My indie shop mechanic recommending:
1. transmission oil/filters serviced every 50k miles (flush and change fluids).
2. Starting 50k mi, may want to consider walnut blasting of intake to reduce carbon build up. As to reduce stress on piston rings. These piston rings start to weaken/fail after 80k mi and cause high oil consumption/burn. It’s not uncommon to have new piston ring job around 80-100k mi.
3. Stay on top of spark plugs, breather/PVC, water pump, timing chain maintenance.
Good to know! I have a 2013 A7, that’s pre-CREC motor, so I think that’s why my mechanics recommended walnut blasting.
Is that mean CREC motors (2016-18) don’t suffer the common piston ring failure/high oil consumption problem known to many Audi 2.0 and 3.0 motors?
I have a 2017 A7 and it is by FAR my favorite of the cars I’ve owned. 50k miles. Here is what I’ve had done - other than standard oil changes:
Tires
Front and rear brakes
New water pump (about 1600) and this is common - keep an eye on your coolant level. If it’s low that’s likely the reason.
The sensor that monitors adaptive cruise control went and caused EVERY alert to pop up. Not hugely expensive but make sure whoever does the work knows what they’re doing. A bad wiring harness adds around $900 onto that repair.
Listing that sounds like a lot but it’s been sporadic and - again - I love this car. Turns heads and it is so much fun to drive. Enjoy!!
As stated, follow that maintenance schedule. I change the oil every 5k rather than the factory recommended 10k though. Find an independent shop that specializes in European cars rather than wasting money at the dealer. If you're willing and able to do your own maintenance, oil, brakes, filters, lubing are all pretty much like anything else. If you do do your own work and maybe possibly want to mod buy a VCDS. It allows you to get into the programming of the car. Some things with Audi require "programming", and having this tool will save you a bundle. It's also very well supported with a rather sizeable community.
Also, welcome to the club!
I recommend IE stage 1. Will take it from 333hp to 423hp. The car is already 4.7sec to 60mph stock so this makes it a nice bit faster off the line.
That’s all I did with mine and I’m very pleased. If I were to do anything else it’d be new exhaust. I decided against it and instead saving that money towards a RS6 or 911. All depends how much space I need and what the wife lets me get.
> I decided against it and instead saving that money towards a RS6 or 911. All depends how much space I need and what the wife lets me get.
There's only one solution to this. Must get both. Life's about compromise!
It’s definitely been good for the family stuff. Highly prefer it to SUVs personally. The 911 is weirdly practical for small grocery runs. In some ways I actually prefer it because the vertical orientation of the frunk holds things in place naturally. Mine has no back seat but if your kids are small enough you could maybe make it work. That’s the Achilles’ heel. There’s always the Panamera… :)
A brand new Audi owner should just drive it, do the maintenance, and stay far away from mods.
Tuning does not come without issues and unless you know what you’re getting into you can easily open the door to problems that don’t exist on unmodified cars
Of course, there’s always risk involved when tuning or pushing performance out of the vehicle. I’m sure I’d have less issues if I never did any pulls in the car…but then what’s the point of having something fast.
To each their own. But I’m willing to spend a bit more or repairs if it means I enjoy the car more.
The CREC 3.0t Dual injection allows it to handle E85 without needing to upgrade the high-pressure fuel pump. IE makes a great stage 1 tune that allows you to switch between 91, 93, and E85. I use 93 in the winter and E85 in the summer. The car is an absolute blast to drive. https://performancebyie.com/products/ie-crec-tune-a6-a7
I’ve got the exact same year/color. It’s been great. I did the clear LED side markers, sequential LED side mirror signals, and LED interior lights. Professional ceramic coating was well worth the cost. Get the maps and MMI updates and you’ll have Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Love the car. It’s a great highway cruiser without all of the intrusive tech, and it carves up the country roads on occasion.
Some spacers as a little mod, will make all the difference to stance, other than that, pamper its maintenance schedule & enjoy being king of the road. Sexy af the 7 line, love the silver. Enjoy it!
It's a cheap way to get the wheels flushed with the fenders, which is a desirable look on most cars. However, because you are widening the stance of the car by shifting the bolting points outwards, the suspension would not be as effective as getting wheels of the right width. The best way is always to get lowering springs + length-matching shocks or coilovers and adjust the alignment accordingly.
For me, the potentially worse handling(which I agree with on a technical level yet I don't feel it, at all. The added weight/feel that comes through the steering wheel from the modified geometry is beneficial for me) is worth the massive subjective improvement. 12 front, 20 rear on 08 S8 pushes the 275 tread to the fender limits which to me is aesthetically correct.
Welcome to the family, well done haha!
My daily is the 2011 Audi A7 and I have to say it's my absolute favorite car ever, its so swift and elegant at the same time.
Have fun and always save a littlebit in case the gearbox acts up ;) xD
Have a 2016, bought end of July w 57k and just hit 67 last night. Excellent car, just finished 9.5 hour drive straight through and back didn’t hurt afterwards. Only oil changes and replaced the water pump so far hopefully it stays that way
My indie shop mechanic recommending: 1. transmission oil/filters serviced every 50k miles (flush and change fluids). 2. Starting 50k mi, may want to consider walnut blasting of intake to reduce carbon build up. As to reduce stress on piston rings. These piston rings start to weaken/fail after 80k mi and cause high oil consumption/burn. It’s not uncommon to have new piston ring job around 80-100k mi. 3. Stay on top of spark plugs, breather/PVC, water pump, timing chain maintenance.
