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Audi A6

6920 messages,  Last post on Dec 26, 2012 at 7:05 AM

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What is this discussion about? Audi A6, Sedan

Messages Page 115 of 693

#1136 of 6920 Questions about my new A6 by amarchan

May 07, 2001 (7:18 am)

I took delivery of a 2001 A6 2.7T last week, Pearlescent white/tungsten leather, all extras except sports suspension (no place to use it here in Columbia, SC) and heated seats (I go from covered garage at home to covered garage at work). I also own a 1998 A4 2.8 which my son is driving now. I've noticed that the oil temperature in the A6 is significantly higher than in the A4, up to 230*C. Is this normal? Also, in the A4 I always turned off the A/C compressor before turning the car off (in the A4 the fan always stays "ON"). The salesman at Audi here in Columbia tells me that I don't really need to do that. Just turn off the car. Will this damage the A/C compressor?
I love the car, got 350 miles on it now, and I'm sure that the smiles/miles is higher than if I'd gone with the 540i, the GS400 (now 430) or the E430. I found the combination of ergonomics, performance, service and the Quattro (aah! the Quattro...) superior to the other cars, and at a lower price.
BTW, I always used mid-grade gasoline in the A4 without problems (no knocking, ever), and this A6 has lower compression so I will probably use mid grade (89 octanes) on this one too. I found that in the A4 when I did use premium performance was not noticeably better, and gas mileage went down. Any comments?

#1137 of 6920 2.7T A6 Fuel by markcincinnati

May 07, 2001 (11:08 am)

The Turbo REQUIRES premium fuel. I believe the minimum US rated octane that it will "tolerate" is 91 -- performace does increase with 92 and 93 octane.
 
The Turbo REQUIRES premium fuel. Actually I can think of no recent Audi that will not benefit from premium fuel. But, say it with me, "The Turbo REQUIRES premium fuel."
 
Unless some technical bulliten or change to the engine has occurred -- The Turbo REQUIRES premium fuel (and personally, I would avoid any fuel with alcohol in it).
 
You will NOT be happy in the long run with non-premium fuel.
 
And, yes I know, it is now 1.99 9/10'ths here in "River City," Ohio. I feel the pain in your wallet.

#1138 of 6920 No incentives by dzier

May 07, 2001 (2:28 pm)

They rarely offer incentives on Audis. I just bought an A6 4.2, and Audi was offering 6.9 % financing, but I got 6.45 at a local credit union. Look at edmunds TMV, try to get the best deal you can under Edmunds TMV, and shop around and get apporval on a low interest loan.
 
David

#1139 of 6920 Response to #1118 by dzier

May 07, 2001 (2:33 pm)

You have the solar panel in the glass. This is used to power fans to keep the car cool in the sun when it heats up in the interior.

#1140 of 6920 Ike15 - reliability of 98 A6 by dzier

May 07, 2001 (2:37 pm)

Ike - according to consumer reports, the 98 model's reliability was below average. Additionally, they suggest that you do NOT buy the first year of a redesign or new model year. You might want to spend time looking at the 99's.

#1141 of 6920 solar panel by dzier

May 07, 2001 (2:40 pm)

The1998 A6 2.8 qualltro used to come with the warm weather package, the sunshades in the rear, the solar panel and the heated steering wheel as options. FOr 2001, you can only get these on the 2.7T, or the 4.2. The heated steering wheel is limited to the 4.2, and the solar panels are not offered at all. The sun shades are offered on the 2.7T and the 4.2, but not the 2.8.

#1142 of 6920 Re: Markcincinnati #1128 by amarchan

May 07, 2001 (2:41 pm)

I've contacted 4 dealers in the South (Charlotte, Greenville, Columbia and Atlanta) and they all agreed I should be more concerned with brand name than with actual octanage. Three of the four told me to stay away from Union 76 gas stations as that gasoline has more additives that can clog up valves and injectors. One of the dealers suggested alternating mid-grade and premium tanks. Since I rarely let it go down below 1/2 tank that sounds to me like a good compromise. And it's not the money. I may drive 1000 mostly highway miles/month. At 10 miles/gallon (I'm getting 22-23 - I had an A6 2.7T on loan from the dealer for almost 3 weeks before I received my car) that would be 100 gallons, and at $.10/gallon more than the mid grade that's $10/month (less than a good cigar). But I WAS getting better gas mileage, so the 89 HAS to be burning more efficiently than the 93, and therefore will leave less deposits. Your 4.2 and your wife's 225hp TT are a different story - those need the highest octane rating they can get - it has to do with their compression ratios.
  What about the A/C question?

