Talking of VAG engines. V10 in the S6?

So we've been debating the 'reliability' and ownership potential of the W8 Passat well what about another VAG Wonder kid. The V10 06-11 Audi S6. It's got a de-tuned Lamboghini Gallardo V10 pushing 435hp and 400 torques. It's got a silky 6 speed auto, weighs comparable with a 300/Charger/Challenger SRT that have been getting a lot of love lately and can be had for less than $20K.

what is care and feeding of these beasts like? No intention of ever buying one, but I do admire them.

Insults start flying in 3....2....1....

Can you get an extended warranty?

Considering the recent enlightenment of their corporate attitude, I'd steer clear of VW things for probably 5 or so years until this group of leaders is evacuated from the system.

In reply to alfadriver:

The engine roots go back to 03, so being engineered in the late 90's The platform goes back to 04 so ditto.

I don't see hot sooty gate affects this. Also this is a general interest thread about the engine, reliability and ownership potential, not a 'I'm going to buy' thread.

No real knowledge of the V10 S6. I heard from the service guy when I owned the Allroad that if I bought an RS6 with the twin turbo 4.2 V8 I could look forward to a timing belt service every 20,000 miles to the tune of 4 grand. That seemed.....excessive.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: In reply to alfadriver: The engine roots go back to 03, so being engineered in the late 90's The platform goes back to 04 so ditto. I don't see hot sooty gate affects this. Also this is a general interest thread about the engine, reliability and ownership potential, not a 'I'm going to buy' thread.

Even more a reason to not get it, as I see it.

Soot gate is telling us that VW isn't the most ethical company in the world. And that their "engineering" solutions are subject to that ethical nature.

Telling me that all of their products are suspect from a quality standpoint.

alfadriver wrote:

Adrian_Thompson wrote: In reply to alfadriver: The engine roots go back to 03, so being engineered in the late 90's The platform goes back to 04 so ditto. I don't see hot sooty gate affects this. Also this is a general interest thread about the engine, reliability and ownership potential, not a 'I'm going to buy' thread.

Even more a reason to not get it, as I see it. Soot gate is telling us that VW isn't the most ethical company in the world. And that their "engineering" solutions are subject to that ethical nature. Telling me that all of their products are suspect from a quality standpoint.

I guess. But let's face it, large corporations aren't exactly known for being ethical in the first place, they all cut corners where they can. VW cut one a lot closer, but I don't think it makes every bit of engineering they've ever done suspect. To me, real-world reliability data (which exists) is a much better indicator of the quality of those cars than the fact that they cheated on an emissions test.

As to the subject at hand, I'd like to know, too. They intrigue me, but man, am I terrified of them....

And even their sketchy engineering on the diesels isn't functionally bad. The ones they cheated on may not meet the emissions specs, but they run fine and seem to last pretty well.

Combining the heart of an Italian supercar with a VAG chassis sounds kind of like the perfect storm of money pits to me. Can it come with some British electrical systems too just for added pain?

I am really hoping someone comes in and says that it is the most reliable car in the category and have a bunch of data to back it up. I want one in avant please, if that is an option.

Care and feeding costs of a Lambo with out owning a Lambo. Do you need another reason to get one?

Slightly off subject but dang A8L's depreciate like stones. There is a 2014 W12 here local that is a 142K car new for sale at the local high end lot for 77K and probably get it out the door for 70K.

I'm sure the maintenance is a joke but gees that is obscene depreciation. Only Maserati has that beat.

bmw88rider wrote: Slightly off subject but dang A8L's depreciate like stones. There is a 2014 W12 here local that is a 142K car new for sale at the local high end lot for 77K and probably get it out the door for 70K. I'm sure the maintenance is a joke but gees that is obscene depreciation. Only Maserati has that beat.

High end cars all depreciate like that. The 7 series and S class do it too. The Phaeton values dropped even faster (despite being a better car than the A8 in some ways) once they stopped selling them in the US.

That V10 with about $1000 of headers sounds like sure secks.

rslifkin wrote:

bmw88rider wrote: Slightly off subject but dang A8L's depreciate like stones. There is a 2014 W12 here local that is a 142K car new for sale at the local high end lot for 77K and probably get it out the door for 70K. I'm sure the maintenance is a joke but gees that is obscene depreciation. Only Maserati has that beat.

High end cars all depreciate like that. The 7 series and S class do it too. The Phaeton values dropped even faster (despite being a better car than the A8 in some ways) once they stopped selling them in the US.

My Phaeton sold new for 75K in '05. I bought it in '08 with a whopping 28K on the clock for $24,500. Sold two years later with 69K on it for 20 grand.

Sometimes you have to find the sweet spot in the depreciation curve.

Whew. Just did a bit of poking around and it looks like they didn't sell the Avant here. That might have been too much temptation to resist.

Found this old road test from C&D: http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2007-audi-s6-vs-bmw-m5-m-b-e63-amg-comparison-test

13.8 in the quarter? That doesn't seem fast enough to deal with the potential headaches, IMO. Heck, a C7 A6 with the supercharged 3.0 is that fast, more modern, and responds to tuning better.

Tom_Spangler wrote: Found this old road test from C&D: http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2007-audi-s6-vs-bmw-m5-m-b-e63-amg-comparison-test 13.8 in the quarter? That doesn't seem fast enough to deal with the potential headaches, IMO. Heck, a C7 A6 with the supercharged 3.0 is that fast, more modern, and responds to tuning better.

Interesting article. It seems the entire difference in acceleration between old and new comes down to launch control in the new transmission. It'd be interesting to see what happens at 60 when you drop the hammer on new supercharged V6 vs NA V10.

Just how related to the Lambo/R8 V10 is this?

Only major maintenance I've had to do on a V10 RS6 is the intake elbow with a broken coolant line, broken intake manifold (variable runner), and a valve de-carbon while the manifold was off. It was big money, but if you're rollin an RS6, you have money to repair it.

mazdeuce wrote: Just how related to the Lambo/R8 V10 is this?

There is some serious hand waving in that department I have been told.

Tom_Spangler wrote: Whew. Just did a bit of poking around and it looks like they didn't sell the Avant here. That might have been too much temptation to resist.

Yeah, AFAIK the only S-car Avants they brought to the US were the C4 UrS6/S4, the C5 S6, and the B5, B6, and B7 S4s.

Tom_Spangler wrote: Whew. Just did a bit of poking around and it looks like they didn't sell the Avant here. That might have been too much temptation to resist.

Yeah, i knew that. I would have mortgaged my soul for a v10 wagon.