An assortment of questions about my B6

[mdk]

Hello all, I've had my 2002 1.8t Avant for going on 6 years and have put 100k on it, bringing it to 220k. For the most part lately (knock on wood) it has been running great. I'm shocked (not that I'm complaining), but it still idles nearly perfectly, pulls hard occasionally, handles well, and rides smoothly - especially despite only taking it to a shop twice (control arms and clutch) and doing everything else myself. Here's a brief history of what has been replaced, in no particular order:

- VCG
- CCT
- Oil sump service (2x because I got paranoid)
- Timing belt/tensioner/water pump/acc belt (2x)
- Idler Pulley
- Accessory Belt Tensioner
- Vacuum Lines
- Clutch (with transmission service)
- Control Arms (left: upper-leading, upper-trailing, lower-leading; right: lower-trailing)
- Wheel Bearings (both front)
- Brakes (4x?)
- Brake Lines -> Stainless Steel
- Rebuild after hitting a deer (radiator, AC condenser, bi-xenons, hood, fan cowl/support)
- Exhaust (went to APR stealth and now back to stock + 034 cat)
- Coil Packs (2x) and Spark Plugs
- Motor mounts
- Engine speed sensor
- O2 sensor
- Thermostat
- Rear coolant flange
- Fuel filter
- Auto RX treatment

I have a few questions that I've been wondering about, so if anyone has any wisdom, feel free to shed some light on any of these:

1. Judging by the list above, is there anything that jumps out as, "He hasn't done X yet -- that's going to fail soon!"?

2. Does anyone know a source for OEM sport-package suspension components? Or should I get something else to replace mine? I'm currently on the original sport-package parts. They aren't unbearable, still fairly tight, but when I drive a new car I realize maybe I'm missing something

3. My auto-dimming mirrors don't seem to do "enough". Is this common? When I shine a flashlight into it, it turns very dark, but driving at night blinds me and they don't seem to tint as much.

4. The lower half of my engine block is somewhat oily. It loses about a quart per 3000 miles, but I've just been accepting it. Is there anything I should do about this? It also smells when idling faintly of oil.



Thanks in advance!

[SJorge3442]

2. Does anyone know a source for OEM sport-package suspension components? Or should I get something else to replace mine? I'm currently on the original sport-package parts. They aren't unbearable, still fairly tight, but when I drive a new car I realize maybe I'm missing something
I'd go with Koni-Yellows. Cheap-ish and give the same, if not better control of sport shocks. I went that route with my 3.0 and I've loved it.

3. My auto-dimming mirrors don't seem to do "enough". Is this common? When I shine a flashlight into it, it turns very dark, but driving at night blinds me and they don't seem to tint as much.
Adjust your rear view mirror differently. I move my mirror depending on day or night time driving in order to get the auto dim to work better. The sensor that tells the mirrors to dim is in the rear view so if its not positioned appropriately, it wont work how you'd like it to.

4. The lower half of my engine block is somewhat oily. It loses about a quart per 3000 miles, but I've just been accepting it. Is there anything I should do about this? It also smells when idling faintly of oil.
My guess would be a crank seal. Next time you need to do a timing belt, be sure to replace this seal.


My responses/thoughts in bold!

[eljay]

That's a pretty good record!

I am shocked (no pun intended!) that you are still on your original shocks at 220k. You must have smooth roads. :)
I agree with SJorge on Koni Yellows or for a bit more I'd recommend Koni FSD - fantastic shocks!

For the oil leak, see if you can clean the area as much as possible and observe where the leak is coming from. It could be the crank seal, but could be oil cooler or VCG (depending on how long ago you've replaced yours) etc.

[MacFady]

I see coolant flange/brake lines/tranny service on your list so presumably you've done a coolant/brake flush/tranny fluid. Other fluids jump out as not being on the list (diffs/PS), fuel filter. I would suggest transmission mounts. Surprised to not see a CV boot/axle or tie rods have not come up.
My 2 cents.

[Charles.waite]

I was going to suggest Bilsteins, but Koni Yellows or FSDs are perfectly good choices too. As far as refreshing the springs, I'm not sure what will really be the equivalent to the OEM sports. I would look for something that offers very little drop from sport and it should ride/handle well and not be too harsh.

Check out the Bilstein B-12 kit too. Its a matched shock and spring combo from Bilstein so its a quality setup for sure. I plan on throwing a set on my b7 at some point in the future.

[mdk]

Great - thank you everyone for the responses! I definitely don't want anything harsher than the OEM sport suspension (I must be getting old), so I appreciate these recommendations.

Adjust your rear view mirror differently

Interesting, I guess the sensor may be getting blocked; I'll look at this!

My guess would be a crank seal.

For the oil leak, see if you can clean the area as much as possible and observe where the leak is coming from. It could be the crank seal, but could be oil cooler or VCG (depending on how long ago you've replaced yours) etc.

Now that I think about it, it seems mostly on the intake side of the block, so maybe it is the cooler. It seems lower than the VC, but higher than the oil pan. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the crank seal would cause a leak on the front, not the side? I'll try to clean it a bit.

Other fluids jump out as not being on the list (diffs/PS), fuel filter. I would suggest transmission mounts. Surprised to not see a CV boot/axle or tie rods have not come up.
My 2 cents.

Yes, I worry about the diffs and the axels/CVs; perhaps the axels were touched by the previous owner but it's unlikely. I'll look into transmission mounts. I left out tie rods and fluid flushes, etc. but I've done those as well.