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Good day in light of the sticky a bit of an update seems in order, Economy - I’ve now done 16k and the 43mpg seems to be the true number (having kept all fuel receipts) whilst not bad for the size of the car its no better than the previous C5, though i acknowledge the car has an extra 60bhp available i rarely use it. Sunroof- following the wet footwell episode a bit od online research led me to, check the plenums , one looked as though it may have been clogged up and cleared when it got soaked, cleaned them both thoroughly made sure the front sunroof drains were clear bought the grease and spray to service the roof myself ( £100 for both but enough to do the job probabbly 20 times), after doing the seals water now lies on them rather than draining away. when cleaning the rails etc i could see no evidence that the frame had cracked. No idea which if any of the above made any great difference but since there has been no water in the footwell, fingers crossed. Gearbox - my first DSG and now i’m used to it and only use the economy mode on motorways ( in normal conditions its too hesitant and you’re never completely confident it’ll do what you want) quite happy with it , a very smooth relaxing drive , knock it into sport and more than enough for a bit of overtaking ( for me anyway). Servicing , parts etc via audi are absurdly expensive even with the fixed price for over 3 year old cars. But oil and filter changes are simple diy jobs (fuel filter aside), so it’ll only be going to audi for cambelt and dsg in terms of normal servicing. DPF is something else i’ve got used to and it seems my driving patterns now seem to suit it , not had a fan overrun on stopping or dashboard warning for over 7k, so maybe earlier issues were a result of ash loading from previous owner and i’ve burnt it off. Only use premium fuel and by doing them myself oil changes every 8k. Add blue consumption, car was about empty when i got it, added 30l since , 16k and counting to next refill. Overall its a nice car to drive, being the avant swallows everything i throw in it, be a year of ownership in july. Still wish i’d been more aware and gone for a tfsi, and though my car came with what would have been 6.5k of extras, many are just toys and for a few grand more and a bit of patience i could have had an 18 plate tfsi with tech pack. lastly tyres, its on 255/35/20 from records from last owner i’ll be getting around 19k from the fronts ( new p zero audi options going on next week to front) looking at rears they’ll probably give around 30k. So i’m happy with that, but running on 18/19’ looks aside may be a better option.

Evening all, bought a 2.0 ultra avant sportline black edition, lots of toys, tech pack, nice wheels, dsg, panoramic roof. 39k when i got it, full audi fsh (ish), now had it 6months, it was 2 years 9months old when i got it. Fuel economy over 9k, bears bo relation to the obc it reckons i’ve managed an average of nearly 50 mpg, having kept all fuel receipts its actually been 43mpg. Generally been very steady driving 70% A road or motorway. DPF regens , the story that a good run each week is enpugh to keep things all clear is a bit optimistic, mine needs at least 2 50 mile runs a week to prevent the fan over runs when stopping. Even 20 miles of round town in short runs is enough to set it off. A silly point, but the cupholders are in a daft position, much more convenient in my previous c5. Now the big one, the panoramic roof has sprung a leak. Go on line and its a very common problem, what is arguably a poor design means water ends up draining into footwell. Audi have a “sunroof service” in the service book, but apparently don’t push it at when car is in for other work. One wy or another mine did’nt get one, so as its 3 months out of warranty audi say only solution is a new cassette and a 2k bill. There is apparently a diy fix worth trying, ( search, audi sunroof captain tolleys). For what is a nice car, all rather disapointing. The lower than expected fuel economy ( when you do brim to brim calcs) extra mileage to keep dpf in good nick and likely future emissions eqpt costs, and sunroof makes it a disapointing buy. So anyone looking for similar, i’d suggest NEVER even look at a panoramic roof , unless you’re getting the car for buttons seriously consider a tfsi ( knowing what i know now, it’d be my choice) tech pack is worth seeking out there’s lots of choice out there , be picky and don’t be afraid to haggle you need a perfect service history, dsg service is crucial. ad blue is for me 10l every 5k. ( reading online the ad blue pump is another weak point in the car, but seems to be affecting car that are not driven so much) not trying to tell anyone how to suck egss just my experience and opinion.

2003 and 238k on the clock, so would have thought your’s would do better

My C5 1.9tdi averages 43 and on a 70 mph run would expect around 48 mpg. I do find that premium bp or shell diesel gives better mpg sufficient to off set the additional cost , also i don’t use the cruise control, the system on my car is too keen to maintain the set point and as a result breaks and accelerates more than i do if i’m in charge, my speed will vary more about the set point but it gains 3-4 mpg.plus mines a manual.

I’ve a 2003 1.9tdi with 238k on it and on a run i expect 45-48 round town 35 and over last 2800 miles i’ve averaged 42.6 according to the computer. I’m busy looking for something to replace it and a 2.0 ultra is on the shortlist. I was working on getting around 50 from one. Looks as though i might need to rethink.

Not sure how relevant this will be, i’ve been looking at audi’s at some of the supermarket sites, some cars display satellites received on nav screen and display a message asking for “ navigation medium” when you ask salesman they say that card is either in office or missing. So if you’re nav system is based on an sd card, try taking it out and see what display shows.

