Hello all.  Nice to meet new, I am new and don't actually have an Audi yet but am determined to get a C7 A6 or A6 Allroad.  There is a nice one on Autotrader but it says it has recently had a new clutch fitted. I have never seen this required in other high mileage Audis.  Can anyone tell me if this is a normal job to have to do at some point, or if it is a sign of abuse by the previous owner?  Anything I should look for when driving?  It is the mid bhp one I'm interested in, i.e. the one below the Biturbo but above the 200 bhp one.  Seems to be a sweet spot for performance and mpg as far as I can tell but any other opinions are very welcome.  I come from a history of owning several Mercs, so I am keen to avoid their awful build quality (NB I still liked them and am exaggerating slightly but I fancy a reliable car now but due to my spec requirements and budget whatever I buy will be ~100k mile car!)

 

Many thanks

BILL

You have not mentioned the mileage, but if it is high it is not unreasonable to renew the clutch. All clutches wear out eventually.

1 hour ago, billnewaudi said:

Hello all.  Nice to meet new, I am new and don't actually have an Audi yet but am determined to get a C7 A6 or A6 Allroad.  There is a nice one on Autotrader but it says it has recently had a new clutch fitted. I have never seen this required in other high mileage Audis.  Can anyone tell me if this is a normal job to have to do at some point, or if it is a sign of abuse by the previous owner?  Anything I should look for when driving?  It is the mid bhp one I'm interested in, i.e. the one below the Biturbo but above the 200 bhp one.  Seems to be a sweet spot for performance and mpg as far as I can tell but any other opinions are very welcome.  I come from a history of owning several Mercs, so I am keen to avoid their awful build quality (NB I still liked them and am exaggerating slightly but I fancy a reliable car now but due to my spec requirements and budget whatever I buy will be ~100k mile car!)

 

Many thanks

BILL

Hi the clutches normally clap out on the manuals around 110k the DSG clutches tend to last a bit longer but be advised as far as I am aware they have a wet and dry clutch.

Steve.

Hi

Thanks for the replies. The car is on 120,000 miles and is a DSG gearbox, i.e. what Audi call S Tronic though I'm fairly sure that is a DSG. 

I understand they have two clutches for the odd and even gears and another (I think) for the drive to the wheels. Does that sound right that the clutch pack would need replacing, is that typical?

Thanks

B

Wet clutch or dry, single clutch or double. Why the concern if it has been renewed? The life of clutches, like the life of brakes, depends entirely on how harshly the car has been driven, which of course you will not know. As long as you have the full service history and the car performs well on test it is worthy of consideration.

Well the concern is that the whole DSG gearbox is full of clutches (or is it not?), so if one or both of the drive clutches have been replaced then a) it may have been driven harshly and b) the rest of the clutch packs may be in at the end of their lives, especially if the gearbox has then had loads of clutch pack debris circulating.  Or are the drive clutches dry and the rest of the box is wet??  I suppose my original question was is it normal to need new clutches and it seems it is, so at least that is something positive. 

Edited September 15, 2025Sep 15 by billnewaudi

40 minutes ago, billnewaudi said:

  I suppose my original question was is it normal to need new clutches and it seems it is, so at least that is something positive. 

It is normal on all cars made by all brands.

On manual cars yes, but I haven't seen any adverts for DSG cars that says new clutch fitted, but maybe it is normal as you say, which is good.

You rely on advertisements for technical reliability information?

No; I mean it is usual for adverts on manual cars to say "new clutch" or "new brakes" or whatever, I just haven't noticed any DSG cars with "new clutch" mentioned, so I wondered if it was normal... you say it is, but I've only seen one ad that mentions this.  You say it is normal to have a clutch replaced on a DSG, so maybe people just don't mention it or some peculiar reason!  (Or maybe you're wrong and DSG units only vey rarely need a new clutch??)

Morning Bill,

I’m getting the vibe that this is (understandably?) causing you a high degree of concern. 
What I’ve found if in that situation is to simply waok away and look elsewhere. 
Downside:- whatever you buy is going to come with an unknown history.

Re. the car of interest :- have you checked its MOT history, when the last V5 was issued and actually seen ( in caps) evidence of its ‘full service history’? Pay £9.99 with VCheck and run a history on in - including any auction activity.  
This should be basic investigations which need to be carried out before ( again in caps) you view it and fall in love with it. 
Regards, 

Gareth.

Does the car have a Towbar and are you buying it for towing? The DSG and S-Tronic boxes, although auto, have clutch packs and I can only see it having a new one as a positive. Maybe check it was not renewed by a Cowboy outfit and also test drive the car looking for any doubts regarding the smoothness of gear changes under load accelerating and also down changes whilst braking fairly hard. Also use the paddle shift and gauge how prompt each chosen gear is engaged. Will not be millisecond  quick but will be sub second transitions. Also check that the gearbox has been serviced as prescribed. 

Hi you quoted that you wanted something reliable and the car proffered is over 100k, with that sort of milage things will go wrong therefore I think a new clutch could be the least of your problems in the future, take in to consideration EGR valves, swirl flaps, sensors, oil leaks, fuel pumps, the derivatives are endless, as I stated before the legendary reliability of Audi is built upon the older models Euro4, a very wise car trader once said, you wont find a perfect old high milage car as a free gift in a packet of Cornflakes.

