1.8t vs V6

[RndLiteBMW at aol.com]

1.8t's have proven to be pretty good engines overall- they're much easier to work on than the V6. Though only a few of our customer's cars are chipped (the last one I installed was an APR), none have had any issues with the turbos. I would easily recommend the 1.8 over the V6, even with the disparity in power output. A mild chip mod from a reputable source will address that. The 1.8t water pumps leak pretty regularly around the shaft, and have a few oil leak issues, but have generally been pretty reliable. 
    The V6's have nice power characteristics, and the torque over a 1.8 is apparent, but they run out of grunt and are pretty thrashy in the upper ranges. Nowhere near as nice as the BMW 6's they're competing with, in other words. The V6's tend to leak oil from the cam seals regularly, and the water pumps have been known to seize prematurely (as low as 40k), taking the front of the engine with them. The numerous tensioner and roller pullies are less than reliable as well. We saw a '97 30v A6 break a belt and bend 26 valves! That was $5000+...Lots of fun, and Audi politely told the owner to F*** off.  Power steering pumps are also a fairly common leak/failure on the v6 cars.  Just my .02c, hope it helps!
Good to be back on the Q list- I've been lurking for awhile!

Tucker Fritch
'83 UrQ
'86 4kcsq (thanks Greg!)
'82 Vanagon
'68 2002