2.7 TDI CANA

A smaller-bore version of the 3.0 V6 diesel, and mechanically the same proposition. So the chains are at the back of the engine, which means a chain job costs what an engine-out job costs, and the oil cooler seals weep with age.

Overview

The 2.7 TDI is the CANA diesel version of the Audi A6 sedan (C6), sold 2004–2011 with 190 PS and manual or automatic. High risk at level 4. The timing chains sit at the back of the engine, so a chain job means pulling the engine, and the oil cooler seals weep with age. 14 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, one of which is a walk-away item without documented proof. Prices on this page are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology for how the bands are derived.

Audi A6 sedan (C6) · photo Audi A6 C6 by IFCAR · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Power190 PS

Torque400 Nm

Years2004–2011

Fueldiesel

DriveFWD / quattro

EnginesCANA

Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 14 recorded in total.

29High risk

Multitronic CVT failure€1,800–€4,000partly checkablewalk away
Front-drive cars carry the multitronic CVT€1,800–€4,000partly checkable
Fluid neglect in the tiptronic automatic€350–€2,500partly checkable

Risk level −33 · Walk-away failures −12 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →

System by system9 systems reviewed · 3 with no recurring fault reported

Engine✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Fuel system✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Intake & air✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

CoolingwatchCoolant expansion tank cracking, €120–€250.

Emissions⚠ attentionDPF clogging and forced regeneration, €250–€1,800.+1 more in this system

Transmission⚠ attentionMultitronic CVT failure, €1,800–€4,000. Walk away without proof.+3 more in this system

ElectricswatchFootwell module (FRM) failure, €150–€700.+2 more in this system

Suspension & brakeswatchFront control arm bushing wear, €300–€700.+2 more in this system

Body & interiorwatchCorrosion at the rear subframe and arch seams, €300–€2,000.

Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both

The same badge either side of the changeover. Bands are split at the facelift year from the generation record.

Phase	Years	Low	Average	High	Good buy	What differs
pre Pre-facelift	2004–2007	€3,050	€4,950	€8,100	€4,000	The specification the car launched with.
LCI Facelift (LCI)	2008–2011	€3,300	€5,400	€8,800	€4,350	Revised grille, LED daytime running lights and bumpers; Supercharged 3.0 TFSI replaced the 3.2 FSI; Common-rail 2.0 TDI replaced the pump-duse engine; Revised MMI

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.

Multitronic CVT failureAudi multitronic CVT€1,800–€4,000

Juddering when pulling away, hesitation, slipping under load, limp mode, or a whine that rises with road speed. The chain-and-pulley CVT wears, and the mechatronic unit and clutch pack fail. Fluid condition drives it and the fluid isn't lifetime, whatever the book says.

Check: Drive from cold in traffic, then accelerate hard from a standstill. Any judder, hesitation or flare is a walk-away. Ask when the fluid was last changed, 'never' or 'it's sealed' prices in a gearbox.

TransmissioncommonPartly detectablewalk away without proofevidence: documented120–220k km

Front-drive cars carry the multitronic CVTA6 platform€1,800–€4,000

Shuddering at low speed, hesitation as drive takes up, and eventually slipping or a refusal to move. Most front-drive C6 cars use the multitronic CVT, which is the most expensive gearbox failure in this database. Quattro cars use a conventional tiptronic automatic instead, so which car you're looking at changes the risk completely.

Check: Establish whether it's front-drive or quattro before anything else, then drive it from cold feeling for shudder as it takes up drive, and ask for the fluid service record.

TransmissioncommonPartly detectableevidence: documented120–200k km

Fluid neglect in the tiptronic automaticZF 6HP tiptronic six-speed automatic€350–€2,500

Delayed or harsh shifts, a shudder at light throttle, and slurred changes as the fluid ages. Audi describes the fill as lifetime, and in practice the fluid degrades and the box wears. A service every 80,000 km or so keeps it healthy, and skipping it is what leads to a rebuild.

Check: Ask for a fluid service record, then drive it cold and warm feeling for shift quality. A car with no gearbox history should be priced for a service at minimum.

TransmissioncommonPartly detectableevidence: documented100–200k km

DPF clogging and forced regenerationDPF€250–€1,800

Warning light, limp mode, oil level rising above the maximum mark from fuel dilution. The filter needs sustained hot running to regenerate. A car used for short urban trips never completes a regeneration cycle.

Check: Read the DPF soot load and the distance since the last regeneration on a scan tool, and check the engine oil level and smell it for diesel. Ask what the car was used for. A short-trip city diesel is the wrong car regardless of mileage.

