Unicorn Rescue! - My B6 Avant Ultrasport

[eljay]

Changed all my wiper blades today:
2x Valeo 22" aero in front and a Bosch 13" aero in the rear for the Q5 rear wiper arm.

[eljay]

My hood had some chips that started to rust, so I found a hood that is in much better shape and swapped it.

Before:


After:



Changing the hood is very simple. I strongly advise to have a helper for two reasons:
- to make it a 15-minute job
- to eliminate the possibility of the hood sliding during removal and taking out your windshield!

1. Open the hood (duh!)
2. Place some rags between the corners of the hood and the windshield to prevent accidental damage.

Before continuing NOTE the position of the hood on both sides. The hood has horizontal and vertical notch guides shown with red arrows below. Take pictures of each side as you will want to place the new hood in the same spots on both sides.

3. Unclip both windshield washer nozzles from the hood. (no picture) They have 4 clips and can be just pried out with a plastic trim tool. Unclip the harness to the heated nozzle if equipped and unclip the washer fluid hose and remove the nozzles.
4. Remove the plastic trim holding the washer line in the driver's side corner of the hood. Lift the pointy end (horizontal yellow arrow), then pull the whole trim towards the front and slide it upwards to release it. Set it the trim aside.


5. Remove the foamy piece (orange arrow).
6. Pull the washer hose out of the hood and set down on the battery cover trim. Be careful not to bend the hose a lot! Our cars are old and plastic is brittle. You don't want to have a washer fluid leak in the hood later.
7. The hood is held by 4 nuts (2 on each hinge shown in yellow bellow) and the hood strut.


8. Loosen, but do not remove the 4 nuts.
9. Have your assistant hold the hood from driver's side with one hand near the hood strut connection and one on the corner.
10. Remove the hood strut by prying up on the spring clip and slide the strut end from the ball on the hood. At this point, your assistant will be holding the whole hood's weight! It's not too heavy, but not light either.
11. Remove nuts on the driver's side and then on passenger side hinges.
12. Lift the hood up and away from the windshield!


Installation is the reverse of these steps. However, you will need to align the hood properly, so follow these tips. You did take a picture of the hood placement on the hinges in step 2 above, right?!
With the help of your assistant install the hood and position it according to the marks from the old hood.
Before you close it fully the first time, make sure that it is not too low as the leading edges around the grill can destroy your headlights. To lift the front of the hood, turn the rubber front support "bolts" to raise or lower the front of the hood as needed. Close the hood and check all gaps and re-adjust as needed.

Enjoy!

[eljay]

So, this just happened!

[fR3ZNO]

You're almost at 200k miles!

[eljay]

You're almost at 200k miles!

Haha. Good ad!

[jhjeff]

Wow, thanks u for the super informative thread on all you've done!!

Great looking Avant USP!!

[eljay]

Wow, thanks u for the super informative thread on all you've done!!

Great looking Avant USP!!

Thank you very much.

[eljay]

Washed and waxed the Avant today.




When changing to summer wheels/tires a few weeks ago, I thought that the tread is quite worn given that I only had them on 2 summers. So, today I decided to measure the tread. All of the tires are around 5.5-6/32". I was shocked as that's ~50% wear. So, I looked at my maintenance records where I keep exact log when I switch winter/summer wheels and saw that we only drove 12,000 km on these tires! I installed them at 281,000 kms and today have 303,000 on the car and that includes running dedicated winters Dec-Apr.
The tread is worn evenly across each tire, so I know it's not an alignment issue. They are guaranteed for 80,000 kms, but at this rate, they will be done next summer at around 25,000 kms. If/when that happens, I'll be making a claim and see what they say as I change my own wheels, so don't have proof of not driving on them in the winter. Heck, even if they take straight car mileage, they are worn too much.
So, yes, great tires and love them in the rain, but this wear rate is unacceptable. The tires are 235/40R18 Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus.

[projectvoltron]

Dang!

This has been a sweet rescue!


As far as tires, a lot of tire shops will pro-rate the tire out for how many miles you have put on them and how much they are warrantied to. Most tires will not even make it close to the stated mile expectancy. Its just a way to get a customer into their tires and hopefully keep them by prorating them out.

[eljay]

Dang!

This has been a sweet rescue!