#1143 of 6920 Fuel + A/C by markcincinnati

May 08, 2001 (8:45 am)

I called my dealer -- talked with the Service Manager who has been with the Audi dealer I have dealt with for over 10 years. He says the "computer" will retard the spark (or something like that) if it detects "pre-ignition" (ping). But, he said the engine is "tuned" to get the most torque with higher octane fuel. The car performs better with premium, he says.
 
So, the engine will apparently prevent itself from self destruction via pinging, but will not perform as well. I got the same message pertaining to brand and as I suspected alcohol. Brand apparently has to do with additives -- mostly for keeping the valves and fuel injectors clean. My service manager says that premium fuel, generally, will cost less (in gas milage) as the engine ages due to the "general fact" that premium fuel of Certain Brands (and here in Cincinnati he mentioned Marathon, Shell and BP as 'good fuels') prevent the build up of dirt that robs both power and gas mileage.
 
I am not a technician, engineer or petrolium/gasoline expert of any kind. In fact, if I could use regular or plus "safely" I would. Funny, the dealer rep told me that in my 4.2 it would be safer to burn lower octane than in any Audi Turbo due to the extra heat that a turbo creates. He says that Premium fuel actually is less volatile and therefore is "better" for the turbo's demands.
 
Again, you have to go with your gut and your dealer's recommendations -- and it probably wouldn't hurt to hear from the mfg. I thought the manual said that premium fuel is required, not simply recommended.
 
Also the car will become both more efficient and powerful once you go beyond 5,000 miles and again by about 10,000 miles (this is from personal experience with over 24 Audis).
 
With respect to the A/C, just turn the thing to Auto, set the temp and generally "forget it." Don't worry about a shutdown sequence, the computer is very helpful with just about everything.
 
The only thing I have ever done with one of these turbo models is to let the car idle before turning it off, IF I have "run it hard" immediately prior to pulling into my driveway (you know, driving in 2nd and 3rd gear "hard and fun"). I assume this is still the correct procedure, but I have heard some sort of cooling fan sound on my wife's TT after she shuts the car down, especially during warm weather.

#1144 of 6920 Gas again by markcincinnati

May 08, 2001 (9:23 am)

My Service manager called his tech rep (at Audi USA) and was told that Audi of America has performed experimens with mid-grade fuel. The results: some driveability problems -- people tend to keep the car in a lower gear longer to make up for the diminished torque -- result: lower gas milage. And the catalytic converter will start to smell of rotten eggs with lower than 91 octane (the engine will perform at its maximum: power, efficiency and drivability with Shell or Marathon (this applies to Cinccinnati) premium (93 octane) fuel. Did again say that the car will not self destruct with mid grade fuel, but that it will not run optimally.
 
He told me the turbo needed the higher octane fuel to make it run cooler, because of the inherent nature of the Turbo's -- that is to say to run hot(ter) than a normally aspirated engine.
 
He also told me flat out that BP premium here in Cincinnati has caused some valves to "carbon up" but that it has generally been in cars that are rarely run at high RPM's (said almost no manual transmission Audi's have carbon build up, hmmmmm or perhaps I should say Zoooom.)
 
Said that most drivability problems happen to customers who: have used mid grade fuel in the summer months and/or not opened up the cars on a regular basis. They then have problems during the cold seasons -- rough idling, etc. Service manager is Bill Fliehman Northland Audi in Cincinnati 513-851-5900 -- tell him you are in the A6 town hall. This guy knows his stuff and is very easy to talk with.

#1145 of 6920 More on gas by dwpc

May 08, 2001 (10:59 am)

In pre-computer controlled engine days, you could burn the lowest octane that didn't cause pinging (detonation). Not so with newer engines. In a nutshell: the higher the octane, the higher the fuel's ignition temperature. Compression in the cylinder raises temp of the air/gas mixture so, in a high compression engine, low octane fuel can actually ignite from compression alone before the engine expects it, causing pinging (detonation); the noise is the sound of the intake valves being blown shut. Detonation is very damaging to an engine but is controlled by engine sensors in virtually all newer cars. HOWEVER, the engine sensors do nothing to prevent incomplete fuel combustion which will eventually carbon up the valves, injectors, turbos, and catalytic converters (VERY expensive to repair/replace). Your gas mileage will also be better on high octane, so in the long run, using low or mid octane is probably false economy. With gas heading for $3/gal here in CA, I feel your pain.

Messages Page 115 of 693

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