Project Ocean Magic A6 TDi Quattro

Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 6:51 pm

Thought I would start this project, although it is probably a long running project as things will be done bit by bit!

I bought this car as a stop gap after selling my very nice RS4 (B5) to fund a house purchase. I had a very short time to buy something and I definately wanted an C4 A6 2.5TDi quattro.

Anyone looking for one of these will know they are not easy to find especially at short notice and even harder to find a good one.

I found the one I have now in Bristol and it is was good enough for me to get my money out and take a punt. I knew when I bought it there were a few issues, the most obvious being the brakes, discs and pads were shot.

I probably over paid for this one is retrospect, but my other half was getting very annoyed with me travelling to look at cars so my arm was forced and I took the leap.

Weirdly having got it back, my other half liked it! Bear in mind that when I brought the RS4 back it was greated with 'thats a boring old mans car' and inside she went. This one she likes...

The boy loves it too and he spent about 2 hours monkeying around inside it the day I got. It is a playground for small kids!

Anyhoo, wasnt planning on keeping it especially but to use it as a work horse.

One year on I am growing strangly attached to the car and having seen Jase's car on here it has encouraged me to spend some effort on it and helped me realise that spending money on a low value car is not necessarily a bad idea.

Just think I could loose £7k on a fiesta pretty quick...

Anyway some before pictures, the only thing I have done is remove the rear badges apart from the quattro badge.

Top tip to remove, is to get some pliers and very carefully grip and crush the badges and pull gently off, they come off in one go. Remove the main glue gently with a finger nail and then use intensive tar remover to get rid of the rest!

How do I load pictures? ... D'oh!

Car had 148k when I bought it, it now has 157k.

More to come, if someone can help with the pictures, it might make this thread a bit more interesting.

Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 8:45 pm

I will be adding some pictures when I can figure out how to embed them into the thread!

BTW the car is called Ocean Magic because of the sticker in the back window of the car when I bought it. Apparently it was used by a windsurfer or something similar and had been used to tow a boat as well.

The sticker is still there but will be coming off soon as I dont like stickers on the windows. The car will be forever more 'Ocean Magic' !

I have on my list of things to do:

Performance Mods:
PP502 Nozzles
Chip
Decat
Maybe airfilter

Styling Mods:
Replacing Alloys (more soon on this)
Respray
Interior re-trim
Roof bar removal
Tow Bar removal

Functional:
The car is now road worthy having spent a lot of money in the garage on it:

Two ABS Sensors and hubs
New brake discs and pads alround
New Fuel Belt
Confirmed cambelt and water pump changed at 136k, car had 149k on when checked. Paid the garage a couple of hours labour to strip everything and confirm it had been done. Oddly first cambelt change was done by Audi under warrenty at 67k when it had prematurely failed. Not sure what the damage was but all was repaired.

Two rear bushes, bloody expensive at £50 each, plus I need at least two more before next year.

Two oil changes in the last 8,000 miles which has improved the engine no end.

New Thermostat, needs new temp sender to be done shortyl which is also horrendously expensive. Rolling Eyes

Need peoples opinions on the respray:

Car is Pearl Blue and want to respray it probably in the same colour, would like a different colour, but this is going to be too costly me thinks.

Have though of maybe another blue so that the other bits won't contrast so much, if money no object probably would choose Nogaro Blue or an Audi Orange. Any one any ideas on this front?! Confused

I think I have found alloys, will post some more soon. Realised today that I dont have the locking wheel nut... Having had the car 1 year I have never seen the key so I guess I never had it. My garage have had the wheels off but guess they used their own tool or something to remove. Typical with locking wheel nuts, the only people who can't get them off are the owners!!!! Shocked

Am thinking of posting all costs up? Should I or should I keep my embarassment secret? Embarassed

Finally for today I have bought a private number plate. Nothing too gay imho, just wanted a five digit plate instead of the 7 digit essay I currently have. Plate should be on in a couple of weeks DVLA permitting!