As far as tires, a lot of tire shops will pro-rate the tire out for how many miles you have put on them and how much they are warrantied to. Most tires will not even make it close to the stated mile expectancy. Its just a way to get a customer into their tires and hopefully keep them by prorating them out.

Yep, I can see how this scheme can work out for the manufacturers: we'll give customers 25-50% off their next set of tires and we'll keep them for life.

[eljay]

I knew I had a leak at the turbo gasket and I finally got around to it today and replaced the gasket. As you can see, it was much needed!

[ewmin3m]

Great write up @eljay people like you are what makes these forums legit :)

I'm currently on the lookout for info on what I should check for an 03 6spd manual a4 avant 1.8t. I'll be going for a viewing this weekend. (155k km for 4000CAD, seems too good to be true?)
If you know of any stickies for the 1.8t it'd be great to check them out.

Keep up the good work and I can't wait to see some more updates on this car.

[eljay]

Great write up @eljay people like you are what makes these forums legit :)

I'm currently on the lookout for info on what I should check for an 03 6spd manual a4 avant 1.8t. I'll be going for a viewing this weekend. (155k km for 4000CAD, seems too good to be true?)
If you know of any stickies for the 1.8t it'd be great to check them out.

Keep up the good work and I can't wait to see some more updates on this car.

Well, thank you very much. This forum is great and I learn from others who have put in many hours answering others' questions.
I don't have a specific sticky, but you should approach it like buying any other car.
Your candidate sounds like a nice find with low mileage. However, age will be a factor in upcoming maintenance unless some items have been addressed recently.
For example, look for service records on timing belt service including water pump, accessory belt, tensioner. See if the control arms have been replaced, check shocks all around. Those would be the big maintenance items. Even if they are not done, it's not a bad car, but count on doing those services very soon. Then look for signs of rust under the fender arches and door blades.
Other B6 specific things that will likely come up are broken armrest cover, broken glovebox hinges, rear wiper seized. Small annoyances, really. Check the functionality of ALL electronic stuff, lower/raise all windows, check lights, seat movements etc.
For the rest, I would recommend getting a shop to look over the car. I'd do it even for a cheap car as you will know either that you are getting a great bargain, or you'll know what's wrong, or you'll know what's coming up to do in the next few months. Then you can decide/negotiate the deal.

Then look through my thread and know what awaits you after another 150k of ownership!

Feel free to PM me any questions or ask here. I'm not an expert; I just know where to find answers.
Good luck and I hope to see a post of your new ride soon!

[ewmin3m]

Thanks a bunch for all the info :-) I'll keep it in mind.

I think the CL post was a dud though. Emailed the guy twice and no reply...
Seems like too good of a deal for it to stay there for so long.

I wish he'd take the add down to not get people worked up when coming across them :P

Looking forward to more updates on your builds.
Hopefully once you're done you'll do a summary post too :)

[eljay]

Well, calling this a build is a stretch and giving me too much credit. Haha

Haven't done much lately besides changing burnt out city bulbs. It's nice not to have the two beeps and messages each time I start it. :)

Oh and I painted a spare valve cover I have, so now I need to swap it.

[eljay]

Well, it's back to school time! Back to Audi University that is. And the tuition is high!

The car has developed a small oil leak, which I traced to the valve cover gasket. It leaked a bit and consumed oil as a result. The gasket I used was Victor Reinz. It lasted about 20k kms. Not very impressive.
Then I noticed that my coolant level was low. Fearing the worst, I looked around the bay and spotted dried coolant at the rear. Yep, the rear coolant flange was calling again!
It was replaced twice in my ownership already. The last time was with a Vaico brand that a shop installed. That lasted around 20k kms too.
So, it was time to address things.

I first washed the engine bay as it was need, plus I wanted to do a couple of other things "while in there" and didn't want to do it with crud around.
Hard to tell, but a little cleaner than before:




Well, I went after those two things and removed valve cover. Since I had a slight rattle, I bought replacement pad for the cam chain adjuster. This was going to be my first time trying to mess with the cams, so I was very nervous.
I figured, I would do that first as removing the CCA would give me better access to the rear coolant flange.

The valvetrain looks pretty decent for 306,000 km, methinks!


