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Benman
August 26th, 2003, 21:48
well, here goes...

i picked up the Beast on Friday night after work and as you would expect i was in a very good mood. When i pulled up and saw my RS 6 parked there in front all ready having just been washed and polished my smile grew from ear to ear. The head finance guy and salesmen were there waiting for me at the door. He obviously could see my HUGE smile and said "that smile says it all".

My reply was "giddy as a school boy". The guys there were absolutely fantastic. we were done with all the paperwork in only 36 minutes (and that's including the 5-10 minutes of yapping about non RS 6 related stuff). We spent another 5 minutes outside going over the important stuff and then i was off.

The drive home was so exciting. Yes, i have driven the car before on the Autobahn even, but it still is not the same as taking your own car home. Yes! Home! Finally! Keeping the Beast to within even reasonably close to legal limits proved to be a mighty challenge. But i kept telling myself "you waited this long what's another 1000 miles for break in".

I can honestly say that i was a good boy and not once did i take it past the 5000 rpm mark for the whole first 600 miles. in the manual it notes that after that you can gradually bring it closer to the redline until you reach the 1000 mile mark. as of this typing i am currently at 845 miles (i WILL be done with break in TONIGHT!) and have YET to floor The Beast even ONCE!!! Those of you that have yet to take delivery will not understand the level of self control required to acomplish this task!:hihi: I HAVE used 3/4 throttle and believe me, that is already very impressive power, enough to shrug off most contenders.

This baby has a great steath factor with the "average" person on the road (no gawking as if driving a Viper). It is however a DEAD give away with people who are enthusiats as well as most Audi drivers (a couple in a black S4 gave me an entusiastic "2 thumbs up:0: )

Just last night while driving home an IS 300 pulled up next to me on the freeway @ 85mph and wanted to race. At first i wasn't sure because he didn't really floor it. just accellerated away. So i sped up and passed him. When he caught back up he didn't look over this time. Instead he down shifted into what sounded like 3rd (cause it really sounded like he dropped the :bang: ) and took off. I wanted to be nice so i gave him a 5-10 second lead. Then i shifted into 4th (remember, keep rpms under 5500) and gave the car 3/4 throttle (again, i actually listened to the manual). The amazing thing was i didn't NEED full throttle. Not even close. Not even kind of close. Now, i'm not knocking the IS 300 because it's a great car and would probably give a 2.7T a decent run for the money but it was simply not even a race. It was a slaughter. An execution. The IS looked like it was braking for goodness sake! Such is the power of this Beast:bow: I can't even imagine what the butt whooping would have been like if i actually shifted into 3rd and FLOORED it!!! (for those of you that feel sorry for the IS 300 or think the match up unfair remember, I didn't PICK the fight. He did. I just ended it!)

My experience so far proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that this baby was worth the wait. The handling and stability are just outstanding!!! And the speed goes without mention. Oh the memories once this Beast is actually broken in!!!:cheers:

Ben:addict:
BTW, the reason this post is called two sleepless nights is because i was so busy with previous plans during the weekend that ALL Friday AND Saturday NIGHT (while everyone else was asleep) were spent putting those miles on the car!!!). I figured i could get plenty of sleep Sunday night:hihi: :cheers:

Erik
August 26th, 2003, 22:16
Originally posted by Benman
It was a slaughter. An execution. The IS looked like it was braking for goodness sake!

LOL! You're having that kuch fun with only 75%. Imagine the future...!!!

:MTM:

Finnus
August 26th, 2003, 23:18
Ben,

I've had my Beast for 6 or 7 weeks now & everytime I turn the ignition and hear it growl to life, I just GRIN!!!:D :D :D Not to mention the great drive. Glad to hear you're enjoying yours too.

Finnus :cheers:

:addict: :addict: :addict:

Rally
August 26th, 2003, 23:48
Awesome Ben, it's like getting your first car all over again. :)

Breakin is a pain for me since I don't have the time to jump in the car and put some miles on the odo.

