Audi Allroad - the Dad Wagon.

[dan95x]

6 hours ago, Schaefft said:

Probably another mistake waiting to happen but would you consider selling the car as a whole?

😂 I almost definitely would (and my dad whose drive it has been sat on for about 8 years would be ecstatic) however, without derailing the OPs thread too much, there isnt all that much left of it - When the engine of the estate S6 ate itself, I bought a saloon to swap the engine out of (they were virtually impossible to come by as an engine alone at the time, or ridiculously expensive for ropey ones when you could find one). 

The saloon was in miles better condition when I collected it though, so I ended up keeping that, and the estate got cannibalised for its tasty bits/to keep the saloon going as bits broke, plus a half arsed attempt at one point breaking it to sell the bits, so it has (from memory) no suspension on, no front brake calipers, no wheels, no steering wheel, door blades missing, no alternator, no headlining plus probably other stuff I have forgotten.  Add in that the bodywork was rough in the first place, a shagged engine, and that what is still on there is mainly half taken apart, I am not sure how attractive a proposition it is!

[djim]

Well, daily update time. It stayed up overnight and has done ever since. As far as I can tell it only happens when parked in level 1 (the lowest) or when I turn it off too soon after changing heights before giving it a chance to settle itself. The pump is not running very much and it mainly adjusts itself from pressure left in the accumulator when I turn it on.  Also it is kind of intermittent for now. This along with the codes makes me think it is likely not a leak from one of the struts and more likely a problem with the valve block, or possibly the controller. I'm expecting the valve block but they are around £170 for a replacement so I'm going to check wires etc before throwing parts at it. I can also apparently check the height sensor readings with VCDS so this may also be worth checking. 

10 hours ago, Mrs6C said:

Sorry to see this has happened. You may wish to report this fault back to  said dealer and require them to address it at no cost to you? Seems a bit odd that the the car has suddenly developed* this significant fault within a few days of said dealer delivering it to your door...

Yes, I did consider this but to be fair to him it didn't start happening until a week after he dropped it off and I did expect to deal with the system at some point. I've basically taken a car that has only done a few thousand miles per year for most of its life and done 700 miles in a week in it, I'm just happy this is all that has gone wrong. 

 

Hi @richdcoll welcome along, this is a great forum, there is a real wealth of knowledge and cool and unusual cars, I was lured here 5 years ago by a thread about a base sierra and I've hung around since. Remember to go and say hi in the new members thread 😀 Also sorry to hear about your diesel pump woes, I hope you can get it sorted, can the coding be done with VCDS do you know? 

 

[djim]

Here is some light reading for anyone interested in 20 year old pneumatic Audi suspension. 

http://www.volkspage.net/technik/ssp/ssp/SSP_243.pdf

http://www.volkspage.net/technik/ssp/ssp/SSP_241.pdf

 

I mean, who doesn't love a cutaway! 

[Dave_Q]

ISTR that it could still be the bag leaking if it only sinks in certain heights, there could be cracks/perishing that are only on a fold in 1 or lower and are straightened out enough to mostly seal when above that. 

Worth a check anyway, will only cost you a few mins and some Fairy liquid

[djim]

Looking handsome today. 

 

Also I replaced the broken filter cap retainer. It is the little things. 

I'm driving it to Cambridge later (240 mile round trip) so hopefully it behaves itself. 

 

 

 

[djim]

A quick minor update, the trip to Cambridge was pleasantly uneventful and partner, 2 kids, dog and luggage were hauled comfortably and without complaint. 

There

 

and back to East Sussex 

 

The suspension did drop overnight when we arrived but then after a couple of local trips it stayed up. Same again yesterday, a bit of sagging but after moving the car and bringing it up to level it stayed up overnight. Non-scientific but it seems to drop when parked after long journeys but be fine after short ones so I'm still suspecting a valve rather than a strut leak but we will see.  I didn't have the time or arsedness to get the soapy water out yesterday so that will have to wait but I did order a pump rebuild kit from a chap called Bagpiping Andy (https://www.bagpipingandy.com) so that will get rebuilt at some point once I've fixed the problem. 

On the minor jobs repair list I'm going to polish up one of the headlights as it is quite yellowed (the drivers side is fine, I suspect it has been replaced at some point) and replace the drivers side door lock microswitch thing so it recognises when the door has been opened and doesn't keep trying to lock itself. 

All in all I'm very pleased. 

[djim]

Oh, quick question - the car is covered in plastic cladding and it is getting quite faded in places. Does anyone have any recommended products that will freshen them up a bit?

Cheers. 

[Stanky]

9 minutes ago, djim said:

Oh, quick question - the car is covered in plastic cladding and it is getting quite faded in places. Does anyone have any recommended products that will freshen them up a bit?

Cheers. 

Boiled linseed oil, applied sparingly with a bit of rag is ideal for this. And mega cheap.

[djim]

Love it, that is pleasingly old school too, thanks!

