One Week in CEL comes on...

[MaxRS6]

^Dang- Before you said that Mike- I was typing I would take it off his hands for $9K- Now I think I would have to be paid about 5K to take it, and I gotta (Arkie) think about who I am going to pay to take Crazy out of driveway.

[ttboost]

Sorry Max...I wasn't trying to be cryptic, but when you buy a car like this for $11k, you have to be ready for the ball to drop. Unfortunately it sounds like the OP isn't handy and can work on this monster himself. That puts him at the mercy of the dealer or an Indy.

To the OP: Look around and find yourself a good independent Audi mechanic, someone who knows this car. You may likely pay HALF of what the dealer will charge you for all your repairs. Not a small chunk of change, but if you plan to keep the car for a few years, might be worth it.

[Bigglezworth]

This is one of those sad to hear posts. It echo's what I've said in the past a couple of times in that the RS6 isn't your garden variety car. Not crazy off the spectrum different from an everyday sedan, but different enough that anyone wanting to 'get into one' should take heed on the requirements to do so prior to purchasing.

WELL documented problems with the gearbox. WELL documented maintenance requirements that are BIG $$ for such a small basic item that your arse puckers at the mere mention.

There was a big reason this car was 90K USD and over 120K CAD when first sold. With it now being 10 years old and plagued by two large design flaws (gearbox and suspension), they scare the majority of people away from ownership and as a result have depreciated drastically. This now places them within reach of the most basic owner. Those owners that have always been attracted to what this type of a ride offers, and could in no way afford it when first offered. Now you have a situation whereupon you have extended yourself to get in to the car of your dreams, but can't afford ownership.

To the OP. A well enjoyed average price for an RS6 in good condition and one that has been well maintained is a nominal 20K. Some run a bit less and some run a lot more due to bolt-ons. They do NOT run 11K.... Sorry to burst your bubble, but you got what you paid for. It's that simple. Had you mentioned the concerns about CEL's and the TQ code that was being thrown along with buying it for 20K, myself along with many would be suggesting you take the vehicle back to the original seller and complain about not disclosing an inherent problem that will be big $$ to repair. Such is not the case here however.

I own three of these rides and have one here that has been very well maintained with more than $50K in receipts that I'm selling for 10K. That is cause irrespective of it being mechanically sound, it has double the mileage of your 'average' RS6. Lots of cosmetic stuff. All the items you note on your list have been repaired and had ongoing maintenance over the years. If you cannot perform even the most basic maintenance like an oil change or brakes yourself, you probably shouldn't own this type of a car IMO. It has shown itself historically to potentially break the bank sometimes.... Most cars hitting this vintage no longer qualify for warranty coverage and you're then at the hands of a qualified mechanic. Many board members have tackled their own work here with the assistance of others input. Wealth of knowledge. That assists with making ownership easier on the pocketbook for many.

[MaxRS6]

Sorry Max...I wasn't trying to be cryptic, but when you buy a car like this for $11k, you have to be ready for the ball to drop. Unfortunately it sounds like the OP isn't handy and can work on this monster himself. That puts him at the mercy of the dealer or an Indy.

To the OP: Look around and find yourself a good independent Audi mechanic, someone who knows this car. You may likely pay HALF of what the dealer will charge you for all your repairs. Not a small chunk of change, but if you plan to keep the car for a few years, might be worth it.

^LOL- I certainly agree on all your comments.

[TexasRS6]

Man it does punch hard. Punches the wallet hard and punches the ground hard with its acceleration. You guys might think I am crazy but I am weighing more to keeping it. I honestly can't imagine driving another car after this one. It is brutally fast, corners well for a sedan and no one knows what it is!
If I sell it and take a loss id rather keep it and invest that loss I would take. So I think I may list see what happens but in the mean time do the timing belt and gaskets. The radiator I have questions about. It is obviously leaking but they said it was 1000 for a new one. I did a google search and found radiators for our cars anywhere between 250-400. Are these crap radiators? I think changing the radiator out couldn't be extremely hard. I enjoy challenges so even if it is a little hard still might be something I am interested in tackling.
Let me know if I am crazy I just love the car problems and all.

[DHall1]

Sell me car and start over looking for the proper low mileage piece.

Loan values are strong and you will be ahead in the long run.

[MaxRS6]

Woo hoo! Welcome aboard the Crazy Train. Put some solid repairs into it and should be good to go. You can obtain real economies of scale at this time with the thing opened up.

[Other_Erik]

Sorry to hear about your horrors with the RS. If you're feeling mechanically inclined/adventurous, turn it into a garage queen for a season and get your wrench on.

Remove front bumper/supports/etc, hoist the engine, full gasket/seal teardown and rebuild (new gasket set, buffkin pipe, timing belt change, etc... take your time and save a bunch of cashola. Wrap your exhaust headers and blanket up the turbos.) (~$1500 in parts from ECS)
Pull TC and Trans, unmate and drain, send TC to ACE for hardened rebuild, send trans to Tozo's shop for hardened rebuild. Not counting freight, you're talking ~$3500, maybe a bit more if the trans is trashed badly. ($3500)
Replace all the trans/diff mounts with Apikol's for ~$600 ($650)

If you want to be real snarky, get the Wagner IC's (~$2k), and have 10secS4 do a chiptune (Under 1K, not sure he wants his prices publicized)

All said and done, you're talking less than 6k plus your own time (total investment ~17k) to have a beast that runs like new, or add another 3k (total investment ~20k) to have a ~555 crank HP monster that eats pavement and shits tires
I'm not saying it'll be easy, or you'll avoid any frustrations, but you'll get that wonderful sense of accomplishment and maybe learn a thing or two about high-hp luxury sedan ownership

Good luck! I know my build thread will be full of me cursing the day I decided to go through the pain, but when it's done, man will it be a whole new experience!

