Finally got an allroad (longish ramble)
03-28-2007, 11:52 PM
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Finally got an allroad (longish ramble)
I've been lurking for a while - excellent forum with lots of activity, the allroad forums in the UK are ghost towns in comparison. Wanted to share my experience of my newish allroad. For me the allroad was a scratch that demanded itching - I've wanted one for years - love the 'Tonka Toy' looks and scoured the Audi approved used cars for just the right spec. I'm not an audi newb by any means as had A6s since 1998 - 1.8t Avant, 1.8t saloon then most recently 2.5TDI avant quattro sport manual - great car.
Finally found a well specced allroad in late January - 2.5TDI (lusted after the 2.7T but with its mpg and petrol nearing £1/litre over here you see few around)anyway I knew the 2.5TDI was a good torquey engine although low down pull-away torque was not its strong point.
Anyway found and haggled a good deal on a 2004 allroad (Jan always a good time to buy from dealers) a cosmic blue 2.5TDI with tip, and tip controls on wheel, leather, sat nav+, aluminium pack, double-spokes, bose, 6CD, xenon, privacy glass, wood, parking aid f/r, tow hook and got them to fit a phone kit with 40k on the clock.
I like the tip, but there's no doubt that its not as fast as the manual (but I have plans to address - see later) although the manual box is not the smoothest around. The xenons are a revelation - don't know how I drove at night before with the normal A6 candles... Sat Nav+ is powerful, though user interface takes some learning (they could learn a lot from TomTom in that regard).
Overall I love it, but there have been a few niggles - compared to my previous rock-solid 2.5tdi sport, this had a number of squeaks initially with the dealer and I have been sorting and some wind noise which needed doors adjusted and seals 'lubed'. Lubing the door seals is new to me - had less sophisticated door seals in my 2001 2.5tdi, but no noise and never needed any lube - not really sure if these 'improved door seals' in the 2004 are really progress.... Also got a claim out on the beautiful double spoke wheels - they are corroding (apparently this is a known problem with a batch as apparently the metal cleaner used at the factory was too aggressive) - so fingers crossed for replacements.
Looking to make two improvements: (1) Mudflaps - particularly to the front wheels as they spray the lower front of the doors so easily - do you need to drill any holes to fit? (2) Pep up the engine with a PSI powerbox which boosts the BHP from 180 to 209 and the torque from 370nm to 410nm. Diesels offer plenty of scope for tuning and these boxes change the injection parameters, by adjusting the instructions from the ECU - box just plugs in and can be swapped in/out in about 30 mins. PSI are used to tune Porsche, so have a good name - anyone had any experience of this product??
Hoping to keep the allroad for a good few years - love the new allroad grill, but the rest of it is just too much like the A6. allroads are pretty few and far between in the UK, have great road presence - it's a beast (but a stylish one) - so you know you are driving something special!
Thanks for a great forum!
Finally found a well specced allroad in late January - 2.5TDI (lusted after the 2.7T but with its mpg and petrol nearing £1/litre over here you see few around)anyway I knew the 2.5TDI was a good torquey engine although low down pull-away torque was not its strong point.
Anyway found and haggled a good deal on a 2004 allroad (Jan always a good time to buy from dealers) a cosmic blue 2.5TDI with tip, and tip controls on wheel, leather, sat nav+, aluminium pack, double-spokes, bose, 6CD, xenon, privacy glass, wood, parking aid f/r, tow hook and got them to fit a phone kit with 40k on the clock.
I like the tip, but there's no doubt that its not as fast as the manual (but I have plans to address - see later) although the manual box is not the smoothest around. The xenons are a revelation - don't know how I drove at night before with the normal A6 candles... Sat Nav+ is powerful, though user interface takes some learning (they could learn a lot from TomTom in that regard).
Overall I love it, but there have been a few niggles - compared to my previous rock-solid 2.5tdi sport, this had a number of squeaks initially with the dealer and I have been sorting and some wind noise which needed doors adjusted and seals 'lubed'. Lubing the door seals is new to me - had less sophisticated door seals in my 2001 2.5tdi, but no noise and never needed any lube - not really sure if these 'improved door seals' in the 2004 are really progress.... Also got a claim out on the beautiful double spoke wheels - they are corroding (apparently this is a known problem with a batch as apparently the metal cleaner used at the factory was too aggressive) - so fingers crossed for replacements.
