Alex156

Hi Gareth, Thanks again for your thoughts they're really useful and have helped to determine the best course of action. I will of course provide an update as things progress. Thanks, Alex

Hi Gareth, Thanks for your thoughts with this they're really useful and I appreciate the logical thought process. Always good when you are worried about something. I guess I'm very much a glass half empty type of person and so I have already convinced myself that the damage will be so severe and spread so badly that the costs of repair will outweigh the value of the car. I hope not as I have only just come around to the idea of investing some time and effort into the car to bring it up to scratch. Not to mention quite a lot of £'s have been sunk into it already. I just hope I can find someone good and reliable willing to sort it for me for a reasonable price. Fingers crossed, Alex

Hi Gareth, Thanks for your thoughts. I would agree that it certainly is excessive and I'm surprised there were no comments on the last MOT (March 19) as I wouldn't have expected this must deterioration in 18 months. The main thing for me is getting it seen by someone who knows what they're looking at ASAP so I can start weighing up costs. My biggest fear is that no one will want to touch it and/or repair costs will be so high its not viable. Thanks, Alex

Not so far as I'm aware. The undertray has been damaged near that point at some time though and so I wonder if it's caught on a rock or similar which may have contributed to this problem.

Went out to change my front drop links this afternoon (2006 A6 Allroad) and was gutted to find the front left rubber mount you jack the car with with missing. On closer inspection the area was badly rusted with some sections rusted right through. I've attached a picture. Has anyone experience this and could anyone recommend a good welder/fabricator in the North East who may be willing to do a repair. Any ideas on cost for something like this?

Hi Gareth, Yes indeed, I have the bar type tool which you can only tighten by hand so as not to go to crazy. I think all things considered I'll clamp the hoses when doing the rear brakes but then install new hoses to be 100% safe as I'm guessing they're the originals on the car. I'll then flush the fluid for new and bleed etc. Im coming across 2 different lengths of hoses for the rear (350mm / 323mm). Any idea which is correct and/or if it matters? Thanks, Alex

Thanks for getting back to me. I have no problem with either method. I'll always do what is best/safest. I have just read so many posts saying under no circumstances clamp the brake hose...... Would it be advisable to just undo the bleed nipple when pushing piston back without clamping the hose? If I did do that would I also need to remove reservoir cap?

Hi All, I'm writing in relation to my 2006 3.0 A6 Allroad. Time has come to change the rear discs and pads. I've done this job countless times on other vehicles and am OK with the release of the EPB (I have VAGCOM) etc. but am hoping that someone can clarify the CORRECT procedure for this job, especially when it comes to pushing the caliper piston back. Now, most mechanics I speak to simply say, take the cap of the brake fluid reservoir and push the piston back, using a screwdriver or appropriate tool. Now ordinarily that's what I'd have expected although when I last referred to a well know car repair manual (all be it for a different make/model) it stated that when pushing the piston back in it was ESSENTIAL that the hose be clamped and the bleed nipple opened. It was stated that this was to ensure no seals were 'flipped' by the back-flow of fluid and so that none of the contaminated fluid from the caliper found it's way back into the system which could cause issues/damage to sensitive ABS components. Can ANYONE clarify what is the correct procedure as it's driving me nuts not being able to find a definitive answer to this one? Thanks, Alex

Hi All, Having owned my VW Golf GTI for 8 years I have made a change to an Audi A6 C6 Allroad owing to the arrival of our little boy. I bought the car privately a couple of weeks ago and inevitably I'm going through the 'bedding in' period of fixing all of it's issues. Although it's had just 1 previous owner the car has covered some ground in it's lifetime with 144k miles on the clock. Main faults to date are as follows: - creaking rear suspension - smokey on cold start - knock from the front (sounds like drop link) - faulty fuel gauge - sinking rear air suspension I've done my research on the forums and out of all the faults listed I'm most concerned re the sinking rear air suspension and as most garages won't come near it I plan on sorting it myself in the comings weeks. I've gathered lots of useful information but wanted to double check my approach as from everything I've read and watched I still have some queries. 1. As it seems to hold air when in Allroad/lift mode but not when in automatic/dynamic I'm assuming the rear air springs have a slight leak which is exacerbated when the car is lower? 2. Money is tight so replacement parts need to represent the best value for money. Genuine parts are out of the question and so I've narrowed it down to: - Aerosus (268 pounds for a pair) - Miessler (250 pounds for a pair approx.) - Car Air Springs (188 pounds for a pair) Does.anyone have any experience/ recommendations re the above options? 3. Is it possible to change both rear air bags with a couple of trolley Jack's and axle stands? 4. Specifically I plan to leave the front wheels on the ground and jack up the rears (with battery disconnected) and put on axle stands. I will then swap out the rear bags which looks fairly easy before putting the wheels back on. I then plan to 'semi-support' the vehicle with 2 trolley Jacks lowering it to the height it was at before I swapped out the bags (I'll measure from the ground to the top of each wheel arch before I start). I'm assuming I can then reconnect the battery and allow the car to reinflate the bags knowing that they won't be required to support the whole weight of the car from empty? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Alex