Ok, is my car jinxed?

[CornersWell]

Now the Brake Vacuum Pump failed throwing the CEL (along with secondary air sensors). And, today, the ESP/ABS indicator light came on. I'm thinking they're related, and with the pump failure, the ABS wouldn't be working properly. So, that makes sense, but in the past 5 months, that's an alternator, torque converter and now the pump. Also, had the 55K service done in there. That's a LOT to go wrong in such a short period...

CW

[DHall1]

Most likely that fitting broke under the intake. Did the brake pedal get hard like you lost brake assist.

Make damn sure they replace all the injector o rings when they take your fuel rail off.

[V8weight]

Yep, replace injector O-rings (ask me how I know), and may as well do the secondary coolant pump at the same time. I feel for you, when it rains it pours with these cars.

[CornersWell]

Just as a follow up, see here...http://www.rs6.com/showthread.php/21808-Sanity-Check/

Brake Vacuum Pump was replaced. Alignment done to address strange wear pattern on rears. Then, next day, the brake switch light failed, I picked up a 2" torx bolt in my left rear AND the cars shut down on me exiting the highway. Don't yet know if it's electrical or fuel. But, if AoA or GmBH is listening...this car's beginning to be a real disappointment.

CW

[CornersWell]

BTW, V8, the shop said, "different problem and the warranty company won't cover it until the problem manifests." So, it's gotta break before it can be fixed! Maybe it broke again today?

CW

[FlipRS6]

Just as a follow up, see here...http://www.rs6.com/showthread.php/21808-Sanity-Check/

Brake Vacuum Pump was replaced. Alignment done to address strange wear pattern on rears. Then, next day, the brake switch light failed, I picked up a 2" torx bolt in my left rear AND the cars shut down on me exiting the highway. Don't yet know if it's electrical or fuel. But, if AoA or GmBH is listening...this car's beginning to be a real disappointment.

CW

Unbelieveable.... I cannot believe all of these things have happened one after another, i feel for ya bro... if i were in the same position the white towel would be thrown all the way in... I still havent had any problems with my car besides ordinary up-keep (knock on wood), but ever since joining this site about a month ago i have heard some absolute horror stories. Ignorance is truly bliss!!!!

You should have named this thread "when good cars go bad".... Just thought i would throw that out there

[DHall1]

With all the recent repairs there is always the chance that this last problem is related to the prev repairs. The intake manifold was off and you just got the car back. Could something have been left loose? Yes.

BTW, V8, the shop said, "different problem and the warranty company won't cover it until the problem manifests." So, it's gotta break before it can be fixed! Maybe it broke again today?

CW

[skribe]

Of course. Shit will go wrong. It will be expensive to fix. A 7-year-old car that carries 4 adults in comfort and does a 1/4 mile in the 12's is going to be pricey to maintain no matter how you slice it.

Everything comes at a cost. There is no free lunch in this world.

[FlipRS6]

Of course. Shit will go wrong. It will be expensive to fix. A 7-year-old car that carries 4 adults in comfort and does a 1/4 mile in the 12's is going to be pricey to maintain no matter how you slice it.

Everything comes at a cost. There is no free lunch in this world.

Without a doubt a $90,000 car is going to be expensive to fix, unfortunatly the parts for our cars dont depreciate with the overall value of our cars... However after dropping $10,000 in repairs and the car is still down and out, when do you cut your losses? Passion for the beast is the only motivating factor... If you dont absolutely love this car and your in CW's position what do you do?

[skribe]

If the cost of upkeep makes you nuts, then you have to move on. Things are going to go wrong. Sometimes one after another after another. That's life with an aging Audi, ask me how I know.

If it becomes too frustrating, buy something new with a warranty, like a BMW 550ix or Panamera or E63. Unfortunately Audi doesn't really offer a replacement for a C5 RS 6. Or get a second, less high-maintenance car to take some of the load off the RS.

What we're all dealing with are the running costs of an exotic car. That is what the RS 6 is, an exotic car that masquerades as an A6. Look under your hood. There's 8 lbs of engine jammed into a 5 lb sack.

[CornersWell]

Of course. Shit will go wrong. It will be expensive to fix. A 7-year-old car that carries 4 adults in comfort and does a 1/4 mile in the 12's is going to be pricey to maintain no matter how you slice it.

Everything comes at a cost. There is no free lunch in this world.

I can accept that things break. And, I admit to being frustrated by the seeming one-after-the-other issues. Things are breaking faster than I can fix them.

But, what I can't have is an unsafe, unreliable car. In particular, we're talking about a total shut down at highway speeds. The steering went heavy entering a turn. That could have turned out badly. And, frankly, a break down in rush hour traffic just having come from the shop is...unacceptable.

And, let's talk inconvenience factor. Since June, the car's been in the shop for nearly 30 days (10 for the alternator and 17 for the torque converter). Not to mention the endless hours I've spent waiting at the shop for on-the-spot repairs to be completed. And, driving to and from said shop. It's adding up, and I'm not liking the numbers...

