I just bought a 1999 C5 A6 for my wife. It has 130K miles on it and I paid $5k for it. It's in really good condition and I've been searching the internet for A6 communities that I can use to learn more about the vehicle. Since the vehicle is used and I don't know how "well" it was taken care of, I took it into a dealership to have a 100K mile inspection done on it. The list of things to be done on the vehicle are:

1) New Battery-$235
2) Possible Alternator- $260 used $469 new
3) Mirror Switch- $110
4) Winshield wipers- $60
5) Flush Brake Fluid- $110
6) Rotors- ~$60 each
7) Brake Pads- $???
8) Injection Cleaning- $110
9) Timing belt- $975

Now, the prices listed are from the dealership and I know it's costly and overpriced. With that said I've researched and found one online site that listed all the parts at a fraction of the cost (germanpartsonline.com). I'm planning on doing the majority of the work myself (I hope) lol.... After getting advice from other forums I've compiled a list of things that need to be done. In each section has a list of questions I still have. If anyone can help answer these questions I would greatly appreciate it.

1&2) New Battery-$235 This is the dealerships price and I'm searching online to obtain the price of a battery. Can anyone suggest a place to obtain a decent battery. The dealership isn't sure if the battery is bad or if the alternator is bad. They suggest after changing the battery that they re-test the alternator and worse case scenario replace the alternator(see timing belt section). When I look at my instrumentation cluster I can hit the battery guage with my finger and it moves up to 3/4 line. After driving for a while it will automatically drop down to the 1/4 section which makes me think that it's not working. I'm not sure how to "kill two birds with one stone" and troubleshoot where the problem lies unless I change both the battery and then the alternator. The suggestion has been made to change the alternator anyway due to the mileage on the car (130K)

3)The mirrors are functional but the glass is horrible. I wanted to change the mirrors on the vehicle so I've been searching for mirrors and I found a set of autofolding RS6 mirrors on ebay (I hate shopping on ebay) for $299. As I don't know enough about compatibility between the A6 and RS6 I'm holding off till I can learn more about their differences style wise (motor wise I understand huge difference). This brings me to my question, what parts (aesthetic) are compaitble between an C5 A6 2.8 Quattro (slimline body style) and a RS6? How do I find out if the vehicle has the ability to use the functionality of the autofolding mirrors? Besides lltek.com are there any other sites in which I can preview parts and obtain parts for the A6. I understand there's an extremely limited amount of parts but my goal for this vehicle is style, comfort, and reliability not performance.

4)I can find wipers but is there anything special about certain wiper blades? I know the price at the dealership is insane.

5,6,&7) This has me a little puzzled. The dealership reports that the brake fluid is very dark and it can affect how quickly pads and rotors wear (dunno if it's true or not). I'm looking to replace all rotors and pads anyway and flush the brake fluid also. I'm looking into a set of rotors that's better than OEM but not a BBK kit. Can someone make suggestions on manufacturers. So far I've found Brembo cross drilled, Zimmerman cross-drilled & slotted rotors at about $60 each however I'm very confused when it refers to sizes of the rotors (ex: 288x25mm front, 312x25mm etc). How do I know which rotor size fits for the vehicle and what are the differences between the sizes. Same question applies with pads. What's the difference between ceramic and non-ceramic pads? My main concern is to drastically reduce brake dust. I know Axxiss has a reputation to have very low brake dust dissapation. Any suggestions? How do you go about flushing brake fluid? What should I use to re-fill brake fluid on an audi?

8)Someone suggested buying Redline SL1 injector cleaner and putting it into my gas tank and I should be ok however I would like to have "peace of mind" and ensure that they are clean. Should I have this done by the dealership? Is their process of cleaning the injectors any different? Should I just take it to another shop and have them clean it? Is it a DIY item?

