New here, and to Audi.

[DomDom]

HI All,

About to become the owner of a 2021 A6 Avant. Rather excited to say the least. Collect it next tuesday, which seems like years away right now.

I come from the Skoda fold having been the owner of a few Superbs, and I just changed from a Superb estate to this A6 Avant. Tried both this and a Superb of the same year and the decision was quite easy. The allure of the bigger engine and being quite a bit more plush inside was what sold me. Hoping for good things now.

Already a VCDS owner as I do a lot of maintenance myself, among restoring older cars. Just get the dealer to do enough to stamp the book basically. In between I do all the rest in my workshop, including interim oil changes, brakes etc. It's how I took one of my Superbs to over 400k miles without too much drama.

Looking forward to all the information I can pick up here, and hopefully see some of you at the various pub meets.

Best. Dom.

[DomDom]

Oh, and this is what it will replace.

[Hammie1982]

22 hours ago, DomDom said:

HI All,

About to become the owner of a 2021 A6 Avant. Rather excited to say the least. Collect it next tuesday, which seems like years away right now.

I come from the Skoda fold having been the owner of a few Superbs, and I just changed from a Superb estate to this A6 Avant. Tried both this and a Superb of the same year and the decision was quite easy. The allure of the bigger engine and being quite a bit more plush inside was what sold me. Hoping for good things now.

Already a VCDS owner as I do a lot of maintenance myself, among restoring older cars. Just get the dealer to do enough to stamp the book basically. In between I do all the rest in my workshop, including interim oil changes, brakes etc. It's how I took one of my Superbs to over 400k miles without too much drama.

Looking forward to all the information I can pick up here, and hopefully see some of you at the various pub meets.

Best. Dom.

Dang thats a nice lookin motor...
great engines as long as they are looked after.  
Best of luck with the new motor 

[DomDom]

Thanks. I liked it the minute I drove it. I know very little about Audi engine ranges except that it’s a 3 litre diesel as opposed to the Skoda being a 2 litre one. It certainly felt a lot smoother and definitely more eager when pulling away.

For maintenance I used the best oil and change it every 6 months max. Never more than 6k miles but I use VCDS and whenever it moves from good oil condition to anything less, I change it.

[Magnet]

Sounds great Dom, and thanks for keeping us up to date. 
Incase it helps, I’ve used Quantum Longlife 3 oil for annual oil changes for many years with our humble A3 - to good effect. Apparently is/was VAG’s recommended brand - blended by Castrol? 
I buy it at best prices from reliable eBay sellers. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

 

[DomDom]

Appreciate the tip. I recall the Quantum having used it in my Superb 1.9 TDI. That was on 438k miles when I sold it. Only ever had a clutch and a camshaft in all those miles. Pretty indestructible.

I tend to buy from Opie Oils, decent prices and quality products. No connection other than being a satisfied customer.

As for finding reliable eBay sellers, how do you do that? I’ve not had great experiences with the bay. So many counterfeit parts on there. I tend to stick to the main dealer parts department to be sure, but they can be expensive. 

[Magnet]

Thanks Dom,

Quantum oil - Superb- 438K. That would be enough of an endorsement without my ‘many years of using it’ suggestion. That really is incredible. 
Although I haven’t had any volume experience of using Opie Oils,  I understand they are reliable, and OK it generally costs you extra, but on a DIY oil change basis, does that really matter so much? 
eBay and ‘so many counterfeit parts on there’. Um, I’ve personally not encountered any issues with my purchases from sellers who I’ve had experience of, and trust. It sounds that we might have a similar philosophy insofar as I buy reputable brands at competitive prices (mainly off eBay and Parts in Motion etc.) but I don’t buy at cheapest prices on eBay. 
C.E. Automotive currently have a competitive price on EBay with Quantum, and I’ve bought my oil with them for a number of years to good effect. 
Main dealer parts? Yes, great, but generally not good for the wallet!  Worth trying Discount Audi Parts (again on EBay) at Cardiff - Part of the now Mon Motors set up - was Cardiff Audi. They often offer a bit of discount. Also dealt with Aberdeen Audi at one time, but not sure whether they are still discounting. 
Hope some of this helps Dom.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

p.s. Please note:- I don’t have any connection with any of the above mentioned businesses other than having bought from them in the past, and will probably buy from them in the future. 

[DomDom]

Great info, many thanks Gareth.

Opie or whomever, DIY is way cheaper than even the kwik style places. Quality oil and filter is usually 60 odd quid delivered, and I know it’s done properly. Put that against the cost of possible engine damage and it pales into pocket change territory.

Brakes, after a bad experience some years ago, with a main dealer I might add, I only trust myself to ensure they are done properly. Having a pad fall out while reverse parking is unnerving to say the least. I’m the same with brake fluid changes, always do this every year. And tyres, nothing but premium brands and changed at 3mm of tread. The wife says I have OCD, probably right too. But these cars carry my family, the most precious cargo of all. Would I trust this to an underpaid dealership mechanic? Possibly a trainee? Erm, no ta.

Will try the vendors you mention. I also have my wife’s car to maintain so appreciate the heads up on those guys.

As for eBay, I’ve had an oil filter which was suspiciously light. Enough for me to cut it open, and I found it had no filtering gauze etc inside. Basically hollow. So I figured it best to steer clear. 

[Magnet]

Thanks Dom. Sounds like you’ve got a great system, and with very good reason. 
Re. the fake filter - was it supposed to be a reputable brand, and from a recognised and establish seller? 
Best not name though. 
Good luck and kind regards,

Gareth. 

[DomDom]

Yes, supposedly reputable brand but obviously a fake. I’ve had quite a bit of similar fake electronics stuff, but that’s not really dangerous, just irritating.