[stuboy]

5 hours ago, djim said:

and back to East Sussex 

random............ my dad lives in crowborough

[GC97]

I've quite fancied one of these for some time now. In my opinion they've aged really well visually. What puts me off is if they do go wrong it's often not a cheap fix

[richdcoll]

On 6/1/2023 at 8:03 PM, djim said:

Well, daily update time. It stayed up overnight and has done ever since. As far as I can tell it only happens when parked in level 1 (the lowest) or when I turn it off too soon after changing heights before giving it a chance to settle itself. The pump is not running very much and it mainly adjusts itself from pressure left in the accumulator when I turn it on.  Also it is kind of intermittent for now. This along with the codes makes me think it is likely not a leak from one of the struts and more likely a problem with the valve block, or possibly the controller. I'm expecting the valve block but they are around £170 for a replacement so I'm going to check wires etc before throwing parts at it. I can also apparently check the height sensor readings with VCDS so this may also be worth checking. 

Yes, I did consider this but to be fair to him it didn't start happening until a week after he dropped it off and I did expect to deal with the system at some point. I've basically taken a car that has only done a few thousand miles per year for most of its life and done 700 miles in a week in it, I'm just happy this is all that has gone wrong. 

 

Hi @richdcoll welcome along, this is a great forum, there is a real wealth of knowledge and cool and unusual cars, I was lured here 5 years ago by a thread about a base sierra and I've hung around since. Remember to go and say hi in the new members thread 😀 Also sorry to hear about your diesel pump woes, I hope you can get it sorted, can the coding be done with VCDS do you know? 

 

Thanks mate! I will do! Seems like a really great place to talk cars. I am glad to have discovered it. Guys like us need a place to cater for our unusual tastes!

[tom13]

20 hours ago, djim said:

Oh, quick question - the car is covered in plastic cladding and it is getting quite faded in places. Does anyone have any recommended products that will freshen them up a bit?

Cheers. 

Linseed is good but a faff and can go very sticky if not thinned. Best and cheapest is cherry blossom shoe polish. You can even use the sponge applicator.

[djim]

16 hours ago, GC97 said:

I've quite fancied one of these for some time now. In my opinion they've aged really well visually. What puts me off is if they do go wrong it's often not a cheap fix

yes, totally agree I unsurprisingly think that they have aged very well with quite classic good looks. Fingers crossed that nothing really expensive goes pop but stuff I've priced up doesn't seem mega expensive compared to anything else. 

Rather than do anything off the snag list, I took it to the car wash and then took the dog out so here are some pictures. 

Rufus approves of the extra space.

 

The only casualty today was the Aldi badge off the back which fell off in the car wash so now I need to decide if I stick it back on or de-badge it completely.

[chaseracer]

The Owd Giffer had one of these from nearly-new until a couple of years ago, same age/spec as this one.  It was a brilliant old thing, shifting the aged parentals and their caravan around the country for a dozen years.

Sadly, we got a bit weary of chasing expensively repetitive suspension faults and, since they were no longer towing a wobble box, it was sold as spears & reapers and replaced by a CVT Qashqai, which will no doubt begin to tell its own tales in time.

[sutty2006]

Do these earlier A6s have adjustable ride height? Mine has a few settings. On the floor for sport mode, to up in the air for Allroad mode. 

[Dave_Q]

4 minutes ago, sutty2006 said:

Do these earlier A6s have adjustable ride height? Mine has a few settings. On the floor for sport mode, to up in the air for Allroad mode. 

Back when I were a lad we didn't have no fancy names for our suspension settings, you had 1,2,3 and possibly 4 and that were your lot

[djim]

On 6/7/2023 at 1:05 PM, sutty2006 said:

Do these earlier A6s have adjustable ride height? Mine has a few settings. On the floor for sport mode, to up in the air for Allroad mode. 

Yes, as per @Dave_Q its got plain ol' 1-4. 

1 - Slightly too low and a bit bumpy really, definitely sport mode. 

2 - Normale

3 - Fairly high, perfect for a farm track, speed bumps outside waitrose or getting out of the Glastonbury car park

4 - BOING lets off road!

it won't stay in 4 over about 30 mph and drops to 3 until 60mph when it drops to 2. The OG version went up and down automatically based on speed but the later ones like this only go down to 2 and you have to tell it to go back up again.  It basically stays in 2. 

On 6/7/2023 at 12:43 PM, chaseracer said:

The Owd Giffer...

Yes sounds right, definitely not a young persons vehicle, more for a thrusting middle aged dad type like myself. 

On 6/7/2023 at 12:43 PM, chaseracer said:

... expensively repetitive suspension faults...

Yes, I'm starting to understand why it got this reputation. Hopefully I'll get time to diagnose it properly this weekend as it is definitely not happy about something. 

 

[chaseracer]

14 minutes ago, djim said:

...thrusting middle aged dad type

He'd enjoy that description, his 85 years belying the 25yo between his ears!

[sutty2006]

I get ya. Similar then. 
 

this is mine in “Allroad” mode. 
 

 

as apposed to this, in “comfort” mode, which is normal. 
 

 

in “Allroad” mode, you can send it up one higher again, by pressing the “up” button. but only use that when the pot holes go too deep (half of my commute to work) lol

[djim]

Yes, sounds like basically the same idea, though I imagine that the technology has advanced quite a bit in the intervening 20 years. Your's is a handsome beast, it looks very at home bimbling around on unpaved roads. Are you still planning on selling it? 

