Looking for an S6

[Adrianl]

So i'm thinking of getting myself into an S6. I'm not really towing any more so was going to sell the Cayenne. Is there a better year to go for, or should I just go for the lowest documented milage car I can find. I like the V10, and would rather that than the newer turbo v8.

[The_Transporter]

Go for the A6 3.0T much more reliable, much faster and if you are into modding, you can do a lot more to it.

Although you mentioned the V8TT.... you may want to post questions in the C7 forum as well. The 4.0TTV8 can run 10's with an APR tune, I'd take that over the horribly unreliable V10 any day.

Even with a tune, the S6 V10 runs a 13.7.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwzxxupjQe0 There are Honda Accords that can do that...lol

[Adrianl]

I don't really care how fast it is, that video, that noise, that's why i want it. The kicker though, are they really that unreliable?

[BlackS6]

I don't really care how fast it is, that video, that noise, that's why i want it. The kicker though, are they really that unreliable?

Yes,

Owns an S6, has been to the shop at least 4 times this year in 6 months. Extended Warranty is key to these vehicles

[kingofnyc]

3.0t can be faster but v10 just sounds nice. You can get 3.0t in almost any audi but 5.2 came only in few cars. i had my s6 for almost a year now and only had to fix the coolant tank and change oil. Carbon cleaning needs to be done and control arms. But thats expected with most FSI and 80k+ audis. At some point thins will fail and S6 is not cheap to fix. I can be better if you can do the work yourself. Can save you thousands of $$$$.

[The_Transporter]

Adriani, what we see mostly with the S6 V10 is carbon build-up, bad plugs, bad coil packs, (some people keep extra coil packs in their S6 just in case of failure out on the road) bad fuel pump, bad fuel injectors, coolant tank problems and control arms seem to go sooner on the S6 V10 than other Audi's. Not worth all the trouble for the exhaust note, unless it is not a daily driver.

[Alym]

When I bought my A6 I was doing an 80 + miles commute a day.. Hense I went for the 2.7tdi. Now I only do about 3k a year! I so wish I went for an S6 as they were roughly the same price...

[IrishCreamPuff]

I have an S6, insanely unreliable, insanely pricey. So expensive and very disappointing performance wise. Had I known these issues, I would've gotten an M5.

[ckitca73]

I have a C6 S6 ('09) that I bought last October. I purchased an extended warranty for it and glad I did. My intake manifold went out and the intakes needed a carbon cleaning. Luckily the intake manifold was covered under my Audi extended warranty (~$3,000+ to replace). Since the car was apart I had the carbon cleaned from the intakes for about $750 instead of $1999 at the dealer. The total was just over $4000. I paid about $840. Still expensive but not $4000.

My S6 is my daily driver. I'm putting on about 45 miles a day. With 50k miles on it things need to be replaced. Just had the rear rotors and pads replaced at a local shop. Tires about three months ago. It all starts to add up.

I love the car and the way it drives. It's gotten much faster with the intake carbon clean up. I'll keep it for another year or two at least. I may consider an A6 3.0t or C7 S6 next time around.

[BlueVR]

I had 08 S6 for about a year with 80k miles. Only thing that went bad was coolant temp sensor (which was bitch to replace cuz of tight space). Now I have A7 and I do not miss my S6 at all, other then the exh note from the v10!!!!!

[c@@kieMonsta]

If your looking for that engine/exhaust note, wouldn't a 4.2 V8 take care of that?

[vshengr]

Back to OP's question:

I have a model year 2008 S6 with 72,000 miles currently (had about 65,000 miles when purchased). I've had it less than a year but it's been trouble free for the most part. When I first bought it, had been sitting on a dealer lot for atleast 2 months and had not been driven. I bought it that day and on the drive home the CEL came on. Over the next 2 weeks, I had 3 coil packs and an O2 sensor replaced because of recurring CELs. However I noticed that the coil packs were failing only when I was driving aggressively prior to the engine warming up completely. Everything was replaced free of charge by dealer but they probably should have changed out all the coil packs.

I've stuck to my 'warm up before driving aggressively' method and have not had any issues since. My wiper fluid sensor has gone nuts and comes on every start now but that's it. Zero out of pocket repairs (until I decide to get the sensor replaced), I've been pleasantly surprised with how reliable it's been.

I use the S6 primarily as a weekend car though. My current daily driver is an 02 C32 AMG...that thing has been a royal pain to upkeep.

My S6 is out of warranty but I'm very pleased thus far with my 2008 model year. From all the reading that I did prior to purchasing, I could not find any tangible info to keep away from a certain model year or mileage. Everyone talks about the carbon cleaning, to my knowledge it has never been done on my S6 and I have no other S6 to compare to. So atleast on my end I feel like the car is performing up to spec haha. No CEL's and no issues since the first 2 weeks of ownership but I've only owned for roughly 1 year.

No need to compare A6 models vs S6 as OP did not ask for a comparison. Everyone has different needs/wants out of their vehicles, as long as you are happy with what you purchased, I know I have no regrets on my S6 purchase just like many others have no regrets on their A6 purchase.

Best of luck on purchasing!

[IanCH]

The seats alone make the S6 worth it if you are just looking at performance and features IMO, Ive driven the A6 3.0t and the reason I stuck with S4 instead was to get the sport seats and carbon trim.

[Storm33]

I've had my '10 S6 for about six months now, and the most negative aspect of my ownership experience has been reading peoples' posts on here about how unreliable it is...some are substantiated, others not so much.

Mine hasn't been completely trouble free, but the issues certainly haven't been outside of my expectations. My S4 and my S5 weren't trouble free either. To that point I think you can go into any forum on this site and find examples of people having trouble with their Audi...including A6s.

