Hey There!

Just purchased an 03 A6 2.7 Quattro 6-Speed with sport package, winter package, etc in Silver/Black and wanted to introduce myself. No pictures yet, as the stealership is still putting finishing touches (bumper touch ups, detail, and lip spoiler), but will be forthcoming when done. With the weather here in DC area being what it is, they will likely get it done sometime next week. Ran the car with ESP off in the slush and ice and have to say it was very sure-footed and a joy to drive. So far I REALLY like this car.

As some background, have been a Porsche guy formany years and have done quite a bit of modifications myselfto enjoy road courses all over this country (and Canada) with a 914/6 and most recently a 993. Taking a break from that for a while and thought an A6 might be a nice choice. Looking forward to doing small things like perhaps a foglight change. The yellow compared to the xenons are already driving me nuts and will want to change at least the color tone to get close to the headlights. Any thoughts?

Thanks in Advance!

 

Great choice of year, color, and options. I really enjoy mine, which I've had for about 20 months and 52k miles. You may find an occasional problem, and I'll be there to feel the pain with you. You will find it outstanding to drive in packed snow up to about 8-10". Just keep the DC door-dingers away from it.

 

Nice choice. I've had mine 11 months and 17k miles. Replaced washer fluidpump under warranty and a cv boot but so far no other repairs outside of normal maitenance.

 

Welcome to the forums!

 

Thanks everyone! The car goes from my climate controlled garage to the one at work, so am always quite careful. I think the car has everything but the navigation and am still learning all the bells and whistles. Already have printed out the audio adjustment instructions from Southboro's site and looking forward to tuning and tweaking things. Any guidance on what to watch out for on the car? Also, when I first start the car it make a growling noise while warming up. Lasts about 60 seconds or so. Is this normal?

 

Welcome. Great ride made even greater with the six-speed. A few thoughts for you...

Learn the rules of good turbo ownership (keep it below 3k RPM until the oil temp gets above 175 when starting and be gentle the last few miles on the way home before shutting her down -- no need to sit in driveway idling, just gentle warm up and cool downs).

You've got a great suspension with the OEM sport suspension -- you can make it even better with H-sport anti sway bars. Relatively easy DIY and short money (under $350 -- shop www.purems.com for a good price).

Consider a short shifter. I went with the ToyGuy and it's one of my top two favorite mods (along with the H-sports).

The radio mod will NOT work with the Symphony II head unit (which you have in an 03). Sorry.

Warmup noises can be interesting and will change dependent on ambient temps. Not sure what you're experiencing, but I wouldn't worry if it goes away. I'll let others weigh in if they know differently.

Do a search on the C5 A6 forum at www.audiworld.com for the fog light change. One of the gurus there, Boston Driver, has made some recommendations on how to make your fogs less yellow.

Have fun!

 

Thanks for the reccomendations on turbo care - this is my first turbo of any kind so certainly am interested in proper upkeep. In the past have had some great online resources for DIY work and your site is certainly nice as well. Any nice informational DIY pages for the A6 for the common upkeep items like oil changes, tranny and diff fluid changes (do you need to do factory computer flushes or in your own garage - I have a lift), engine and cabin filters, etc? Love the process of keeping up on the maintenance myself so that I know it is done right. Are there any guidelines for service intervals and items? Thats a bummer about the radio...

Upgrades will be minimal for the time being, as over the past few years have built a track car and significantly upgraded another street car. Wife has had about enough nights with me in the garagefor the time being and we are headed to Italy in a few months ;-)

 

Check out the other links on my page -- in particular, "Stoney's Links." There, you will find TONS of good links that point to various DIYs. I also have a link on my page to the Audi recommended maintenance schedule. The links that are model year specific can be changed to your year by chaning the appropriate numbers in the URL. Also, check out the Tech Articles on www.audiworld.com -- an excellent resource.

You have your own lift? I'm quite jealous -- my car isn't even garaged!

 

Thanks will scour your site for the info. The garage is a good thing to have andI have a mid-rise rotary that is good for most jobs. Affords me 4 feet of room which is plenty for things I have done in the past like suspension swaps, brake jobs, etc.

The dealer is putting on (and their offering no less) a lip spoiler like theRS has. Is this a good thing? Any caveats?

 

I'll be putting on an OEM RS6 spoiler in the spring. Beware of the ones that are replicas and not true OEM ones. The OEM one has a fit and finish that the others cannot duplicate because it bolts on -- the clones do not. As such, if you're getting an OEM one, make sure they line it up right -- there's no fixing it if they don't. Look for any post by Boston Driver and follow the link in his signature to his registry page. He has a post on how the spoiler should be put on properly.