Storm's C6.5 S6 Intro Thread

A6 All/ S6 All
#1

Hey gang,

Long time member on “The 'Zine” just joining the revolution. This is a great forum!

I’m currently on my third Audi, after owning a B6 S4 and a B8 S5. I jumped into this 2010 S6 Prestige rather quickly last fall after some d-bag rear ended my S5 and totaled it. I had been planning to get into a C7 S6 in a year or two, and was starting to bank the cash for it when the S5 went down. Not wanting to take on a big loan, (mortgage and MBA loan are enough, thank you) I went with the C6.5 as an interim ride.

I’ve enjoyed it, especially the V10 soundtrack. It has pretty much been trouble-free, except for a recent issue with the check engine light coming on. The car ran fine, but the light kept coming on. I ended up having an intake flap motor, some coil packs and a valve actuator replaced under warranty, and I had the dealer replace the other coil packs and do a carbon clean at my expense. The tech showed me the valves when he had it apart (couldn’t get any decent pics with my iPhone, dammit), and the carbon buildup wasn’t very bad for having 44,000 miles but I decided to have him do it anyway while it was apart.

I have an extended warranty that will kick in after the manufacturer warranty expires, so I’m covered…but I also have a dilemma. While I had it in for the recent issue, the dealership set me up with a brand new Q7 TDI Prestige (less than 50 miles on it) as a loaner. My wife and I both loved it! In all seriousness the TDI Q7 pulled almost as hard as the S6. So now I’ve been considering making a move on a CPO Q7 TDI. I don’t drive a lot of miles currently, but that may change soon as I’m contemplating a career change. I haven’t really had to worry about fuel efficiency for a few years but I could see the S6 being a pain at the pump if I have to start a longer commute.

I have some mods planned but may hold off depending on which direction I take. I have some Adams slotted rotors and Hawk performance ceramic pads ready to go, and a Milltek resonated catback system. It currently has an aftermarket RS6 grille on it. I also had the OEM double 5-spoke wheels from my S5 on it but recently had them remanufactured and haven’t put them back on yet. I’ll probably go back to the S5 wheels if/when I change the brakes. I had noticed a difference in response just with the lighter S5 wheels, so I can imagine it will do even better if I dump the stock rotors too.

So, that’s my story. The pic below is how it sits right now, and the second photo shows it with my S5 wheels.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm300/Drumstorm/Misc/2010_S6/85D03112-4C4F-4083-BE36-010DB891B3E2.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm300/Drumstorm/Misc/2010_S6/0E853AA4-0CAB-4BB4-BAA4-1EFB484B17E1.jpg

#2

Enjoying all the v10 appearances round here, welcome! Car looks great. Skip the q7 and get a 3.0t a6 avant…

#3

Thanks! Have to agree the A6 avants look sweet.

#4

Nice looking car! Then again, I am kinda biased, as mine is almost an exact copy of yours (except the different rear on yours)

http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb11200827/p4pb11200827.jpg

Definitely hold off on any mods if you are thinking of selling. On a car like this, you might not only lose the cost of the parts and labor, but also a bit more, it now being a modified car. Most buyers like the idea of buying a car that they feel the previous owner drove like an old lady, and maintained like an Audi certified mechanic, even if they plan to mod it themselves. As soon as they see mods, it throws a wrench in that dream.

S6 performance… Stock, it is unimpressive, especially when there is a Lamborghini v10 engine under the hood (well, its not really a Lambo engine, but Audi sure went out of their way to have buyers believe it was). Aftermarket engine parts… currently there is little available for the car to make it go faster. JHM should be changing that pretty soon.

Trading the S6 for a Q7… Personally, I don’t like SUVs, so again I am biased. I love Avants, but dont like driving an SUV no matter how fast it is (ok to borrow one, but not to own as primary). So, my opionion would be to keep the S6, but every person has their own requirements for a vehicle. Depreciation has not been kind to these cars, so, depending on what you paid for it, you may end up losing a huge amount trading it in. For the money you lose on depreciation, you could probably have the car supercharged.