Steve.

7 hours ago, Magnet said:

Morning Bill,

I’m getting the vibe that this is (understandably?) causing you a high degree of concern. 
What I’ve found if in that situation is to simply waok away and look elsewhere. 
Downside:- whatever you buy is going to come with an unknown history.

Re. the car of interest :- have you checked its MOT history, when the last V5 was issued and actually seen ( in caps) evidence of its ‘full service history’? Pay £9.99 with VCheck and run a history on in - including any auction activity.  
This should be basic investigations which need to be carried out before ( again in caps) you view it and fall in love with it. 
Regards, 

Gareth.

 

Yes it is, but the car looks great and is a very nice spec.  Several things are in its favour, low owners, DSG services, no tow bar, its just that I'd not seen a DSG with 'new clutch' being mentioned before so I wasn't sure if it was a red flag or not.  I'll pay for a full background check if I'm tempted to buy it.

This is it https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202509116259066

Cheers

 

6 hours ago, Envy said:

Does the car have a Towbar and are you buying it for towing? The DSG and S-Tronic boxes, although auto, have clutch packs and I can only see it having a new one as a positive. Maybe check it was not renewed by a Cowboy outfit and also test drive the car looking for any doubts regarding the smoothness of gear changes under load accelerating and also down changes whilst braking fairly hard. Also use the paddle shift and gauge how prompt each chosen gear is engaged. Will not be millisecond  quick but will be sub second transitions. Also check that the gearbox has been serviced as prescribed. 

Yeah good point, I'll ask to see the invoice.  I'll use that advice re driving, thanks very much.

 

15 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi you quoted that you wanted something reliable and the car proffered is over 100k, with that sort of milage things will go wrong therefore I think a new clutch could be the least of your problems in the future, take in to consideration EGR valves, swirl flaps, sensors, oil leaks, fuel pumps, the derivatives are endless, as I stated before the legendary reliability of Audi is built upon the older models Euro4, a very wise car trader once said, you wont find a perfect old high milage car as a free gift in a packet of Cornflakes.

Steve.

I've had lots of 100k+ cars, they've all been fine apart from BMWs, which have appalling engine longevity.  Never had an Audi (or DSG) though there seem to be plenty at 200k+ so I assumed that was a good sign.

I think modern cars, if serviced well (i.e. not long life, or any BMW lol) last very well tbh.

22 minutes ago, billnewaudi said:

I think modern cars, if serviced well (i.e. not long life, or any BMW lol) last very well tbh.

Shrug. BMW, Mercedes, Ford, Audi, Citroen, Toyota. They are all much of a muchness nowadays in terms of quality since the bean counters set to work destroying their old reputations in pursuit of reduced manufacturing costs.

Hello again Bill,

Have you carried out the ‘homework’ suggested in my earlier post?

If not, the following summarises:- 

Latest V5 issued in May of this year. May suggest the last owner has only owned it since then! Possible a change of plate at this date, but we don’t know. 
The car has had an advisory for front suspension issues - not attended to over 2 MOTs. Now has a new advisory free MOT, probably via. the seller! 
No MOT between Aug 2018 and Oct. 2022 ( possibly influenced by Covid). 
Only 134 miles covered between Oct.2022 and Feb 2024. 
So seems to have been sitting around for some time.

FSH stated honestly to be ‘Comprehensive service history’. 
If you haven’t carried out the above ‘homework’ together with sight of the claimed service history, and if  all is well there, a VCheck ( there are others) all before you enquire about the car, then you leave yourself in a more vulnerable position than you should be.

I could be wrong Bill, but my belief is you have already fallen in love with it - and you know what that does to your sight! 
Good luck with whatever you decide to do. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

All very very helpful, thank you.  

When the V5 is changed to the trader, does that get recorded on 'the system' or is that just changes of keeper and changes of number plate?

 

Edited September 17, 2025Sep 17 by billnewaudi

Transfer of ownership to a dealer, usually does not result in a change of ownership situation, and the issue of a new V5. 
Had you carried out these checks yourself on this particular car, or any you had shown an interest on? 

I've done the free checks, I wasn't going to pay until I'd seen it (it might be a dog after all - hard to tell from photos I've leaned).

Basically I know these cars can be owned by a) Audi owners forum type people, or b) know nothing about cars but want a badge and only do servicing when something beeps or fails, and c) nobs.

I need to look at the invoices that come with it and check 😉

What, baulking at less than a tenner for a comprehensive report before going to see it? 
Not sure I agree with someone of your definitions of Audi owners either, but that’s just my personal opinion.

Please let us know how you get on. 
p.s. I guess you are aware that you can request a copy of any computerised service history for the car from your nearest Audi dealer. 

To be clear, 'a' are the good owners!

'b' is pretty typical, hence 16,000 miles services

'c' is pretty much a par for the course risk for Audis and BMWs imho

Thanks Bill for boxing up the attitudes of Audi owners. 
So trying to summarise, it sounds like you categorise the majority of owners ( your fellow members) as

Nobs. 
Great way of endearing yourself to the forum members as you ask for their advice! 
I think it’s time for me to dip out of any further responses re. your quest for help. 
Regards,

Gareth. 

No, that wasn't the case at all, my jokey point has gone woooosh. 

Good bye!

Edited September 18, 2025Sep 18 by billnewaudi