My S6 hasn't spent any more time in the shop than my S4 or my S5 did...definitely not enough to tarnish the ownership experience. I'm truly enjoying my S6, especially after putting a Milltek exhaust on it and giving the V10 a voice!

The bottom line is that Audis - particularly the "S" and "RS" variety - aren't generally known as maintenance-free vehicles, but they are definitely a pleasure to own and drive. So my advice is to get what you want, enjoy it, and just plan for some downtime / repairs now and then.

[07S6]

I've had my '10 S6 for about six months now, and the most negative aspect of my ownership experience has been reading peoples' posts on here about how unreliable it is...some are substantiated, others not so much.

Mine hasn't been completely trouble free, but the issues certainly haven't been outside of my expectations. My S4 and my S5 weren't trouble free either. To that point I think you can go into any forum on this site and find examples of people having trouble with their Audi...including A6s.

My S6 hasn't spent any more time in the shop than my S4 or my S5 did...definitely not enough to tarnish the ownership experience. I'm truly enjoying my S6, especially after putting a Milltek exhaust on it and giving the V10 a voice!

The bottom line is that Audis - particularly the "S" and "RS" variety - aren't generally known as maintenance-free vehicles, but they are definitely a pleasure to own and drive. So my advice is to get what you want, enjoy it, and just plan for some downtime / repairs now and then.

Agreed! I have had my 2007 S6 for nearly 4 years (now at 89K miles) and I would def do it all over again as it has been the most enjoyable car i have owned. Very few if any major issues and any issues get repaired at local dealer while I drive a loaner for a day - so i would say my exceptional dealer service experience has helped make the whole ownership experience more convenient and enjoyable. With this car, as with any i suppose, it helps to have a competent dealer service dept nearby.
I have driven the newest A6 to consider as a replacement option since my daily commute just got much longer...it's quick, smooth, good looking - but there's something that's just not there when you go from an "S" car to a regular one. As Ian said above, part of that is the S6 seats and the other more significant part is the engine growl/exhaust note that you feel every time you fire up the engine or get on the gas. Those are my hesitation points from swapping to a newer, more fuel-efficient A6. It's really turned out to be a tougher decision that i thought, but i can tell you if you haven't owned an S6 and you really want one - pick a clean one and don't look back.

[Hellas23000]

I have 2010 A6 3.0T Quattro with 12,500 original miles if you are interested. PM if your interested.

[v8a6]

I've had my '10 S6 for about six months now, and the most negative aspect of my ownership experience has been reading peoples' posts on here about how unreliable it is...some are substantiated, others not so much.

Hahahahaa... yeah exactly. There are a ton of S6 'Experts' who havent even ever driven one. There is a reason why Audi has retained the v10 engine for their top-of-the-line supercar. You dont see them putting a 3.0t in a supercar, thats for sure. And, there is a reason why the v10 S6 costs $25k USD more when new than the 3.0t A6.

Incredible Recaro Seats
Sport steering wheel
19 inch wheels standard
wider 265 tires front and rear
lowered sport suspension
Sports valved shocks
Aggressive S6 front bumper
Wider front fenders
5.2l v10
Higher final drive ratio
Big brake kit (385mm front rotors) front and rear
Larger sway bars
Nicer headlights with dark grey background
Aluminum mirrors
Aggressive lower door moldings
Carbon interior trim on many examples
S6 front grill
LED DRLs in bumper
Agressive rear bumper with diffuser
Quad exhaust tips
Larger diameter exhaust

OP, you are in luck. I am also located in Toronto, although my S6 is not at the moment. Go to AUDI REVOLUTION . NET, and search in the A6/S6 section for the thread "Audi C6 S6 v10 Info Dump". Everything you ever wanted to know about the cars is in there. It was created for the specific purpose to gather the real facts on the v10 S6, and kill all the misinformation that people like to perpetuate on the web.

Then check out "the v10 S6 project" on AR.

I should have my car back in a couple months as everything with the project is finished up. Then we can do a side by side with a 3.0t so you can see in person what sets the S6 apart.

[Hellas23000]

Je makes a good point. The baby Lambo has the V10 and I haven't read anything about reliability problems. Hell just look at what 2005's are are still selling for used!

[ichi d]

The S6 is a great car too bad Audi de-tuned the v10 for the A6. At the end of the day if you can afford to up keep the car, go for it. It was too much for me so i ended up with a 3.0T.

[haloguy628]

Here's my advice. Go and get the Audi service records and run carfax for accidents. If the car had meticulous maintenance through Audi dealership, you don't see any major repairs and if it's accident free consider the car. If there are constant niggles and electrical repairs stay away. Otherwise drive it and if you buy it do the maintenance religiously and you will be fine. It's a great sport sedan and turns heads but it is not a sports car. Has loads of torque out of the line and is very quick on highway. You will however not win any autocross races with it.

[PatPS6]

So much hate for the Audi S6 i love mine, every car has their issues. The M5 is faster, the 3.0T has potential to be faster ( very affordable to do so also ) but I love that i rarely see another S6 when i take mine out and get props all the time, not forgetting the joy of driving it, do i take mine to a drag strip? No so i could care less if the A6 is faster, this is my weekend fun.

ill just leave this here

[SinCityA6]

@PatPS6, dont leave it there; it will get stolen. Especially with the door open.

[PatPS6]

sidenote i didnt make it out the driveway, i had to back up and reverse out, my car bottomed out :(

[v8a6]

Hahaha

Ill mark that down as a another negative for the S6.... has to exit garages in reverse