[s-cars] DIY Neophyte - Needs Encouragement

[James Murray]

Tom, if you still love'er, don't let'er go! 

There's a wealth of information out there, and of course this list! If you can restore a 65 Stang & TR3A, with all the information on the web about the UrS, this car is just as manageable!

Have a look here, good list to start with: http://forums.quattroworld.com/s4s6/msgs/15184.phtml

Cheers, /Jamu 

-----Original Message-----
From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com [mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf Of Thomas Rodriguez
Sent: May-17-12 4:05 PM
To: s-car-list
Subject: [s-cars] DIY Neophyte - Needs Encouragement

We all have our story, right?  Mine features a '95 S6, though you'll need to read a bit to get to that part.

In my teens I restored a 1965 Ford Mustang GT.  With encouragement and help from some friends I rebuilt the engine, exhaust, transmission, brakes, suspension, steering and interior.  It was sweet.  In 1978 my brother totalled it while drag racing a Toyota Corona(!) on a public road, drunk, on his birthday.

In my late 20s I began restoring a 1960 Triumph TR3A. I rebuilt the engine and carbs, and started on the bodywork. In 1992 my first son was born and the Triumph went to the back of the garage. Last year my son started college and I've resumed the restoration, overhauling the brake system and exhaust, and starting on the front suspension.  Body work will be next.  This car is just like me, 52 with some dents and rusty joints, but with a few hours of attention each week it can be back in shape before I know it and out there runnin' with the best of them.

At age 39 I bought a used 1995 Audi S6 with 70K miles.  My first "grown up" car, and a bitchin' fast hot rod.  Turbo, Quattro, 5-speed manual, black with black leather, Bose stereo, heated seats, sunroof.
Ten CDs in the trunk-mounted CD changer could take me to the Jersey Shore and back faster than Captain Kirk could say "Beam me up".  With a set of snow tires, winter became a big white playground; I looked for reasons to go out driving in the snow: "Oh we're out of milk, no problem!  I'll just drive over to the Wawa."  Who cares that the streets haven't been plowed since the blizzard?  All the better, right?  And who doesn't enjoy having warm dry skis when you arrive at the slopes?

Professionally serviced since new, my 17-year old S6 has 232 thousand miles on it and driving it still thrills me like the day I bought it.
My wife is jealous, though she doesn't need to be.

Of course you know where I'm going with this. After all it's why were all here on the s-car-list, right?  I love my S6 and I want to grow old with it, but the cost of ongoing professional service and repairs is getting unmanageable.  First it was the AC, then the Bose, then the electical gremlins took up residence and many of the luxury features of the car now work only intermittently.  Over the past 18 months I've had to repair leaking brake fluid, leaking coolant, and now leaking hydraulic fluid.  It's like living with an aging athlete that's become incontinent.  I can feel and hear that it needs new front struts and probably suspension bushings and ball joints.  Wheel bearings may be next.  At 232K miles I have to wonder... have I gotten the full lifespan out of this car?  Is it time to give it up?

Or.... If I can rebuilt a Mustang and a TR3, should I try to service and maintain my S6 in my own garage?  I must admit, I look under the hood of the S6 and my head spins.  The Mustang and TR3 are so simple by comparison, they're like models.  But I'm willing to give it a try if it means I can keep the car without breaking the bank.  I'm willing to invest in a paperback copy of the Bently repair manual, and I've become familiar with several of the parts websites through my involvement in the s-car-list.

Well, if you've read this far you get what I'm saying.  You may even have an opinion as to how I should proceed, and I'd love to hear it.
I know that if I'm going to do this I could benefit from some encouragement, preferable face-to-face, over a beer or two. Anyone out there live in the Philadelphia area?  I'm in Wayne, PA in the western suburbs, close to Valley Forge Park and King of Prussia.  Thanks for listening.

Tom
'95 S6 (232K)
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