[sachin_cs]

Finally the ownership review is here Nilesh, it was a wonderful read for sure. A6 has definitely got that timeless charm to it and even when I look at the previous gen A6, it still looks contemporary. Those alloys have definitely changed the stance and your machine looks a lot more menacing now. Looking forward to having a ride in your A6 soon.

[Foxbat]

Congratulations on your new ride and sweet deal also! The A6 was the only other car I considered when I was buying the 5 series. If the new 5 series had not launched it was an even match. I believe the interior fit and finish and highway ride quality of the current A6 is better than the new G60 5 series.

I didn't understand the new A6 you were considering didn't have any DRLs at all? or small ones ? that must be a very rare variant as nearly every car from the lowest segment and brand comes with DRLs now.

[Jeroen]

Thanks for the elaborate story how you finally made your choice. Much appreciated. I think you are spot on.

I have had two Audi A6s as company car. Probably the best company car I ever had. I always enjoy Audi. I have had an A4 estate as well. I prefer the Audi’s to the other German brands.

Audi has a bit of an understated feel about it. They are seriously good cars and in my opinion the A6 tops all other cars in this segment.

Jeroen

[exhaustbreather]

I have always seen A6 as the superior Saloon. The 45 TFSI engine is a good one with modern day fuel consumption figures.

Having worked at Audi Mumbai South workshop and frequent visits to the Audi Mumbai South showroom, I have mostly seen happy customers who take great pride in their ride.

Great review, much needed, people need to be reminded how wonderful the car is!

[sawnilrules]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Super stuff Sawnil. The A6 is a looker with a classic design that you just stop and admire each time. Being a fellow A6 owner, I can imagine the feel or the confusion in the head after you take a TD of the A6. You somehow convince yourself that an A6 is what you want.

When I was in the market for an upgrade and almost finalised a new A4, the SA offered a TD if an A6 despite me telling him that I would not buy it due to cost. Once you drive one, you somehow manage to find the budgets. Close to 40k km in 2+ years and the joy even today is as good as the same on day 1.

Enjoyed reading your chronicle. What a price you got this for. Fantastic. Nice clicks too. Here's to many many miles of smiles in your A6.

Thank you buddy, I truly love the colour of your car, had it not been the chip shortage issue and Audi thus skipping the matrix lights, I would have definitely gone for the same colour. Interestingly, I missed stating earlier, Audi had skimped three features that point in time due to chip shortage- Audi Phone Box, Electrically adjustable steering column and the matrix lights.

Originally Posted by sh3lby

I know it's been a year with your A6, but seriously, congratulations on your purchase.
The A6 is such a stunning car, from all angles, that I could stare and ogle at it all day. The DRLs, aggressive yet elegant front fascia and the sleek side profile is just pure eye-candy.

Thank you buddy.

Originally Posted by sh3lby

Honestly, I'm slightly jealous you were able to find a 5k km run A6, because 48 lac is a great price for a car that is 2 segments above. I would've snagged one too If I got the offer.

Honestly, probably I was at the right place at the time right time. Had we not gone to the dealership that morning to cancel the booking or had we decided to stick on to the original booking, we would have been driving the different car.

Originally Posted by Maky

First of all many congratulations on your new vehicle sawnil.

Thank you

Originally Posted by Maky

I was wondering, did you bother confirming If this was a demo car? or If not, then as to why the previous owner decided to sell it off after a mere 5600 Kms. of usage?
Wishing you many Kms. of happiness with your new A6!

Yes I did check, the earlier owner was based in Pune, and had multiple cars, with A6 one of them, thus used very sparingly. Plus, I had got the car thoroughly checked by Audi India's Service Team, and once they gave me a green signal, we went ahead with the decision.

Originally Posted by sachin_cs

Finally the ownership review is here Nilesh, it was a wonderful read for sure. A6 has definitely got that timeless charm to it and even when I look at the previous gen A6, it still looks contemporary. Those alloys have definitely changed the stance and your machine looks a lot more menacing now. Looking forward to having a ride in your A6 soon.

