Anonda

Just fyi - I can remap my car up to an additional 25% with no increase in premium through Admiral. Ordinarily, that would be the limit of what is achievable and would be fine. In this case, of course, it is more like a 40% increase that is achievable. I was told by Admiral that was uninusrable and when I asked Phantom Tuning in Kent if they could add tweak the map so that it only upped the power to 360bhp they said they were not able to do that. Fair enough - I am sure there is a tuner out there who could, but it might be more expensive. Shame as for a one off cost of £250 and no increase in insurance premium (and konwing the map was well within tolerance and yet would still be noticeable) I would have gone ahead.

I lived in Tulse Hill until a few years ago - I know Brixton well! There was a great bmw specialist there, Clifton Oddman - don’t know if you ever came across him with your 545i…… he helped me out a lot. Still early days with the Audi, but it’s a very good sign when you look forward to the next long drive……

I’m sure no-one is paying much attention but I thought I would update this thread anyway - I collected the car, having never driven it or an Audi before, and drove 200 or so miles back from South Wales to Kent. I am now about a month in, having added two round trips of 250 miles and a handful of smaller journeys. It is a great motorway car - but I wouldn’t fancy it particularly as a daily as it just feels fairly big and unwieldy. It seems odd to me that front parking sensors and some sort of parking visual aid were not standard, but I knew that before purchase. For what I need it for, it’s great. As expected, it is all about the engine and the interior build quality. Inside it looks like it’s never been used, great steering wheel and intuitive controls - and it drives very well indeed with one of those engines that just gives you a general sense of well-being when you arrive at your destination. S line suspension and Quattro make it feel glued to the road. So all in all a great purchase and I have no current plans to remap it as it just doesn’t seem necessary…….!

My 550i had almost every option aside from night vision, it was quite a beast - but it was an SE and silver and looked to everyone like a 525i which appealed to me. I bought it from a dealer 9 years ago for a scarcely believable £7500, it was right at the time when almost everyone was ditching petrol for diesel and there was no market for a v8 estate. Funny you should mention “the car Bangle spannered” because I do remember that very well - but I have to say the car has really grown into its looks and I am quite a fan. As you say - most of them now are either leggy with no service history or very expensive for what they are. 530i specs also compare unfavourably in every respect to the 3.0 TFSI and as I read more about that engine I became increasingly interested - plus having never owned an Audi or a supercharged car I thought it was about time! I haven’t even seen in the metal or driven the car I’ve bought yet - the 3.0 TFSI A6 Avant seems just as rare as a 550i touring, hence I looked far afield, so the drive home on Wednesday is something I’m looking forward to - having said that, it’s 200 miles of m4 so I’m not really expecting many thrills. I will report back and if I go to Phantom Tuning I will let you know how I get on there!

Eliot - interested to hear of your experiences. I used to own a 550i touring which I absolutely loved and I am picking up an A6 Avant 3.0 TFSI on Wednesday. Given the tuneable nature of the car it seems a bit silly not to unlock an extra 100 bhp for a few hundred quid! I am based in Kent and looking at Phantom Tuning as an option - did you take the plunge in the end? How is the Audi compared to the e61?