DRC Repair Procedure Changes

[alexo]

Right, well the dealer is telling me this document is outdated and yes, it is a self-study guide design to provide the basics to service techs on the differences on the RS6 vs. A6. This is not a procedure document but apparently an old "getting to know the RS6" document released in advance of the RS6 being sold at dealers in the US.

The "new procedure document" that provides the methods to repair/replace the DRC system is on the computer at the dealer. I called them on this and requested a print out and/or to see this procedure with my own eyes.

Will await for a copy if you get the document thanks.

Thanks Dave.

Is the DRC system also in the 2001 to 2003 rs4? My mechanic did something to the air cell sensor & put in some parts from the BMW m5. The problem was solved. He wants to check mine & do the same procedure if he feels it is correct. SO far, there is only 1 rs6 in the country & that is mine & one rs4 circa 2001-2003.

[Clubsport]

my car runs KW3, and it is less comfortable than original DRC. But it is much more reliable, 37 000 Kms of track without any problem......

[Qisha]

Dear Friends,

this updated whitepaper differs in showing how to re-pressurize the central valve. The "special toolkit" mentioned is essential to fulfill this guide.

Qisha

PS: the "mod" i was reading about is basicly the pre-pressure of the Sport Suspension Plus Shocks.

[Aronis]

Yea, I see the DRC is made by KYB. Audi needs to get with KYB on this DRC issue and get it fixed even if it is a re-design. I wonder if KYB is the manufacturer of the newer RS4 suspension as well? I would have to agree that for now, I think KW or one of the other aftermarket suspensions are the way to go. Mine was still on warranty but who wants to keep making trips to the dealer which for me is a hour away? My lousy dealer doesn't give a loner car.

I tracked down KYB two years ago and via email got a dialogue going. They had ZERO interest in being helpful stating "Audi has all the information they need to fix the DRC."

The level of involvement of KYB at the consumer level is lame. They have no interest in being proactive in fixing their poor engineering design. Particularly the lack of ability to service their design in the field.

Field service is every bit as important as design and manufacturing. If you cannot fix the product you made it thus becomes a disposible piece of junk.

Just like Audi's poor design in placing the oil filters in such poor locations (for God Sack, one of the most common things you do to maintain a car! Oil Change), these KYB people should have and could have designed DRC version TWO with built in pressure transducers to measure the static start up pressure each time you start the car to WARN of a possible leak EARLY.

Or perhaps a design that is FIELD serviceble. IE central valve that can be repressurized in the shop.

Special Tools need not apply.

Mike

[Yellow RS6]

Copper - nice to see another GA owner! I actually just had my beast in for an alignment and tire rotation/balance on 12/19 at Jim Ellis in Marietta. Sounds like we just missed each other. I've been meaning to ask if there are any Atlanta-area owners and which dealership is recommended for working on an RS6. How has Jim Ellis been to you? Who is service manager? Mine is David Kim. Have you been to other dealers, like Nalley, and how would you rate them? Thanks!

This DRC thing is really scaring me. I bought my beast last month with 2 years CPO thinking I'm good to go. But then I read some people have gotten it fixed under CPO and some haven't. Then I read about people getting their DRC fixed, but it goes out again within a short time. This is really freaking me out! If my DRC goes and CPO doesn't cover it, I am up the creek. As dhall1 mentioned in another thread, there are no RS6s on ebay right now, I may just have to let the beast go.........

[JacRS6]

The DRC is a waste of time fixing IMHO, after installing them (KW V3) the ride is much more enjoyable and as others have posted it does in fact ride on rails.
I have posted in an earlier thread the part numbers to both coil over replacement systems, but here they are again.

Bilistein (GM 58868) this is for the PS9, the KW V3's number is 35210053

I was able to get the KW's shipped to me (Denver, Co) from Germany in 5 days and for the total price of $2080, if you cant find a cheaper route, PM me and I will give you the number of the gentleman who assisted me.

Cheers
Jac

[DHall1]

IMHO

Two things. You should have purchased the Audi/Fidelity extended warranty instead of CPO. AF warranty covers the DRC. And if having any problem with the car is going to cause you to give up and sell. You may as well get it listed. There will be problems that come up. Thats just the way it is.

Copper - nice to see another GA owner! I actually just had my beast in for an alignment and tire rotation/balance on 12/19 at Jim Ellis in Marietta. Sounds like we just missed each other. I've been meaning to ask if there are any Atlanta-area owners and which dealership is recommended for working on an RS6. How has Jim Ellis been to you? Who is service manager? Mine is David Kim. Have you been to other dealers, like Nalley, and how would you rate them? Thanks!

This DRC thing is really scaring me. I bought my beast last month with 2 years CPO thinking I'm good to go. But then I read some people have gotten it fixed under CPO and some haven't. Then I read about people getting their DRC fixed, but it goes out again within a short time. This is really freaking me out! If my DRC goes and CPO doesn't cover it, I am up the creek. As dhall1 mentioned in another thread, there are no RS6s on ebay right now, I may just have to let the beast go.........