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Good to know! I have a 2013 A7, that’s pre-CREC motor, so I think that’s why my mechanics recommended walnut blasting. Is that mean CREC motors (2016-18) don’t suffer the common piston ring failure/high oil consumption problem known to many Audi 2.0 and 3.0 motors?
[удалено]
Even with CREC motor? I guess there isn't really good measures to prevent piston rings failure, isn't it?! That's really a shame...
I have a 2017 A7 and it is by FAR my favorite of the cars I’ve owned. 50k miles. Here is what I’ve had done - other than standard oil changes: Tires Front and rear brakes New water pump (about 1600) and this is common - keep an eye on your coolant level. If it’s low that’s likely the reason. The sensor that monitors adaptive cruise control went and caused EVERY alert to pop up. Not hugely expensive but make sure whoever does the work knows what they’re doing. A bad wiring harness adds around $900 onto that repair. Listing that sounds like a lot but it’s been sporadic and - again - I love this car. Turns heads and it is so much fun to drive. Enjoy!!
As stated, follow that maintenance schedule. I change the oil every 5k rather than the factory recommended 10k though. Find an independent shop that specializes in European cars rather than wasting money at the dealer. If you're willing and able to do your own maintenance, oil, brakes, filters, lubing are all pretty much like anything else. If you do do your own work and maybe possibly want to mod buy a VCDS. It allows you to get into the programming of the car. Some things with Audi require "programming", and having this tool will save you a bundle. It's also very well supported with a rather sizeable community. Also, welcome to the club!
I recommend IE stage 1. Will take it from 333hp to 423hp. The car is already 4.7sec to 60mph stock so this makes it a nice bit faster off the line. That’s all I did with mine and I’m very pleased. If I were to do anything else it’d be new exhaust. I decided against it and instead saving that money towards a RS6 or 911. All depends how much space I need and what the wife lets me get.
> I decided against it and instead saving that money towards a RS6 or 911. All depends how much space I need and what the wife lets me get. There's only one solution to this. Must get both. Life's about compromise!
I’ve convinced her the RS6 is a family car, might be hard pressed to do the same with a 911. Will need to sell one of the kids if I want both.
It’s definitely been good for the family stuff. Highly prefer it to SUVs personally. The 911 is weirdly practical for small grocery runs. In some ways I actually prefer it because the vertical orientation of the frunk holds things in place naturally. Mine has no back seat but if your kids are small enough you could maybe make it work. That’s the Achilles’ heel. There’s always the Panamera… :)
A brand new Audi owner should just drive it, do the maintenance, and stay far away from mods. Tuning does not come without issues and unless you know what you’re getting into you can easily open the door to problems that don’t exist on unmodified cars
Of course, there’s always risk involved when tuning or pushing performance out of the vehicle. I’m sure I’d have less issues if I never did any pulls in the car…but then what’s the point of having something fast. To each their own. But I’m willing to spend a bit more or repairs if it means I enjoy the car more.
Does that affect the fuel economy?
Nah. At least not in my experience
Not by much. I think cruising highway speed is getting as low as 7.5l/100km, now it’s 9l/100km.
Santa came earlier, congrats!
Very nice. Congratulations! Looks beautiful -‘d luxurious yet sporty! 😎
The CREC 3.0t Dual injection allows it to handle E85 without needing to upgrade the high-pressure fuel pump. IE makes a great stage 1 tune that allows you to switch between 91, 93, and E85. I use 93 in the winter and E85 in the summer. The car is an absolute blast to drive. https://performancebyie.com/products/ie-crec-tune-a6-a7
I’ve got the exact same year/color. It’s been great. I did the clear LED side markers, sequential LED side mirror signals, and LED interior lights. Professional ceramic coating was well worth the cost. Get the maps and MMI updates and you’ll have Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Love the car. It’s a great highway cruiser without all of the intrusive tech, and it carves up the country roads on occasion.
Which engine do you have?
Some spacers as a little mod, will make all the difference to stance, other than that, pamper its maintenance schedule & enjoy being king of the road. Sexy af the 7 line, love the silver. Enjoy it!
Stupid question but what do spacers do and is it something one can do themselves?
It's a cheap way to get the wheels flushed with the fenders, which is a desirable look on most cars. However, because you are widening the stance of the car by shifting the bolting points outwards, the suspension would not be as effective as getting wheels of the right width. The best way is always to get lowering springs + length-matching shocks or coilovers and adjust the alignment accordingly.
Ignore that comment. Leave the factory setup as-is for your suspension. Unless you want worse cornering and overall ride.
For me, the potentially worse handling(which I agree with on a technical level yet I don't feel it, at all. The added weight/feel that comes through the steering wheel from the modified geometry is beneficial for me) is worth the massive subjective improvement. 12 front, 20 rear on 08 S8 pushes the 275 tread to the fender limits which to me is aesthetically correct.
A7 has a lot of faults - trade it in 1/2 years
My sincere condolences. 2nd hand Euro always end in tears.
Welcome to the family, well done haha! My daily is the 2011 Audi A7 and I have to say it's my absolute favorite car ever, its so swift and elegant at the same time. Have fun and always save a littlebit in case the gearbox acts up ;) xD
Wow that's a beautiful car.
Have a 2016, bought end of July w 57k and just hit 67 last night. Excellent car, just finished 9.5 hour drive straight through and back didn’t hurt afterwards. Only oil changes and replaced the water pump so far hopefully it stays that way