Special thanks to Eric Schwenter (aka: schwank) for guiding me through this upgrade (FYI - we both had pre-2002 avants prior to the bumper/tip upgrade).

Well, I picked up my Avant from Wagner Motors Body Shop (Shrewsbury, MA) last week. Unfortunately, the new rear bumper cost $900 to a little old lady who hit me on July 5th. She wanted to settle this without the insurance company (luckily, she lives 4 miles from my house..and I felt that I could trust her). It only took them a few days to replace/repaint it. The only issue they had was trying to install the lower black plastic exhaust shield between the lower bumper valence and the body. I don't have the exact audi part#'s for what they added...but I'm pretty sure of these two parts (thanks Eric!!):

Rear Bumper Cover 4B9-807-303BGRU $413.93
Rear Bumper Filler (Valance, I think) 4B0-825-217G $72.53

I learned that in a pre-2002 Avant, there is a black plastic exhaust shield that protects the body for the heat from the exhaust tip. With the slight bend to the exhaust tip in my 2001 Avant, I can see how this piece would be needed (as heat tends to increase where exhaust piping bends...friction etc.). In 2002+ Avants etc, this black plastic exhaust shield is remodeled to function as a lower attachement for the interior bumper..to the body...and not to protect it from heat. Currently, I don't have that lower piece of black plastic (and I wish I had a picture to show everyone) and I don't think it has any barring on the stability of the bumper. The body shop guy at Wagner said that won't make a difference (and he knew how I was planning to mod my exhaust for this project...he was cool about it). I have also looked under the rear bumper of a 2004 Avant and confirmed this as well. All that is present is a couple of support pieces between the lower bumper (behind the valence) to the body...very basic. As for the exhaust shield...you won't see one on a 2002+ Avant (I assume do to the fact that the exhaust tips are straight and not curved...which makes sense). After I picked up my Avant from the body shop, I quickly searched the internet and Audiworld (thanks for everyone's input) to see what kind of tips I wanted. I determined that the Magna Flow (#35163) 3" tip was the best fit. I purchased them from COMPLETEEXHAUST.COM for $80 (shipped).

See also rapid parts for a selection (without the magnaflow logo):
http://www.rapidparts.com/rpeProdDetail.ASPx?a=1304




Per Magnaflow's website:
Polished Stainless Steel Double Wall Tips have a big look even with a smaller core. They stay cooler and resist discoloration. A great choice to complete your custom exhaust.
FYI - The new tips have a 15 degree angle cut to them and the MagnaFlow logo on the top side. The logo isn't really that visible (depending on how clean they are).

I then called my local Audi Tuner shop (Shine Racing in Walpole, MA) to schedule the install. They said that I needed to make sure the new tip had an inlet diameter the same as my existing muffler. In the case of my stock 2.8 muffler, I learned that the stock diameter was 2" (probably 2.25" on a 3.0, 2.7T and 4.2) and the MagnaFlow tip was 2.25" (FYI - MagnoFlow doesn't offer a 2" inlet diameter tip; 2.25" is the smallest they offer). To address this problem, Eli from Shine Racing sent me to a local NAPA autoparts store to pickup up some exhaust adaptor rings (cost: $9..no biggie). As the old tips were removed, the new tips (and adaptor rings) were tack welded so I could decide on how much I wanted the tip to protrude from the bumper.

It only took Shine an hour to complete this install...and cost me $70 in labor. Thanks Eli!




All-in-all, I like the look. It is about close to OEM as I think I can get. Which was my main objective (a no-coffee-can-ricey-racer-leaf-blower-exhaust for me...thank you! Ha!).

Some learnings:
1)The rear black valence is a separate part on the 2002+ bumper versus my 2001 bumper. If someone wanted to add an aftermarket parktronic-like device to their 2002+ A6, they could spend the $100 on the new valence to keep it OEM-like. Just a thought.
2) If I had $500-$600, I could've purchased a new 2002+ bumper/valence, had a body shop paint it for me and installed it myself (but this accident saved me that time/effort/expense etc).
3) Not all exhaust tips are created equal. The double-wall tips seem to stay cool, even after 3 hours in the car (which keeps my new bumper from melting)
4) These new tips sit slightly higher/closer to the black valence than a stock 2002+ 3.0 Avant (not sure about the S6 avant, allroad etc). However, the stock tips on 2002+ Avant are only 2.5" (I think) and don't completely fill up the stock opening.
5) Anyone with a 2002+ A6 can add bigger tips (without upgrading the stock exhaust) for approximately $150+. In my opinion, I think a 3" tip still looks OEM without that aftermarket look/feel. Again, just my .02.
6) For those that are considering using a dremel etc to modify their pre-2002 bumper/valence, you'll need to cut through the existing black plastick exhaust shield in the process..just an FYI.
7) The 4.2/S6 lower rear black valence is different than a 3.0/2.7T model. The S6 valance has an upper lip to it just above the exhaust tips. I'm not sure if this valence would fit my new bumper..or a 3.0/2.7T for that matter (because of the wider bumper in general). Anyone willing to spend the $100 on the part to let us know? :)
8) I believe the Avant and Sedan have a different rear bumper because of the way it slops near the rear hatch (just below the license plate).

Total out-of-pocket costs for the bumper and new tips: $160
Hopefully, I don't back into an icy snowbank this winter and mess up my exhaust system.....that would suck!

