Tips for a n00b?
 

Hey guys, love what I've seen of the forum/site.

I'm a new owner of a used 2002 A6 3.0L, 111k miles, and loving it. I've never owned an Audi, let alone a German-manufactured vehicle.

The car is in great shape. I got the timing belt and water pump changed and new Bridgestone tires. I will be getting new spark plugs, and possibly the A/C flushed, sometime in the near future.

The only thing I can find in the car that does not work properly is the cup holder by the armrest in the front (will not fold down). Also, the engine does seem to whine/groan when I am in first and second gear with the A/C turned on. The check engine light came on a few weeks ago, so I asked them to check it at AutoZone. It came up as a problem with the catalytic converter/emissions. The light went off a few days later, and since the car passed state inspection last time, I figured it's not at the top of my list. The light does come on every other week and stays on for a few days.

What I'm looking for in this post is just any general tips that you guys may have. Anything and everything that you have is greatly appreciated. This is the first car that I have that is actually in my name, so I want to treat it nicely and do everything right.

Main stuff I'm looking for:
What accessories/mods/add-ons do you recommend?
How should I take care of my car? This can be everything from detailing to regular maintenance.

I apologize if this is annoying. Direction to the best threads for answers is dually appreciated.

Pictures below. Thanks.

http://i52.tinypic.com/11ae25j.jpg



http://i53.tinypic.com/2ry6m1i.jpg



http://i55.tinypic.com/sqjted.jpg

Some damage to the wheels (maybe buff it out(?); looking into new wheels to buy with my next set of tires)



http://i54.tinypic.com/24enq7t.jpg

Spoiler



http://i55.tinypic.com/25q6n49.jpg



http://i54.tinypic.com/2mra4gl.jpg



http://i51.tinypic.com/2jidl2.jpg



http://i54.tinypic.com/1z20jeu.jpg

first welcome
 

A6 is a good car I am not as up on them as I am some of the other models but as far as the exterior if the paint is in OK shape you may want to clay bar it use a meguairs clay bar they a very mild but use Meguair's #136 synthetic spray to use with it instead of the the spray in the kit this will get all the "acid rain" off go over bad areas again. then use a Meguairs wax either a HI-Tech Yellow #26 or a show glaze wax do while car is cool and in the shade.

Leather always test a spot on any product you use couple products Meguairs All-in-One leather cleaner or Liquid Wax for neglected leather

have fun
L8R>>>>>>>> :)

Those lower console cupholders are very fragile and pretty much useless for holding anything bigger than a soda can...they're also very pricey for what they really are. If you want to save some $$, you can replace it with an OE coin stowage tray(they came standard in later model years). Its about half the price of the cupholder and much more practical, IMO.

Thanks for the tip. Yeah I had looked up how much the cupholder was to replace, like over $100 haha.

Other things on my list of possible future purchases:
new pedals
rubber floor mats
tinted windows
new grille

I'm also considering doing a debadging this weekend.

pick up the cupholder from ebay. Most of them come from Hong Kong. I think mine was around $30 including shipping. If it is any different from OEM, I can't tell.

edit: Just looked at your pics. Its funny, I have almost the exact same scratch on one of my wheels. Probably wont buff out but repainting is always an option until you can get new.

The problem with the center cup holder is that part of the sliding mechanism moves between 2 pieces of plastic, one of which is too thin for the application. So when you put something slightly too large in the holder it snaps the thinner half. The one currently in my car broke so I epoxied it permanantly open and its been working fine, but I have a few spares in great shape that I think will work fine with some metal reinforcement. Just an idea if anyone feels like tinkering.

Anywho, nice car, mine is also silver and I think it looks great debadged. I dont want to post any links or info about another site here but if you google for writeups there is a good database out there with alot of DIY articles you might be interested in.