Thank you Sachin, anytime you say, we should catch up, anyways our dinner meet catch up is pending.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Congratulations on your new ride and sweet deal also! The A6 was the only other car I considered when I was buying the 5 series. If the new 5 series had not launched it was an even match. I believe the interior fit and finish and highway ride quality of the current A6 is better than the new G60 5 series.

Thank you buddy, Audi does build good cars, earlier, I used to feel, Audi is nothing but a better packaged Skoda, but after experiencing the car for more than a year now, and using a Skoda for 6.5 years, I can say Audi and Skoda are at 2 different levels all together. Ofcourse there is sizeable price difference, in both the brands that comes in play.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

I didn't understand the new A6 you were considering didn't have any DRLs at all? or small ones ? that must be a very rare variant as nearly every car from the lowest segment and brand comes with DRLs now.

The mid variants of A6 (premium and premium plus) don't get matrix lights, the entire kit therefore of lighting (front and rear) is different. Audi had briefly discontinued matrix lights in the market due to chip shortage and had used the lights from premium plus variant as direct fit. Below is the pic for your reference, to what I meant. I have picked up the image from internet, please excuse the quality.

[autobahnjpr]

The A6 is a great car - a perfect and practical sedan. Being an owner of previous generation, I think you made a good choice. The matrix lights are really fantastic and once you get used to it, all other headlights seem quite dull. A6 can be a daily commuter, a long trip companion, very comfortable and very very practical in terms of boot space, seat space etc. Thrills are shortvlived but practicality is more important. Wish you many happy miles and hope you keep it in fine shape by taking good care of it.

[sawnilrules]

Originally Posted by autobahnjpr

Wish you many happy miles and hope you keep it in fine shape by taking good care of it.

Thank you, I am already loving the car for what it is capable of, though I do miss the madness that a BMW 530D comes with, but for rest everything else, the A6 nails it, so no complains.

Originally Posted by autobahnjpr

The A6 is a great car - a perfect and practical sedan. Being an owner of previous generation, I think you made a good choice. The matrix lights are really fantastic and once you get used to it, all other headlights seem quite dull.

I have been kind of struggling with the matrix lights, the sensors are way to sensitive to the light conditions outside and randomly shut off the functionality, and when that happens, these lights perform as any other regular LED headlights. However, when they work, they are flawless. Have you faced a similar challenge?

[MAMOTH]

Congratulations for your A6. When I was going through your write up and photos of Audi I remember of Transporter movie (it was A8 used in that movie).

Your car looks stunning, Happy miles with the car.

[autobahnjpr]

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

I have been kind of struggling with the matrix lights, the sensors are way to sensitive to the light conditions outside and randomly shut off the functionality, and when that happens, these lights perform as any other regular LED headlights. However, when they work, they are flawless. Have you faced a similar challenge?

The matrix functionality is that if it detects oncoming light, it shuts of those specific leds to avoid glare for them and then switch them on later. This is what makes it matrix. Instead of a single beam there are multiple LED units.

Here is a small video on same

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4-iwuzAey4

You will see these continuously switching on and off. I do not think there is a way to keep them always on. But, I think you can check with Audi service center in case they have some idea how it can be done.

[GeeTee TSI]

Now that is an upgrade from the Octavia in every respect (considering what a complete package the Octavia is for its segment), any lesser car (Audi even) might have had a trade off in some aspect. Is the 45TFSI by and large the same 2.0 TSI mill in current Skoda cars? What is missed is the sheer range of drivetrains Audi provided in the 2010s.

[Kkumar]

Congratulations on your new acquisition. I'm sure that Audi A6 is worth every penny you have spent. Thanks for sharing such a detailed review. Keep on munching miles.

[sawnilrules]

2024 Maps update, Wireless Apple CarPlay

2024 Maps

Grace note has partnered with Audi & upwards for Navigation Systems in their cars. While the map updates are available with dealership service teams as well, most of the times they are clueless about it and will not proactively update the map, unless you ask them to.

Last weekend, considering I was relatively free, I thought of updating the maps to 2024.