I did not put engine to TDC, but marked the chain and sprockets and lifted the intake cam and got the CCA out. I then noticed that the cam seal grooves looked a bit depressed and I don't think I'd get a good reseal. I remembered I had one from my timing belt kit, so I decided to replace it. I used an OEM with the inner spring and I just lightly lubricated the inner lip and it went on easily. It did feel a little loose, so I was worried, but once you install the valve cover, it compresses everything nicely for a good seal. Make sure you don't lubricate the outer part or the seating area.


I confirmed that the CCA pads did have some grooves in them. New pads went on and I cleaned the CCA a bit too and cleaned the oil screen although it was in good shape.


When I re-installed the CCA and removed the tool, the CCA did not extend fully up, so I panicked a bit thinking I messed something up. However, since I had the CCA out of the car for a couple of days, quite a bit of oil leaked out of it and that changes the hydraulic pressure on the piston, so naturally it looses a bit of resistance. I just had to be sure that the timing chain did not move off its position and all was well.
Special thanks to @old guy and @f3RZNO for assuring me of proper steps to confirm timing etc.!

Some tips: if you had the intake camshaft off the valvetrain for a some time like I did (about 2 days), after re-installing it, do not start the car right away. Give it a few hours or overnight to let the valves settle back in. Also, pour some fresh oil on the moving surfaces before you re-install the bearing caps. The recommend pattern of tightening is to tighten #2 and #4 and then #3 and #5. Of course, tighten each gradually in a star pattern.

Onto the rear flange, which was a quick affair since I don't have SAI and EGR anymore.

The previous owners or one of their mechanics managed to bugger up the threads on one of the studs over the exhaust manifold. So, I fixed it with a thread repair kit and installed a new stud. That should also help ensure proper seal and no leaks from the gasket.

I picked up a spare valve cover some time ago and cleaned it up and sprayed wrinkle black, which adds a nice touch to the engine bay. The poor car deserves some sparkle for enduring all the maintenance stress!
Installed new gaskets, some RTV in recommended places and then closed up the valve cover and moved on to replacing the injector cups.

[eljay]

After pulling the injector rail, I taped the openings with masking tape to ensure no crud falls into the engine while I remove the manifold. I decide to remove it as I expected difficulty removing the cups and I wanted to give it a good cleaning.


As you can see, it was needed!

After soaking the cups over night in penetrating oil, three cups came out by using my 19mm hex socket. The proper socket is 20mm, but I couldn't find one. The last cup broke into pieces and I had to chip away at it with a pick.
I then discovered more nice surprises from whoever worked on these before: some scredriver marks on the threads! Someone before me tried to remove the previous cups, I guess.


Now, that's better!


Due to some of the damaged threads, I applied some Permatex PTFE thread sealant to ensure no leaks. It also helped with installation as the new cups went on smoothly, but firmly.

Meanwhile, I cleaned the throttle body.
Before:



After...



I then replaced the top and bottom o-rings on my Siemens 630cc injectors and cleaned them off with a sensor cleaner. The kit came with a tip to roll the o-rings onto the injector without risking damage to the injector.


Tip: when you roll the o-ring over that tip, it twists a bit as it rolls. As a result when it slides onto the injector it feels loose. However, just wait about a minute and it "springs" back into proper shape and then it won't turn freely in the groove. I just wanted to add that as I thought I got the wrong size o-rings at first.

After a good cleaning of the surfaces with shop vac running to ensure no dust gets into the engine, the manifold went back on with a new gasket as a well as new throttle body gasket. I used Fel-Pro for those.

FYI, all the various bolts that go into aluminum head or surface are 10 Nm or 7 ft-lbs.

The injector area after the re-assembly:

[eljay]

I also replaced the air filter and cabin filter. I think it was time:


During this service, I noticed that the bracket, which holds the fuel line broke off.

Since I didn't want to risk losing the car to a fire like another member of the board did, I removed the bracket for now until I find a replacement. I'm not sure I even need one as the fuel hose sits there freely without stress.


Refilled fresh G13 coolant, Rotella T6 5w40 oil and the large Mann W940/5 filter and buttoned everything up.
Before starting the car, I turned the key to on position and let it sit there for a good minute to let the throttle body adapt again and let the fuel pump fill the empty fuel rail.
I then anxiously started the car.... After a few seconds of rattle as the CCA built up oil pressure, the engine settled into the usual idle! Phew! No CELs, no issues after a test drive.

