Cantata

Good advice, thanks. Suffered the same problem with my 2012 A6 Avant. Did as you suggested (getting the trim off was the hardest part - 4 screws to remove before springing off the clips), the motor looked in my the same state. Cleaned it all out and re-greased it. Couldn't really see how the water connection on the back plate could fail to leak inside - anyway I put loads of grease around the end of the spindle there so perhaps that will help. Delighted that it seems to work normally now - saved a bundle of money. Incidentally there seem to be a lot of new motors available online for £35-£40, fitting many Audi models but not the A6 from 2012 onwards. The units in the photos look exactly the same as mine.

Hi all, new on here so be gentle. I have a 2012 A6 3.0 TDI Avant S-Line. Still has the original tyres, Pirelli P Zero 245/45R18 100Y. The front 2 were well worn when I bought the car and I swapped them to the back. However, one year on, at 25K miles, they are coming up for replacement, fronts have another 8K miles to go probably. New ones would go on the back, as recommended, then swap to the front when the front Pirellis are shot, and I would then look to buy another pair to match those I'm buying this time to complete the set. Been looking online. I like the idea of quiet tyres. Don't like the idea of spending very silly money. Likely options at the moment, apart from the easy option of more Pirellis (£142 each on Asda today), look like either Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2, Goodyear Efficientgrip A0, or Dunlop Sportmaxx RT, all around £150 each. Not asking anyone to research for me, of course, but interested in any good/bad comments about any of these, or indeed any recommended alternatives. Many thanks. PS not buying winter tyres - got an alternative car for the snow!