Your fleet running reports

[DeskJockey]

Of course the mirror glass has to go through customs.

Sigh.

A sad reflection on the current state of affairs.

[Gavster]

Fitted a hideously tacky 90s sticker to the compact. Loaded up with vast amounts of booze and a tent, drove to goodwood and got thoroughly pissed up and ate like cavemen for the weekend at retrorides 2023.

That sticker took me right back to Bug Jam 1995

[Beany]

Of course the mirror glass has to go through customs.

Sigh.

A sad reflection on the current state of affairs.

We really need to take long look at ourselves and the state of our country.

But not an an aespherical blindspot manner. The equipment for that won't be here for couple of days yet.

[Rich B]

Of course the mirror glass has to go through customs.

Sigh.

A sad reflection on the current state of affairs.

We really need to take long look at ourselves and the state of our country.

But not an an aespherical blindspot manner. The equipment for that won't be here for couple of days yet.

checking car mirrors through customs is a job I could see myself in.

[Sundayjumper]

Mark : So, Super Hans, what have you been up to?

Super Hans : Long weekend looking into the mirror.

Mark : Oh right, bit of soul-searching, was it?

Super Hans : Cocaine, Mark. Cocaine.

[Beany]

You should do it @Rich B I ordered that mirror for the car and I've not looked back yet

[Jobbo]

That's it - I'll be there tomorrow. Are you working at the hairdressers?

Quite a Stourbridge mafia going on!

TBH the hairdressers might be easier....I work at an IT place just around the corner. Can't fix hair, can fix IT stuff if you need it.

This isn't you is it @Matty?

[DeskJockey]

A sad reflection on the current state of affairs.

We really need to take long look at ourselves and the state of our country.

But not an an aespherical blindspot manner. The equipment for that won't be here for couple of days yet.

checking car mirrors through customs is a job I could see myself in.

Only car mirrors or would you cover all types of reflective glass?

[Jobbo]

Audi updates after just over 2000 miles:
- It's much more fun to drive than my previous Allroad.
- It's more economical than anything I've owned previously (53.3mpg yesterday over ~140 miles)
- The self-driving stuff makes it ridiculously more relaxing to drive up and down the motorway, and I think is more economical than using a careful right foot; bit of a surprise because cruise control definitely cost a couple of mpg on the Allroad compared with DIY.
- It's quick, and the electric compressor really works to kill turbo lag low down. I think this is technically both turbo and supercharged, having looked into the tech a bit more.
- It's comfy; it doesn't have air suspension so there's less float, and my wife has not complained about car sickness. Not regretting the 20" wheels anyway; before I got it I wondered if I might find a set of the basic 19"s but no need.
- Fuel tank should be 73l but even run down just past 0 miles' remaining range I have only been able to fit 66l in. That is annoying because there's potentially 75 miles more range from the fuel which should be left in the tank. Might fill a fuel can and see how far it goes before it splutters, though it'll be a lot less pleasant than doing it with petrol.
- Sounds rather nice. It has the fake exhaust sound and I suspect some sort of anti-noise because the engine is uncannily quiet normally. While you can set it to have the fruity exhaust note all the time, I leave drive select in automatic and get the noise just when I boot it - it's a clue that the car has responded to the change in your driving and gone into a sportier mode. Pretty intuitive. I'm not yet sure how loud it is outside the car.
- The air-con seems to try to be efficient and cuts out for a bit after it's got down to temperature - noticeable in the recent sunny weather. You can make it kick in by turning the A/C off and on again but this seems like a flaw so I'll get it looked at - might be that the system wasn't completely filled with refrigerant at the factory or it could be electronics trying to be clever.
- Plenty of reviews of the C8 model A6/A7 have criticised the gearbox for lag but Audi must have updated the software because mine doesn't suffer at all. It's the usual ZF 8-sp box and in some ways I miss the DSG in my Allroad; once in a gear, that is in gear like a manual and there's no slurring, but the main difference is that the DSG box told you which gear it was in at all times whereas the auto in the S6 just says 'D' or 'S' in the display unless you put it in manual mode. For idling along in traffic queues the auto with torque converter absolutely shits on the DSG though, particularly if you are in an uphill stop-start queue of traffic.

I bought it with the intention to keep it for a good long time (200k miles, maybe?) - my rationale being that if I put 25-30k miles on it each year mostly sitting on the motorway, it won't be terribly worn out at 4 years old. And I've never actually done properly high mileage in one car. Currently I can see it fitting the bill for that, and it's not as if there are going to be many new powerful diesel estates coming to tempt me out of it.

