C6 A6 Avant Rust?
Discussion
I'm on the look out for something to replace my faithful E39 Touring, and C6's have caught my eye.
Went to have a nosey at one this afternoon (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163067014664), and was really surprised to find a decent amount of rust/bubbly paint around the bottom of the drivers side doors and door shuts. The chap there told me they all do this, and I'd be hard pressed to find any that aren't rusted in a similar manner.
This is the first car I'd actually been to look at, and now I'm wondering if they're rusty things or this was a one off and I should continue with my search.
I'd done a decent amount of research before travelling an hour to look at this one, and not once had rust been mentioned as something to look out for.
Cheers
Went to have a nosey at one this afternoon (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163067014664), and was really surprised to find a decent amount of rust/bubbly paint around the bottom of the drivers side doors and door shuts. The chap there told me they all do this, and I'd be hard pressed to find any that aren't rusted in a similar manner.
This is the first car I'd actually been to look at, and now I'm wondering if they're rusty things or this was a one off and I should continue with my search.
I'd done a decent amount of research before travelling an hour to look at this one, and not once had rust been mentioned as something to look out for.
Cheers
Not something I heard of when I researched my purchase and my 2010 is fine. Only rust issue I have seen is the gas struts on the boot starting to bubble.
Sounds like paint damage was not repaired and left to go bad.
Obviously the front wings and bonnet are aluminum so you would never see rust on those.
Sounds like paint damage was not repaired and left to go bad.
Obviously the front wings and bonnet are aluminum so you would never see rust on those.
Edited by dogbucket on Monday 30th July 08:16
We bought a 58 plate at 32,000 and ran it to 120,000 - no noticeable signs of rust anywhere. And from the research I did before buying not something that I ever heard mentioned.
The things we got told to look out for were front wheel bearings and the rear wash-wipe leaking.
Check under the spare wheel for damp as a leaking washer can lead to getting water in the electrics as the battery sits in the rear right next to where it leaks.
And also check to make sure the spare wheel is the correct wheel - some devious git had replaced the 19" spare on ours with an 18" wheel and tyre combo. Pretty sure it's the dealer doing it - getting 4x A6 Le Mans cars through their workshop and removing the unused spares and replacing them with cheap non-OEM wheels, then selling them on as new.
The things we got told to look out for were front wheel bearings and the rear wash-wipe leaking.
Check under the spare wheel for damp as a leaking washer can lead to getting water in the electrics as the battery sits in the rear right next to where it leaks.
And also check to make sure the spare wheel is the correct wheel - some devious git had replaced the 19" spare on ours with an 18" wheel and tyre combo. Pretty sure it's the dealer doing it - getting 4x A6 Le Mans cars through their workshop and removing the unused spares and replacing them with cheap non-OEM wheels, then selling them on as new.
Our 59 Plate C6 Saloon has no rust. But, I will add that I feel the overall paint quality isn't that good on these Audi's. The lacquer on our A6 gets damaged too easily, one bird crap is enough for marks to be left that require T-Cut, even after cleaning it promptly. The X5 has never had this issue. If that is what the clear coat quality is then I don't know what the base coat is like.
That to me suggests a paint repair in the past rather than poor factory quality, having had/driven/sold hundreds of C6s paint finish isn't an issue. I've even seen a good few where careless owners have scrubbed hard at bird mess and badly scratched the paint; even those have come back good with proper polishing.
The only place it is an issue is the back of the front wheel arches on cars with large wheels, they can chip up excessively here.
Audi's factory finish is generally to a standard that any poor repairs are particularly easy to see.
The only place it is an issue is the back of the front wheel arches on cars with large wheels, they can chip up excessively here.
Audi's factory finish is generally to a standard that any poor repairs are particularly easy to see.
Dr G said:
That to me suggests a paint repair in the past rather than poor factory quality, having had/driven/sold hundreds of C6s paint finish isn't an issue. I've even seen a good few where careless owners have scrubbed hard at bird mess and badly scratched the paint; even those have come back good with proper polishing.
The only place it is an issue is the back of the front wheel arches on cars with large wheels, they can chip up excessively here.
Audi's factory finish is generally to a standard that any poor repairs are particularly easy to see.
Hmm. You may be right here as I have been able to remove it with a good polish. I just found that Audi's required polishing to remove the turd and BMW's required simply some water to wash it off and a tissue. But, there has been no paint repairs at all on the car, if anything it needs some dents taken out and some scratches. The only place it is an issue is the back of the front wheel arches on cars with large wheels, they can chip up excessively here.
Audi's factory finish is generally to a standard that any poor repairs are particularly easy to see.
Dr G said:
The only place it is an issue is the back of the front wheel arches on cars with large wheels, they can chip up excessively here.
That's exactly what I had on mine when I bought it, front edge of sills and edge of arches. Rusty door bottoms and such is not common.This bit,
"a decent amount of rust/bubbly paint around the bottom of the drivers side doors and door shuts"
Suggests that side's had a whack at some point.
Edited by shtu on Wednesday 1st August 12:02
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