Sounds like my priorities are all screwed up.

Keep the stories coming.

TheBrit
August 27th, 2003, 13:50
Nice report Ben, sounds like you're having a blast already!

Once it's run-in properly, 3rd gear from around 60mph with pedal to the kickdown point is just awesome! What more can I say apart from I still feel the same way about my RS 6 after 8 months and 18,900 miles...
:addict: :addict: :addict:

Chris

Benman
August 27th, 2003, 15:50
Chris:cheers: ,

That's just awesome. Almost 19,000 miles:D I couldn't wait for the break in to finally be over. l finally got 1003 miles last night. But right before that happened a Camaro Z28 SS clocked me on the freeway and wanted a go at it. I wanted to tangle SOOO bad but the odometer was reading 917:( . After all the waiting i just couldn't break my self imposed limits (and those in the owners manual). I knew that i wouldn't be able to floor it just yet and that would be needed to show this guy the POWER of the Beast!!!

Sadly i had to pass the oppurtunity up:vsad2: But i remembered your post about the proper break in and decided it would not be worth it. There will ALWAYS be more oppertunities to take on allcomers!!! But NOW the Beast is FREE. Free to strecth his legs. Free to conquer. Free to... easy there Benny:blush: Getting a little carried away.

Ben:addict: :addict: :addict:

gmbh6
August 27th, 2003, 16:25
Originally posted by Benman
...The guys there were absolutely fantastic. we were done with all the paperwork in only 36 minutes (and that's including the 5-10 minutes of yapping about non RS 6 related stuff). We spent another 5 minutes outside going over the important stuff and then i was off...

I'm going to your dealer next time.

......and boy o boy that is some self-control......to keep from putting the :bang: down at least once.......good job! :cheers:

RS6FEVR
August 27th, 2003, 17:11
:cheers: Ben

Great story and recap of the first 917 miles! :bang: I'm not anywhere near as successful as you at "restraint"! :p I'll start a separate post on my experience at the ALMS Road America where I let the beast fly with only 650 base miles during practice lap time! :hihi: :hihi:
Anyhow, great to know the beast is meeting expectations and you're having a sleepless blast.

:addict: FEVR :addict:

nene
August 27th, 2003, 17:13
Glad you are enjoying the car to the fullest. Keep those good stories coming!!!

eph94
August 28th, 2003, 02:49
Benman, I don't know how you've done it. I have inadvertantly hit 6K once and 5K too many times to count in 250 miles. I just can't figure out how to drive an automatic. I've tried to put it in manual mode to keep an eye on the revs but the darn thing didn't shift until 1K+ RPM after I've pressed it. Waaaahh, I'm going to have the wimpiest Beast on the planet because I'm not breaking it in properly.

The next logical question: is it too late to rectify my wrongs? If so, then I guess my "break in" period is over. :bang:

I averaged 13.8 MPG on the first tank. How did you guys do?

Benman
August 28th, 2003, 18:19
How did i do it? SUMPREME self control:hihi: It was NOT easy. But i wouldn't worry too much if you go over once in awhile. It's more about the principle of NOT beating the crap out of your car.

As for fuel economy my first tank: 13.7 miles per gallon
2nd tank: 17.3 (i was a little easier on it)
3rd tank: 14.9:cheers:

Ben:addict: :addict: :addict:

Bauer
August 28th, 2003, 18:59
I spoke with a RS6 Tech and he told me that "to try and keep it 3/4 throttle and to stay below 4k rpm as much as possiable for the first 500 to 600 miles. But if you go to 5k rpm and 6k rpm once in awhile it should not be a problem. Then once over 800 to 900 you can hit the 6k rpm mark more often. I live in NorCal and he just told me not to drive to L.A. at 150mph for 5 hours. Just varry the engine speed and if you go over once and awhile its not a problem.