Hope you keep the car. My car is in Detroit now, and will hopefully be faster than a Q7 by the CV is done with it. Youll be more than welcome to check it out when complete, but that could be up to another eight months, depending on how crazy we decide to go with the car.

#5

BTW, if you haven’t installed the Milltek catback, you may want to sell it anyway if you can get decent money for it. It sounds great, but is only marginally bigger than stock (IIRC stock is 2.25" and Milltek is 2.36").

My guess is JHM will be releasing a much nicer catback before the end of the year, that will not only sound awesome but also increase performance (especially with a tune). Once JHM releases theirs, I predict the Millteks are going to drop a lot in value.

#6

If you’ve got the modding itch for now then get a 3.0t avant. See ynnekdude’s posts as he has an a6 3.0t sedan that’s quick!

#7

The s6 is big. It really dwarfs those s5 wheels.

I like the s6 or s8 wheels.

#8

It’s funny you say that…

The offset is better and they literally push out farther than the S6 wheels, and they are both 19" wheels…however I agree with you that they don’t visually “fill the space” the same way that the S6 wheels do. It almost seems like I’d have to get the 20" S7 wheels in that same pattern to make them appear as big as the S6 wheels.

#9

More info on the S6, S5, and other wheels…

The stock S6 (C6) wheels look great on the car, and the flat, chunky design that extends right to the edge of the wheel really fills out the space, as Storm stated. Compared to the S5 wheels, they definitely make the car look bigger. It is funny, but I prefer the S6 wheels on the front, and the S5 wheels on the rear of the car. For the same kind of reason I like flatter wheels on the front on an audi, and deeper dish concave on the rear… they make the front of the car look bigger. Anyway, there are a couple problems with the stock wheels.

First, the offset is WAY off. ET52. The S5 are about right in the front at ET32, and the rear look good, but could probably even go out another 5mm (S5s rub fender liner with 255/35/19s when lowered, btw)

So, you could fix this with some spacers. I would only use the H&R ones that bolt to the car, and then the wheel bolt to the (DRA series). This is a Paintshop (Yes, I know I suck at Paint, but it is just to get an idea of what different wheels and parts will look like on a car) I did to see what the stockers would look like lowered, and spaced out properly

http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb11256299/p4pb11256299.jpg

Pretty damn good!

That brings us to the next big problem with the wheels. They are friggin boat anchors. I just went out to the garage to weigh mine for you guys, and compare them to some 20x8.5 et32 OZs that I have waiting for the S6.

http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb11256295/p4pb11256295.jpg

63.4 pounds with non-stock all season tire

http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb11256297/p4pb11256297.jpg

48.6 pounds OZ with 255/30/20 (not the tire I will use on the S6)

http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb11256296/p4pb11256296.jpg

Around 15 pounds difference between stock S6 and a 20-inch after market wheel!!! Compare the stock to a lightweight 19 and lw tire, and you can probably save 20 pounds per wheel. That is friggin huge! AND… add another two to three pounds per wheel to the S6 when you add the 20-25mm spacers, with two sets of bolts per wheel.

So, even as a winter wheel, I dont think I can put the stockers on my car. You can feel the difference, even with the S5 wheels, as Storm mentioned. The stock wheels are a big part of the reason why the S6 is so damn heavy. The good news is, there are BIG improvements to be had just by swapping them out.

BTW, the S5s dont really looked dwarfed on the car in person, as they are spaced out properly to the edge of the fender. They actually make the car look smaller and sportier, which I think is a good thing.

And, IIRC, S5 wheels are around 29 pounds without tire. So likely about 5-8 pounds lighter per wheel than the S6, not including the spacers the S6 would need to bring the offset into acceptable range.

#10

Another couple pics of the S5 wheels on a C6 A6.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/14/thumbnail/napyhu8e.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/14/thumbnail/e2a7ehup.jpg

#11

Welcome great introduction thread. I’d suggest holding off on the milltek as well. If you’re interested in keeping or selling the car the milltek isn’t going to help you

#12

What about the s8 version? Or is that what you meant…?

