Long road trip parts and tools

[NerdyDeeds]

I recently accidentally won an RS6 on BringATrailer and am going to be driving it from North Carolina back to Minnesota.

My biggest concern at this point is getting prepared for the trip. I plan on bringing my Innova 3100 code reader, a small tool-kit and some fuses, but other than that I'm not sure.

Are there any parts/tools that you guys bring along for long road trips just in case?

[mrdave]

Welcome to the club fellow MN-er!

My first question would be when was the timing belt service last performed? And what does the other maintenance history look like?

If everything has been maintained properly a long trip should not be an issue. The only thing I'd be concerned about with a car of this age is any rubber components that haven't been updated recently (belts, seals, and CV boots mostly).

[NerdyDeeds]

Thanks Mr. Dave! I'm down in AV, but drive up to Maple Grove for work at the moment. I joined MN Audi, any other groups around the area?

Timing belt was done 22k/6 years ago. Transmission was rebuilt 18k/5y ago.

This was the most recent service done. The dealer wasn't sure what the shop meant about the "blown shock" but says it's driveable without being harsh.

https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2003_audi_rs6_1538427120a3fe3f15381702465ef66e7dff 9f98764dScan_20180928.png

[mrdave]

A few things -

That oil doesn't meet 505.01 spec. I would not use it.

I'm not sure I'd trust that "FLNelson" tune. Any more info on it?

They noted that one CV boot was torn. Did they replace it? What about the others?

Aftermarket axle is concerning as they're known to be junk.

"Blown shock" probably means your DRC is bad, which is a well known issue. You'll want to replace your entire suspension with a good set of coilovers or a set of Koni Yellows with stock springs - search this site for more info. You'll probably need to replace control arms too if that hasn't been done recently.

It sounds like you have a decent amount of work to do to bring it back to spec so hopefully you got a good deal on it! Any pics?

[NerdyDeeds]

I agree with the tune, it sounds a little sketchy. The dealer asked Apex and said "FLNelson tuning software was just a local programmer who wrote a software performance tune and they use it a lot on a few cars." Anything to do except keep an eye on the o2 sensor readings and make sure they're not getting too lean during the trip?

It doesn't sound like they replaced the CV boot or axle, just noted it. I was planning on replacing those pretty quick.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2003-audi-rs6-38/

I have to choose which car I'm going to keep once I get the RS6 home, practical or fun? :vhmmm:

[nubcake]

Anything to do except keep an eye on the o2 sensor readings and make sure they're not getting too lean during the trip?

Not much sense doing that in a narrowband O2 car.
Can watch EGTs instead (if sensors function). Anything below 800 celsius is good, short-term up to 950 is decent, 980+ = trouble.
If constantly pegged at upper limit (1100ish) - likely deleted in software, so no use either.

Will be "fun" to drive with one of the DRC circuits blown. Basically your right rear and front left will feel spongy. Be careful.

[NerdyDeeds]

I made it back without any troubles, engine didn't skip a beat.

Suspension didn't feel too bad, but I can notice the bad shock. Anyone know of a shop in MN that can work on the DRC system?

[DHall1]

Check threads on drc. Toss in bin

koni's or coilovers

i will have a fresh set of Koni's coming off in a week.

[lswing]

Good to hear! In Google use "site:rs6.com koni struts" or similar to search this site instead of the built in search.

Koni yellow's work great with stock springs, good height and fairly firm even on soft setting.

[mrdave]

Anyone know of a shop in MN that can work on the DRC system?

You don't want to fix the DRC. Too expensive and it never ends up right. As mentioned above, your options are good coilovers (kw v3 is popular option) or koni yellow dampers with stock springs. As far as local shops, here are a couple I've had good experiences with:

http://imolamotorsports.com/

http://www.nurtechnik.com/

[lswing]

Wow, this was 6.5 years ago the Koni trend was started, dang I feel old, ha!

http://www.rs6.com/showthread.php/23946-Completed-DIY-DRC-removal-swap-with-Koni-Yellow-Sports

[EINHORN]

What’s the name of that site? Bring a trailer, right? Do it, put it on it. Get it home. Take your time. Figure it out. Fix it.

[rah]

Just like MrDave mentioned, do not fix the DRC, not worth it! I had the PSS9 on mine for a while and they were great but the KW V3 for coil-overs are definitely the ones to go with in my opinion. Congrats on the buy by the way, i clicked your link and what a price!