Just got one - now need your expertise

[cc]

Just picked up a Daytona/Ebony, 2,800 miles, looks/drives as new. Should have known better than to go look at it... Took the wife for the test drive, figuring that would keep me from doing stupid. The enhanced exh, ride, looks, something was bound to offend. She actually would up encouraging...but you should know her nickname behind the wheel: Mario

Original owner is a really nice car guy, who's fleet is just amazing.

Monday its off to the dealer for a more thorough going-through. Couple questions for you guys:
- What's the difference between Audi Certified and Audi Platinum warranties?
- Recommendations on 45 series regular or winter tires?
- What oil do you use that meets 505.01?
- Any advice for driving in the city?
- Any advice on Balt/Wash area dealers?

Since its pretty new, I figured I'd make some susp/ride height measurements FYI. Its an INCREDIBLE ride - incredibly firm, incredible sound, incredible handling, incredibly quick...

:) You guys were right...

[nene]

Welcome to the board. I hope this beast indeeds finds a home in your heart.

45 is too high for RS6 tires. You have to use 18" wheels with 40 tires. I used 255x40x18 WinterSport M3 for the past 2 years. Won't trust anything else. Great sidewall, and truly awesome in the Winter deep snow.

Use oil from dealer. No need to get anything else, as you really can't.

City driving: well it depends on roads and traffic conditions. Most importantly, pay attention. Boston is awful with potholes, even worse uneven road conditions. I call it surfing the city roads.

Can't comment on the others, sorry!

[Benman]

Originally posted by nene
Welcome to the board. I hope this beast indeeds finds a home in your heart.

45 is too high for RS6 tires...
Use oil from dealer. No need to get anything else, as you really can't.

City driving...

Can't comment on the others, sorry!

Ditto that and welcome aboard! "Audi" Platinum is a package level of protection. And its not really Audi at all. Its an aftermarket warranty you can buy for replacement parts and service. there's silver, gold, and platinum (which it seems you will have) being the best. Basically it comes down to more coverage levels. Last I checked, platinum even covers loaner car rentals but you better check to be sure.:thumb:

Ben:addict:

[moldowan]

what did you pay if you don't mind sharing?

[LIRS6]

Audi Certified Pre-owned is an extension of the basic Audi warranty whereas Audi Pure Platinum is an after-market warranty.

My winter set-up: 18" AT Italia S-5's w/Dunlop M3's 225-45-18's. I like the 225's as there is less "plowing" effect, also it is the recommended winter size for the vehicle

Oil - buy it from the dealer as stated by Nene. There is a list of oils which meet the specs that I have somewhere, but as the car is still under Audi warranty I wouldn't go with anything else.

Driving in the city - BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU PARK! Otherwise, it is a wonderful daily drive.

Balt/Wash daeler - can't help you, sorry, but make sure that you ahve a dealer with an RS6 certified tech/mecanic - not all dealerships have them, and any warranty repairs must be done by such a dealership.

Good luck

P.S. - have the suspension system given a very good look-over; many owners (including me) have had failures with the DRC wherein the fluid leaks and the suspension craps out, with many owners having dissatisfactory results when repairs are attempted.

[rks838]

As for Balt/Wash dealers, Audi of Alexandria suddenly does not have an RS6-trained mechanic anymore. So, I'm going to try Rockville Porsche-Audi or Criswell Audi, in Annapolis, who had an RS6 mechanic last time I checked. If you visit any of these dealers, send me a PM, I need a new one.

Bought the car from Knopf Audi in Allentown, PA - obviously a long way away, but a very good dealership.

[SoCal]

Welcome to the club. I'm confident you'll love your Beast. :rs6kiss:

What the other posts said is correct. Note especially the advice about the motor oil. I would just get it at the dealer to be sure it's fully synthetic 505.01 VW spec. Otherwise you'll void the warranty and possibly harm the engine or other parts cooled by the oil.

