I dont think we want to wake the sleeping giant. "Fidelity" And give them the heads up that the RS6 is a losing venture.
I want to keep my Fidelity policy and I want to keep these $$$ expensive issues under wraps until I need to cash in my TC, DRC, Trans, turbos, ect, ect.
Trust me, if I ever get the TC code.....I will make good and sure the trans is toast when I take it in. There will be no choice but to replace the TC and transmission.
Originally Posted by hahnmgh63
Exactly correct.
Dead horse.
We either buy or have Fidelity policies to keep giving Audi all the pain and suffering each time the DRC fails. Or, we put KW's on the car and forget about the DRC.
Lastly, there may be a time when Fidelity starts putting on KW's instead of replacing the faulty DRC.
My 2 cents wayyy at the end of this is that i want to pour as little as possible into this dern thing (have another $1500 in repairs between CV boots going, rotors and pads again...not sure how possible on fronts after 8K miles and no track...pads maybe but rotors... f me) so my leaking DRC mess is going in for fix number two under the 12 month 12K parts warranty this week...and will over and over and over and over again. I'm not willing to spend $3K to fix Audi's problem. I do care about time lost taking it in for service constantly but to me its the principle of the thing...like blowing thousands in legal on a parking ticket fight.
2012 R8 GT #275 Suzuka, 2014 RS7 Suzuka/Lunar Silver, 2013 RS5 Suzuka/Lunar Silver
2000 Audi TT Neiman Marcus Edition #47, 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible
Past...03 RS6, 10 S5 Cabriolet, 00 NMTT #25, 94 Audi Cabriolet
Update: Audi Dealer called today. They have replaced the entire DRC system (valves, (4) struts, etc.). Took the old DRC system out and replaced it will all new parts from Germany.
They drove it once yesterday. Dealer gave it overnight for the suspension to settle and will drive it again today make sure everything is working properly before I pick it up tomorrow. Jarin, the RS6 certified tech performed the work and is also the test driver. He rode with me when I brought in the car a few weeks ago to hear the clunk himself.
Fingers crossed that everything is working propertly now. I will provide another update tomorrow.
All of the work was paid for by my extended warranty company, Fidelity not by Audi USA.
I figure that it took 35K miles for the original DRC to fail so with an entirely new system maybe I can expect 20-35K from it. Who knows? By then I'll be on to something else maybe. Prob a 997TT + a daily driver. Or perhaps I'll have a fresh DRC suspension installed again...
Last edited by Copper; January 13th, 2009 at 19:13.
Sorry to say, but even renewing the whole system does not always solve issues. A friend's RS6 got renewed 3 months ago, now front shocks are leaking.
Mine lasted 6 months since renewal. I never believed it could be like this. It seems there have been bad OEM-parts batches, because shocks start leaking after a few months. They renew them under parts warranty, but you end up having your car 50% of the time at the shop.
There is rumoured to be new front shocks now, let's hope that solves the issues.
I'm currently sourcing the best price for an aftermarket Bilstein PSS9 set-up to replace my failed DRC. I knew when purchasing the car that this would be broken or break soon. In all honesty I'm quite use to putting in another 1.5-2K for aftermarket suspension on all of my cars so I accounted for that in my purchase price. Prefer the coil overs anyway as I can adjust ride height and dampening to suit personal taste.
Tim
'02 S6 Avant Silver - Pokey | Carbon Black/Ebony RS6 w/ stuff - darn quick | '03 Daytona Grey/Ebony RS6 w/ more stuff - quicker yet | '91 NSX CDN issue with 6spd & BBSC - quicker yet and then some | '87 Buick GNX OEM clone w/ lots of stuff - quickest hands down
Cooper as you might remember I also had one strut go down and the delaer also used the "special tool" to repressurize the system. Currently it is holding at 15 bar but I also am concerned there might have been damage when it was low on fluid. I now need new brakes and tires which could have been a result of the bad strut.
The dealer did show me the logic tree for the DRC repair in the system and it is pretty straight forward and does say to repressurize. The CPO does cover the central valves but not the struts. I am finding out that really COP doesnt cover a lot and they can change it at will. A nice touch. I think when, notice I didnt say if, my DRC goes I will also go the after market route.
I'll ask but i doubt the parts have changed...anyone have handy the old part number for the shocks? Picking my car up i hope today for my second full DRC replacement. Too bad i can't enjoy it in my winter wonderland of Chicago.Sorry to say, but even renewing the whole system does not always solve issues. A friend's RS6 got renewed 3 months ago, now front shocks are leaking.