But, let me also comment on the issue that this is a high-performance vehicle. Yes, it is. But, I have never had any significant problems with other high-performance vehicles I've owned. Not with our MB, Porsche or Ferrari products. Minor problems, yes, but not like these problems, anyway. The car is complicated. But, this isn't like they have to re-invent the wheel, either. Audi's products have been on the roads for a LONG time. They've had time to sort this out. And, frankly, it's embarrassing for them that today we have to put up with their flawed and poor designs. DRC? Torque Converter? Upper Control Links? Transmission? How many "known" flaws should we have to endure? Hell, Audi wouldn't even ADMIT there was a problem with the DRC until the class action suit. And, as I talk to the shop guys, the brake switch light is a "known" problem. As is the brake vacuum pump. As are LOTS of things. Too many, IMO, for an expensive vehicle. I don't know what you paid for yours, but I bought the car virtually new and early. So, I paid a lot. I therefore expect a lot.

I expect performance, reliability and safety. And, in the modern automotive world, performance doesn't mean you have to sacrifice the other two. But, more fundamentally, if I cannot feel confident that the car will get to my destination without breaking down, I can't take it out of the garage. It stranded me in a potentially dangerous way. That's enough to justify moving on in my book. If not, let me ask if you would feel comfortable letting your Wife, Mother, Daughter or Girlfriend drive a car that seems to be crumbling in front of your eyes?

For the record, I have an extended warranty. All of these repairs are being covered, save the deductibles. So, it's not really a cost of maintenance and repair problem. This is a reliability and safety issue.

CW

[DHall1]

Yep.

I would like to see what failed this time. This situation is not a normal occurrence in the life of most RS6's. I cant help feeling the recent repairs may have left something loose or broken. We shall see.

[skribe]

I've had lemons before. One of my GTIs was an utter failure from day one. It routinely shut itself down at speed. The dealership insisted nothing was wrong and that i must be stalling the car. I understand that is unforgivable in any car of any age. I dumped it a the dealership and refused to take it back in the end. Lemon-lawed a new one.

I would suspect the dealermonkeys f-ed something up during your last repair. Unfortunately that happens ALL the time.

The RS 6 is the first used car I've ever owned... I'm in it for 45k. So I'm 45k ahead of you... Knock on wood, my particular car has had very few problems. But I'm mentally prepared for inevitable frustrations...

And I also drive less than five miles on a typical day. In the summer, most days I don't even drive. I bike to a train. And I have three other cars to share the load. So I guess I can be a lot more forgiving than you.

Anyway, good luck senator. I would tend to think you'll get through this spot and have another batch of reliable miles. But the new car itch is what it is and it sounds like you have it!

[speedtrapped]

I bough my RS6 with the intention of it never being a DD. I have a newer and warranted S8. I'm sorry for your experience , I personally luv Audi. I have owned a 911, and I had to replace tranny seals, and other incidentals. I knew buying e beast was purely emotional, I guess if I was driving her 250 miles a week I would expect to fun into issues sooner rather then later. But sounds like you got 5-6 good? Years out of her?.. That's not bad considering. Take the dealership to task. Good luck on your next vehicle.

[CornersWell]

Update...

Dealer called. Blown fuse shut down the fuel injection. Problem will be to figure out why the fuse blew. Given that I've had SO much work done on the car in the recent months, it could take a while to diagnose. However, since they know which fuse blew, that should provide a start.

So, the partial listing of what's been done in the past few months:

Alternator
55K Service
Torque Converter
RNS-E, Bluetooth, XM and Dice iPod
Brake Vacuum Pump
Brake Switch Light

My money's on a cable getting pinched during the engine re-install after the TC replacement. What do you guys think?

CW

[DHall1]

Give us a time frame of driving between those service points.

My money is on the intake repair to change that brake booster fitting. The fuel rail was off as was the injectors. Pinch a line on the install and bingo. Leave a ground loose or off on the install and bingo. There is your problem. Shoddy tech.

Glad my car does not go in to Audi service but when and if it ever does. I have the name and number of a good guy I can trust. It goes right to him, I can run back and take a look anytime I need to and he calls me directly on my cell if anything comes up. The good ol fashioned way.

[JSRS6]

Fuses do just blow sometimes...might have just been it's time.

[CornersWell]

Alternator - July 2
55 K - September 3
Torque Converter - Oct 28
RNS-E - Completed Nov 17
Brake Vacuum Pump - Nov 23
Brake Switch Light - Nov 24

And, just to be clear, after the alternator debacle, I started taking the RS6 to a recommended local independent. They completed the 55K, Torque Converter, Brake Vacuum Pump and Brake Switch Light work. However, given all the issues I've been having I had it towed to another local dealer. I am personal friends with the service manager there. So, he's got a solid tech working on it.

I went over to have a look at how it was coming, and he was pointing out a LOT of things that weren't right. Damage, even. He showed me where the intake manifold had been dented. He showed me where the injector cable insulation had been worn through (but the wires seemed fine). He showed me where a screw on the back of the engine was broken (but he can't get to). Now, I'm not sure that we can identify who did that damage, but when this is all over, I'm going to have to ask a few questions of the guys that have been doing the service...

CW