O_E

[Bigglezworth]

What Dave says, except just look for one in good condition that irrespective of mileage has been well maintained (including basics like brakes and timing belt), and had the two large items (tranny/TQ & DRC recall/aftermarket suspension) all attended to.

[ben916]

What Bigglezworth (Tim) said...

1. Timing Belt service, valve cover gaskets, radiator (small leak currently) = $2k ish, rad = $500, VCG =???
2. Transmission - $3k-$4k with TozoM8
3. Suspension - $3k for KWv3 and Hotchkis = done and eliminates dealing with DRC
4. Brakes - OEM fronts @ $350/each and Hawk Pads @ $200 and Frozen $150 = done for a couple of years
5. PSS - $1300 -> make RS6 happy!

[bethridg]

I did a google search and found radiators for our cars anywhere between 250-400. Are these crap radiators?

Be careful when sourcing an aftermarket radiator. All the places I looked at claimed they will be drop in replacements for OEM. But the RS6 has an additional coolant port on the driver side (next to the in-tank trans fluid cooler) that from what I can tell is unique to our cars. I got mine (used) from Shokan for $495+ shipping.

SteveKen posted a diagram of the plumbing for the hot weather packaged (US spec) cars showing the third outlet.

http://www.rs6.com/showthread.php/25...l=1#post259812

[TexasRS6]

I knew I was buying it on a chance. As the saying goes though "you buy a cheap audi, it quickly becomes expensive." I knew that it would be expensive to get it up and running like it should I thought though I could get it done for cheaper than buying a 20k one in great condition.
I have had a stage 2 saab and did most of the work on that. I have had a B7 S4 and did a lot of work on that myself. I am not afraid to turn wrenches on a car at all. I know my way around a car I think decently well. But why I hesitate to do this work myself is a place like dub squared knows what they are doing and knows what to look for and they also will do it right with hopefully no errors. They quoted me roughly 3k for the timing belt, radiator, and gaskets. I thought that was a pretty fair price and I would have the piece of mind that it is good to go. The brakes suspension I would do myself. I have done that before and I can do it again.
I don't want people to think I just thought hey all buy an rs6 I researched them for 4 months before I bought it. I was very aware that they are expensive. The reason I would consider selling is because I could go buy one for 20k and be saving ultimately.

[lswing]

Sounds about right. At this point too think about this; is the color, leather, interior, features, just what you want?

A good thing about doing the work yourself and with the shop, you know it's done right. Your new trans and TC will be broken in by you, not possibly hammered on by the previous owner.

Koni Yellow struts go great with stock springs, $700.

I've felt better putting $10-15k into my car the last few years as it's Mugello Blue, Carbon, clean and good leather, I'd say an 7-8 out of 10 overall.

[TexasRS6]

I am keeping it. Ordered the timing belt kit and new seals yesterday. Planning on having the shop do that install. And will do the rest of the work outside the trans myself. Quick question I noticed my voltage was holding steady right about 14v instead of straight up at 12v. That's not normal is it? Whoever owned the car before had a really impressive sound system I was wondering if they modified it for that. Nothing wrong electrically but was curious if that is standard.

[905084]

13.8 ?? if the alt is working....12 if it's not.....

What's the book value vs. what you paid vs. what's your insurance deductible?......maybe you could find a deer.....I'm sure you'd come out a few $$ ahead. Just sayin'

[Bigglezworth]

I noticed my voltage was holding steady right about 14v instead of straight up at 12v. That's not normal is it?

Alternators MUST charge at a higher voltage in order to keep all the electronics operational while the car is running and ensure the batter remains full. 14.4V is pretty standard rate for charging.

[TexasRS6]

Well I ordered the timing belt enhanced+ kit from blauparts. I wasnt sure if it was the best when it comes to quality but it seemed to have pretty good reviews. The car is really running quite well even though the tc is still shifting when it wants. I love the car and really do not regret buying it as weird as that sounds. Spent all weekend detailing and getting all the interior rattles and shakes taken care of, along with a new center arm rest. The radiator is leaking and eventually needs to be replaced, but it isnt terribly bad leak, very small. I may, for a very tempory fix, patch the leak with some jb weld.
Hopefully by the end of summer I will really be able to put some money into this car and get it running as it should.
But still debatng after doing the timing belt and all the gaskets if I should part ways with it.
My dad thought the car was a terrible idea to begin with when I mentioned buying it knowing it was going to need some work, he is not much of a car nut but he enjoys his tl type-s and punches it quite often. But I changed his mind after stopping by today, showing him the car and taking him for a sporty ride he goes "I dont think you should sale it, its pretty sweet."

[mik15]

the car is addictive