Dialing in the beast

[midwest1275]

So I've had my RS6 for a few months now, no regrets, still grinning. Of course it has a few issues that need to get attended to. No surprise here, even though it was low miles (53K) w/warranty. Dealer gave it a full eval, but of course they didn't note all issues to make the sale. That's OK, I have a rainy day fund for this car.

So far, I have done:

*Front rotors were warped and brake pedal was pulsating, so i bought front Zimmerman rotors ($275 each from Partsgeek, good price/quick delivery)
*Hawk Yellow front pads ($277 from Auto Parts Warehouse). Cold they are OK, warm the stopping power is excellent. There were Red pads on the front and I think that was the problem. I hear that they get ultra hot and warp rotors. Prob what happened here. I've got some lightly used Reds (front) for sale if anyone wants them.
*Had to rip out the old Audi tape player and upgrade the stereo system. Got a Pioneer AVH-4100NEX double din head unit w/nav, 500 watt 5 channel Alpine Amp, JL Audio separates up front, Focal full range in the rear doors, Dyna matted doors/trunk/decklid (interior is much quieter now), and a JL Audio 10 in JL box bolted to rear deck facing down in trunk. New head unit makes a big difference and updates the interior nicely.
*Hardwired a Valentine 1 radar detector to the rear view mirror
*Fixed vacuum leaks under intake and replaced all spark plugs, no more codes being thrown.
*Dealer changed oil, flushed/changed the brake fluid, and changed interior filters
*Revo Tune. It was only $525 over this past holiday season, 25% off. Made a big difference. Pulls hard
*Bought Hotchkis front and rear sways off Amazon. Shipped total they were $385. Price was great, shipping was horrible. Package got lost and it took forever to get it here. Swaybars go in this Monday
*I'm getting occasional clicking and ticking from the front end, they think it may be the front sway bar links going out. So I picked up some new links at audionlineparts for $159 shipped (both). Got parts right away, links go on this Monday. It may be the control arms, but were gonna see if the new swaybar links solve the problem. I thought it was the CV joints, as there is a ticking/clicking that happens at the wheels. But when I am completely stopped with brake on in Drive and I turn the wheel, I still can hear the clicking. I was told that if it was CV joints you would only hear the clicking while moving.
*Put in a Recaro baby seat (in back) for my son, he's one and a half years old. When I give him a little boost he usually stops fussing
*Front driver seat rocks and clunks a bit. Looking into this later.
*Replaced rear trunk struts and hinges. They were bent and struts were shot. Found mint hinges with struts (both) on this forum from a guy parting out an RS6, only $60 shipped. Was gonna pay 6 times that at the stealership.
*Tranny is strong (original), DRC is solid (replaced 15k ago), SE exhaust sounds great, love the white interior, having a blast with the car.
*All work has been done at Raven Motorsports in Long Beach (stereo by Al and Eds in Marina del Rey). They have been great to work with, good prices, very knowledgeable on the RS6, and I got to check out their shop '03 RS6 that's getting it's 6 speed manual conversion dialed in.
*Planning on hitting a track day later this year.
*Averaging 11.3 mpg driving around town. 6-8 mpg when I'm opening it up. Pretty bad, but I drive low miles each week so it's not an issue.
*Getting thumbs up from M5 drivers, they must have regrets about not buying an RS6

[hahnmgh63]

Sounds like your working out all of the needed problems. If those original rotors are not down to min spec then they may still be good. The Reds don't warp the Rotors but they deposit material on the rotors and it can be sanded off with some Emory cloth. I haven't used Reds on my RS6 I use EBC Yellows but I did have a set of Reds on my tt and it did the same thing.

[lswing]

Looking good! Does the V1, or others really, hardwire into the open electrical port on the back of the mirror?

Be careful, the trans is strong until it blows. Took a few years on my first Revo tune, lasted around 10k with mixed hard driving.

[Dmb408]

Clicking might be wheel bearing.

[midwest1275]

I got the Hotchkiss front and rear swaybars in today and they make a difference in the corners. The new swaybar links reduced some of the clicking and popping, but there is still some in there. Next we are going to a look a bit more into other sources of noise. He was pressed for time and could only get to two steering rack bolts, maybe the other 2 will make a difference if they're tightened. I saw a few threads on this. Dmb408 we will check the wheel bearings. But it is probably the upper/lower control arms. I don't think it's a CV, but maybe tho. The occasional clicking/popping is really annoying. Iswing, the V1 is hardwired into a power line (i think to the rear view mirror power cord, not a rear port). I used a flush mount kit from http://www.blendmount.com. They make the V1 cage and wiring kit. It's a 100% better than the cord flopping down across the dash/windshield to the cigarette lighter. The V1 comes out easy too, if you're parking in a shady area and need to hide it.

[Dmb408]

If it is control arms (i.e. bushings) it would go away after you spend more time driving (most likely)....does it do that?