#13

Sorry, I don’t have any info on those wheels.

#14

No, I meant these - 20 inch S7 variant of the S5 wheel:

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm300/Drumstorm/Misc/2010_S6/9445982a76700b7f85b4a452fd216018.jpg

#15

Those look very cool. Didnt know they came in a 20-inch version

#16

Yeah they look…right.

#17

Interesting I had no idea they were offered in 20 inch. I can only imagine how heavy they are.

#18

Update:

I’ve been thinking more about it, and I’m really leaning toward the Q7. This is probably because of an experience I had several years ago with an Isuzu Trooper. I had that thing for nearly 10 years, and it still ran as great and looked as good the day I sold it (with over 150,000 miles) as it did the day I bought it. I’ve missed that damn thing ever since I sold it, and I’m thinking a Q7 TDI will probably be as bulletproof as the Trooper was.

I know that it won’t handle like my “S cars” did or provide the sporty driving enjoyment like they did, but I probably won’t keep it as my primary driver, either. I went through three cars while I owned the Trooper - it was my DD for a couple of years, and then I started buying fair-weather fun cars and used the Trooper as my winter / duty vehicle. That formula worked pretty well for me. I didn’t go down to one vehicle until I bought my S4. I kind of want to go back to the two-vehicle setup, so my strategy is to get the Q7 now and then pick up the C7 S6 or an RS5 as a fun vehicle in 2-3 years.

I’m sure that’s “TMI”, but I just want to explain the thought process behind my decision. SO…I want to gauge interest in my S6. Anyone with interest in the car or with thoughts on how I should approach the marketing / sale please feel free to reply or PM me. Here’s some more information / photos:

As stated previously, it is a 2010 S6 Prestige in Brilliant Black with black interior, with just over 45K miles. It has had the 45k service, is just out of warranty due to the in-service date, and I have a transferable platinum level extended warranty available. This S6 is in great condition and has the following features:

[]Cold Weather Package (heated rear seats)
[]Driver Assist Package (Advance Key, MMI with Navigation, Rear view camera, Bluetooth, Voice Command, Sirius satellite radio)
[]Side Assist (blind spot warning indicators on side mirrors)
[]Carbon Fiber Trim
[*]

In addition to these features, I have some additional mods / goodies available for a buyer:

[]It has an aftermarket RS6 grille installed; I still have the stock S6 grille available as well
[]Adams slotted rotors (new in box / not installed)
[]Hawk ceramic performance pads (new in box / not installed)
[]Milltek resonated cat back exhaust (not installed, in original box with about 5K miles on it)
[]OEM S5 wheels, just remanufactured, with brand new Michelin Pilot Super Sports mounted on Aug. 5
[]Original OEM S6 wheels with Michelin Pilot Alpin Sports mounted, about 3k miles on them
[]WeatherTech floor mats (front and back, I still have stock ones also)
[]

I bought this car after it came off lease by another AZ member, and it has always been dealer maintained and well cared for. I have garaged it since I have owned it, and it appears to have been garaged by the previous owner as well. As mentioned in my original post, I just had my dealer replace all of the coil packs and do a carbon clean at my expense because I have read that these are points of issue with the V10.

I paid over $45k for it last November, and spent quite a bit on planned mods that I haven’t gotten around to doing. I’m realistic about taking a hit on it after less than a year of ownership and about 9,000 miles, but I’m not going to give it away either. Just curious if there is any interest here or what a reasonable asking price is.

Here are some more pics.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm300/Drumstorm/Misc/2010_S6/07.jpg

Some interior shots:

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm300/Drumstorm/Misc/2010_S6/11.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm300/Drumstorm/Misc/2010_S6/16.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm300/Drumstorm/Misc/2010_S6/09.jpg

#19

That’s not too much information. I think that’s very helpful, open-minded and supporting the interested buyer. The transferable warranty will definitely help make any potential buyers feel more comfortable.

#20

Yeah I wish all FS posts were like that. Cars with full service records are hard to find! GLWS.