Mine lasted 6 months since renewal. I never believed it could be like this. It seems there have been bad OEM-parts batches, because shocks start leaking after a few months. They renew them under parts warranty, but you end up having your car 50% of the time at the shop.
There is rumoured to be new front shocks now, let's hope that solves the issues.
2012 R8 GT #275 Suzuka, 2014 RS7 Suzuka/Lunar Silver, 2013 RS5 Suzuka/Lunar Silver
2000 Audi TT Neiman Marcus Edition #47, 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible
Past...03 RS6, 10 S5 Cabriolet, 00 NMTT #25, 94 Audi Cabriolet
Tim, why Bilstein? The PSS9 is well documented for having issues (though I think not structurally just a rubbing/noise issue.
OK Gents,
I picked up the RS6 today. Took it for a quick (30 minute hahaha) test drive and it is like a new car. Nice and tight. Even the steering feels better. No clunks. So I approved the work, signed the invoice and drove it home.
Here are the part numbers from the invoice:
(1) 4B3-413-031-R SHOCK ABSORB
(1) 4B3-413-031-B SHOCK ABSORB
(1) 4B3-513-032 GASSHOCKAB
(1) 4B3-513-032 GASSHOCKAB
(4) G-052-731-A2 HYDR. OIL
(1) 4B3-616-808-A VALVE
(1) 4B3-616-807-A VALVE
$6268.06
I paid a $100 deductable and was without my car in an Audi loaner for 3 weeks.
I agree that this is not a permanant fix. However I now have a 12 month/12K mile warranty on the parts and labor in addition to 3 more years and 30K miles left on the Fidelity warranty. If it fails again I'll have it replaced again. By 75K miles I'll be looking at a different/newer vehicle anyway.
On a side note, they have a Daytona Gray R8 manual 6 speed in the service bay for PDI and it was very nice. Sticker was $134K. I hope they treat the R8 owners better than the RS6 owners....
I'll provide an update if anything starts clunking again. I have standing instructions with my car in the database to check the struts for leaks with every service (oil change, etc.) That should be coming up in a month or so since they forgot to replace the RS6 badge on the steering wheel and the peeling surround on the passenger window switch.
$6268? Holy sh*t!!! I thought it was around $4500. This doesn't help my fear of keeping mine and having DRC go in the next year or two. As far as the 12mo/12K warranty, I'm glad to hear it's for parts AND labor, I've wondered about that. Question is, if it were to crap out in 6 months and get replaced, would it be covered for another 12/12 from then, or only have 6 months left?
I looked at the service records of mine the night I listed the FS ad, and it looked like the DRC was done at 45K (it has 57K now). I'll have to look again when I get home and compare the parts to Copper's list.
Yellow, if it fails again the clock would reset and another 12 month 12K mile warranty on the new work would be available. I think a few people on the board have taken advantage of this (unfortunately).
As long as Jim Ellis has your VIN# on record for the work being performed then you should be covered, even if the work was done by a different Audi dealer. They might push back since you are not the original owner but I think the coverage applies to the car's VIN# not the owner. Since this is a safety issue, one call to the Audi RS6 line would resolve that pretty quickly I would think. I never had to take it to that extreme.
R8 is entirely too overpriced! It may invoice for $134K but dealers are still shamelessly tagging on an average of around $50K onto the purchase price. $200K Audi? Come on now, I love the brand but I won't be spending that money for an R8!
I have taken advantage of this and replaced my DRC twice so far for free and still warranty valid for more 8 months. Although that,, I did purchased KW v3 coilover and H-sport anti-roll sway bars and waiting to receive them (maybe by first of next week) to adjust the suspension and lower the car little bit and also forget about the DRC hassles.
"Aerodynamics are for people who cannot build engines"...... Enzo Ferrari
DWD,, the 2009 R8 here in UAE for $134K ,, and 2009 RS6 sedan for $130K.
"Aerodynamics are for people who cannot build engines"...... Enzo Ferrari
Ya, is that with or without a dealer markup?
I dont think the dealers will stick to those markups when push comes to shove. Chandler Audi up the road has 3 R8s. How would you like to pay interest on all 3 for 6 months??? You walk in, they will sell you one.
Yellow,
This is not really apples to apples.
"IF" your DRC craps out. The CPO will cover both central valves. You will only have to pay for struts.
If I were in your shoes. I would fix it once if one of the struts started to leak. You would only pay for one strut and CPO will pay for the central valve. I think you can get by that way.
IMHO Copper had these guys over a barrel. They screwed up trying to go the cheap route because they tried and failed to repressure the central valve. Then Copper put the hammer down and had everything replaced.
Make sense? Dont worry about the car. Go out and beat up some STIs.
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