Where do you find the map- https://app-connect.volkswagen.com/m.../car/#download

Follow the below steps to upload the map (if you have MIB 2)

• Choose Touareg as your car model.
• Click on Discovery Premium MIB 2
• Select World Map & Download
• Unzip the file and copy it on a memory card.

If you have MIB 3, Choose Passat GTE (2019 and above), and click on Discovery Pro & Asia


While in the car

• Insert the memory card in MMC Slot
• Press the start stop button for the menu to come up.
• System detects a software update, click on yes when asked.
• The maps start updating in the car.
• Once the update is done, keep the volume button pressed to reset the MIB2.

How is it post the update?

The overall interface of the maps hasn’t changed; however, one significant difference is, earlier searching for any destination necessarily meant, you had to know the pin code of the area, now without the pin code, the map is able to find the location. The newer roads are shown as options while choosing the destination. For example, I randomly chose Shingapur as a destination from home, the map did show a road via Samruddhi Mahamarg, similarly, when I chose Alibaug, it showed 3 options, option 1 via old Goa road, option 2 via RORO and option 3 via Atal Setu. Pre 2024 update, the map just shoed the old Goa Road. Additionally, the imagery on the maps have become sharper post the update.

Wireless Apple CarPlay

Not that I use the Apple CarPlay much in the car, but I thought a wireless setup will be handy as compared to the wired one.

Followed the steps as per the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVirrOxBLko

However, somehow the wireless Apple CarPlay does not activate in the India models. Anyone here can throw some light or has tried this, happy to know if it worked for you.




PS- Today’s run to office, owing to empty roads in Mumbai, extracted 14.2 kmpl during the 30 kms drive to work.

[TheGearBox]

That's a beauty! And a cracker of a deal you got!
Wish you many happy miles with it

[sawnilrules]

Originally Posted by autobahnjpr

The matrix functionality is that if it detects oncoming light, it shuts of those specific leds to avoid glare for them and then switch them on later. This is what makes it matrix. Instead of a single beam there are multiple LED units.

The problem is not about switching off or on when there is on coming traffic, that is very well understood, that is how it is supposed to function. But the real problem is on the interior highways or roads, where you have houses/shops alongside the roads, and if there is any light coming from there then even in those conditions, the matrix functionality switches off. That gets very risky, as you can't judge the pothole on the next corner, as the regular lights are not that effective.

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

Now that is an upgrade from the Octavia in every respect (considering what a complete package the Octavia is for its segment), any lesser car (Audi even) might have had a trade off in some aspect. Is the 45TFSI by and large the same 2.0 TSI mill in current Skoda cars? What is missed is the sheer range of drivetrains Audi provided in the 2010s.

Thank you, yes, it is the same 2.0 litre engine that VAG is selling across the group in India, just that in 45 guise, the power is bumped up to 245, and now in the 2024 update, the car makes healthy 265 hp.

Audi in India is now only into survival mode, they have lost the confidence and hence don't want to experiment at-all. There's marketing team is also lousy, they market something else, and something else comes to the market.

Originally Posted by Kkumar

Congratulations on your new acquisition. I'm sure that Audi A6 is worth every penny you have spent. Thanks for sharing such a detailed review. Keep on munching miles.

Thank you buddy. What I am loving the most about the car is every single time, you get into the car, you explore some new feature in the car, and 90% times, it happens accidentally. Couple of weeks back I realised, I can set different temperatures for footwell.

Originally Posted by TheGearBox

That's a beauty! And a cracker of a deal you got!
Wish you many happy miles with it

Thank you buddy.

[sawnilrules]

First Service under my regime (Fourth for the car)

I had picked up the car with 5600 kms on the ODO, and with 15,000 KMS or 1 year it was time for me to send the car for servicing.

For a change, instead of calling the SA to book the service, I used the Audi Connect App. In general, the App is really very basic with not much functionality other than showing some basic data about the car. BMW as well as Mercedes have much better app-based functionalities. For example, in both of them, you can lock as well as unlock the car sitting at home, or pre-start the car to cool it down, etc. In Audi, you pay INR 21,000, only to get geo-fencing for the car and some basic stats.

