85K Maintenance

[se.farrell]

So from my understanding the 85K service is a glorified oil change, right?

Its my impression that they do;
Oil, Oil Filter
Reset Service Reminder
Check tires, wipers and all that good stuff

So the question is would you recommend going to an actual Audi Dealer Service , Indy Shop? Or, would ordering the Oil+Oil Filter and either having Pep-Boys/Autozone do the oil change, or just do it myself and sourcing a VAG for the reminder reset?

Personal experience stories are welcomed!

[SinCityA6]

NO to the dealer and Pep Boys/Autozone. Take it to a trusted Indy shop or, if you are inclined, do it yourself.


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[cal3thousand]

Agreed.

Do it yourself for the most car lover points. Indy shop is next. Then dealer.

I would never have a lube monkey touch my drain plug.

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[skylinrcr01]

Do it yourself or indy shop.

[sun_dance]

At that mileage, beyond the basic stuff you've mentioned, I'd be changing the: tranny fluid, crank case fluid, diff (both) fluid, and headlight fluid ;) ...jk on that last one

[se.farrell]

Thanks for the responses guys. It seems like the resounding answer is the plan I had developed anyway. When calling around I got on the horn with the dealer who quoted $345. Which made my jaw drop and respond with the question, “this is for changing the oil… and checking things like my windshield wipers???” What. A. Racket.

Anyway, I would like to do it myself, as I enjoy working on my car. But, if either of my Indy’s get back to me with a reasonable price, I will probably go with that. If I had a VAG-COM this would probably be a different story. Plus, maybe I’ll have them throw my rotors and pads on since it will be on the lift!

[se.farrell]

At that mileage, beyond the basic stuff you've mentioned, I'd be changing the: tranny fluid, crank case fluid, diff (both) fluid, and headlight fluid ;) ...jk on that last one

Are you talking about just topping off the fluid levels, like what is listed on the maint. schedule. Or are you recommending a full flush and entirely new fluid? I am assuming you mean the latter...

[sun_dance]

Are you talking about just topping off the fluid levels, like what is listed on the maint. schedule. Or are you recommending a full flush and entirely new fluid? I am assuming you mean the latter...

I'm talking about removing the fluid and replacing it... Not necessarily a flush, but a drain and refill.

[se.farrell]

I'm talking about removing the fluid and replacing it... Not necessarily a flush, but a drain and refill.

If I do the work myself, I will see if I can source a write-up for the tranny, crank and diff service.

I have a feeling I am going to have a pretty hard time finding the Audi spec headlight fluid.

[sun_dance]

If I do the work myself, I will see if I can source a write-up for the tranny, crank and diff service.

I have a feeling I am going to have a pretty hard time finding the Audi spec headlight fluid.

I've done a write-up or linked to good write-ups for all of them... Except that headlight fluid one...

[Kevin1]

At that mileage, beyond the basic stuff you've mentioned, I'd be changing the: tranny fluid, crank case fluid, diff (both) fluid, and headlight fluid ;) ...jk on that last one

Plus one

[skylinrcr01]

Thanks for the responses guys. It seems like the resounding answer is the plan I had developed anyway. When calling around I got on the horn with the dealer who quoted $345. Which made my jaw drop and respond with the question, “this is for changing the oil… and checking things like my windshield wipers???” What. A. Racket.

Anyway, I would like to do it myself, as I enjoy working on my car. But, if either of my Indy’s get back to me with a reasonable price, I will probably go with that. If I had a VAG-COM this would probably be a different story. Plus, maybe I’ll have them throw my rotors and pads on since it will be on the lift!

I see you are localish, I'm down in OC, if you want me to reset it for you. Or, you can search out ACLA, they should have someone up there that can help you.

As for local shops, call eurocode in torrance or Pacific German in Lake Forest. I've also heard good things about auto union tuning.

[mrismail]

I also have a vag com that I can lend to you. Im not close by though. Im currently in the high desert, though.

[cal3thousand]

I'm in LA dude! I have a knock off VAGCOM ....


But it works and I'd let you borrow it.

And FWIW, I'm going to be doing the Trans and diff jobs soon (possibly this weekend) and can lend some insight afterwards. I'm pretty sure I have everything planned out to be able to tackle all Diffs and the Tranny in a few hours.

[se.farrell]

I'm in LA dude! I have a knock off VAGCOM ....


But it works and I'd let you borrow it.

