[arjun90]

By the way, what's a good mileage I should be aiming for on this search?

[estomax]

lower is better but 06-08 cars are going be be 11-13 years old now, so finding anything less than 100k is going to be rare. The biggest thing with a german car 10+ years old is having vagcom, do you have access to one? before buying a car i would scan it to find any faults that are stored in any of the dozen or more modules in the car.

Marko

[arjun90]

Yep, I have a Xtool VAG401

lower is better but 06-08 cars are going be be 11-13 years old now, so finding anything less than 100k is going to be rare. The biggest thing with a german car 10+ years old is having vagcom, do you have access to one? before buying a car i would scan it to find any faults that are stored in any of the dozen or more modules in the car.

Marko

[arjun90]

Still looking...I just saw a 2004 Audi A6 Avant 91,000 miles slip through, almost had it, lol, back to the drawing board, really want 2008 or newer. A 3.0T Quattro (Supercharged 3.0) would be nice

[DC Dawg]

Not sure if you are still looking but a 2010 Prestige (with great wheels and looks like sport suspension or aftermarket) is for sale here http://gmswagons.com/listings/2010-audi-a6-3-0t-s-line/ Has cold weather package as well. thing is pretty loaded.

[arjun90]

That's a beautiful find, but a bit pricey though
I know its rare and that this is the last A6 Avant to enter the US Market. Wonder if this one will be around a couple years from now as prices depreciate

I'm in desperate need now of a replacement; hopefully I'm able to find something within my parameters :)

Not sure if you are still looking but a 2010 Prestige (with great wheels and looks like sport suspension or aftermarket) is for sale here http://gmswagons.com/listings/2010-audi-a6-3-0t-s-line/ Has cold weather package as well. thing is pretty loaded.

[DC Dawg]

There’s a really nice 08 S line on there as well for 11k


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[estomax]

11k is well on the high side for a 2008, unless it has 60k miles or something maybe.. 8k for 120k miles is what id say is reasonable.

[DC Dawg]

11k is well on the high side for a 2008, unless it has 60k miles or something maybe.. 8k for 120k miles is what id say is reasonable.

66k miles I imagine you could get it for 10.

[Miller136]

That's a beautiful find, but a bit pricey though
I know its rare and that this is the last A6 Avant to enter the US Market. Wonder if this one will be around a couple years from now as prices depreciate

I'm in desperate need now of a replacement; hopefully I'm able to find something within my parameters :)

My search for C6 A6 Avant 3.0T found that this is a reasonable price. I paid a little less but not much. If it’s in good condition and all, it probably won’t last long. There were 1,062 3.0s imported from 09 to 11. Mine is an 09 like DC Dawgs. I couldn’t be happier. FWIW, mine is the same color as this one for sale.
Good luck.


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[DC Dawg]

My search for C6 A6 Avant 3.0T found that this is a reasonable price. I paid a little less but not much. If it’s in good condition and all, it probably won’t last long. There were 1,062 3.0s imported from 09 to 11. Mine is an 09 like DC Dawgs. I couldn’t be happier. FWIW, mine is the same color as this one for sale.
Good luck.


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Hurry up and tune that thing and you will be even happier.


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[Miller136]

Hurry up and tune that thing and you will be even happier.


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I’m waiting to see your tune in May. I’m sure that will push me over the edge. Haha!!!


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[arjun90]

A lot of the used 3.2's are missing the rear extendable drape (in the trunk); not a deal-breaker obviously Those things shouldn't be easy to go MIA.
Next Avant is going to be my daily-driver as well.

I'm aware of the mechanical things to look for and have the necessary scan tools (i.e. XTool) to perform diagnostics

There's this one wagon I came across that has a minor scrape on the driver side rear bumper; its a 4-owner vehicle, but appearance-wise and CARFAX-wise, seems to have been meticulously cared for from several Audi/VW service centers. The intake manifold gasket and starter were replaced around the 30,000 mile mark


Do you guys think I should part out my 2004 3.0L A6 wagon? Don't like keeping a car parked on the driveway for extended period of time

[DC Dawg]

A lot of the used 3.2's are missing the rear extendable drape (in the trunk); not a deal-breaker obviously Those things shouldn't be easy to go MIA.
Next Avant is going to be my daily-driver as well.

I'm aware of the mechanical things to look for and have the necessary scan tools (i.e. XTool) to perform diagnostics

There's this one wagon I came across that has a minor scrape on the driver side rear bumper; its a 4-owner vehicle, but appearance-wise and CARFAX-wise, seems to have been meticulously cared for from several Audi/VW service centers. The intake manifold gasket and starter were replaced around the 30,000 mile mark


Do you guys think I should part out my 2004 3.0L A6 wagon? Don't like keeping a car parked on the driveway for extended period of time

As far as parting out goes. I don’t know what the market is for parts off that car. If you have the time parting can net you a good amount of cash assuming there is demand for those parts.


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[arjun90]

How many miles is your '09 A6 Avant 3.0T?

[DC Dawg]

How many miles is your '09 A6 Avant 3.0T?

98k