9)This brings me to the timing belt. We're not sure if it has been done or not but I rather assume it hasn't b/c I don't want to possibly destroy the motor by assuming it has been done. I understand this is a PITA job because it requires taking apart the entire front end. I've searched online and found the timing belt kits ranging from $138.55 - $252.25. It was suggested while I have the car apart I would also change the water pump and thermostat as well as the serpentine belt (also b/c of the mileage of the car). The dealership will charge the timing belt for $975 (most of it being labor). Figured I'd save myself a couple of hundred and DImyself.

Besides the extensive list of things to be done the car runs perfectly (wait i forgot the secondary air pump which winds itself up when the car is first started in the morning). After 1 min it goes away but I understand that this is a fairly common problem. I drive the car 100 miles each day and it runs like a champ. I plan on restoring it to near perfect performing capability and I plan on doing ALOT to it but I need help educating myself on this hence the writeup. My overall goal is to mod the vehicle to optimize style and comfort.

Mod list:
Projector headlights- Are they existent for 99 A6's. Where can I find a pair? I want to get a set of projector headlights with HID fog lights (6000K temperature). I believe the headlight assembly is one complete piece and I want to get rid of the yellow corners. Would I have to get a clear headlight assembly?

Wheels- I'm unsure about the maximum size wheel, stock offset, and bolt pattern for the vehicle. Ideally I would like to put on 19'x 8.5 front and 19x 9.5 rear setup, gold center with a polished/chromed lip.

Suspension- I would like to adapt a H&R cup kit, eibach pro kit, or any other kit that maximizes comfort but gives the car a decent drop to highlight the wheels and minimize wheel gap. Any suggestions?

Handling- I'm not sure if the car handles like it's supposed to. Because of the mileage I'm not sure if I have to change any of the steering components. I have an BMW E46 and my handling is pretty tight and suspension is nice and stiff (good enough for me) but with this car it's for comfort. With that said what should I consider changing to tighten how the car handles (sway kits?).

Body kit- I'm big on styling and I like a clean, well put together body kit. I've found kits on lltek.com, and kgsengineering.com <~(now they're gone). I'm very much interested in this body kit (http://www.lltek.com/A6_R6__9801_frnt_bmpr.htm ). I'm not sure if there's anything else available out there for the C5 A6. Any suggestions?

I understand that this is a very long list of things and I don't expect to get all of the answers right away. Any and all input is appreciated. Thanks.

Referenced links: https://www.audiforums.com/m_545295/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm
https://www.audiforums.com/m_546307/tm.htm

Thanks for all the input I hope this helps others also.

-Kern

 

Very informative link in which I'm currently researching:
http://sonolithics.com/files/a6_links.html

 

Try these for a mirror upgrade http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AUDI-...QQcmdZViewItem

 

This is from an Audi Dealer? They can't tell if the Alt is bad, or if it's the battery? Come on, that's not to hard to figure out. for aftermarket, you can get a Optimia, or a OEM replacement from Interstate, & you DO NOT want to buy a batter online. Source it locally.

Under $1000 for a Dealer TB is, well, so cheap it's not funny, cheap! Most are over $1600, & include the water pump, thermostat, & acc belt. If you DIY, plan on it taking you a WEEKEND to complete the first time. If you DIY, get the most COMPLETE kit you can, some are just the belt & tensioner. Pure MS has a nice kit, some does ECS & don't forget about the special TB cam lock tool.

While we already talked about brake fluid not wearing pads & rotors, it should be flushed. Stock stuff is fine, really unless you get "Performance" pads, there all about the same, sans brake dust. Ceramic pads are suppose to have less dust. I would skip the the X-drilled Brembo rotors, they are drilled after being made, not cast like the Zimmermen, but you have to make sure you get the REAL Zimmerman X- drilled & not drilled blanks, for $60, my bet is drilled blanks. Just use stock fluid, Motul 600 is good stuff, as is Ate Super Blue. I have no clue on your rotor size, the place you purchase them from should know.