Anyways coming back, so I booked the service for the car via the app, I got a confirmation call within 1 hour to re-confirm on the date and time, which was duly followed up with an email.

Service was booked for 29th June 2024, 10:00 hrs.

As confirmed, I reached the service station on 29th June around 10:00 for the service, at Audi West’s Service Station in Kalina, Santacruz in Mumbai. I must say, reaching that place in traffic, and rains is a nightmare. But nevertheless, I managed to reach on time. Vineet was the Service Advisor, who was assigned to me, considering he has been worked on the car in the past as well when the car had gone to the service station for rattling problems or the fuel lid problem. Dipesh Gangar is the service manager at Audi West, and I must say, his commitment for customer satisfaction is phenomenal. He is more of a friend now, considering my car must have gone multiple times to the service, either related to software update, or rattling issue or fuel cap problem or adding the dongle to the car.

Coming back, Vineet created the job card for general 4th service for the car which included following things.

• Oil Filter Replacement
• Engine Oil Replacement
• AC Filter Replacement
• Air Filter Replacement
• Brake Oil Replacement
• Alignment & Balancing
• Coolant Top-Up (If needed)
• General Inspection

While checking the car, is where we found out that the rear arm-rest cup holder assembly was broken, probably my kiddo who keeps fiddling with the cup holder when he sits behind must have broken it. The part costed 15,000 + gst, and anyways, the part was not available at that time, so we skipped that.

The job card was duly opened, and accordingly the car was taken in for service. Good thing about this service station is the different sections of the service are in different areas. For example, the body shop section is on the different sided as compared to the service bays. The detailing bay is separated, so is the washing area. This I think leads to better car management at service station.

Sandesh was allotted my car, and he began working on the car. After putting the car on the ramp, the first thing that he did was a thorough check of the car on its under belly, to check for any scrapes, then he proceeded to minutely check each of the suspension struts, as well as other exposed components for any wear and tear or any damage. Considering, I was standing next to him while he was checking the car, he was quick to say, “Sir, I must say, the car is very clean, with no damage to the underbody.” I replied that coz as a petrol-head at heart, I ensure to take care of my car as if it’s my little baby.

After he was thoroughly satisfied with his set of inspection, he then went about doing his job of servicing the car. The work on the car started at around 11, and it was done by 3 in the afternoon. I skipped getting the car washed from outside, however just got the vacuuming done, as I did not want to get stuck in traffic.

The overall bill for service came to around INR 32450/- which included everything mentioned above, minus the alignment balancing, coz the team realized that alignment/balancing was not needed.

Some pictures that I managed to click at the service station

The car at the service station



The length just accentuates from this angle



The broken rear arm rest cupholder assembly



The engine bay, looks so clean and tidy



Steering Wheel, Gear Knob and Seat Cover



The car on ramp for inspection




The engine cover opened up



All the consumables



Brake Oil Draining Process



Filters



Filters



The Service Reception



An A4 on one side



An A5 on another



Previous Gen A6


And the rat bit happens


29th July, a regular Monday, had red alert being issued by the weather department in Mumbai. But just as any alert from govt. authorities, this one also turned out to be exactly opposite and it was a bright and sunny day for most part of the day on 29th.


A regular Monday morning, I reach office, park the car and after a busy day at work, evening I started for home. While on the way to home, reaching nearer to home, suddenly, check engine sign glowed on the cockpit. Initial suspect was some sensor issue. I called up Vineet immediately, he asked me to start a car after an hour or so to check if same error is popping up again. After 90 mins I restarted the car, and yes, the car did pop up the check engine light again.

Check Engine Sign with start-stop failure


We booked the service appointment for 1st August, and I requested their driver to come to pick up the car. The driver promptly came on 1st morning. They got the car inward. The team scanned the entire car, initially they could not find the reasons for the engine sign. Towards the evening, while inspecting the car closely, is where finally the team found 2-3 wires being chewed by rat. On 2nd morning, they replaced all the chewed wires, rescanned the entire car to clear the fault codes and the car was back to being original. Total bill here was INR 3850/- Luckily, didn’t have to sell my kidneys.