Mike loved his time behind the wheel of this fast Audi, but could he bag a bargain example? Of course he could…
Mike and Elvis were both hugely impressed with the performance of today’s Audi RS6 Avant, so it was a great excuse to go searching for one of their own. But with a new one costing comfortably in excess of £100,000 theirs would be a bit cheaper…
In fact, the 2005 example that Mike found had an asking price of a rather more affordable £12,500 and it was being sold by Louise on behalf of her boss. The car had been unused for a few years so that could have been a concern, but the early signs looked good.
Okay, so the headlining had been removed and looked worse for wear, but the body and paintwork were good and the luxurious cabin looked smart. And it felt good on the test drive with strong performance from the twin-turbocharged V8, although a lumpy idle would need to be investigated. Having stumped up the full asking price, it was time to head for the workshop.
The first job for Elvis was checking out the engine issue, and plugging in the diagnostic machine revealed a variety of fault codes. New mass airflow sensors were just £103 each and were easy to fit, but they didn’t cure the problem and the big Audi wasn’t nice to drive. But a further delve into the engine bay revealed a damaged seal in the inlet manifold, and with that replaced the powerful motor was back to its best.
The next task was getting the car on a ramp to check for any other problems, and Elvis found one straightaway. Corroded oil cooler pipework was causing a leak, but the fix wasn’t straightforward; attempting to undo the pipe connections damaged the oil cooler itself, but Mike came to the rescue with a used part for just £230. Good news for the budget!
And now it was time to tackle that tatty headlining, with Mike going to see trimmer, Dave. This was less good news for the budget, as the whole thing would need to be re-covered along with the various bits of trim; it meant parting with £1075. After plenty of cleaning and preparation Dave did a fantastic job of applying the new Alcantara material and it looked great once it was back in the car.
The only job left was replacing the interior pillar trims, something that Elvis tackled while Mike got to work sorting out the cloudy headlights. A bit of elbow grease and plenty of polishing compounds soon had them looking like new, and with the rear window tinting removed and the big Audi getting a thorough clean it was ready for an exciting test drive.
The boys headed to Bedford Autodrome to put the car through its paces on a circuit, and to make it a proper test they brought along a legendary sports car in the shape of a Porsche 911. How would the two compare on the track?
Mike was first to set a time in the Porsche while Elvis got behind the wheel of the RS6, and it was the supercar-baiting estate car that set the fastest time, beating the 911 by almost two seconds. What a brilliant result, and the perfect end to a cracking project. No wonder that buyer, Ian, was happy to pay £15,700 for it.
Mike said: “It’s fair to say we are super fans of the Audi RS6 Avant, its ridiculous! Strap the kids and the dogs in the boot and thrash a Porsche 911 on the way to the school drop off!
“Behind the scenes we changed the coil packs, I believe that they came in at over £100 each, however a little searching revealed that the Audi R8 upgraded packs fitted and where £30 each! Makes no sense but it worked. It goes to show that when putting a car together don’t always buy what you think, do a little research it could save you a fortune.
“Having a Porsche 911 to race the RS6 at the end was fantastic, although the lovely man who owned the car for us to use wasn’t best pleased when he saw it beaten by the Audi! I think he might own an RS6 now.”
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