The 505.01 spec oil from the dealer, which they use when they service the RS6, is by Castrol. It's fine. There are other synthetic oils that would work and that meet that spec (Motul makes one, for instance), but it's not really worth chasing them down IMO. For a full list of brands and oils, though, see the relevant part of the Audi's approved oil chart at:

http://www.audiusa.com/common/images/Audi_Approved_Oil_Chart.pdf#search='505.01%20oil'

For more reading on this topic, see the thread under "MOBIL 1 0w40 Urgent Problem" in this forum.

Happy motoring!:thumb:

[Radiation Joe]

In order to void the warranty, the manufacturer has to show that any deviations you made to the required maintenance reasonably could have caused the failure.
They cannot void your warranty simply because you used an unapproved oil. For example, in the case of a turbo failure AoA would have to show that your Mobil 1 a) did not meet the physical characteristics of the 505.01 oil; and b) that failure to meet physical characteristics contributed to the turbo failure. They can't say "..it didn't meet 505.01, therefore, your warranty is void...".
This applies to suspension mods, engine mods, etc. There is potential to have to fight it in court, however. Unless there is compelling evidence that your change or modification caused a failure, you will prevail in court. At least in California.
Red Line 40 weight race oil mixed 50/50 with their 10-40 multigrade is superior to anything you can buy from Castrol. The race oil has little detergent properties, so 5k between changes should be the norm. As soon as I start paying for the maintenance, I'll be switching to Red Line.

[SoCal]

Originally posted by Radiation Joe
In order to void the warranty, the manufacturer has to show that any deviations you made to the required maintenance reasonably could have caused the failure.
They cannot void your warranty simply because you used an unapproved oil. ... Unless there is compelling evidence that your change or modification caused a failure, you will prevail in court.

You may be right. My point is that -- if it's easy to get the Audi-recommended oil at a nearby dealer or otherwise (and for most RS6 owners, it is), then it's not worth the risk of a potential warranty fight to use anything else. Any marginal cost savings on alternative oil isn't worth it IMO.

Red Line 40 weight race oil mixed 50/50 with their 10-40 multigrade is superior to anything you can buy from Castrol. The race oil has little detergent properties, so 5k between changes should be the norm. As soon as I start paying for the maintenance, I'll be switching to Red Line.
I use Red Line oil in my other cars and agree they make a great product. Heat resistance a major plus, and RS6 engines get mighty hot on a track. And once the Audi is out of warranty, the concern about a fight over voided warranty coverage goes away.

That said, the performance of the Castrol 505.01 motor oil that Audi recommends seems more than adequate for an RS6 under ordinary driving conditions. For most owners (meaning those who aren't putting on exraordinary mileage or racing), there wouldn't seem to be a compelling reason to do otherwise based on cost or performance. Can't go wrong there.

For continuous aggressive driving or track use, I'd upgrade the brake fluid and some other things before I worried about using different oil. My rule being to pay only for improvements you can see, or at least to prioritize the tweaks that way. But then, for lots of track use, I'd use a car other than a heavy four door sedan (even an RS6), anyway.

[Hy Octane]

The owners manual has an insert that specifically states that you must use this Castrol 505.01 oil or your warranty will be void..

If anything goes wrong with your engine, the first thing they will do is send an oil sample to the lab and if they see anything funny in there, you are done..

I asked Redline if their oil met this standard, they =said no..

Why take a chance?

[Radiation Joe]

Originally posted by SoCal
You may be right. My point is that -- if it's easy to get the Audi-recommended oil at a nearby dealer or otherwise (and for most RS6 owners, it is), then it's not worth the risk of a potential warranty fight to use anything else. Any marginal cost savings on alternative oil isn't worth it IMO.

I agree with your position. I've just heard too many people terrified of using another oil. It's pretty easy to show if a failure is oil related, so using an inferior oil would be obvious to a competent dealer. Problem arrises from incompetent dealers claiming a failure is oil related when it is not. Anyway, I agree that its just so much easier to stick with the 505.01. And its not bad oil.

[gjg]

Joe, 505.01 is "diesel engine" oil - we had problems with stealers here during first service because they - rather arrogantly - put in Audi long life specs oil and told we have no idea - acutally "only an idiot would put diesel engine oil in to this car" ..... - one call to the factory and back had them change the oil on spot, appologies and some asskissing after ..