[Copper]

Hello Mr. Yellow.


Sorry we missed each other. David is a nice guy and who my wife's cousin uses as well. I have Kevin Fairweather. He's decent. Jim Ellis is closer than Nalley for me. I used to go to Nalley when Chico was working there and he was awesome to us RS6 owners. He left and the service went downhill in my opinion. I am not really satisfied with Jim Ellis or Nalley. I have not tried the new dealership in Gwinnett as it is too far away. Audi service should be on par or better than Lexus or BMW (both have been excellent for me) but alas, they treat me like I'm driving a Chevy (no offense to GM owners). You have to fight to get them to fix anything and fix it correctly. If the RS6 wasn't such a fantastic car I'd have dropped Audi on their head last year and gone back with BMW.

Yeah, I know the DRC repair is sort of a waste of time. But quite frankly I don't want Audi to win by me giving up and paying out of my pocket for KWs. I paid $3000 for an extended warranty and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay another $3000 for something that should be covered by Audi (flawed design). That's what Audi hopes will happen. 450 cars in the US.. eventually we'll give up or they will be sold and resold to the point where they won't have to provide a permanant alternative. As long as I keep getting new Audi loaners, I'll bring the car in every month if I have to. I'm only 6 miles away from Jim Ellis.

[DHall1]

Now this is more in the spirit of things. I like it.

I also like the treat me like a Chevy owner note. Very true in some places. Audi, are you listening?? Hello-you have a large segment of owners with a big thorn in thier sides ready to give it right back to you. And we are not going away nor shutting our mouths. And not buying new Audi's.

Well. But thanks for the RS6.

Hello Mr. Yellow.


Sorry we missed each other. David is a nice guy and who my wife's cousin uses as well. I have Kevin Fairweather. He's decent. Jim Ellis is closer than Nalley for me. I used to go to Nalley when Chico was working there and he was awesome to us RS6 owners. He left and the service went downhill in my opinion. I am not really satisfied with Jim Ellis or Nalley. I have not tried the new dealership in Gwinnett as it is too far away. Audi service should be on par or better than Lexus or BMW (both have been excellent for me) but alas, they treat me like I'm driving a Chevy (no offense to GM owners). You have to fight to get them to fix anything and fix it correctly. If the RS6 wasn't such a fantastic car I'd have dropped Audi on their head last year and gone back with BMW.

Yeah, I know the DRC repair is sort of a waste of time. But quite frankly I don't want Audi to win by me giving up and paying out of my pocket for KWs. I paid $3000 for an extended warranty and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay another $3000 for something that should be covered by Audi (flawed design). That's what Audi hopes will happen. 450 cars in the US.. eventually we'll give up or they will be sold and resold to the point where they won't have to provide a permanant alternative. As long as I keep getting new Audi loaners, I'll bring the car in every month if I have to. I'm only 6 miles away from Jim Ellis.

[Yellow RS6]

Yeah, I know the DRC repair is sort of a waste of time. But quite frankly I don't want Audi to win by me giving up and paying out of my pocket for KWs. I paid $3000 for an extended warranty and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay another $3000 for something that should be covered by Audi (flawed design). That's what Audi hopes will happen. 450 cars in the US.. eventually we'll give up or they will be sold and resold to the point where they won't have to provide a permanant alternative. As long as I keep getting new Audi loaners, I'll bring the car in every month if I have to. I'm only 6 miles away from Jim Ellis.

If your extended warranty covers DRC, then definitely get it replaced/repaired. If it goes again in 6 months, have them replace it again, that's what a warranty is for (although it does waste a lot of your time). I definitely wouldn't pay out-of-pocket for coilovers and let them off the hook. In my case, if the DRC goes and I can't get Audi to replace it under CPO, I won't. I'll get coilovers (meanwhile, the wife will kill me) and be done with it.

[Hy Octane]

In the USA, all repairs done to the DRC are warrantied for 12 months. So, if it goes out after 6, its their dime..So far, all my replacements have been under warranty. It has yet to make it one year without needing replacements..
Most suspensions last well over 100k miles.. and here we are talking about an $85k car that we have to replace the damned thing 3 times a year. And they expect us to just eat it without a word, or an apology .. nuttin..
Can you imagine the meeting at Audi HQ when they decided to keep replacing them with more faulty ones regardless of the cost? If only we could get a tape of that day..

[brownins]

The DRC system is a joke and unless some legal action is taken Audi will ignore our complaints. The economics of only 850 cars in the US is easy for Audi to ignore. Even with Audi replacing the system under warranty or an extended warranty covering the repair, "time is money". I couldn't stand driving the car analyzing every thump and bump wondering if a component of my DRC system was leaking. I decided to replace it with a more reliable simple solution (KW's V3 with hocthkis sway bars). The car is more reliable and handles better, although the ride is rougher than stock. However the RS6 is an extreme Halo car and I feel it just adds to the personality of the car. It's a shame that Audi has turned its back on their ultimate car!