Macan has landed at Sheerness; won't be with the dealership until w/c 5 June though, so we'll be picking it up that week I guess.

[IanF]

Sounds like a good purchase Jobbo! I had a lift in an A6 avant last week and it’s a very nice interior. If you’re keeping it for that amount of time, are you considering ppf/coating to help protect against stone chips etc?

[mik]

@Jobbo that mpg is just nuts for a car of that size/weight/performance. (In a good way of course).

[Jobbo]

Sounds like a good purchase Jobbo! I had a lift in an A6 avant last week and it’s a very nice interior. If you’re keeping it for that amount of time, are you considering ppf/coating to help protect against stone chips etc?

No, not really - I reckon the layer of dirt will provide sufficient protection I might investigate the finish which apparently means you can just hose off dirt but I really think they're snake oil.

@mik I found the mass in the MyAudi app on my phone when fiddling around. The Allroad was about 1950kg so I expected it to be similar but it's 2095kg - quite a bit higher than I expected. It doesn't feel that hefty.

[V8Granite]

Sounds like a good purchase Jobbo! I had a lift in an A6 avant last week and it’s a very nice interior. If you’re keeping it for that amount of time, are you considering ppf/coating to help protect against stone chips etc?

No, not really - I reckon the layer of dirt will provide sufficient protection I might investigate the finish which apparently means you can just hose off dirt but I really think they're snake oil.

@mik I found the mass in the MyAudi app on my phone when fiddling around. The Allroad was about 1950kg so I expected it to be similar but it's 2095kg - quite a bit higher than I expected. It doesn't feel that hefty.

A properly done ceramic coat is excellent, it genuinely works and is very popular in Norway as the weather is far harsher to the paint than here, lots of loose gravel on the roads etc.

Dave!

[GG.]

Sounds like a good purchase Jobbo! I had a lift in an A6 avant last week and it’s a very nice interior. If you’re keeping it for that amount of time, are you considering ppf/coating to help protect against stone chips etc?

No, not really - I reckon the layer of dirt will provide sufficient protection I might investigate the finish which apparently means you can just hose off dirt but I really think they're snake oil.

@mik I found the mass in the MyAudi app on my phone when fiddling around. The Allroad was about 1950kg so I expected it to be similar but it's 2095kg - quite a bit higher than I expected. It doesn't feel that hefty.

A properly done ceramic coat is excellent, it genuinely works and is very popular in Norway as the weather is far harsher to the paint than here, lots of loose gravel on the roads etc.

Dave!

IME they're OK but wear off quite quickly (e.g. 12/18 months or so).

[Beany]

In other news, when working on the car yesterday I noticed a slight rattle when engine start/stop.

Which sounds like the DMF on the way out.

Which sounds like >£1000 (it's some £600 just in parts for flywheel, clutch, and might as well get a rear main seal done while you're in there)

So that would be annoying.

[Sundayjumper]

In other news, when working on the car yesterday I noticed a slight rattle when engine start/stop.

Slight rattle ? Ignore it. Don't overthink these things.

[Swervin_Mervin]

No, not really - I reckon the layer of dirt will provide sufficient protection I might investigate the finish which apparently means you can just hose off dirt but I really think they're snake oil.

@mik I found the mass in the MyAudi app on my phone when fiddling around. The Allroad was about 1950kg so I expected it to be similar but it's 2095kg - quite a bit higher than I expected. It doesn't feel that hefty.

A properly done ceramic coat is excellent, it genuinely works and is very popular in Norway as the weather is far harsher to the paint than here, lots of loose gravel on the roads etc.

Dave!

IME they're OK but wear off quite quickly (e.g. 12/18 months or so).

Same. I wouldn't bother again personally. And to guarantee it lasts you need to maintain it. So you may as well just give it a wax every year and save the initial outlay.

[Jobbo]

Same. I wouldn't bother again personally. And to guarantee it lasts you need to maintain it. So you may as well just give it a wax every year and save the initial outlay.

That's pretty much what I thought. Even if you have these coatings, a black car is going to be dirty within a few miles I'm sure.

[Mito Man]

I’ve found the spray on sealants better than wax. Just before you dry off your car you spray the ceramic stuff about once per panel, rinse off with water, dry. Nice shiny car and only takes 1 minute to do so I’m happy enough doing it each time.

[Beany]

In other news, when working on the car yesterday I noticed a slight rattle when engine start/stop.

Slight rattle ? Ignore it. Don't overthink these things.

Oh, I'm not booking it in this month, or until it starts being a real problem - it's just something that'll be a pain when I come to move the car on.