My new C6's Quirks ~ Improvements
 

Hey Guys,

Although I am very happy with my new C6; it has some quirks that I'd like to understand and hopefully make some adjustments - Car is 2008 A6, 33,XXX miles.

1. AC shooting out warm air.
2. How do you turn OFF the air completely? There's no OFF button.
3. I love the soft smooth ride - that's why I was able to do 2000+ Miles trip without getting too tired. I love it, BUT with the slightest bump in the road, it wants to lose control/traction. Seems tires jump up in the air and lose their direction. My C5 was well planted, but it was a very harsh ride.
4. There is an annoying Buzzzing sound from the convertible top - not sure exactly if it's the top or something. Sometimes it's the driver's side, sometimes passenger side - can't tell. AND sometimes it begins buzzing at 40 mph, but mostly at 75+.
5. Brakes aren't very confidence inspiring - may need new pads, new fluid, or both.
6. When I turn it ON or OFF - there's a clicking noise (like a fly getting hit by an electric wand and buzzes). Is this normal?
7. My battery died yesterday for no reason I can think of, except that I left the cell phone charger in the cigarette lighter, but no phone attached for charging. But do that with all other cars, I always leave the cord plugged. Or is there another reason?


For now, that's all, if more things pop up I'll mention.

Thanks :cheers:

1: May need to check for leaks in the system and your "Freon" level. If it is empty then you may want to check the compressor as well, these can go bad if run w/out coolant.
2: Push the drivers side temp knob, that should turn it off.
3: Could be lots of things; check alignment, tire pressure, bushings, shocks.
4: No idea, I have a targa.
5: I would do both, ATE Super Blue DOT4 for fluid (good for street) and pick your pad.
6: yes
7: The C6 battery is a special snowflake with lots of feelings. It could just need replacing or the charger did drain it (but unlikely). If it is still an OEM I would change it now.

Two points here:

First - What tires are on the car? If it is the original Goodyear runflats, that could be part of the reason the ride and grip is not ideal. A high percentage of C6 owners, including myself have switched to Michelin, Hankook, Nitto or BF Goodrich tires (including non-runflats) depending on where and how far you drive, in order to help with ride and grip.

Second - The C6, with all its electronics, appears to be hyper-sensative to having a strong consistent electrical source. If your battery is old, weak and on it's last legs, spending the $100 to get a brand new battery goes a long way to curing a multitude of gremlins.

I hope you can get your issues ironed out soon so you can enjoy your new car. Because when it is working as designed it is a complete blast!

Excellent advice from Jared and JDK.
Are you sure the buzzing noise is the top? C6's(especially '08's) are known to buzz at highway speed at the plastic cowl at the base of the windshield. If so, there are lots of videos on line that show easy fixes.

Tires make a huge difference in ride quality. Members seem to be happy with most brands except the Goodyear RF. My old 05 C6 has Firestone RF and feel great, my car feels like it is planted to the pavement good.

May just need new pads and possibly rotors. My car has Hawk pads, don't know which ones but they feel great.

Don't leave anything plugged into the cig lighter or charge port when you shut down. Electricals and charging on C6's are FINICKY.

jaredtxrx,, :lol: "the battery is a special snowflake" Not so much the battery but the electrical system and shutdown issues some of these C6's have.

You sure you didn't leave an interior light or something on? That would drain it. Could be just a weak, tired battery. Good, clean tight connections at battery, starter and ground?

:cheers: :D:D:D :lol::lol::lol:

As said above, come back with what the tires are (and year), same with battery, and read your owners manual for advice on how to work some of the controls.
My top doesn't buzz so I, too, suspect the windshield cowling. Do a search on here for fixes.
Perhaps your interior lights were left on and drained the batt.

It sounds like you need a new battery, alignment brake pads and fluid. If battery is original it definitely needs to be replaced. Verts are noisier but check the cowl noise mentioned. AC probably needs service. Car doesnt sound like it was maintained great.

Thanks for the info guys... Let me answer a few things you asked -

The tires are non-emt: Michelin Pilot Sport-II.
Battery is Redtop - 3/2017 on it.
It could be the plastic cowl buzzing - I don't know. I said the Vert top, cuz that's how it feels like, but it could be the buzzing from the cowl. I'll look into fixing it when I get home after Tuesday. (still on the road).
AC should have been checked out by the dealer, since I got the full inspection done, prior to buying it. He even marked it checked on the checklist, apparently didn't do it. :toetap:

I' not a fan of the pilot sport ps2. It' not as good of a tire as the super sports imo. That said, unless they'e overinflated, that's likely not your culprit You may have worn out shocks, or it may be you subconciiously moving the wheel to compensate for the bump. I'm assuming your car is not a z51?

Agreed on the new pads and fluid. Previous owner probably put on ceramics for less dust. I'm a fan of Stoptech street pads

Battery could be weak or dead depending on how long the dealer had it sitting, even if relatively new. I' put it on a tender, and see if it comes back to life. I' not, new battery it is.

The cowl is likely the buzzing noise. That will make the car much quieter when you fix it.
Brakes; do you have the Z-51 package? I had a C6 with no Z-51 and the brakes were sorry. The Z-51 option, IMO, helps a lot. I have an 08 and I replaced all 4 shocks. New shocks, of the correct valving, help the ride and performance. Inspect all the A-arm bushings.

I don’t have a convertible but I had the buzzing. It was the HUD bezel. I removed it and put a couple pieces of self adhesive felt under it so that it fit tighter and it hasn’t made a peep since.

Put your hand on the aft end of it when you hear the noise to see if it’s the bezel. If you don’t have the HUD then you have one less buzzing thing!

Enjoy your new car.