55 mpg average

[ozskins]

Firstly thanks for the help as am now proud owner of 1.9 tdi a6 avant 03 bought before christmas.
as i am now built for comfort and not for speed been trying to drive with a light right foot and seem to be getting 55mpg on trip computer. would this be accurate or wishful manufacturers computer? thanks

P.S. how about a definitive what to look out for owners guide, air mass filter, leaky rear washer tubes and wet passenger carpet syndrome by someone much more knowledgeable than me?

[clonmult]

I think the trip computers tend to be a little optimistic, but you can easily verify by doing brim-to-brim calculations.

I've only had mine since last thursday, reset the computer after topping the tank, and with 2 days driving to work, a weekend pottering about town (around 300 miles), it was showing a 44mpg average.

It went and reset the computer itself yesterday morning, and since then its shown around 47mpg average (including absolutely caning it last night with a mate - he wanted to see how it goes).

Whilst its not built for speed, and the steering isn't that accurate, it still corners quite nicely, especially for a car of its size.

[paul b]

Firstly thanks for the help as am now proud owner of 1.9 tdi a6 avant 03 bought before christmas.
as i am now built for comfort and not for speed been trying to drive with a light right foot and seem to be getting 55mpg on trip computer. would this be accurate or wishful manufacturers computer? thanks

P.S. how about a definitive what to look out for owners guide, air mass filter, leaky rear washer tubes and wet passenger carpet syndrome by someone much more knowledgeable than me?

I get just over 46mpg 50/50 town and motorway miles. It never really changes either, it just seems like it does 46mpg absolutely anywhere!

AMM problems, if your car suddenly gets really smokey, loses some mpg or loses some power then that might be the first thing to change.

Leaky rear washers, I've no idea I have a saloon with no rear wash/wipe.

Wet carpets, when the electrics start playing up, its too late. You need to take the bulkhead cover off, remove the battery and under there you'll find a drain hole. If it is flooded then the whole is blocked, and you need to unblock it (thin fingers are an advantage here). There is another one on the other side underneath the brake servo, although the servo doesn't need to be removed. If that side is swamped in water you should clear it, otherwise you may end up with a rock hard brake pedal one day.

Also check for the alternator pulley problem. Get the car stationary, and turn the wheel left or right on full lock. If you hear a sort of clattering sound, then the pulley needs replacing. The big poly V belt would also be flapping. Is a common problem on all TDIs, my A6 and Transporter have both had the problem. Cost of new pulley is about £60 from Audi.

[ozskins]

thanks guys am doing the brim to brim logs as we speak have been recording milage ltr etc scine jan. good start to the what to look for maybe one of the mods can make it a definitive thread. and to think i was looking at mondeos a while back, this is my second, first oil burner and would never go back

[Clinterous]

And in addition to Paul, the suspension bushes are prone to wear. However, the wear will normally manifest itself in some sort of noise.

The DIS, as Clonmult suggests is never 100% accurate and the only way to tell is do a brim test.

If you want to maximise MPG, try a diesel fuel additive, like Redex or Millers - these seem to give a tiny bit more power and subsequent slight MPG improvement. Or get it remapped with an 'economy' map and you should see an extra 6-8 MPG!

Going back to the matter of 'what to look out for', oddly it seems they are issues with cars which tend to be driven lightly, in as much that they are more prone to crap building up in the induction system. Many forum members condone the use of a heavy right foot/top end blasting to clean out the system and to ensure the turbo gets hot enough to clean it up. But as I understand it, allow the engine (turbo) to cool, by way of idling for two mins after a run - the turbo gets very hot and when the engine is shut off, oil stops flowing to the turbo and the oil there just cooks!

[clonmult]

thanks guys am doing the brim to brim logs as we speak have been recording milage ltr etc scine jan. good start to the what to look for maybe one of the mods can make it a definitive thread. and to think i was looking at mondeos a while back, this is my second, first oil burner and would never go back

I was also considering Mondeo TDCi estates, but glad I've gone for the A6.

Previously had a Mk2 Mondeo TD Ghia X - it handled way better than I ever expected, but the engine was a total dog. Rarely got the sort of economy that I expected.

Reckon I'm stuck with the A6 for a good few years now, and its the perfect family car. Loads of space, and *if* I have more kids, then I guess its cheaper to retrofit the third row of seats than to buy an Espace ....

[clonmult]

Going back to the matter of 'what to look out for', oddly it seems they are issues with cars which tend to be driven lightly, in as much that they are more prone to crap building up in the induction system. Many forum members condone the use of a heavy right foot/top end blasting to clean out the system and to ensure the turbo gets hot enough to clean it up. But as I understand it, allow the engine (turbo) to cool, by way of idling for two mins after a run - the turbo gets very hot and when the engine is shut off, oil stops flowing to the turbo and the oil there just cooks!

I had friends working in turbo tuning back in the late 80s, and this was a common issue - cars being absolutely caned (RS Turbos and the like), then just switched off and the turbo getting cooked.

I'm lucky in that my journey to/from work has the last 5/10 minutes spent at lower speeds (30-40mph), so the turbo gets a good chance to cool.

[paul b]

And in addition to Paul, the suspension bushes are prone to wear. However, the wear will normally manifest itself in some sort of noise.

Going back to the matter of 'what to look out for', oddly it seems they are issues with cars which tend to be driven lightly, in as much that they are more prone to crap building up in the induction system. Many forum members condone the use of a heavy right foot/top end blasting to clean out the system and to ensure the turbo gets hot enough to clean it up. But as I understand it, allow the engine (turbo) to cool, by way of idling for two mins after a run - the turbo gets very hot and when the engine is shut off, oil stops flowing to the turbo and the oil there just cooks!

Regarding the bushes, my A6 had an advisory on them at the last MOT. They look fine though, but they also look very expensive to change! They aren't noisy at all either. The car won't be going back to that MOT tester anyway, he also put an advisory on brake hoses that he hadn't actually checked!

Clint, have you any experience of these bushes failing?

And regarding a blasting now and again, I certainly recommend it. The car smokes a hell of a lot less after I've been driving it for a bit, the wife just treats it like a baby, so by the time I get in it, everything needs de-coking!

[farmamick]

.... But as I understand it, allow the engine (turbo) to cool, by way of idling for two mins after a run - the turbo gets very hot and when the engine is shut off, oil stops flowing to the turbo and the oil there just cooks!

In Australia (homecountry, sniff), it would be extremely common - like, anyone who cares, or knows about caring for their vehicles - for a turbo car to have a turbo timer fitted.

In the hotter countries, even if you aren't driving hard, the oil is stinking hot, and as Clinterous says, literally cooks in the turbo, often resulting in a dead turbo.

The turbo timer simply allows the driver to switch the ignition off, get out, lock the car, and walk away, and the engine idles down to a cooler temp, and switches off - usually 2 or 3 or 4 minutes.

So there you go!

[Clinterous]

To be fair though, diesel turbo's don't get as hot as petrol ones.

Paul: I have plenty of experience relating to bushes But in particular to those on a car, the answer is almost; mine is running a worn bush (or something) as I have a low frequency rattle on the front over certain road surfaces. Haven't actually climbed underneath to check it out yet.