Evening a bit late, but another item worth considering for replacement during a belt change etc, is the alternator pulley clutch. Takes next to no time to do and part is cheapish. Failure of bearing alone is no biggie to deal with normally, unless it chews up the alternator shaft at which point things get a bit spendy. Atb phil

I’ve walked away from the A7 ultra, it was over 2000 miles late on first long life service and no warranty i can find will cover “oil related issues”. Speaking to audi this also affects any goodwill towards the car ( though will be on a case by case basis). Just about all the cars I’ve looked at outside of the audi network have something that’s not quite right in the service history, most common is late/ missing gearbox servicing. Going to see what comes up in march when the next lot of pcp / fleet returns start surfacing. Beginning to wonder if its a car that may be beyond my financial means in terms of maintenance. The 64 plate i’ve walked from was over 45k new , at 18k that’s massive depreciation in just over 3 years, which for a car that will easily average 40 mpg ( sensibly driven) seems odd.

Most (if not all audi main dealers) do fixed price servicing on audis over 4 years old. You may find that a gearbox oil change from a dealer is not as expensive as you’d think. On my 1.9tdi c5 a6, having the timing belt and water pump done is cheaper through audi than an independent. This is partly because I would only use audi parts for such a job. Plus you can have a courtesy car for £15 ,it comes back cleaned and vehicle gets a quick once over whilst its there. My old clunker does look a bit odd in their workshop and you inevitably get asked if you want to buy a new car, oh and the coffee is’nt bad either and one time they kept me hanging around for an hour, but gave me a bottle of moet for the inconvenience.

Good day i’m currently looking for an a7, plenty of choice out there , i’m in no rush and been looking for a while. Missed out on a very well specced 62 plate with 69k a private sale 2 audi services one with specialist which went for 13750. Currently looking at a 64 plate ultra, pretty basic spec 36k full audi history but first service was late on mileage which has meant i can’t get a fully comprehensive warranty ( anything engine oil related is not covered) again a private sale currently we’re haggling around 18k.

Personally ( from experience) i’d change your thermostat first, if its stuck open engine won’t get warm and so both oil and coolant temps will be down. Had my 1.9tdi a6 for 12 years now and its happened twice.

Good day gents thanks for the replies, no purchase yet, looked at a few and made offers on two up for private sale. From this and other forums i’m no longer too worried about the s-tronic so long as its had the oil changes and drives well. However the whole dpf issue seems to be a total minefield, whilst i can understand that its really only negative experiences that appear on line, the uncertainty of what you’re buying gives concern. If i were buying new i’d not be concerned , fairly confident my driving would get good performance from the dpf, but in the secondhand market there are just too many variables, so a few questions if you don’t mind. what real world experiences in terms of mileage and replacement costs have been experienced by those with the 3.0 tdi dpf? i’ve read online that vcds can estimate soot/ash load in a dpf , this sounds good but do these figures actually mean anything in real life? of the cars i’ve looked at the 204/215 bhp with front wheel drive seem for me a good option, however they are few and far between and truly base spec, did see a 204 quattro with tech and comfort pack which was visually a very nice car, sensible mileage for first owner but second had only done 5k a year , which raised the dpf issue. Plus the last service was outside the audi network ( though still fsh). I made an offer based on needing to spend 2k on it in near future, it was rejected but car is still for sale. given the depreciation on an a7 , putting aside money for my current a6 does not seem so daft, though it is getting a bit tired and once i start sorting stuff out could easily throw substantial sums at it to have a major failure only days later. It still does an average of 43mpg overall and 48 on a sensible motorway run. any further views and opinions would be appreciated. atb phil

Good day all. I currently drive an A6 2003 1.9 tdi, a ltd edition run out model, bought it at 97k and now has 227k and shows no sign of giving up, but still having original clutch,turbo,exhaust,dpf,egr and due a belt change at 240k , plus an urge for something nicer , its time to go. Would ideally like an A7, its a vehicle i’d intend keeping long term , currently I do 15-20k a year. Split 70/30 in favour of long runs . I’ve driven a few and for my needs the 204ps stronic seems ideal, though certainly not adverse to a bit more power. seems to be plenty of choice out there, I don’t need a pristine example ( the car is to be used not pampered, but that does not mean abused) plenty of opinions on gearboxes , egr, dpf on line. Seen a few 2012-2014 examples i like. Which vary from 15k private to 25k main dealer. Given you can check mot history for mileage am i better off going for a vehicle that has covered 15k a year over one that has done 5k in its mot history? This in respect to dpf,egr. On the stronic it seems the gearbox services are pretty crucial, yet most cars out of main dealer network have missed them and even some main dealer cars have not had them , though when queried each dealer has said they’ll do it before collection and give written assurance it won’t affect their or additional warranty (should i choose to purchase an extension) Effectively I’m looking at 26k ish from a dealer with 3 year warranty for a 2014 or around 15k for a private deal on a 2012. Which leaves a big chunk (and no need for finance) to deal with a few issues. Which way would you go with real world experience and am i expecting too much for the car to go on to around 200k?