Had a private plate on the RS4, but is on retention and as it is a 51 plate rego, it is no use on this car Sad

Okay thanks to Jase I think I have sorted images... lets see:

Front View

Back View

Current Alloys 16" not in very good condition

The 5 Pot! I need a new engine cover, mine is cracked from some ham fisted mechanic!

The inside: Plenty to do here, not least take all the rubbish out!! Embarassed

Thankyou white van man...

It's all okay!!! Really!

Nice and tidy far away view!

Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:55 am

Hi Richard,
Upload your pictures online somewhere, imageshack.us is a good one and a lot less hassle than photobucket.

Once the pic is uploaded, copy and paste the "direct" image code into your thread and surround it with the image tags,
Like this;

[img]picture url here[/img]

Don't forget the / in the last image tag.

Looking forward to the updates. What wheels have you picked then??

Jase..
Wink

Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 12:42 pm

Thanks for that! Getting there with the images, a it of trial and error going on, well some trial a lot of error!

Right the wheels, as you can see my current sport wheels are in a bad condition.

I have had a price to refurb them and that came in at £300!!! Umm.. Thinking cap went one, might be a bit much, so have found some other wheels to go on:

Yes these are 16"s which I have got for the following reasons:

They go straight on
They are real Audi ones
They came with the centre caps as well
They came with very good tyres all the same Pirelli P6000 with 4-5mm of tread.
The offset and stud pattern is the same as my others
I don't need to replace the suspension or fit lowering springs
They were only £150 with the tyres which I thought was bloody cheap.

Later on I might get bigger wheels when the suspension needs doing but for now I am hoping these will look good, they are certainly very clean and tidy.

Now to get a locking wheel nut from Audi... Evil or Very Mad

When cleaning them, I used Autoglym super resin polish and then sprayed and buffed them with Autoglym alloy wheel seal, which is a very good product indeed.

Site Moderator Joined: Aug 11, 2008 Posts: 1652

look good m8, be amazed the wheels you can pick up if you look round Very Happy

Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 1:28 pm

Hey mate, no need to replace suspension for larger wheels. Just get right offset and tyre size within a few % of original rolling circumference.
I only lowered mine cos of it's comedy ride height. Looked like a jacked up Landrover Laughing

Yours looks to sit way better as standard than mine did.
Probably cos it's a quattro.

Nice looking car mate. Loving the cream leather sports seats thumbright

Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 1:39 pm

I dare say I will be updating the wheels again in the future, but couldnt resist the quick fix option for the money!

Leather is in pretty good nick for a car this old, will be thinking what to do on this front, there are no tears or rips, just a bit of crinkling from age, even the drivers side bolster is pretty good.

Okay the sore point costs: I have decided to be open and honest about costs and post em all up. I know I could have already bought a decent (!?) car with the money I have spent, but that is not really the point!

I think it is important to post up costs as I will be getting others to do most of the work we shall see real world costs. I admire those who can do a lot themselves and hope to learn as I go, but at the moment changing the oil is about my limit.

Right:

Car cost £2,100 (Eep That is a lot, see first thread! Mileage 148k)
Last Year:
1st trip to garage £278.25 (Service and Front discs and pads)
2nd trip to garage £343.69 (Rear Discs and Pads, fuel belt, thermostat and checking of cambelt replacement.
3rd trip to garage £523.89 (New A/C Condensor and regass, aircon is ace now, speedsensor (1) wheel Hub)

This Year:
4th trip to garage £491.00 (Speedsensor (Other one!) indicator that had fallen off, 2 rear bushes & MOT)
Oil change and filter done by myself £45
New Alloys £150
New Rego plate coming soon!!

Quite a lot already, maybe I should stop now!!!!!