Before

and after:


Like nothing ever happened!

The end of another chapter in my B6 ownership.

[fR3ZNO]

Glad to help! Awesome work, man.

I’ve got some injector cups and o rings to replace on my manifold too... really want to swap in a powdercoated or painted one.

Not sure what brand coolant flange you went with but I would recommend the Genuine VAG one, it’s only $20~ on ECS. Imo the original lasted 150k miles and the replacement should last just as long.

Someone had an issue with the broken fuel line bracket?

[eljay]

Glad to help! Awesome work, man.

I’ve got some injector cups and o rings to replace on my manifold too... really want to swap in a powdercoated or painted one.

Not sure what brand coolant flange you went with but I would recommend the Genuine VAG one, it’s only $20~ on ECS. Imo the original lasted 150k miles and the replacement should last just as long.

Someone had an issue with the broken fuel line bracket?

Thanks!
I went with Gates brand for the flange this time. Vaico wasn't my choice before. I know Gates is likely same China stuff, but it was cheap and available. I should have waited for OEM one given the diwntime I had anyway. Let's see how I make out with this one.

Regarding that bracket, here's one thread:
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=741240

Someone there mentions that there was a TSB to have it removed altogether. That makes sense to me as over time, it will keep rubbing against that bracket from engine vibrations even if the bracket was intact.
The hose looks OK so far. Maybe I should put it on the list for the future or find a V8 swap first.

I've read somewhere that coating the manifold reduces its heat transfer capacity, so it retains more heat. Same is true with smoothing/polishing it. It's probably negligible for our street cars anyways, so go for it.

[fR3ZNO]

Thanks!
I went with Gates brand for the flange this time. Vaico wasn't my choice before. I know Gates is likely same China stuff, but it was cheap and available. I should have waited for OEM one given the diwntime I had anyway. Let's see how I make out with this one.

Regarding that bracket, here's one thread:
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=741240

Someone there mentions that there was a TSB to have it removed altogether. That makes sense to me as over time, it will keep rubbing against that bracket from engine vibrations even if the bracket was intact.
The hose looks OK so far. Maybe I should put it on the list for the future or find a V8 swap first.

I've read somewhere that coating the manifold reduces its heat transfer capacity, so it retains more heat. Same is true with smoothing/polishing it. It's probably negligible for our street cars anyways, so go for it.

Fair enough, I've been lucky that my dealer has them in stock for not much more than ECS before shipping.

Interesting read on the bracket, it makes sense just never really thought it could rub completely through. Normally I just throw a zip tie around the fuel line so it sits in the bracket like it's supposed to. A v8 swap would definitely fix that problem altogether though.

Oh yeah, I'm aware of the diminished heat transfer, the coating acts as an insulator and affects convective/radiant heat transfer. (I'm a Mech. E) But like you said it's likely negligible, but another way to prevent heatsoak would be to do the phenolic spacer from 034 or new south power gasket. Since that would inhibit heat transfer from the head to manifold via conduction, which is likely the main source of heat soak for the manifold.

[eljay]

Fair enough, I've been lucky that my dealer has them in stock for not much more than ECS before shipping.

Interesting read on the bracket, it makes sense just never really thought it could rub completely through. Normally I just throw a zip tie around the fuel line so it sits in the bracket like it's supposed to. A v8 swap would definitely fix that problem altogether though.

Oh yeah, I'm aware of the diminished heat transfer, the coating acts as an insulator and affects convective/radiant heat transfer. (I'm a Mech. E) But like you said it's likely negligible, but another way to prevent heatsoak would be to do the phenolic spacer from 034 or new south power gasket. Since that would inhibit heat transfer from the head to manifold via conduction, which is likely the main source of heat soak for the manifold.

You've got it covered then!

The Fel-Pro gasket, I noticed, is one of those thicker ones. Certainly, not a phenolic spacer, but I wonder if it has some heat transfer resistance qualities in that material vs the OEM metal one.

But I'm not too worried about that.

I found a 3.0L driver's side engine cover, so I'd like to put that one on once I trum it aroubd the hoses. Ideally, I'd get a 3.0L coolant reservoir as it has a mounting point for it, but I'm just too lazy to be messing with coolant again, so I'll see if I can mount the cover anyway.

[fR3ZNO]

You've got it covered then!