Looking to make two improvements: (1) Mudflaps - particularly to the front wheels as they spray the lower front of the doors so easily - do you need to drill any holes to fit? (2) Pep up the engine with a PSI powerbox which boosts the BHP from 180 to 209 and the torque from 370nm to 410nm. Diesels offer plenty of scope for tuning and these boxes change the injection parameters, by adjusting the instructions from the ECU - box just plugs in and can be swapped in/out in about 30 mins. PSI are used to tune Porsche, so have a good name - anyone had any experience of this product??
Hoping to keep the allroad for a good few years - love the new allroad grill, but the rest of it is just too much like the A6. allroads are pretty few and far between in the UK, have great road presence - it's a beast (but a stylish one) - so you know you are driving something special!
Thanks for a great forum!
03-29-2007, 03:39 AM
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Welcome to a friend from over the pond...sounds like a good one and I agree
on the new ones seeming too A6-like, except for the manual trans available on the new ones, I'm not sure it would be for me even if it came here
03-29-2007, 05:03 AM
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Re: Finally got an allroad (longish ramble)
Also own a 2.5TDI in Norway. Thought about the powerbox but have heard too many horror stories of the Tip Box not lasting and they are mighty expensive to repair...
Also have the twin spokes which I use for winter wheels and yes they corroded. I took them apart and resprayed them. They are a pain though for gathering dirt. Have the RS4 Style 10 spoke 18's for summer wheels which are excellent.
Enjoy the car... I'm waiting for the Q5.
Also have the twin spokes which I use for winter wheels and yes they corroded. I took them apart and resprayed them. They are a pain though for gathering dirt. Have the RS4 Style 10 spoke 18's for summer wheels which are excellent.
Enjoy the car... I'm waiting for the Q5.
03-29-2007, 05:38 AM
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Re: Finally got an allroad (longish ramble) - Norway reply
Bet you have some fun using the allroad in winter over there - I spent some time in Oslo for a while and really enjoyed your winters!
Ref the Powerbox, do you know of anyone who has fitted it to an allroad and damaged the tiptronic? I'd heard good reports of this and the Tunit powerbox fitted to 2.5tdi A6s and the new 3.0TDI A6 - so would like to hear of any possible problems before I fit it! Thanks.
Ref the Powerbox, do you know of anyone who has fitted it to an allroad and damaged the tiptronic? I'd heard good reports of this and the Tunit powerbox fitted to 2.5tdi A6s and the new 3.0TDI A6 - so would like to hear of any possible problems before I fit it! Thanks.
03-29-2007, 07:23 AM
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re: mud flaps
No drilling required. They re-use the original screw holes in the fender liners. Clamps are just forced on.
For the fronts, you won't need to remove the wheels - just turn them away to access the fenders.
<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/rtalastas/DunlopM3.jpg">
For the rears, it's easiest to remove the wheels for better access.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/73217/leftsideass.jpg">
Some folks soak the flaps in hot water prior to installing, making them easier to "form" to the fenders. I personally didn't do that, and still got them to form, but with more effort.
Good luck with the install, and welcome to the forum.
For the fronts, you won't need to remove the wheels - just turn them away to access the fenders.
<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/rtalastas/DunlopM3.jpg">
For the rears, it's easiest to remove the wheels for better access.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/73217/leftsideass.jpg">
Some folks soak the flaps in hot water prior to installing, making them easier to "form" to the fenders. I personally didn't do that, and still got them to form, but with more effort.
Good luck with the install, and welcome to the forum.
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03-29-2007, 10:15 AM
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Very nice pick, congrats on your allroad purchase....
and if you plan to improve the ride then try to lose the dual spoke wheels, they may look nice but introduce an ultra-heavy unsprung weight.....also the H-Sport sway bars would make all the difference for the handling of this car.
Have fun and enjoy the ride :-)
Have fun and enjoy the ride :-)