Steve Q

You're welcome 🙂 the manual box will be more than capable 👍

You're most welcome 🙂

It seems increasingly certain that the Volkswagen Group will enter Formula 1. It will then do so with Porsche and Audi. The latter of those two brands seemed interested in McLaren, but team boss Andreas Seidl thinks Audi is actually a much better fit for Sauber. Sauber in league with Audi? In recent weeks there has been much talk about the possible entry of Porsche and Audi into Formula 1. Porsche seems to be entering a partnership with Red Bull Racing, while Audi is still somewhat searching. The German brand would have made a bid for McLaren's F1 team, but Audi would not meet the financial demands of the British team. As a result, the German brand is now linked to Sauber, which currently still goes through life as Alfa Romeo. Seidl was long involved in the Sauber and BMW project, which had a deal from 2006 to 2009. Audi is said to be interested in a similar deal. "Audi and Sauber would be a good fit for the future. The Swiss have a great infrastructure with the wind tunnel and they would be ready for such a task," he says in conversation with Blick. Big plans from Audi Not only a combination of Sauber and Audi is among the possibilities. Aston Martin would also be interested in a partnership with Audi. At the moment it is far from certain where Audi will end up, but the German brand's plans in F1 do not seem to be getting any smaller. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.gpblog.com/en/amp/108809/mclaren-team-boss-audi-and-sauber-would-be-a-good-match.html

Is something grand coming from Audi in the waning days of internal-combustion performance? There's a fresh rumor of the R8 gaining an RS badge as a swan song to the series, called the V10 Performance RS Final Edition. It could pack a 650-horsepower (485-kilowatt) punch, and we might see it by the end of this year. It must be noted that this is an unconfirmed rumor at this point. A recent post from TheSupercarBlog claims to have inside information on the R8, though a specific source for the info isn't known. Motor1.com contacted Audi seeking comment on the report, with a spokesperson stating there is no information available for any R8 models not currently available in the lineup. It's certainly not a confirmation, but it's not a denial, either. The R8 RS Final Edition is a rumor for now, but it's not without some merit. In January, our spy photographers captured an R8 testing in Sweden and it was ... different. The car wore no camouflage and didn't have notable design changes, but it was awash with winglets and other aerodynamic tidbits. A massive rear wing with Audi branding sat on the tail. The front lip spoiler was a bit bigger. Curiously, the latest rumor does mention aero upgrades as part of the RS Final Edition, in addition to power. Speaking of which, the prototype appeared to have wires running from the engine bay to the interior, perhaps gathering information on the V10. Add it all up, and there's certainly a strong case to be made for something grand in the R8's near future. Whether it will be 650 hp remains to be seen, as that would be a notable upgrade from the 602 hp (449 kW) currently offered in the V10 Performance. It would also best the Lamborghini Huracan STO and recently announced Huracan Tecnica, which uses the same V10 to develop 631 hp (471 kW). Of course, the Huracan and R8 have been linked since the very beginning, sharing platforms and powertrains. Would Lamborghini be content to let the R8 have a power advantage for its final hurrah? Possibly, but who says the Huracan won't go out with some grand final edition of its own? https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.motor1.com/news/580569/audi-r8-could-get-rs-final-edition/amp/

Remember the capital letter-averse Audi skysphere and grandsphere concepts from 2021? The former was a mad Transformer-style roadster while the latter was a super swoopy four-seat grand tourer. Anyway, at the time of their unveilings we were told that there would be a third and final concept that followed a similar theme. It was to be called the ‘urbansphere’ and of course we all expected a small city car concept. Something like a futuristic A1 with autonomous driving capabilities, for example. Well, we were right about the autonomous driving thing, but goodness, the urbansphere is not small. In fact, Audi says that it’s the largest car or concept that the company has ever built. It’s been designed with ‘Chinese megacities’ in mind and is a result of a collaboration between Audi’s crayon studio in Beijing and its HQ in Ingolstadt. Oh, and ‘potential customers’ in China were also consulted for ideas. Don’t go thinking it’s a signature on the dotted line away from production though, this is still very much a concept car for now. Audi says it “showcases its vision of the premium mobility of tomorrow” and that the urbansphere has been “systematically designed from the inside out”. Naturally then, we’ll start with the exterior. What renegades we are. It’s certainly interesting though, because although Audi says that this concept “defies classification into conventional vehicle categories", we’re pretty sure it just looks like a giant MPV. And we’re okay with that – they were incredibly practical the first time around. To give you a sense of scale – the urbansphere is over 5.5m long, 2.01m wide and almost 1.8m tall. The wheelbase is also a huge 3.4m (or roughly the same length as a whole kei car). There’s loads of glass, huge Audi Avus-inspired 24-inch wheels and some very fancy light surfaces front and rear. There’s also some hints of a bloated A2 in the shape, don’t you think? Underneath is Audi’s upcoming PPE electric car platform. So, like in the grandsphere, there’s a 120kWh battery and an electric motor on both axles for a total of 395bhp and 509lb ft of torque driving all four wheels. Audi reckons on a total range of 466 miles and it’ll accept charge at a super speedy 270kW. That means you could get around 186 miles of extra range from a 10-minute stop. Because it’s a city car (although not as we know it), there’s rear wheel steer to ensure that it’s manoeuvrable and adaptive air suspension to cope with poor quality tarmac. So, that interior then. There are suicide doors that swing open and you’re greeted by a virtual red carpet. Once inside the steering wheel and pedals retract because it’d be capable of Level 4 autonomous driving (of course), and the display up front is projected onto that giant wooden dash. Like in the grandsphere, though, it’s the rear seats where you really want to be. The giant armchairs rotate and recline, and as well as small screens in the back of the front seats there’s also a giant transparent OLED cinema screen that pivots down from the roof. Whole lot of space just for four passengers, though, isn’t it? As you’d expect from a 2022 concept, there are many recycled and recyclable materials inside, including bamboo viscose fabric and something called ECONYL, a recycled polyamide. Lovely light colours too. Between the rear seats there’s a water dispenser, and Audi says that the urbansphere “qualifies as a wellness zone” thanks to its use of a facial scanning system and voice analysis that can determine if you’re feeling stressed. If you’re sounding strained, the car will bring up a meditation app or play soothing sounds through the headrest-mounted speakers. Anyone else reckon they’d get more stressed with the knowledge that the car is judging them? https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/audi-urbansphere-concept-giant-mpv-designed-china%3famp=1