Everytime I'm at my dealer in Columbus, OH an RS6 is in the shop getting something done, mostly DRC or transmission repair. How's that possible when only 850 were made for the US? My service rep is a great Guy and does not knock the DRC at all, however he has shown others KW with hotchkis sways as an alternative option. My service technician said the car drives like brand new after he installed the KW V3's. If your tired of dealing with it sue Audi or go aftermarket, just my two cents!

[DHall1]

Audi-are you listening???

Like I have been saying all along. You have some mighty pissed off high end customers here. And I dont see them as being repeat customers.

You have one group that is fed up and dont have time to dick with the the red tape and go KW coilover route. And you have another group stubborn to the bone at making Audi fix the DRC over and over and over and over until the warranty and extended warranty run out.

Kinda funny reading. My hat is with Hyoctane and the group willing to stuff it down Audi's throat. I have Audi Platinum 100k warranty. Bring on the DRC repairs.

The DRC system is a joke and unless some legal action is taken Audi will ignore our complaints. The economics of only 850 cars in the US is easy for Audi to ignore. Even with Audi replacing the system under warranty or an extended warranty covering the repair, "time is money". I couldn't stand driving the car analyzing every thump and bump wondering if a component of my DRC system was leaking. I decided to replace it with a more reliable simple solution (KW's V3 with hocthkis sway bars). The car is more reliable and handles better, although the ride is rougher than stock. However the RS6 is an extreme Halo car and I feel it just adds to the personality of the car. It's a shame that Audi has turned its back on their ultimate car!

Everytime I'm at my dealer in Columbus, OH an RS6 is in the shop getting something done, mostly DRC or transmission repair. How's that possible when only 850 were made for the US? My service rep is a great Guy and does not knock the DRC at all, however he has shown others KW with hotchkis sways as an alternative option. My service technician said the car drives like brand new after he installed the KW V3's. If your tired of dealing with it sue Audi or go aftermarket, just my two cents!

[Copper]

Correction to my post. NOT 450 cars (I was thinking of another car) 850 cars (I've also see the 1100 number thrown around?)


So, yeah two camps: Fix DRC under warranty (original, CPO or Extended) and aftermarket.


I have not heard a peep out of them. I guess they will want their A4 Cab back eventually.


On a side note: I had a blast over Christmas driving my 3 year old around in her booster seat in the back with the A4's top down. She had on a warm fuzzy hat, a blanket, seats on full heat, heater on full-blast and Christmas music playing while we slowly looked at the Christmas lights. Top 10 moment for me that night!

[MalcolmS]

My own RS6 goes into my local Audi dealers at the end of Jan to have one leaking shock replaced (no parts available until then). This dealer has invested in the tool to re-pressurise the central valve.

The car's coming up for 5 year old, done 54k miles but is still under warranty. I've only had the car 10 months and as far as I can tell this is its first DRC repair.

So long as the car's still under warranty and they'll cover DRC repairs I'll continue to have it repaired. At some point though when a car's 5+ years old and done 70-80k I can see the "fair wear and tear" excuse being rolled out.

M

[Copper]

Update:

Rec'd a call from Kevin @ Jim Ellis Audi that they tried the "new procedure" replacing the leaky strut, refilling and pressurizing the system. Since I raised such a stink about them doing it this way, they drove the car around for a couple of days and guess what? The DRC system is not repaired. Surprise, surprise. I think this "new procedure" is a load of doggie doo (Erik, I've resolved to watch my creative adjectives on RS6.com in the new year ).

Fidelity is clearly trying the cheap route first with DRC claims to see if the problem "goes away". What a waste of time and money. Now the dealer has to write up a new claim with all the parts and labor, haggle with Fidelity on why the WHOLE DRC system has to be replaced and have them come back out to inspect and authorize the repair. Needless to say I asked the dealer: "is the the part where I say I told you so?"

So, for now I'm driving around in a nice Q7 for a few weeks until it all is resolved.

I'll post another update when I hear more from the dealer.

[hahnmgh63]

I wonder if there is any chance that Fidelity could help lead some of us RS6 owners in a class action lawsuit with Audi on the DRC. If most cars have had it fail, and the repair fails multiple times, sometimes in days and hours, then there is obviously a problem. I hope that everyone on RS6.com from the U.S. at least has filed a complaint with NHTSA!!! Come on guys, I just logged on to NHTSA and their were only 21 Suspension complaints logged against the RS6. Everyone needs to get busy.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

[Aronis]

If NHTSA is waiting for all 1200 owners to complain you can forget about that route.

Remember the old saying "I'm from the Government and I'm here to help you."

Think DMV employee...

Nice try.

Mike