He stressed that the most important item was to make sure when you start the car to let it idle for 30 sec to one minute and to stay below 3k rpm until the OIL temp gauge shows a temp increase.

Its just the advice I was given.....if it means anything a freind of mine who owns a BMW repair shop and used to be a head mechanic for a Can Am Team gave me the same advice..... how you warm the car up is the most important part.

Bauer

03 RS6
01 S8
92 S4

eph94
August 28th, 2003, 19:40
Good advice, Bauer. I'll pay more attention to the warm-up. I wish there was a visual cue such as the M5 that would "move" the redline depending on the temperature of the engine oil.

As I am learning the nuances of an automatic transmission all over again, I have been better at keeping the revs under control during this second tank of gas. One time I hit 5K+ was when the car took me completely by surprise when it downshifted into a lower gear during my first 10 miles (the car's first 20). I had been rowing gears for so long that I forgot that the car would make decisions without me. It thinks it's also a testament to the nice autobox that wants to get the car going in the right gear. I swear I was just feathering the accelerator and then... WHOOSH! It was an incredible feeling but I was also horrified when I glanced down at the tach.

Any advice on cooling down the car/turbos? I usually let it idle for one or two minutes before shutting down. Am I being excessive? I read in the manual to do it after hard or lengthy driving. I'm not exactly sure what constitutes "hard" or "lengthy". (Err, that didn't exactly come out right, but get your minds out of the gutter, you know what I meant.)

Erik
August 28th, 2003, 20:20
Originally posted by JJV-MA
Any advice on cooling down the car/turbos?

The RS4 had turbo timer. I guess the RS6 would have the same. I wouldn't worry about that as long as the oil is changed as prescribed.

Benman
August 28th, 2003, 20:49
The advice that Bauer's Rs 6 tech gave him coinsides nicely with the advice in the manual. Keeping the rpms at a steady consistent level is not recomended (which is why i'm sure he said not to drive down to L.A.). However, the easy way to beat this (if you WANT to take a freeway drive) is to continually use the paddles. Just put the car in Tip (that way the auto won't override you) and just every now and then shift from 4th to 5th. And when going slow (@70-75mph) you can downshift to 3rd without worrying about the rpms. I did this the whole first 1000 miles so that the motor could experience rpm swings without leaving the comfort of the freeway. :cheers:

Also, about the warm up and cool down. A good idea to say the least. 2 minutes is not excessive, just dedicated!:cheers:

Ben:addict: :addict:

Bauer
August 28th, 2003, 20:53
I was told even with the turbo timer that it is still a good idea to "cool" the engine as the turbo timer justs pumps water to the turbo. To my understanding there is no pump to put "cool" oil to the turbo when the car is turned off and the cooking of the oil is what causes damage to the turbos. So running the car lets the oil cool and circulate.

I have owned 3 Audi turbo cars and always warmed them up and spent time cooling them dowm. One with as much as 150K miles on it and I have never had to replace a turbo on any of the cars.

Again just what I have been told to do and has seemed to work. I hope this helps.

Bauer

03 RS6
01 S8
92 S4

TheBrit
August 29th, 2003, 17:15
Originally posted by Bauer
I was told even with the turbo timer that it is still a good idea to "cool" the engine as the turbo timer justs pumps water to the turbo. To my understanding there is no pump to put "cool" oil to the turbo when the car is turned off and the cooking of the oil is what causes damage to the turbos. So running the car lets the oil cool and circulate.
This is my understanding of the situation as well. I have a simple enough method of ensuring sufficient cooling:

On my daily commute from town to town, I get between 5 to 10 minutes (depending on trafic conditions) of urban driving before I get to work/home. I just drive within the speed limit and keep the revs down and use the throttle as lightly as gets me where I'm going. The turbos get to cool down, I get to come down off my "RS 6 high" and my neighbours don't all think I'm a nutcase... :hihi:

Benman
August 29th, 2003, 21:17
that sure beats sitting in the garage for 2 minutes:D :cheers:

Ben:addict: