DIY Wrenchability? B8.5 Allroad vs C7 A6 (2.0T / 3.0T) vs A7 3.0 TDI
Hey guys,
Looking at 2012–2018 Audi sedans, wagons, and hatchbacks. I do all my own garage maintenance and repairs to avoid paying dealership labor rates and keep ownership costs down.
I’ve test-driven a 2013 A4 Allroad (2.0T) and am setting up drives for a 2016 A6 (2.0T), a C7 A6 3.0T, and an A7 3.0 TDI.
For those who wrench on these platforms:
Packaging & Access: How much tighter is the engine bay on the 3.0T and 3.0 TDI compared to the 2.0T in the B8.5 and C7 chassis? How often are you forced into front-end service position for standard jobs?
Common Jobs: How do the typical failures (PCV, thermostat/water pump, upper timing covers, control arms, carbon cleaning) rank for difficulty across these engines? Is the 3.0T under-supercharger work worth the extra power over a 2.0T?
TDI Realities: Does the 3.0 TDI emissions hardware and vacuum/emissions plumbing make home maintenance a nightmare compared to the gassers?
Special Tools: Beyond triple squares, Torx, and VCDS/OBDeleven, are there any platform-specific specialty tools that make or break working on these at home?
Which engine and chassis combo strikes the best balance between long-term reliability and straightforward garage repairability? Cause I would love to own an A7 TDI or 3.0 supercharged engine. Thanks.