Looking at an avant with h&r

[Matt_P]

Looking at an avant that looks great and has had all the bits done that are important but noticed its on H&R rather than the preferred Bils and is a little lower at the rear than I'd like?

Is this common and is there a fix?

If not what's the cost of getting Bil fitted properly?

Link to car http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/151355654127?nav=SEARCH

Cheers

Matt

[IanH755]

From what I've read on here H&R coilovers tend to be a little harder/stiffer than Bilsteins. The rear can be raised but it's a bit of a pain with the lack of space to get the H&R coilover spanners in there (make sure the seller has the set which came with the struts).

If you want to swap to Bilsteins it'd be about £1800-£2200 depending on who/where you have the work done and I'd consider having the anti-roll bars upgraded to H&R or Hotchkis for a further £300-£400 as it makes quite a bit difference if you're into going around corners as fast as possible

[Matt_P]

As long as it's possible to raise it then I don't mind it being a bit firmer.

[Astrosquirrel]

Looks like a beautiful example with an owner that cares about the car, so it's really positive. The only thing I found weird is that he seems to know all the "attention points" on the RS6, but does not mention either the TC or the Gearbox, perhaps it'd be worth checking with the owner.

[Matt_P]

Owner is a mechanic and changed all oil and filters in engine and gearbox in march this year.

[Astrosquirrel]

Sounds great then

[Matt_P]

I always get nervous when it sounds great!

[Astrosquirrel]

I know, but the description and the little clues point to a good start. Is it possible for you to go look/test it?

TThe fact that each invoice is kept in its own plastic sleeve, indicates a good level of attention to detail by the owner. Now it's a matter to see if the description matches the reality

[IanH755]

At over 90,000 miles on it's original gearbox I'd keep around £5000 to one side for the inevitable failure (minimum £4000). Some have managed to get over 110,000 miles on the original but not many.

[longman h]

Owner is a mechanic and changed all oil and filters in engine and gearbox in march this year.

Has he got receipts for this work?

As others have mentioned, the gearbox will eventually die so just bare that in mind.

Other points to consider;
Have the intercoolers been refurbished?
In one of the photos the date shows the year 2000 with the mileage reading the same as what he's currently selling it with
Does the car have any fault codes? If it doesn't, make sure you check this after taking it for a drive.

When are you going to look at the car?

[Matt_P]

He has receipts for all the work he's done - I noticed the year in the photo as well?

Are the gearboxes really that fragile - How many miles do they tend to do?

[Matt_P]

How do I get hold of a code reader?

[longman h]

No offence but how much research have you done about the C5's?

The gearbox issue would have been one of the first things you saw once you'd started searching.

Do you have a large slush fund to accommodate any repairs that may sneak up on you? Such as EGT's, intercoolers, DV's, Coilpacks blah blah blah?? This is really important as if you don't, you could potentially face some large bills.

I don't want to put you off but you really need to go in with your eyes wide open.

[longman h]

How do I get hold of a code reader?

Ilexa or Gendan are the UK distributors for Ross-Tech cables which are expensive but worth their money in gold. I thought I could get away with a Fleabay alternative but I was proved wrong.

[IanH755]

Matt - Yeap the gearboxes really are that fragile! They weren't designed to cope with the ridiculous torque the RS6 has (a fact known by Audi), especially after a remap, and I'd say the vast majority of cars will have had theirs replaced by 100,000 miles. Replacement costs start at £3500 for the bare minimum refurb box to £7000 for a new box and can go much, Much higher very quickly as there's a whole bunch of jobs which are worth doing while the engine is out (another £1000-£2000).

Re: Slush Fund - Again, I would say that the size of your slush fund should be 50-100% or the price of the car. You'd hope that you'll never need that much but even simple jobs are usually a minimum of £1000 and big jobs (blown turbos or gearbox) will be almost the price of the car in that eBay ad! Be very careful and read the buyers guide at the top of this forum and be aware that this car still has the maintenance costs of it's £70k+ buying price!