Changes made to 2003 USA models during production year..Anyone know?

[Hy Octane]

As with many Audi models, did they make any changes to the car during production for the U.S. or are they all " identical "? Anyone know where to find out?

[Benman]

Originally posted by Hy Octane
As with many Audi models, did they make any changes to the car during production for the U.S. or are they all " identical "? Anyone know where to find out?
Hello Hy Octane,

All the RS 6s that came stateside are the same save different options. All came prewired for XM (all have the funny attena, Europe does without) and regular Nav (Euro gets nav plus). Also we got the "cheapo" seats compared to the recaros they got out there. Drilled brakes came standard out here and were an option on the other side of the pond. Also, we obviously did not get the option of choosing the 19" wheels:cry:
:cheers:
Ben

[JAXRS6]

During an 8/11 visit to my SE Michigan dealer, I discovered there may be some steering-related differences.

This stems from the fact that my car's steering feels heavy compared to another RS6 I drove (same day & location). So after posting some forum queries I asked my dealer to address the issue thru the mechanism called Servotronic or some such (not sure of entire name but the Servo part sticks with me). The suggestion to make that recommendation came from some factory guys who happened to be visiting the dealership, as well as forum posts.

But when I returned to pick up the car, the tech talked to me, saying some US RS6s had the Servo mechanism -- and some did not. Mine does not; therefore steering is not adjustable.:vgrumpy:

Might be interesting to find out what others are told. Maybe other owners could at least ask if they have the Servo steering feature next time they visit their dealers, then share that info here.

[Hy Octane]

Yes. Its those kinds of changes I'm looking for. CarbonLord has also noticed that some of the RS6 enhanced exhaust systems seem to have been modified somewhere along the way. Heres his post from AW'....

CarbonLord wrote:

"Ive seen a few RS 6 exhausts bolted on and every time, the adapters have been a different shape. Some are straight through, while some taper slightly then extend outward to match the diameter of the pipes they are being welded on to.

I was told by one tuner, on a turbo this would dramatically decrease the performance but on a 4.2, it shouldnt be a factor. I wonder how the flow would be, back pressure or what have you.

A cheezy example.

(Tapered)
Exhaust >==< Cats

(Straight)
Exhaust === Cats

Hope that makes a little sense, discuss....."

I am wondering what other things were changed and how to find out?

[JAXRS6]

Just got off the phone with my AOA owner advocate. When I explained the story re some US RS6s having Servotronic and some not, he said, "quite honestly, they do that," and there's probably not much I can do about it because Audi's option to change things was (apparently) stated in writing before I bought the car.

In other words, during production runs, Audi exercises its right to change or modify equipment. I have read this before re Audi and I suspect all mfrs state their right to do it. However I'm wondering about the extent of it actually happening for Audi vs BMW, Benz and others...and whether it's more common among limited production or high performance vehicles. Does anyone know?:vhmmm:

[Hy Octane]

Just talked to AoA/RS6 line.. Looks like they did make some changes during production year in USA. So far we know that they removed the servotronic relay in the later build months and changed the exhaust system design as well.. why? they wont say..yet.. They are not allowed to say why or even really talk about changes, but there have been so many inquiries that they do admit those changes and there are others.. I will be investigating more as I feel that we have the right to know what they changed on our cars and why. They do say that there were off icially only 1000 imported but realistically it is more like 1300. More later.

[Bauer]

Never knew this happend...very intersting thread.

[nene]

Changes occur across the board on most high-end manufacturers. Look at the BMW front housings for example. Benz does the same. It does not have to be high end.

The only thing is that if you want to make sure you get the latest goodies, don't buy the first release of the vehicle. If you wait 1-2 years, things will change, guaranteed.

With the RS6, you really could not wait that long.

[JAXRS6]

Conversely, sometimes the best goodies are on cars from the earlier part of the production run -- as seems to be the case with Servotronic.

[im_cecil]

Running production changes are common on everything from Hondas to Ferraris to computers to dishwashers. Usually they're pretty minor, due to a slight design change, a vendor change, etc. Sometimes the part number is updated, sometimes not. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few updates along the way.

Call me a skeptic, but I seriously doubt the advocates know squat about minor things like parts updates. Were they really specific about their acknowledgements of the exact things you were asking about? Or did they just say, "Yeah, that happens and we can't tell you any more."?

Hy Octane -- I think you misread cL's post. He was referring to the retrofit of the exhaust onto the A6 4.2. The pipe diameters are different and require an adaptor to mate the RS6 exhaust to the 4.2's. Because this is a fab'd piece, he was inquiring as to whether the different designs he's seen would make a difference on the modded cars. That's not to say that there aren't some subtle changes on the RS6, but I doubt it in this specific example.

JAX -- as for your Servotronic missing, I bet that they simply did not install the "relay" (it's not really a relay, but close enough). There is a lot of discussion on the A6 side about the steering being overboosted so a lot of people pull this relay. It's numbered 398, 605 or 628 depending on the model year. 628 is the newest. Servo has always been an option in Europe, and the general belief is that they simply plug in the relay if ordered. All the hardware equipment already exists. It would be interesting to see if an RS6 owner with the "light" steering could confirm if they have a 628 or equivalent, and you do the same. Simple as that. If my hunch is correct, the 628 runs about $150 from the dealer.

