determined to buy an RS6...need some help in spoting the flaws!!

[mik15]

Hi guys,

after coping with the idea for more than a few years, i have finally came to the point where i really can't sleep well because i think i have found the right RS6 to buy, i have seen a few but didn't like them....i have had before 2 Audi A6, diesel as it's common in Europe, but since last year i work in Abu Dhabi so petrol won't be a problem :), so i said i should go ahead an follow my dream...now i own a BMW 330i after other BMW's and Jaguar, but still my first love was Audi :)....i have found a 2004 RS6, with 60k miles, silver, Recaro seats, ABT tuned, i presume it's how it came from the factory, i know ABT and MTM were the official tuners for this model. The car, except the ABT kit, is completely stock, at least from what i have seen...what should i look after?? I know that the gearbox, RDC and turbos might be a problem, i kind of know how to check the gearbox, pay attention if there are any shocks and also put in manual into 5th gear at 30mph and check if it slips...i don't know exactly how to check the turbos and the RDC....has there been a recall for the RDC so i can check with the dealer if this car was affected?? Any piece of advice will be highly appreciated!! Thanks guys for your help!

[speedtrapped]

If you mean DRC?, check to see if recalled and be prepared to replace with coil overs eventually anyway. 60k miles I doubt turbos would be a problem, unless they are smoking? Check records to see if TQ converter was replaced, weak spot on car. If you know how to vAG log and can take car out log the main blocks and check for codes in general.

[mik15]

yes, DRC i meant, so if it hasn't been recalled should i stay away? As i see it, either way at some point it must be changed...what's a reasonable price for an aftermarket suspension? How good is the DRC compared with an aftermarket one? How much would be to fix the DRC? I haven't yet driven this one i wanna buy, just saw it at the dealer but it was closed and i didn't have the time to go an inspect as i am moving to another apartment...anyway, i hope i will go latest next week to have a good look and test it!! A few months back i have tested another one, it seemed a good car but i didn't like the way the gear box was acting, it didn't slip but it wasn't very responsive to the throttle, if wanted a kick-down, it wouldn't give it at the right time(delay between the moment i actually press the pedal and the moment it answers) or wouldn't give it at all, could this be a problem or it's just the normal response time of the tiptronic? What about the ABT kit the car has ? Did the increased power negatively affects the TQ or the Turbos? Has ABT completely changed the exhaust or just the rear silencers? I prefer the stock silencer, i think it sounds and looks better...

[skribe]

use google site search to search this forum... the native search tools suck. all your questions have been asked and answered many times in here. good luck finding the right one!

[mik15]

i got some spare time this weekend and went to see the car again and finally drove it a little bit....the car does look very good and clean i could say, esthetically looks very good except for the sealing above the back seats which is detached(because of the hot sun here in the summer), the owner said it would take care of that. Other thing i saw is the rear back left panel has been repainted, looked in the trunk and no sign of repairs, so i am guessing it was due to a scratch or something, there is no color discrepancy but if you look very carefully you can see the signs when you open the back left door or the trunk....

Now, mechanically, i have seen the last two invoices from Audi, some parts have been changed, like bushings, wiper blades, small things, on the last invoice from June this year it says that the V-belt is due for change, how much does this cost??
The car pulls very good, gear changing is very smooth, didn't see any oil leaks under the car(it's been sitting for a few days in the same spot), but i think i heard some noises from the suspension, from the back side, like a clunk so this might be the DRC. One other think i didn't like was the small noises coming from the plastics inside the car, a bit of squeaking, is that normal?? I know Audi have had a problem with this in the past, had that on my other 2 Audi A6 but i thought it shouldn't be in a car like RS6....

[kismetcapitan]

the 75K service costs several thousand dollars - it's a BIG one. The DRC is failing (the clunking sound from the rear), but the good news is that it looks like the recall wasn't done, so you can get a free replacement system. Bad news is the recall campaign ends tomorrow.

[mik15]

only great news :(...was this recall worlwide or was it just for Audi US? Were there any other recalls made for this car?

[kismetcapitan]

fuel tank recall for all A6-based cars (C5 chassis), but not a biggie.

There is good reason why I sought out a car that was just past 75K and had the service completed.

Also interesting to see a pre-recall RS6, and how the suspension is supposed to sit. If the damned DRC was as bulletproof as the engine, all one would really need for the suspension in terms of mods would be swaybars. It really doesn't need to be lowered. Post-recall, with the butt sitting like two inches higher, yeah, you start thinking about dropping the car.

[mik15]

is the recall campaign worlwide or was it just locally made?

[mik15]

i have seen today another 2 RS6, one of them, which i really liked, has the DRC fully replaced with an adjustable H&R kit, which is a big plus, also has the SatNav system with the 4:3inch screen. The bad part is that i felt a vibration while accelerating, the owner says that the reason for that is the tires which are worn on the rear and need to be changed, looked at it and they are worn, but my guess is that it might be the TQ starting to fail. What do you think? is the TQ going bad? if so, how much is to replace it? Other than this issue the car really seems ok, the engine pulls really hard as it should, i didn't see any oil leaks.