And FWIW, I'm going to be doing the Trans and diff jobs soon (possibly this weekend) and can lend some insight afterwards. I'm pretty sure I have everything planned out to be able to tackle all Diffs and the Tranny in a few hours.

Sick. Thanks man.

Yea that would be great. I've seen posts about it but can't seem to find a good sit write up for the diff/tranny job... At least for our C6's.

YouTube had some ghetto videos. But the more info the better!

[sun_dance]

Sick. Thanks man.

Yea that would be great. I've seen posts about it but can't seem to find a good sit write up for the diff/tranny job... At least for our C6's.

YouTube had some ghetto videos. But the more info the better!

Here's the BEST write-up I've seen on changing out the tranny fluid:

http://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-s...fluid-2816950/

Enjoy!

[cal3thousand]

I did the front and rear differentials this weekend. Rear was on the level of an oil change but the front was tougher due to space constraints. I can add some photos and tips later this afternoon

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[cal3thousand]

Some tips on the diffs:

Do the rear first, it's definitely easier and will get you on a roll for the front. Only thing needed for the rear are 4 ramps or 4 jack stands, a jack, and 10mm hex. Torque was between 25 to 30 ft lbs so a shorter 3/8" will test your manliness. A short cheater really helps. Of course, loosen fill plug before even touching the drain. Plugs are really easy to find on the rear. I used my phone on my arm rest to measure level and zeroed it, then got the car on stands and checked the level in the same spot. Using a fluid pump that requires your hands will take a while in those cramped quarters so make one like me or buy a legit one. Those shampoo bottle pumps are going to be a pain in the arse.

That's the full amount that came out on the left and some of the new stuff on the right.


Drain and fill both look like this:



For the front, only a jack and one stand are needed but you need to take the wheel off. Also in the way is an axle protection shield. You'll need a 6mm hex to loosen the left and right of three screws. This allows the shield to swivel out of the way. Do not remove the top one, only loosen it. There is only 1 plug to drain and fill, so you have to evacuate the old fluid. Make sure not to spill as you need to measure it and replace with the same amount. The front does not fill all the way until spilling like the rear. It is only filled up to 1/2" below the hole. You will need a soft and small tube to get it in the hole and to the bottom as there is a piece blocking it. Moving the hose back and forth to get the last bits helps.

To get to the fill/drain plug you will need a tool that is exactly 10" long (that's what she said...) due to the tight clearance.





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[se.farrell]

Some tips on the diffs:

Do the rear first, it's definitely easier and will get you on a roll for the front. Only thing needed for the rear are 4 ramps or 4 jack stands, a jack, and 10mm hex. Torque was between 25 to 30 ft lbs so a shorter 3/8" will test your manliness. A short cheater really helps. Of course, loosen fill plug before even touching the drain. Plugs are really easy to find on the rear. I used my phone on my arm rest to measure level and zeroed it, then got the car on stands and checked the level in the same spot. Using a fluid pump that requires your hands will take a while in those cramped quarters so make one like me or buy a legit one. Those shampoo bottle pumps are going to be a pain in the arse.

That's the full amount that came out on the left and some of the new stuff on the right.

Drain and fill both look like this:

For the front, only a jack and one stand are needed but you need to take the wheel off. Also in the way is an axle protection shield. You'll need a 6mm hex to loosen the left and right of three screws. This allows the shield to swivel out of the way. Do not remove the top one, only loosen it. There is only 1 plug to drain and fill, so you have to evacuate the old fluid. Make sure not to spill as you need to measure it and replace with the same amount. The front does not fill all the way until spilling like the rear. It is only filled up to 1/2" below the hole. You will need a soft and small tube to get it in the hole and to the bottom as there is a piece blocking it. Moving the hose back and forth to get the last bits helps.

To get to the fill/drain plug you will need a tool that is exactly 10" long (that's what she said...) due to the tight clearance.


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This is the kind of quality information that makes me glad I am apart of this place

[se.farrell]

So I am in need of a new battery. Mine has a a dead cell I believe. Everything seems to work "ok" now, on cold starts I am slow. But, after my morning commute (not far at all maybe 2 miles / 20ish mins) in the morning, I am normal for the rest of the day.

So, I was going to swing by Autozone and grab a battery.

I was wondering, now that I have a trip this weekend. Would it be better to drive on my current battery (haven't checked MMI level, even though it is always off), or, to put the new one in and not have it coded immediately? I see a lot of conflicting views on the matter.

I will be going from OEM -> Autozone Duralast Gold.

[cal3thousand]

So I am in need of a new battery. Mine has a a dead cell I believe. Everything seems to work "ok" now, on cold starts I am slow. But, after my morning commute (not far at all maybe 2 miles / 20ish mins) in the morning, I am normal for the rest of the day.

So, I was going to swing by Autozone and grab a battery.

I was wondering, now that I have a trip this weekend. Would it be better to drive on my current battery (haven't checked MMI level, even though it is always off), or, to put the new one in and not have it coded immediately? I see a lot of conflicting views on the matter.

I will be going from OEM -> Autozone Duralast Gold.

I was under the impression that you have to buy an Audi approved battery that has a BEM code on it so you can enter that into VCDS. How did you go about selecting that battery?

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[cal3thousand]

I did the center differential fluid exchange, aka unicorn blood, and learned some things the hard way. Lesson 2, the center diff does NOT have a drain hole. It only has one drain/fill hole that is a 8 mm hex. It is also very difficult to get a tool on it due to the very tight confinements of the driveshaft tunnel. The center diff is a small cylindrical unit, about football-sized, where the driveshaft exits and heads to the rear diff. The plug is located on the passenger side about 2/3rds up the side of the 'football'. Here's an image of the tight squeeze.

I was unable to fit my ratchet and bit at the same time, so I had to resort to an Allen key with a metal pipe as a cheater. As with any uber-tight fastener that requires a cheater, you get a nice (possibly frightening for the uninitiated) and loud 'pop' when it breaks loose. It's really a fun thing when your exhaust is inches from your face. . Make sure the car is nice and cool before trying this or you'll learn another lesson about heat transfer from metal to water-based body parts.

Since Lesson 2 was that there was no drain hole, lesson 1 was be prepared for anything/everything and have all the tools you need. The reason this is #1, is that #2 could have been learned ahead of time, had I known about Lesson #1. So lesson #2 was learned when I drained out the center diff and got WAY more fluid than I expected, about 60 oz (1.8 litres for those reading across the pond). It was also much thinner and smelled like ATF . Lesson #3 was don't start this project towards the end of the day (especially after a long day of washing and paint correction).

For my C6.5, I only used .5l of the expensive crap, so I have another half for a few years down the road, should I feel like doing it again. Also the Audi bottle, if you found the right tube, could be used as a squeeze and dispense bottle. I used a thin and very flexible silicone rubber tube that had ID 1/8" and OD 3/16". This was perfect for getting into the bottom of the 'football' and sucking all the old stuff out. It wedged in between the lip of the fill hole and another internal part of the torsen, requiring less babysitting to fill.

As for results, I have eliminated 90% of the 'Quattro rumble' in parking lots. Only when turned on hard lock and light throttle can I perceive a rumble, which should be present to some degree. All other times, the motor is louder and the Quattro is just smooth. I don't know if it was all due to the center diff fluid and I believe that it was not since I changed the front and rear fluids the week before and those gave great improvements in rumble reduction. (When I bought the car, it had mismatched tires which likely caused the degradation of the fluid and brought on the louder rumble). In the end, I'm extremely happy about the outcome. It has been over a week and my car is driving so well. The only issue that came up was an EPC light on the first morning commute, but that went away after a restart. After doing the service and feeling the results, I'm a firm believer that these cars need these fluids replaced at some regular interval. YMMV

[iaflyer]

I was under the impression that you have to buy an Audi approved battery that has a BEM code on it so you can enter that into VCDS. How did you go about selecting that battery?

No, apparently all you have to do in VCDS is change a digit on the serial number, if you don't get an Audi battery (or one on the list in VCDS). Good to go once you do that. (If you don't, everything still works. Apparently without changing something with VCDS the car computer thinks it's the old battery and does something with the electrical load.

[SinCityA6]

No, apparently all you have to do in VCDS is change a digit on the serial number, if you don't get an Audi battery (or one on the list in VCDS). Good to go once you do that. (If you don't, everything still works. Apparently without changing something with VCDS the car computer thinks it's the old battery and does something with the electrical load.

The power module on the positive battery cable will read the "new battery" power levels and think that the battery is over amping (because it doesn't know you changed it) and it will reduce the amount of energy going into the battery from the alternator. It will also start reducing power draw from components while the car is turned off to conserve as much juice as possible. Then a message that the battery level is low and the battery will recharge while driving appears in the DIS. Changing the number simply tells the ECU and power module that there is a new battery installed and to interperet the new power readings differently.

[skylinrcr01]

This car has one of the most complex electrical systems I have ever seen fitted to a car. It's crazy that it can even do that.