 

I've decided to break down my projects into two groups. Even though the timing belt is a MAJOR fix, I'm going to tackle braking first. I have it broken down by parts I'm ordering:

Braking
Rotors- Front and Rear Zimmerman
Pads- Front and Rear Axxis
Calipers- Front and Rear
Brake Fluid - ATE super blue
Motive Power Extractor
Motive Power Bleeder
Brake caliper piston tool

Timing belt:
Timing belt kit w/ cam locking tool- (ECS Tuning Ultimate Plus Timing Belt Kit - With ECS Cam Locking Tool ) includes:[*]Timing belt[*]Idler roller[*]Tensioner roller[*]Hydraulic tensioner[*]Relay lever for hydraulic tensioner[*]Water pump[*]Cam seals (2)[*]Crank/Oil pump seal[*]Thermostat (Behr)[*]Thermost O-Ring[*]Accessory drive belt[*]Two 1.5 Liter bottles of G12 coolant
Alternator- German parts online
Cam Seals (4)- i read that each motor requires 4 instead of 2
Cam adjuster seals- ??? not sure what these are for
Crank Seal- ??? clueless
Valve cover gaskets- ??? clueless

If I left out anything as far as parts and tools please let me know especially for the timing belt project.

 

Just a thought from a fellow 1999 A6owner (sufferer). If you have the timing belt changed (or do it yourself), also replace the tensioners, water pump, accessory drive belt and alternator. I would also check to see if the valve cover gaskets are leaking yet, as well as the cam shaft lobe seals. All of these items will need replacing shortly if they haven't been done already, and require the front end to be pulled off the car (extended out into the service position). This is a timely and, therefore, costly labor charge (3hours to pull out and then it has to be put back together) at the dealer (where I have had all my work done on the car so far--125k miles so far). Last year we put $5800 into the car to keep it running, and the year before that nearly $5000 (including a steering rack replacement and driver's seat frame replacment). We bought the car new in January 1999. And perhaps my most important words of advice here would be to not overspend on things the car doesn't need as you will probably have to spend that money on things it does need, like all new suspension arms (the brass? bushings on the Audi pieces wear out and require replacment), new springs and shocks (I had mine lowered when replaced),all the driveline seals (there are a lot of them--and this includes the front prop shaft seal, and they go bad one at a time), CV boots (4 at the front and the 2 inboard at the rear that will leak), glass in the sideview mirrors (the gel they use between the glass pieces turns colors with age), driver's seat frame (the plastic teeth wear out from normal usage--I'm 5'9", 160lbs.), wheels (Audi RS4 wheels are $550/each, and look great) and tires, brake rotors and pads, and maintenance items like having the transmission flushed and refilled (which made a world of difference in drivability at 100k miles, and if not done can lead to a $9000 transmission replacement bill--there is no Audi service interval for this--but if you can feel any jerkiness when the car shifts, or when going from D to R, have it flushed NOW).
The car is a pleasure to drive, but is extremely costly to maintain. We average $400/month on repairs for that car, so keep that in mind. The car looks and drives new, and this includes having the nose and tail of the car touched up at the body shop every couple of years as well, but the repairs are the real expense here. And our dealer, which I trust, says our ownership experience is about average for this car.

 

Wow I really appreciate the advice.. that was alot to swallow. As I stated before I'm assuming that the car wasn't very well taken care of and thus replacing the most important parts first. My first goal is to get the car running correctly then worrying about style. As it is I'm ordering most of the braking components from Ecstuning.com and some from german parts online. I am doing it myself and so far my braking project price is $571.46 which includes all tools and the bentley manual.
The next project is the timing belt and I've already contacted Ecs for pricing on the parts previously listed with a "?". Once again to re-iterate:
Timing belt kit w/ cam locking tool kit:[*]Timing belt[*]Idler roller[*]Tensioner roller[*]Hydraulic tensioner[*]Relay lever for hydraulic tensioner[*]Water pump[*]Cam seals (2)[*]Crank/Oil pump seal[*]Thermostat (Behr)[*]Thermost O-Ring[*]Accessory drive belt[*]Two 1.5 Liter bottles of G12 coolant