On the other one i test drove it, i felt a vibration when starting to drive the car with the wheels steered to the maximum(in a roundabout), no problems on a straight line, this one i really have no idea why....also i saw oil leaking form head gasket on the left side, this shouldn't be a big issue!

Thanks in advance for your time guys!

[lswing]

Vagcom the car for the TC code, and others. I've got some vibration in Tip under full throttle, broken engine mount I think, just saying.

The vibration you feel on a round-about or tight slow corner is the center diff slipping a bit due to age, the front wheels rotate more when going around a tight corner, putting the center diff to work. My mech said no big deal at all, doesn't really affect driving, would love get mine fixed someday but it's by the trans...

[mik15]

what is the code for the TC failure? would be great if the vibration i felt on the roundabout it's not an issue, it really makes me go and buy that car instead of the one which has the vibration while acceleration...i am almost at the end of the researches here, there are less than 10 RS6 for sale here and i have seen all of them and only a couple of them are actually good to think of, the rest are rubbish, if i don't find the right one i will give up, i hate to do this but i hate more throwing money...thank you very much guys for your effort, i really appreciated and hopefully i will be able to get the car of my dreams :) !

[aussie rs6]

only great news :(...was this recall worlwide or was it just for Audi US? Were there any other recalls made for this car?

no recall provided in australia, although one owner tried. definitely in US and alo possiby in UK.

:addict::addict::addict:

[lswing]

17125 for the TC failure, I believe, states TC cannot transfer power, something like that. I'm guessing that turnabout vibration is what I mentioned, at least that's my issue, so says my Audi mech, common. 10 rs6's, damn, I chose between two:) Don't ever give up...

[mik15]

i keep on walking :) and looking for one!

[mik15]

i have found one with a low mileage and full service history! The car has 25k miles, it's silver with the 18'' rims and red Recaro seats with leather, but there are also a few problems: the car had suffered a minor accident, the daughter's owner hit the car in his father's Explorer while trying to reverse it in their back yard and it was repaired on their expenses as the insurance didn't want to cover it, the job wasn't very well done, they replaced the bumper and resprayed the left rear panel but not very well, you can clearly see it's been resprayed, the color is ok but they didn't prepare right the surface before applying the paint! Another problem is the front bumper which has just been cracked in a kerb right below the lower front grille, i guess this needs to be replaced; the protective plastic shield under the engine is missing, the CD-player/changer is blocked, the interior auto dim mirror needs to be replaced, the climate control buttons(+, -) are a bit washed off and the sealing above the rear seats has come off a little bit so i guess it needs to be glued back or something! Mechanically the car seems very good after i drove it, no oil leaks, the DRC has already been done on warranty, rotors and brake pads seem to have just been done on the last service which was 3k miles ago, the tires might need to be replaced next year, tough they still have a lot of thread they are 2009, so a bit old.

The leather insides looks like new and it's red and apart from the flaws i told you i couldn't find others, we came down to the price of 20K USD! What do you think? Is it worth buying it with all these ''black points'' or should i go for one with 60k miles ebony schwarz color with cream interior, full service history, new brakes and tires, 19'' rims and i could get it for 18k USD? I am not really sure if i could live with all these little flaws, most of them i can fix it myself, but what about the accident part? I know the mileage is very low but does it worth the money considering all these negative aspects? Please help me guys in making the right decision, i really want an RS6...

[JSRS6]

60k for sure.

[mik15]

i was also thinking of going with that one too so i've sealed the deal today, i should pick up the black beast next week :), until then she sits still in the garage as the owner is out of country. Here are a few pictures of the car, the owner sent me an email with it...what do you think guys? I am not very keen on the color because of the heat and dust here, mainly in the summer time,, but i have an underground parking at home and at the office, so should be ok!

I know that the DRC was overhauled, the timing belt was changed including the water pump, new brake rotors, pads and tires and all service history is available as i have seen the receipts and also drove the car. Other than the slightly shivering i felt when wheels steered to maximum in a roundabout and just easily moving the car, which btw i also felt it in the with 25k miles, and someone from here said it's normal due to normal wear of the central differential, the trunk lid shock absorbers that need to be changed, other than that all seems ok. I didn't VAG it, just went ahead based on my experience with cars, 90% i was right, i hope this isn't the 10% :), keep my finger crossed!

[lswing]

Wow, looking great! Even the silver tips look pretty good on the black, great interior too, nice quality. Are those the Euro 19" rims, I'm tempted to go for that look this spring. Enjoy!

[mik15]

yeah, those are the 19'' Euro rims which as far as i know didn't get to US...the interior looks very good and the Recaro seats really makes you feel very secure on tight corners.. what would have chosen between the black one and this ?