Site Moderator Joined: Aug 11, 2008 Posts: 1652

the costs you mention are just standard running costs that you'd probably be paying on most cars anyway so it's nothing to be shocked about, especially seeing as most of the work has been done by 'pros'

I'm in the same boat that i can't do that much myself, i can certainly rip stuff apart but i can't put it back together again so easily, that's where this lot on fans and AOC come into play Very Happy

then as well the reg is an asset that you can take with you when you get a replacement

Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:04 pm

Thanks for the encouragement that makes me feel better, you are right and my mechanic said the same, I could be spending a fortune on the car and even more looking after it. The tyres on the old car set me back £800 and that was a good deal!

BTW All work was done by a VAG specialist, not the cheapest but certainly very knowledgable and cheaper than Audi!

I am with you on the taking apart bit, I am going to try and learn and take my time which I think it is the most important bit and do things little by little planning in advance!

I am off to the technical thread I hear someone has made their leather seats look ace with some hard work! Now that is something I can do Wink

Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:53 pm

Dug out the options and code translation for the car, some of this doesn't make sense but I think that is normal!

Used the website:

http://igorweb.org/equidec/Default.aspx

The results for mine were: (Good for checking the original wheel size eta etc...

M6S = 4-cyl. turbo diesel engine 1.6 L/59 kW w/ load-contr. start of charging a. intercooler, base engine is T6C
X2B = National sales program Great Britain
B0A = Component parts set without country-specific design requirement
C1L = Cast alloy wheels 7J x 16 five-arm style, offset 45
G0L = 6-speed manual transmission for four-wheel drive vehicle
H6U = Tires 205/55 R16 91W
J1A = Battery 380 A (64 Ah)
M49 = 5-cyl. turbo diesel engine 2.5 L/103 kW with MVEG 2 base engine is T4E
Q1D = Sports front seats
1AH = Electronic differential lock (EDL)
1G7 = Space-saving spare wheel (radial tire)
2PV = Leather trimmed sports steering wheel
1N1 = Power steering
3AV = Right exterior mirror: aspherical, electrically adjustable and heated
3BF = Left exterior mirror: convex, electrically adjustable and heated
T4E = 5-cylinder diesel engine 2.5 L unit 046.B
3S2 = Black roof rails
4UE = Air bag for driver and front seat passenger
0G1 = Gearshift lever
8UB = Radio preparation
8GL = Alternator 120 A
8FA = Without second battery
8RN = 8 speakers (active)
1KD = Disc brakes, rear
1LB = Disc brakes, front
3FQ = Electric sliding/pop-up sun roof with automatic pre-selection
3YB = Door pockets, front
1BE = Sports suspension/shock absorption

Anyone any idea where I might find the leather/interior colour code?

Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 4:11 pm

Minor Update, have been to Audi and forgot to ask for prices on about half of the things I intended to... Must write a list!

Always feel uncomfortable in an Audi showroom for some reason, like I don't belong!

Anyhoo have ordered the locking wheel nut key £15, the last one in the country and they are no longer available. I think the master set for this year Audi is 32 pieces so other pieces might be available, but I was lucky and it has saved me getting a whole new bolt set.

Key hopefully arrives tomorrow and then I can get the wheels on and see what they are like...

Also ordered the rear valance ready for towbar removal £68 as Jase has noted in his thread.

For amusement a new engine cover is still available and is £75 approx. Leather gear gatier is about £65. (not ordered either)

Waiting for new number plates with new number and they will be on at the weekend, a friend has told me that my number plate is very valuable as it spells something - I didnt realise when I bought it! Think he might be talking gobble-de-gook, but it was weird to see it in the plate.

Have ordered Haynes manual and leather scuff kit for interior. Note on the Haynes manual, it does not cover V6 or quattro models, but I am thinking it will be useful for interior and other common things. £15 from Amazon. Scuff kit was £70. (1 litre)

Wife is away at the weekend, so am going to be starting the work!

Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 9:13 pm

Quick update, got the new wheels on today, wasn't sure about them and was starting to have doubts having seen the same wheels on some badly maintained A4's!

However once on they look good, mainly I think because they are nice and clean!

Some pictures:

Gave the car a bit of a clean up to help with the before and after shots!

Lesson learnt on using the crumby supplied car jack, don't! My car fell of the jack on the rear wheel due to the drive not being completely flat, wheel was on so no damage done, made me think that I should be more careful and got my axle stands out to support the car while wheels were off!

Did things in the proper order, loosen the nuts before jacking up etc, but all is one and fine. Will check nut tightness tomorrow.

Checked with Audi the cost of replacing the chrome window surrounds, the long top one is deleted and no longer available, the parts above each door are £114 each Shocked

and the little one at the back was about £80, so £600 for the lower bits alone!

I need new mirror glass, as mine are old and corroded, checked with Audi, don't worry I will learn one day, they are £36 for the passenger side £44 for the drivers side. Shocked

BTW New rego is on but I can t show you it here! Razz

Starting work on the interior soon!

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 7:53 am

looking good!

Jason had the same mis fortune with the crappy jacks- sooty had a go on his fingers with one.....

Engine cover/ other bits- contact Mark through www.classicvag.co.uk I think they have a 2.5tdi Avant they're breaking- best to give him a call, though.

Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:17 pm

Quick update, not a lot happening, discovered I might have a rev counter issue detailed in the model forum...

Still waiting for leather repair kit to turn up, its been two weeks since despatch but apparantly I have to wait at least 21 days before I can I can go back to supplier Sad

Supplier is a miserable git so should be interesting to see how they handle it if the kit doesn't turn up, been painful as the entire rear is now out of the car and in my house, but it looks like I am going to have to put it back in until the kit turns up... Evil or Very Mad

I have removed the tow bar, I will up load some pictures soon. I have new valance from Audi ready to go on, but I need to fix the bumper a bit first.

I also found a new front grill for £32 including rings and surround.

I need four wheel alignment doing, but am waiting until I get all the suspension bushes done as I think these are affecting it.

Anyone know a good place to go in the south? I know it is going to cost a fair bit say £100+ to get it done properly but I need to go to someone who can actually do it and replace and seized bits on the way.

Got a quote for a respray, I have obviously vastly underestimated the cost here and I am not sure even I can justify it on this car which is very very disappointing as I was hoping to sort that out, it looks like I would be mad to pay the money required.

Maybe do it myself, but I think I might be in for a whole world of pain there which is a shame as I would like to get Ocean Magic looking extra good again.

Bits I need:

2.5tdi engine cover in very good condition - Audi want £60 which is a bit much for a non functional item.

Parcel shelf Side mounts
Parcel Shelf

Audi Mats - do Audi still do em for this car anyone know, not sure I feel comfortable enough going back to Audi to ask!!!

S6 Reflector, may have found one in Germany so will see.

Will be tackling the sound system at some point, have been looking at Blaupunkt plug and play amp with up rated speakers and flat sub. Looks good and will enable me to keep the decent standard head unit, but again is costly. Upside is it is apparantly easy to remove.

Double plus, is that I have some PP502s! I need someone to fit any ideas? If I do it myself will I need to look at the ECU settings if any one knows?

Have a chip coming too, so would like these combined, I have some bribes for anyone able to help me!!!!!

Bladerunner is making progress with his decat mods, so hopefully he will succeed and be able to offer this to others.

Those three will probably be all the mods I will do performance wise the rest to be cosmetic.

Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 10:28 pm

All performance mods have now been done in one hit! Shocked

Managed to get up and see Mr Bladerunner with a good list of jobs for a days work:

Check current health of my A6 2.5TDi quattro
Decat exhaust and inspect condition of cat once removed
Retro fit cruise control
Fit with chips
Fit PP502 injector nozzles

Firstly I chose to see Mr Bladerunner as he is well known for being an expert on these cars and has already been recommended to me.
The journey was a long one for me but I was sure it would be well worth the 420 mile round trip. I set off early and arrived at just off J29 on the M1 around 9:00.

First thing I noticed was Mr Bladerunner’s very very nice A6 2.5TDi which I spent much time admiring whilst he was busy on mine. It is in excellent condition and very very neat and tidy. Never knew that the S6 had wider front wings until I saw My Bladerunners! Very nice indeed! I wish my paintwork and bodywork was as nice. Loved the exhaust pipe mod on the car! Cool

Anyhoo, off to work on mine and the first thing to check was that my mine was in good order. Seems everything was in order and nothing much to note other than a few alarm codes and a central locking fault which wasn’t too surprising.

Mr Bladerunner started with the decat pipe, as mine is a quattro it has two small cats as the downpipe splits into two. The bolts were pretty much rusted on and there was a lot of work involved in removing the cats. Eventually they came off and as predicted (by Mr Bladerunner) the left side cat was pretty much blocked and the right side cat was not too bad but still pretty sooty.

New decat pipe went on and we went out to test the results. There was a nice black cloud as the exhaust pipes dislodged stuck deposits luckily the VOSA van was in front of us and not behind!! (Seriously! Shocked

) It was immediately apparent that performance was up and pickup was better with the car getting a move on from lower down the rev range.

Mr Bladerunner took some logs on the computer and it seems the car is running well with good boost allround.

The next job up was the cruise control and the chips. As the ECU was coming out for the cruise control harness it made sense to drop the chips in.

There is a full write up of the retro fit cruise control and Mr Bladerunner is clearly an expert in fitting this and once fitted it is as though it has always been there from the factory as it is done using original parts and hooking into the ECU that has the necessary controls to operate.
I was thoroughly impressed with Mr Bladerunners approach to this (and everything else) in that he worked very neatly and methodically checking everything as he went. Top job allround.

Out for another test drive to test the cruise and the chips again the car is up in the performance stakes is a lot more eager and keen to get moving. The cruise is simply ace and a really good smooth system that I will be using a lot.

Final job is the injectors and we are a bit into the unknown as to the effect of these. The injectors are Bozio PP502’s basically bigger nozzles and Mr Bladerunner fitted them again utterly professionally and with care and attention to detail, he even fixed my bonnet catch whilst doing it!
The car took a little time to fire up and we adjusted the IQ settings as much as we could to balance out injector shudder from the bigger nozzles and went for a test drive.

I think we both commented at the same time that it now ‘goes like a train’ and it certainly does. It is really eager now and pulls very hard past the redline. The car is a really nice drive now and picks up from as little as 1,100rpm with it getting going properly from about 1,600rpm. In fact you can get a wriggle on without going past 3,000rpm.

I am doing some more testing on the performance and will be posting up some comparision videos soon to prove it is not a placebo – this thing really goes now.

There remains a little bit of injector shudder which I experienced in 6th gear a few times and at idle, but very little. I need to tweak the IQ setting and am investigating the hammer mod. It isn’t far out so am hopeful I can do the final tweak to get it perfect, it is bloody good now though.

Overall I am extremely pleased with the enhancements and must give a big thankyou to Mr Bladerunner who is excellent, thoroughly professional and very reasonably priced. It was well worth the trip and will be hoping that I can get some more work done. Mr Bladerunner even found a spare engine cover to replace my broken one!

Mr Bladerunner worked very hard from 9 in the morning until past 7 in the evening! Mr Bladerunner checked the condition of my cambelt and gave me many helpful hints and tips which I will be following up on.

It is worth the trip just to have a gawk at his A6! Cool

Many thanks and a big thumbs up and recommendation from me, I hope to be back for some more!

Applause

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 8:23 pm

Some videos, due to the rev counter issue I don't have many comparable videos but I have one:

Unmodified, 4th gear from 3,000 rpm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaBhjBQhbrA

Modified, 4th gear from 3,000 rpm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEnB2dVKVxY

The difference speaks for itself, I am going to try and get some better modified videos soon...

Cool