Note that Servo just adds additional variable power steering boost. You still have power steering of course, but the Servo gives it a bit more kick at low speeds and then turns off as you drive faster.

The only other discussion I've heard about differences pertains to the carbon fibre trim. Several have noted that there is a bluish hue or threads in it, while others have not noticed it. It's not been confirmed whether there are 2 versions or if some people are a bit colour blind. ;-)

Finally, I think the most important potential area for a running change is in the ECU. I've not seen any discussions at all about ECU revisions. It would be really informative if people could report what the letter code is on their respective boxes -- determined either by physically looking at the sticker or via VAG-Com.

Hope this helped.

[SpinEcho]

Jeez... first post and what a doozie! :idea:

Seriously, thanks for the info, and welcome! Do you have a Beast?

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by im_cecil
Call me a skeptic, but I seriously doubt the advocates know squat about minor things like parts updates. Were they really specific about their acknowledgements of the exact things you were asking about? Or did they just say, "Yeah, that happens and we can't tell you any more."?

You're probably right about advocates having limited knowledge of individual parts issues, but my guy seems sincere and eager to help at least, and he didn't attempt to hide information. He said, as I said above, that yes, Audi makes changes but there's not much I or he can do because they have the right to make such changes..."but I'll see what I can do," he added.

Note that Servo just adds additional variable power steering boost. You still have power steering of course, but the Servo gives it a bit more kick at low speeds and then turns off as you drive faster.


This is exactly what I am seeking! :thumb:

Oddly enough, after figuring out earlier today that Servotronic might be something that could be retrofitted, I called back my AOA guy and left a message about that possibility. I'll post his reply.

(Sorry about the convoluted left margin. Guess I haven't quite figured out how to quote twice.)

[im_cecil]

Thanks for the welcome, folks!

I believe you guys have a quicker ratio steering rack, but that should not affect the existance of Servotronic.

I've attached a picture (thanks, Stoney!) of the Servo module location. In the picture, it's labelled 392, but that's the older version. The newest A6 version is the 628. Most, if not all, of the other relays should be the same... the brown one directly underneath is a 603.

To get access to it, you need to remove the fuse box cover and drop the lower steering column padding. But if you just want to see if it's there, you can shine a flashlight through the gaps in the steering column padding (by the owner's manual slot). JAX, if yours is missing, but others have it (and is it still a 628?), there's your answer. I really doubt Audi would go through the trouble of removing all the associated wiring that goes along with it.

And... I'm not questioning the sincerity of your advocate, JAX, or to imply he didn't want to help. But it's not fair to expect a customer service person to know all the esoteric nuances. It sounds like he accepted your word that you don't have it, and he's right -- if true, it happens.

Now I'm as curious as you guys are. :D
I'd REALLY like to know the answers to the carbon fibre and ECU questions, though.

Good luck.

[Wang]

A sporting car such as the RS6 benefits from less boosted steering as there is more feedback of the car's steering fed back to the driver. IMO. I judge my steering to be quite heavy, as if there is no Servotronic. If there is an easy way to activate this (such as plug in a replacement servo), then I might try that to make a comparison to check my opinion s:rs6kiss:

[JAXRS6]

Cecil, thanks for your help. I will pass it on to my AOA guy, who has joined me before in seeking specific posts on this forum (specifically the OnStar red light thread) as we spoke on the phone.

Wang, I think I know what you mean, but the steering at low speeds on my car is so heavy that it impedes handling rather than enhancing it. Exiting a parallel parking spot, for example: if I need to be in a hurry due to heavy traffic, I could execute my exit faster and much more easily in my B5 S4 -- not only because it's smaller, but also because I could turn the wheel fast enough. Can't do that in my RS6.

Another comparison would be my loaners. I've had many, including a Mercedes SUV, and all of them were much easier to steer at low speeds than my RS6. At low speeds it feels like a truck, and that's what I told the factory guys standing around at the dealership (one of whom seemed to be from Europe). It's pretty bad when an SUV seems more agile at low speeds than an RS6, wouldn't you agree?

[im_cecil]

Good luck. Before jumping to action, though, perhaps it would be a good idea to:

- check for yourself that the module is not present on your car

- see if anyone else chimes in that they do have it

After all, your experience is based on just one other car, and Wang says his feels heavy, too.

Now, it's no guarantee that if both of the above are true, then just plugging it in will do it. I'd bet that it would, because it would be silly to make that big of a production line change. But ya never know... :p

[Hy Octane]

I'm not sure if the 628 would work the same in an RS6 since the steering ratio is different than the A6..It bears investigation. My car seems to steer rather easily at lo speed and is pretty consistant.. so I'm gonna look and see if there is any relay plugged into that slot..( note" I run my tire pressures higher 42 fr 40 rear and this also can make the steering effort easier as a result).
There are 6 dedicated AoA advocates for the A8/RS6 that you reach with a different phone number and they have indeed heard of the relay being removed as well as changes made to the exhaust systems.. This much he does admit..
The fact that my enhanced exhaust is longer than others I have seen and also equal to others indicates that these systems are not the same on all cars.. Why did they change the length? Was it a change in the adapters or something else? I have had my tech move my exhaust back as far as it will go yet it still protrudes about 1 1/2 to 2" past the body valence while others I have seen came with the exhauts tips flush with the body ( which looks alot cooler IMHO).