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Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 6:16 pm
by pilihp2
So I've been looking for a daily of sorts for a long while. I've been mainly looking for a4 wagons, specifically b6 and b7 avants. I've really been looking for six speed b6's, it appears b7 6 speed avants don't exist. My main logic for wanting a 6 speed is reliability. All I ever hear is terrible things about Audi auto's. old and new.
Is my fear well deserved? does anybody here have any experience with newer audi automatics at all? If I feel comfortable buying an auto that opens up a HUGE amount of cars I could buy instead of searching far and wide for 6 speed versions.
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 6:26 pm
by alxdgr8
I have to say the 6spd ZF auto in my Touareg has been great compared to other auto's I've driven. The newer 8spd's are even better and are basically in everything (tuning does vary with models though). Nate's DSG A3 that I got to ride in at BBQ was a surprise too (with a 034 DSG tune he was working on).
I'd say you'd have to drive one, especially with the engine you want. I think it works great with the TDI I've got, but it could be completely different with a 2.0T or V6.
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 6:35 pm
by pilihp2
If I could get a DSG in an a4 I'd be sold instantly. But an a3 is just a bit too small for me to justify.
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:02 am
by 85oceanic
I know a lot of people dog on the ZFHP24A that comes in the A6/A8, but I personally really like mine. I've got 190k on mine and it's still going strong.
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:30 pm
by JOSHDUB
The autos in the B6 and b7 aren't very good. A lot of guys over at audizine have a lot of issues with them once they get into the higher miles (150k +). A buddy of mine had his auto trans fail in his b7 around 100k.
The b7 avant absolutely did come with a stick. In fact, the same friend that had his auto fail bought a 6 speed B7 avant instead.
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 3:15 pm
by pilihp2
If you can find me a 6 speed b7 wagon I will drop what I'm doing, buy a plane ticket, and go and pick it up within 24 hours. I was more implying they are impossible to find, not that they don't exist. Guess I haven't looked far and wide enough?
I don't imagine the auto's in b6/7s could be any worse than the auto's in a6/8 cars.... right? All I ever see is a8's that needs transmissions.
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 7:30 pm
by WOMBAT
Go to cars.com and search it - there are some in there
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 7:50 pm
by pilihp2
I literally found one on cars.com that actually had a manual and was a wagon.
1 across the entire united states. The others listed said manual but interior pictures showed tiptronic.
The one with a manual is also 2217 miles away. I don't mind flying to get it, but lets be reasonable here...
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 8:44 pm
by alxdgr8
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 8:50 pm
by JOSHDUB
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:02 pm
by pilihp2
I'm so unspecific it just hurts to read my own words. I was talking about b7 avants. B6's aren't nearly as hard to find in 6 speeds, although still hard to find locally in what I want.
regarding Alex's post, I really like that black b7 in Seattle. That last one on the list I went and test drove, headliner is hanging down in the back, dealer won't budge on price, and was talking $12k out the door when we were done. They were also assholes. So that helped with my decision. I guess with my price range/location I'll have to settle with a b6 if I want a manual.
And for the love of god please don't post s4 wagons. The only thing stopping me is the chain driven v8, and that is barely holding me back. Talk about an unsmart but satisfying daily.
Josh, that silver one is but the other is again, listed as a manual but it has a tip in it. Gotta love dealers.
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:06 pm
by JOSHDUB
It drives me crazy,
"Is your car a manual?" "Yeah, it is both." No, no it isn't a stick. People just can't get it through their head.
You may need to be willing to drive in order to get what you want unfortunately. But red B7 and the blue B7 are both sticks in my link, I don't know if you saw that.
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 12:01 am
by pilihp2
I didn't see that red a4. Really like that. Too bad both are in NY. I'm fine with a drive, but a 2200 mile drive... It's a bit much haha.
Am I picky? yeah, I'm picky.
But going back to the main question at hand. I should stay away from automatic b6 and b7s. That is the general consensus it seems.
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:08 am
by alxdgr8
pilihp2 wrote:I didn't see that red a4. Really like that. Too bad both are in NY. I'm fine with a drive, but a 2200 mile drive... It's a bit much haha.
Am I picky? yeah, I'm picky.
But going back to the main question at hand. I should stay away from automatic b6 and b7s. That is the general consensus it seems.
If you do decide to go with an automatic, there's always the C5 S6 Avant which is still a timing belt motor
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:47 am
by PRY4SNO
Wait.
I thought the timing chains and guides were okay with regular oil changes?
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 9:52 am
by B. Rock
JOSHDUB wrote:The autos in the B6 and b7 aren't very good. A lot of guys over at audizine have a lot of issues with them once they get into the higher miles (150k +). A buddy of mine had his auto trans fail in his b7 around 100k.
The b7 avant absolutely did come with a stick. In fact, the same friend that had his auto fail bought a 6 speed B7 avant instead.
Have any more information on those failures? I'd be curious to read more on them - where they failed and why.
Audi lists the fluid in the ZF trans's as 'lifetime' which drives me nuts. No fluid lasts forever. 'Lifetime' is a finite window of time, and had to be defined by someone at some point. I suppose when your trans grenades, it has reached it's 'lifetime'...
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 12:48 pm
by alxdgr8
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 1:33 pm
by pilihp2
I've always told myself I don't want a black car.
But damn.
Re: Convince me that Audi Auto's aren't terrible?
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 6:18 pm
by roortube
My wife's DD is a C5S6 and I love the car. Loads of fun when I want and practical as hell. We got it at 90k miles, now at 150k. It has a bit of rpm surge at light throttle so I think the TC seal is leakimg but we haven't lost lock up yet and its been surging for 30k. I've done 2 fluid changes since we got it. After doing the first TB service I'm not looking forward to the second, but it really wasn't that bad. Great choice for a DD.
Why not a UrS avant? They're reliable And inexpensive to DD, and you can make silly power pretty easily. I love mine.