Looks like your old one is still out there. Not been on the road since 2015.

Snooze you loose lol.

Is it an auto or manual gearbox? I ask because if it's fitted with the multitronic (CVT gearbox) then just be careful as they're known not to cope too well under loads. Here's a link to a topic on towing with a multitronic: https://www.caravantalk.co.uk/community/topic/108770-audi-multitronic-owners-advice-please/ But you might have the tiptronic auto instead. Here's a link to the differences: https://www.audiworld.com/how-tos/a/audi-a4-b7-multitronic-vs-tiptronic-transmission-421219

I know the feeling as I was in the same boat. I've yet to find one that works well. Have you tried the suction cup ones that stick to the windscreen?

Please keep us posted on how you get on with the catclean when it arrives 🙂

As long as the car has been well maintained you should be ok. For example my 20 year old A6 that's covered 340k still tows occasionally with Ifor Williams trailers/car transporter trailers etc. The engine and gearbox have never been rebuilt. The rear shocks were only changed last year. it's the second set of rear shocks from new. My wife and I are even considering getting a caravan (I'd even love a small boat lol) and wouldn't hesitate to tow with my ageing a6 👍

Sorry to hear this has happened. I've found these on eBay which show a part number: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224871465901?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=hckC_5cnRc6&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=IE07kO4STZy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143885363093?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=qxbYmN0-T8m&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=IE07kO4STZy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY I appreciate these are for complete mirrors but having the spares might not be a bad thing. I have looked for the cap part number on its own without success so far. Alternatively Audi should be able to provide you the part number. I've found this fitting guide for when you do source a replacement: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/audi-a5-s5-rs5-coupe-cabrio-b9-220/chrome-mirror-caps-retrofit-a5-3014287/

Restarting this thread...

Looking good! 🙂 Would look good with a couple of audiownersclub.com stickers 😉

My sticker collection has gained a bit lol 🤣 Let's see those stickers...

I think the seats will differ due to the size of the car. Plus s line seats will differ to comfort Sears too.

You're welcome 🙂 hopefully it gets sorted soon 🙂

I agree with cliff, it's worth removing the switch and checking to see if theres electricity getting to the switch. As cliff days broken wires become common on older Audi cars along with central locking issues in general. I've had issues both with broken wires and failing locking modules for example. I've also done a comprehensive search on Google but haven't found anything specific. As I say I'd definitely look at the button and wiring first. A new button should be less than £20.

S tronic gearbox is a sister box to the VW dsg which is the best auto on the market. What ever the official mpg figures are take 10 off them. My dad had an A3 with the same engine and when I drive it I could get into the 50s. That's motorway driving.

Great recommendation 🙂 it can be hard getting good quality carpet mats at reasonable prices.

If you can't do it via vcds my advice would be to speak to a retrofitter to see if they can do it. Or alternatively speak to Audi.

Good luck, please keep us posted on how you get on. Don't let them fob you off - which it sounds they're trying to do.

Glad you got sorted 🙂 thank you so much for updating us. You'd be surprised how many people don't.

I know that this year and next Audi are bringing out upgraded models. Take a look at the news section. As such I wouldn't be surprised if they do.

If it's anything like other Audi's it'll depend on what spec you have. For example an s line grill might not fit the se. Etc. This link explains more: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-s6-c6-platform-discussion-58/all-a6-c6-front-grills-same-2973778/