EmissionscommonPartly detectableevidence: documented120–250k km

Front control arm bushing wearE9x chassis€300–€700

Knocking over bad surfaces, vague or wandering steering, uneven front tyre wear, steering shimmy under braking. The front lower arm bushings are a known wear item on this chassis and go well before the ball joints.

Check: Drive over a rough road at low speed with the windows down and listen. Check the inside edges of the front tyres for feathering.

SuspensionuniversalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented80–150k km

Run-flat tyres and kerbed or cracked wheelsE9x chassis€150–€900

Harsh ride, vibration at speed, slow punctures. Stiff-sidewall run-flats transmit impacts straight into the rim, and these alloys crack rather than bend.

Check: Inspect the inner rim edge of every wheel for cracks and hairline splits, not just the face for kerbing. Budget for a set of conventional tyres; most owners switch and the ride improves markedly.

SuspensioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Corrosion at the rear subframe and arch seamsE9x chassis€300–€2,000

Bubbling at the rear arch lip, scaling on subframe mounting points and rear suspension components. Age plus road salt. This generation isn't a notorious rotter, but nothing from 2005–2013 is immune in a salted market.

Check: Put it on a lift and look at the rear subframe mounting points and the arch lips from behind. Largely a non-issue on cars from southern Europe, a real one on northern and Baltic cars.

Body & corrosionoccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Footwell module (FRM) failureE9x chassis€150–€700

Headlights, indicators, windows, wipers and central locking stop working at once, usually right after a battery change or a jump start. The module's memory corrupts when supply voltage dips. It is the single most common electrical failure on this generation.

Check: Test every window, both mirrors, the wipers, all exterior lights and the central locking before you drive. If any cluster of these is dead, this is why.

ElectricalcommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once. All 14 issues in full →

Mileage and servicing

What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.

Chain rattle at cold start is the sound that matters. Everything else about this engine is ordinary, so listen carefully in the first few seconds.

Service item	Interval	Cost
Timing chain A chain job means the engine comes out	listen at every cold start	€2,500–4,000
Oil cooler seals An age item on these V6 diesels	if it weeps	€500–1,000
Engine oil Chain wear follows oil condition closely	on time, correct spec	€120–180

What to pay

What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.

median €5.2k

€3.0k€4k€8.8k

Cheapfind the reasonGood buyif it checks outFairnormal moneyOverpricedneeds justifying

Asking price (€)Mileage (km)

Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.

United States vs Europe

1 EUR = 1.08 USD · 2026-07

🇪🇺 Europe · EUR€4,000band €3,050–€8,800

🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold2.7 TDI CANA was never a US-market car

What that meansNo US band exists to compare. Any car you find there's a private import, parts and specialist knowledge are thinner, and the price says more about import cost than about the market.

US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.

ModelAudi A6 2.7 TDI
ChassisC6
EngineCANA
Years2004–2011
MarketCentral EU
Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07

Good buy at or under the marker · Median asking price · bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile · dashed line is the c6 median, all 5 engines

Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. Any car without documentation for multitronic cvt failure should be priced as if the repair is still owed. Full breakdown by facelift phase →

Buyer notes

Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.

Our read, not a record

The 2.7 TDI is the same architecture as the 3.0 with a smaller bore, and in ownership terms they're the same car. It's quiet, torquey and perfectly suited to a big Audi. What you're listening for is the timing chain, because it sits at the back of the engine and putting it right means the engine comes out, which is a bill of the same order as the car's value. So arrive to a cold engine, listen hard for the first few seconds, and check the service history for oil-cooler work. A good one is a lot of car for the money.

Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.

Full specification

Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.

Engine code	CANA 2.7 TDI
Configuration	V6, turbocharged · 2698 cc
Fuel / injection	diesel · common rail
Model years	2004–2011
Facelift phase	Sold either side of the 2008 facelift, 2004–2007 pre, 2008–2011 LCI
Power / torque	190 PS · 400 Nm
Transmissions	6-speed manual · CVT (multitronic) · 6-speed tiptronic
Gearbox families	Audi multitronic CVT · ZF 6HP tiptronic six-speed automatic
Drivetrain	FWD · quattro
Economy (real-world)	6.5–8 l/100 km mixed
Markets	EU

2.7 TDI CANA

Overview

Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Pre-purchase inspection

1Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.

2On the driveInclude low-speed manoeuvring, not just an open road.

3PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.

4OBD scanMandatory. A seller who refuses a scan has answered the question.