See my comparison pix as I've pulled some pix from a few select AW members (forgive me, as I forget who's pix is who's) and audiusa.com. All I need to do is debadge my rear hatch and remove the "A6" and "2.8"....but I would never REBADGE my car as a S6 (even though the dealer always mistakes it for a S6 Avant when I bring it in for service).

Enjoy!!
-ted (from Boston)

• Original accident post

TeddyBGame
- C5 Avant - "the Beast" (Ha!!)
- 2005 Chrysler Pacifica Touring (Nav, Sirius, Bluetooth, Xenon, TPMS, ParkSense, DVD Changer - basically loaded)
- 2003 Vespa ET2 (modified exhaust and carb -- so I can max out at 45MPH)
- John Deere Gator (4x2) for the boy

As of November 2006:

Accessory Add-ons:
(Definition: An item that provides a specific function - in a cyclical nature - and can be removed very..very easily.)
1) OEM winter floor mats
2) OEM rubber trunk mat and cargo net
3) VW Touareg cigarette lighter flashlight
4) Thule roof bars with Evolution 1200 roof box

Upgrades:
(Definition: A [bolt-on/bolt-off] item that enhances the appearance, performance or misc function of your car.)
1) OEM front/rear Euro black Recaro Seats (from a Euro 2003 S6 Avant)
http://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/618112.phtml
2) OEM HID/Xenon (complete) housings (car never came with the Xenon option from the factory)
3) OEM Euro front/rear (avant) beam-style wiper blades/arms (available via www.vagparts.com)
4) OEM B6 S4 Interior auto-dimming black mirror with compass and on/off button
5) OEM Euro blindspot exterior mirrors
6) OEM S6/4.2 exterior lower door trim
7) OEM S4/S6/S8 aluminum mirror housings
8) OEM Euro rear license plate panel from 2002+ facelift avant (slight MODification to US plate required)
9) ?
10) OEM Euro RNS-E DVD Navigation system with MP3, SAT control and TV input
11) Dietz 1417 A/V input to RNS-E
12) Blaupunkt ME3 DVD/CD/MP3/TV Tuner with aftermarket amplified TV antenna in windshield
13) OEM Sirius tuner (special version to work with RNS-E)
14) OEM Phatnoise Phatbox MP3 player (trunk mounted) with custom interface cable to allow Sirius tuner and Phatbox to work together -- cool!!
15) ?
16) BBS RC 17x8 ET35 with Michelin Pilot Sports (summer tires)
17) 2002+ Rear bumper with valance openings for Magnaflow 3" exhaust tips
18) OEM submarine fin roof antenna for SAT / GPS / Cellphone (GSM)
19) OEM Euro gunmetal black avant roof rails
20) 2002+ Climate control faceplate to match faceplate color of RNS-E
21) Walnut wood trim near hazard button (above RNS-E) to match rest of interior wood scheme
22) OEM Euro Avant door panels with integrated sunshades (imported from Germany to match the black leather in my Euro Recaro interior)
23) OEM Euro blacked out front grille (no chrome perimeter)
24) OEM gunmetal black lower rear hatch strip (specific part# for avant vs. sedan)
25) OEM RS6 gunmetal black interior door latches; no need to add any RS6 badges in my car (Thanks Nelson!!!)
26) OEM Euro four spoke walnut wood and black leather (special order via Audi GmbH) multi-function wheel with tip buttons and OEM phone (BT) control
27) Upgraded "618" MF/Tip control module

Coming soon:
- rear mounted removable 7" LCD panel

MODifications:
(Definition: Any permenant change to a part or component of your car that you cannot reverse)
1) Tray under armrest to add aux. cigarette lighter
2) OEM avant CD changer bracket MODified (to fit two large CD changers etc) - now I just use it for Phatbox, OEM SAT tuner and OEM BT module.
3) Exhaust tips MODified to add Magna Flow (#35163) 3" dual walled tip
4) Factory wiring behind Sym I to simplify installation/removal of RNS-E
5) MODified glovebox to support fitment of Blaupunkt ME3 (a biatch to install!!)
6) MODified headlight switch bezel for fitment of GALA switch for "video-in-motion" for playing Blaupunkt ME3 through RNSE
7) MODified stock exhaust and had magnaflow 3" tips welded on (see above)
8) MODified rear Euro license plate surround to house 2nd rear foglight (2001 model only came with one from the factory); US license plate needed to be MODified a bit to fit inside the narrow Euro opening.


RNS-E for C5 A6/S6/allroad/RS6 - your quest starts here - (regularly updated)
OEM submarine fin installed on 2001 A6 Avant with RNS-E etc
Euro gunmetal black roof rails on 2001 A6 Avant
Interior facelift: front sport seats
2001 A6 Avant: Interior Mods (Nav+, DVD/MP3 player, Sport Steering Wheel, Compass Mirror etc)
Euro blind spot exterior mirrors (thoughts, fitment, experience etc)
Lots of electronics upgrade (RNS-E, SAT tuner etc) documents for C5 folks
OEM PhatBox installation/experience-updated: November 2005
All kinds of info on OEM Audi head units
Great site for Audi OEM rims specs, fitment, part#s etc (in German)
Special Wire Extraction Tools for Audi headunit connectors
OEM HID/Xenon upgrade content (long) and research website
New 2002+ rear bumper, Magnaflow tips on 2001 Avant
New Winter Setup...Merry Christmas to me...(I love my Winter tires!!!)
Likes/Dislikes with my A6 Avant
I just spent $2K on an extended warranty on my 2001 A6 Avant