Advice needed on buying Audi 80 v6 convertible

[220bhp]

I am thinking about buying my wife a 2.6 audi 80 convertible, can anybody tell me what to look for,ie are there any weak points with the engine or anything thats a major differance from my s2 or s6.Any help hear guys so I can leaver the s2 away from her, and move it over to the Dark side.

Many Thanks, Lou

[Rustyrump]

You need to look out for the looms that go into the boot lid - these break due to flexing at the hinge and cause huge problems with electrics for the hood, whether it is powered or not, and also lighting.

With a powered hood, make sure the pump is ok - these are horribly expensive (thousands from a stealer I believe ). However, there is a repair kit for the pump that replaces the fluid resovoir for about 20 quid, (the plastic tank is prone to cracking). Its a good bargaining ploy if the pump is leaking fluid The pump is on the offside in the boot under the carpet.

The rear window is vinyl and they do crack and cloud up (mine cracked whilst cold last winter). They do zip in but it is not a cheap thing as they are also heat sealed.

Hard tops were available but are like rocking horse poo. They sell for up to £1500 on ebay so are worth picking up if you can find a good car with one.

Take a look on audifans for more insight.

HTH

[Cullam3n]

Good news is that the 2.6/2.8 v6s are solid and can last quite a while. Look at my sig, I'm up to 221k now. Alan on audifans has his 2.6 250k+

The engine is fairly easy to take care of if it's been treated correctly. The most problematic thing on these v6s are oil leaks. Look at the oil cooler on the oil filter for starters, mine leaks there a bit. Also check for any mayo (white thickish stuff) in your rad cap, will let you know if the headgaskets are leaking. All v6s, especially with these kinds of mileage, will burn a little bit of oil. When I had 5w-30 in mine I lost quite a bit, but now I'm running royal purple 10w-40 and everything seems to be just peachy.

Check that the breather pipes aren't clogged (one behind each cam cover) as this can cause some issues. If at all possible, it would be good to check the spark plugs, will tell you what to look for if there is a problem Mine also seems to consume a little coolant as well, not sure if this is normal or not. Also the exhaust will tend to be rusted to bits, if you do get one make sure it has a long MOT so you have some time in case it's blowing here and there.

The V6 should run smoothly and pull no problem to redline.

Bit of a rant I know but feel free to ask me any questions (or James, faaaaast on here).

Lou I'm only about 10min away from the A14 in bury so if you want me to come check something out I'll be more than happy to come down to ipswich for a bit and help you go over the car in person.

Also pertaining to cabs, if you have an electric hood, be cautioned and make sure it functions 100%. Manual hoods are easier to manage but electric hoods can be a pain in the *** to sort if something goes wrong from what I hear.

Also you can contact S3_RMX on here as he has a 1999 cab and is probably more familar with the cab's features more than me

cheers s2 sounds amazing but the v6 has a nice sound to it as well

[220bhp]

Chears m8, thanks.Interesting about the power hood, I had no idea about the costs involved. The one I am looking at has a manual hood,so thats ok. what aboutythe engine ,any problems,like timing belt ect.

[Al Wyn]

will pm you later wife had one a while back

[Cullam3n]

Chears m8, thanks.Interesting about the power hood, I had no idea about the costs involved. The one I am looking at has a manual hood,so thats ok. what aboutythe engine ,any problems,like timing belt ect.

Check to make sure you have a receipt/invoice for a timing belt change. Recommended to change every 60k. Also if it was replaced, at the very least the water pump and thermostat should have been done as well! A bonus would be the tensioners. Most critical part of the engine really.

[lini]

The water pump is realy the most critical point. The radial seal normaly is over at the cambelt sprocet, There can be some oil in the V, as told before breather hoses are plastic and will brake, then hoses at heat excanger (oil water where oil filter is mounted) will normaly leak but you just shorten them for an inch, if the watercooler is leaking it can be expensive, I was told that only magneti mareli produces them an are sold only as OEM. Check the coolant temperature when driving in trafic can be realy high. (I solved the problem with aditional temperature sensor.) Lifters can be loud at cold start that is due to bad nonreturn valves fited in V just under the cover. On my ABC had also a problem with oil pump. It wouldnt raise the oil when starting in the morning until you rev up a bit and then it will wor perfecty all day even with longer stops. If you use oil that factory subscribed you will not have any consumption until 300000km or more. That is more or less all that you can find. I had all of that problems and fixed them for les than 600€.

The nicer side of that engine:
In coupe fuel consumption was les than 9l/100km. Oil consumption 0,5l for 10tkm. Not sporty but realy nice to drive. realy smooth ride. I'd say a gentlemans engine. When you fix all that previous ovners didnt you can forget the engine, yust normal serviceing. Dont ewen have to check the oil when going to a 1000km trip.

[Cullam3n]

Spot on lini, v6's aren't quick by any means but they sure will cruise and cruise hard

Get a motor in good nic, fix common issues and it will never let you down!

also check out www.12v.org

[Al Wyn]

Think the guys have covered most things Lou. The front top mounts went quickly on ours resulting in a rather nasty exageration of the old scuttle shake. The power hood can sure drain some juice of the battery. Look for damp/mildew signs in the boot and footwells and be wary if the buyer doesnt let you throw a couple of watering cans full over it to make sure its water tight. Should get one at a good price being the end of the summer