Besides those items these extra items I will change once the motor is apart is:
cam seals (2)- two of the seals are in the front of the motor and 2 reside in the rear. The kit contains the front pair. An extra pair is needed for the rear of the motor.
Cam Adjuster seals (?)-
crank seal (1) - $3.95
Valve cover gaskets $24.95 (2)-
Alternator - ~$500 new. I know this is a semi-retarded question but is there a downside to ordering a re-built alternator? I can save myself $200+ for a bosch one.
***Added to list*** Cam shaft lobe seals- ????? anyone want to explain to me what this is?

Once these two projects are finished I will flush the transmission fluid b/c I do feel some slipping between Reverse and Drive. I know there's no DIY for this so I will take it to a shop to get done correctly.

Once I'm in the clear (whew) then I work on suspension and handling components:
Control arm kits w/ bushings
Eibach pro kit/ H&R cup kit
H-sport sway bars
Driveline seals-??
front prop seals-??
CV boots- ??

The description you gave for the mirrors sound really familiar. The drivers side mirror has this copper tone to the glass and I could swear that it changed semi- clear colored (regular colored glass) when I washed the car. Yesterday I noticed that the section that was clear is now copper colored again. I really started questioning my sanity.
The passenger side mirror just looks horrible. I looks like something burned the actual glass from the backside of the glass housed in the mirror housing. It's discolored (like when you apply heat to glass). I hope you get my point(very hard to explain. I'll take pics and post sooner or later. Each mirror is going to be replaced. I was looking for RS 6 mirrors to replace them with.

Anyone else with some experience is welcome to chime in.

 

For the trans
http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articl...nsmission.html

Don't worry about the crank seal, it's not a leaking part. Also don't put to much into the cam seals & cam adjuster seals. You really only replace them when they are leaking. The adjuster seals are a PITA, & you do them all when you're doing the TB job.

I have never seen the "lobe seals"

 

Finally got my car back and the wife finally has her A6. I'm going to start on my braking project but I just discovered I will have to find out what type of connector the brake sensors use. I will try and get that done this weekend so I can order parts starting the beginning of next week.

So far parts are going to be purchased are:
ECS tuning:
Brake Fluid- Super blue $13.95 (per liter)
Power Extractor- $54.95
Brake caliper piston tool- $41.58
Bentley Manual- $74.95 (book)
Brake Pads front- (Mintex-Red) $55.00
Brake Pads rear-(Mintex-Red) $40.00

Things I need help making a decision on:
Rotors front- size 288x25mm
Ecstuning:
slotted pair part# ES11- $149.95 (backordered)
OEM pair part # ES10- $99.95
OEM plain rotor part #ES4568- $79.95
Germanpartsonline:
Zimmerman plain rotor- $56.69
Zimmerman cross drilled $86.31
Balo plain rotor- $59.44

Rotors Rear size 245x10mm
Ecstuning:
Plain OE rotor-part# ES2817 $67.95
ECS slotted rotor part#ES2828 $119.95
ECS cross drilled/slotted rotor part #ES2829 $129.95
GermanPartsonline:
Zimmerman pain rotor -$36.18
Zimmerman X-drilled rotor- $62.36

If anyone disagrees with prices etc. please let me know. Once again I'm not tracking the car but I do want performance with braking. I think it's very important especially for my wife and daughter. I'm not purchasing brembo's b/c they are out of my price range. Based upon prices and models listed what should I go with?

peronsal experiences and opinions appreciated.

TIA

 

The list looks good. One thing I would add is a SS brake lines, it really helps with feel & breaking power.

Rotors will not really change braking performance. They just look cool. That said, I had the Zimmermen X-drilled on my car before the Alcon's & they were fine.