 

[djim]

In other news I had a spare 1/2 hour this evening so I cleaned up one of the headlights that was yellowing quite badly. 

Before

During

After

It's come up pretty well. I just used a basic T-cut kit by hand, no drill attachments or anything. 

It is still a tiny bit cloudy but the yellowing has pretty much gone which is the main thing. 

[djim]

Quick question, does anyone have an inner trim panel for an A6 C5 tailgate going spare that they could sell me? 

It is this bit and the clips are all broken on mine. I think it is the whole door inner panel basically that needs to be replaced. 

I've looked on eBay etc. but as far as I can tell the only ones have a tailgate attached. I could put some actual effort in and start contacting breakers but seeing as you are here...:)

 

[dan95x]

53 minutes ago, djim said:

Quick question, does anyone have an inner trim panel for an A6 C5 tailgate going spare that they could sell me? 

It is this bit and the clips are all broken on mine. I think it is the whole door inner panel basically that needs to be replaced. 

I've looked on eBay etc. but as far as I can tell the only ones have a tailgate attached. I could put some actual effort in and start contacting breakers but seeing as you are here...:)

 

If you can wait a few days for me to have a look, if its still in mine and all still in one piece, you can have it 👍  I cant remember off the top of my head what is still there, and what was knackered - I have strategically ignored the big blue lump of Audi on my Dads drive every time I drop the kids for him to look after, let alone actually look inside it for ages 😂

[djim]

Thanks Bud that would be amazing, absolutely no rush, just be careful not to remind your Dad it is still there 🤣

[dan95x]

 

1 minute ago, djim said:

Thanks Bud that would be amazing, absolutely no rush, just be careful not to remind your Dad it is still there 🤣

He's pretty easy going, but it does get a subtle mention every now and again 😂 Will give you a shout as soon as I get a second to have a look

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 05/06/2023 at 16:01, djim said:

Oh, quick question - the car is covered in plastic cladding and it is getting quite faded in places. Does anyone have any recommended products that will freshen them up a bit?

Cheers. 

Owatrol Polytrol

https://www.owatroldirect.co.uk/product/polytrol/

[sutty2006]

9 hours ago, djim said:

Yes, sounds like basically the same idea, though I imagine that the technology has advanced quite a bit in the intervening 20 years. Your's is a handsome beast, it looks very at home bimbling around on unpaved roads. Are you still planning on selling it? 

 

I do kind of love it too much to put any kind of effort into selling it. One of the guys at work was going to buy it to tow his caravan but he changes his mind more than his pants and is buying a motorhome instead. My rear wiper motor is leaking washer fluid, I took the tailgate panel off to check, it needs a new motor. £130 from my mate at Audi so I’ll get that fixed next month. Haven’t had to spend a penny on it otherwise! 

[djim]

Bit of an update, the suspension pump rebuild kit turned up so I had a go at fitting it. 

Where we're going we don't need a jack

(there are a couple of axle stands under it too before anyone asks) 

The MOT person wasn't joking about a rusty subframe, it is like the Bismarck under here, changing these bushes is going to be fun* if i ever want to. 

Here is the valve block looking a bit exposed and worse for wear. Not sure why it doesn't get a cover but there you go, should be easy to change. 

The pump lives under this cover. 

Someone has been here before as it is a bit butchered and the fittings are rounded off. A bit of minor abuse and here is the pump. 

 

From the cable ties and look of the pump I suspect it has been replaced at some point but not for a while. Just 3 10mm bolts and a few connectors and it is off. 

On the bench/kitchen table

Here it is all opened up. The repair kit includes a new piston ring, gasket, new bolts and a tap to chase the threads. It comes apart easily and I gave it a good old clean. 

And here with the new piston ring fitted. 

 

By this point it was dark so no more pictures but installation is the reverse of removal etc. 

Took me about 2.5 hours but would have been much faster with a lift and some actual skills. 

Once fitted it did make a difference, the pump was able to lift the car much faster and it doesn't run as often, presumably as it can fill the tank to a higher pressure. I was hoping that it would make the system run at a higher pressure thus somehow fixing the intermittent overnight drop but the next morning it was business as usual and dropping at the front. 

Total cost was £25 for the kit and it was an easy job so I'm glad it got done. Next up, soapy water on the front bags and valve block and go from there. 

I'm still very happy with the car, it drives nicely and the suspension rides well and doesn't drop every time, only every other night or so.  also it might be my imagination but the engine seems happier for being driven and feels smoother and more responsive. I've put a bottle of snake oil/diesel system cleaner in the last tankful too and I'm seeing a solid 35mpg from the computer and should hit 500 miles from the latest tank full of fuel too which is not bad for a big old barge. 

 

[Dave_Q]

I don't believe there is a tank, the valve block just diverts compressor air to the bags as required. 

It's part of why a leaky bag tends to knacker the compressor as they have to keep running more often than they are designed for and overheat that rubber seal on the piston.