2011 Audi A6 Avant 3.0 TDi Quattro Special Edition

Afternoon! I have owned this car since Feb 2015, and thought I'd stick a thread up here so I can share my ownership experiences and costs for anyone that might be interested. I have a thread on Pistonheads but thought there may be a bit more love for the car on here.

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I'm the 2nd owner of the car, and I bought it with just under 68k on the clock. I bought it as I'd just accepted a new job, and the client site is 94 miles away each way, which I go to 3 days a week at the most. Previously I had a company car.

From what i can tell, there aren't any additional options over above the special edition spec, so that means I have Milano leather embossed with the S-Line logo, Xenon headlights, 19 inch wheels, MMI 3G with DVD/HDD, and Bluetooth. The only options I really wish it had are DAB, and AMI.

Initially I had problems finding the right seating position for me, so I was quite uncomfortable. But after playing around with it for a few weeks I have it just right.

I booked the car in for a major service in June at Audi, and got a service plan which included a 2nd service for a total of £399. I also had the brake fluid flushed at the same time for £59.

As soon as the car had been serviced, I took it to a good friend of mine, who is an approved dealer for Viezu, and had the car remapped. This meant the ECU had to come out to be upgraded on the bench, as the ECU is tricore and could not be flashed via the OBD port. I asked for a blend of performance and economy, and am happy that the result feels completely factory. Whilst the trip computer shows an improvement in economy, there has been no improvement when I measure fill-to-fill. Whilst I was at my friends garage, I used his VCDS to enable needle sweep on startup, the lap timer/oil temp/boost gauge, visual rear parking aid, and passenger mirror dip when the car is put in reverse.

A week or so later I booked my car in to a local Audi specialist to replace the tiptronic gearbox oil and filter. I bought a kit for this from Bristol Transmissions, which came with filter, gaskets, and 6 litres of ZF Lifeguard 6. This cost £157. And then the specialist charged me £165 in labour. I did notice a slight improvement in the shift change quality, although it wasn't bad at all.

At the end of July, I had all 4 tyres replaced at 80k. The old ones were the OEM Pirello P Zero Rosso's, and I changed them for Michelin Pilot Sport 3's (255/35/19) in AO fitment. This cost me £639.77.

Then in August we took a family camping trip for 2 weeks in Devon & Cornwall - complete with roof bars, box and bike carriers...

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In October, with the car at 86k, I took the car for an oil and filter change at the local specialist. This cost me £112.99, but included a litre bottle of Castrol Edge 5W30 for top ups.

And following that, I took the car for a Hunter wheel alignment which cost £78.

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Which brings me up to today. I was speaking to a mate on Friday about MOT's, and realising I didn't know when it was due on my car, I checked on the DVLA website. It expired on November 6th!!! So I rang Audi who got me in today, and did the MOT whilst I drank their coffee and sat in their cars. The problem is I now want an RS6. :drive:

Total cost was £50.31 - £49.99 for the MOT, and 32p for a number plate bulb. No advisories, and a clean bill of health on the health check. All my tyres are at 5.0mm with even wear across the tread.

As of today, the car has done 89,900 miles. The cost of running the car, including fuel, tax, servicing, remap, tyres etc (but not including insurance or depreciation) is 25p per mile, which I am really happy with.

Thanks for reading.

Welcome to the forum.
Nice car.
Don't forget the power steering fluid change as well.
May I suggest that you put your car details in your signature to help members to answer any future questions.

Hi & thanks,

I haven't read anything about changing power steering fluid before - can it cause issues?

And I will try and sort the signature out.

The AMI is an easy retrofit on your car its just fitting the cable to the back of the MMI unit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jones_g

Hi & thanks,

I haven't read anything about changing power steering fluid before - can it cause issues?

And I will try and sort the signature out.

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The PS fluid should be a clear green colour, if its brownish, it wants changing. Like any other fluid, it gets dirty & worn out. I've changed mine twice and I am only on 38k miles. (But car is 7 years old this year)

Engine coolant should be changed every 5 years too.

Brake fluid every 2 to 3 years. I alternate my brake fluid between Blue & Gold so that I can see when all the fluid is changed.

Keep oil & filter changes to 10k miles tops. (Don't go for the Audi long life option)

Ok, AMI retrofit sounds good. Is it really that simple? Any idea on cost?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by royclark

The PS fluid should be a clear green colour, if its brownish, it wants changing. Like any other fluid, it gets dirty & worn out. I've changed mine twice and I am only on 38k miles. (But car is 7 years old this year)

Engine coolant should be changed every 5 years too.

Brake fluid every 2 to 3 years. I alternate my brake fluid between Blue & Gold so that I can see when all the fluid is changed.

Keep oil & filter changes to 10k miles tops. (Don't go for the Audi long life option)

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Thanks for the info. I'll see if I can check the ps fluid tomorrow.

The car is only 4 years old at the moment but it has done plenty of miles. I will most likely get the coolant flush done at the next major service.

Brake fluid has recently been done and I won't ever go past 10k for an oil change anyway.

DAB and AMI are both retrofits I've done which shows how simple they are.

I got a used AMI from ebay for £175 + £25 for the retrofit cables from ebay

DAB I got the module for £100 from ebay and agin £25 for the retrofit cables + £20 for the Ariel.

There are plenty of threads on here telling you how to fit them.

I just wish folding mirrors was as simple (and cheap) as those were.

Just realised you have 3G MMI where I just have 2G so I'm not sure how much difference that makes to the retrofit.

The 3G MMI is just a lead for the AMI and an enable in the hidden menu.

You just drop the glovebox and plug the 2 cables and just push out the pre cut hole in the top of the glove box for the main socket.

AUDI AMI + iPod iPhone adapter - MMI 3G & 4G - Retrofit -