The Fel-Pro gasket, I noticed, is one of those thicker ones. Certainly, not a phenolic spacer, but I wonder if it has some heat transfer resistance qualities in that material vs the OEM metal one.

But I'm not too worried about that.

I found a 3.0L driver's side engine cover, so I'd like to put that one on once I trum it aroubd the hoses. Ideally, I'd get a 3.0L coolant reservoir as it has a mounting point for it, but I'm just too lazy to be messing with coolant again, so I'll see if I can mount the cover anyway.

I guess so

I suppose the FelPro one could make a difference, depends on how thick it is compared to the New South one, since that one is supposed to make a noticeable difference in heatsoak.

Funny you bring that up... I just went through that a few months ago. I bought a 3.0 engine cover used and the PO had made some bracket that bolted into the rad support using one of the bolts for the fan control module (i think that's what it was). Anway, got tired of having to unbolt it every time I needed to do something in the engine bay, so researched how it mounts the OEM way.

Found a few threads where S4 guys posted the part numbers to mount that cover as well. I guess B7 S4's didn't come with from the factory, but B6 ones did? Anyway, the 3.0 cover is nearly identical and mounts the same way. I considered getting a S4 or 3.0 coolant tank for the extra mounting tab, but ended up just using the riveted bracket and the spacer that connects to the washer res. I also 3D printed the metal spacer, since it is like $20 or something ridiculous from Audi.

Clicky Click

Click Click 2

Clicky Click 3

Clicky Click 4

[eljay]

Not much of an update lately. I will be putting in a new battery soon and new summer tires.
Besides that, I am seriously thinking of stopping the progress on this Avant and start hunting for a B8 Avant and plan on doing a manual swap as we are a three-pedal family.

The question is whether I should try to sell the car as whole or part it out. Financially, I would be better off parting it, I think and then have more $ to put towards a nicer B8.

I keep wrestling with this, but I think I would enjoy a simple Stage 1 B8 with a manual tranny and I realize that CPMA swap will have to be in any B8 owner's future.

Thoughts anyone?

[eljay]

A new battery is in! Runs well like it did before.
It's time for new summer tires!

[AvantNoir]

A new battery is in! Runs well like it did before.
It's time for new summer tires!

Glad to see you're keeping it. I was on the fence with mine, as I need to drop the oil pan and replace the windage tray, but decided to keep fighting.

[eljay]

Glad to see you're keeping it. I was on the fence with mine, as I need to drop the oil pan and replace the windage tray, but decided to keep fighting.

Well, I'm still on the fence and I may put out a feeler ad to see if I can be pushed off it one way or another. :)
If I keep it, I want to put a V8 in it or I'll sell everything and start over in a B8 platform.

[eljay]

OK, I'm putting it up for sale. Let's see what happens.
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...ltrasport-GTRS

[MacFady]

Maybe I missed it, but is this a US Avant or did you pick up a US USP rear valence? The Canadian USPs came with the regular Avant rear valance due to collision requirements, my 05 had the regular avant rear bumper.

[eljay]

Maybe I missed it, but it's this a US Avant or did you pick up a US USP rear valence? The Canadian USPs came with the regular Avant rear valance due to collision requirements, my 05 had the regular avant rear bumper.

Yep, it was originally a US car, imported to Canada back in 2007 and spent most of its life in Ontario before I brought it to Nova Scotia in 2015.

[Nollywood]

Go V8, Eljay. You know it makes sense!

[eljay]

Go V8, Eljay. You know it makes sense!

Stop it! I cannot take peer pressure from Mr. V8 himself! :)

Someone buy this quick before Nollywood posts a few more times and sucks me into the 077 universe!

[eljay]

OK, boys and girls...
The Unicorn has left for its new home today. It was/is a bitter sweet moment.
Both my wife and I loved this car.

Thank you for all the help on this journey.

So for now, it's goodbye, but I will be back with another Audi as wifey likes the four rings. :)

P.S. Any leads for a nice B8 Avant or Allroad in Canada would be appreciated.

[kofeebroun]

Dang it! Came across your thread at the end of it all... Thanks for sharing your journey w/ us in this unicorn. Take a look at this thread here as new Avants are always posted so you might get lucky again. https://www.audizine.com/forum/forum...86-Avants-Only