RS6 Avant

[Toobin]

Thinking of an RS6 Avant .. what do I need to look out for?

Something sub £20k ideally but keep hearing horrors about the DRC .... all advice and help welcomed

[Andyuk911]

Ask on Audisrs and you will get a straight answer

[Toobin]

Andyuk911 said:

Ask on Audisrs and you will get a straight answer

cheers andy

[Dr G]

There's a body of knowledge on here actually:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/search4.asp?h...

To get you started:

DRC suspension leaks
Tyres
Brakes
Cambelt and thermostat

If you'd like to know anything specific I'll happily assist

[krusty]

I wouldn't worry about DRC At Sub 20K. To be honest it's a case of "if you can't afford it, don't buy it"

[Toobin]

Dr G said:

There's a body of knowledge on here actually:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/search4.asp?h...

To get you started:

DRC suspension leaks
Tyres
Brakes
Cambelt and thermostat

If you'd like to know anything specific I'll happily assist

Thanks for that

krusty said:

I wouldn't worry about DRC At Sub 20K. To be honest it's a case of "if you can't afford it, don't buy it"

Ohh and there's me used to the friendly TVR forum .. what exactly is wrong with wanting a sub £20k car and benefiting from the depreciation others have paid, and who said I can afford it ... outside now .. me and you have some chest beating to do

[krusty]

Not saying you can't afford it. Just that you can't run one on the cheap to run and the DRC isn't the only thing that'll start to go wrong at that age...

[jas xjr]

have a search through the thames valley section. john r had an rs6 .everything that could go wrong and did.only saving grace was the audi warranty.great car btw

[Toobin]

krusty said:

Not saying you can't afford it. Just that you can't run one on the cheap to run and the DRC isn't the only thing that'll start to go wrong at that age...

After running TVRs for a few years I have experience of this .. what would be really helpful is a list of things to look for / types of things that do go and what those costs are likely to be .. I guess thats what I was hoping for ..

[mitch78]

I'm afraid to say, that's just too much to ask on here lately. I hope you find out though and RS246.com is a pretty useful site.

Good luck.

[Jambon]

May well be too late for a response but I have owned two so far.
MUST have a full Audi Service history.
Check discs and pads
Tyre wear should be even
DRC: Had mine done(under warranty). More of an irritation rather than a hinderance when driving. Did not know what it was at first.
Cambelt & Timing belt circa 40k. If not done before you buy can be expenive.
Install Tracker horizon
If carting a load of rug rats around those child seats can be tough on the leather. A old tartan blanket under the seats can prevent 'denting'.
Fill the tank and enjoy. Power is awesome and leaves most swinging in the wind.
Best mpg on long cruises. Bad around town.
Register on RS246.com all you want to know will be there. Not as easy to navigte around as PH but a good informative site.
Audi in general I find very helpful.
Enjoy.

[zhead]

Toobin said:

Thinking of an RS6 Avant .. what do I need to look out for?

Something sub £20k ideally but keep hearing horrors about the DRC .... all advice and help welcomed

John_r knows about the RS6 weak points, I would recommend a quick PM to John as he is getting a lot of value out of his Audi warranty he bought the car with.

[TVR_owner]

Marcus,
An RS6 is a good choice IMO. Cost to run will be a fright after a TVR though (bet you never thought you'd hear that!)

Silly things like engines needing to come out for starter motors, 8-9K for a gearbox rebuild, alternators that cost around 500GBP to have replaced and the suspension problems.

Audi dealers, from what I've seen in the last 2 yera of ownership are not up to the job of servicing them correctly. Mine was fresh from a major service last month and before going in for the MOT a day later, it was noticed that the front shock was leaking. Now fitted coil overs all round.

That said, I dont know what can compete with it for the money. My only real dissapointment so far is finding I can't use my Avant as a tow car.

[mitch78]

TVR_owner said:

My only real dissapointment so far is finding I can't use my Avant as a tow car.

Why not? (genuine question)

[TVR_owner]

mitch78 said:

TVR_owner said:

My only real dissapointment so far is finding I can't use my Avant as a tow car.

Why not? (genuine question)

I've heard two reasons (not sure if either are the definitive reason).

One is impact on gearbox cooling, the other, the structure of the car at the rear is not up to the job. The new RS6 is the same.

It's been discussed on the RS246 forums and I was advised by two audi dealers that its an issue with the new cars also when I enquired about a new RS6 Avant.

[Dr G]

From our towbar fitter: the gearbox overheating issue means that they don't have EU type approval which will void your insurance in the event of an accident.

[Toobin]

I don't have caravan so the towing thing is no problem for me

Thanks for all the advice and help so far .. hoping to get a few test drives under the belt and one filling the empty space on the drive soon

Edited by Toobin on Saturday 28th February 20:06

[GardinerG]

I would trust Unit 20 (Wirral) or MRC (Banbury) far more than Audi to service my RS6. Whilst there are a few techs at the dealers who know what they are doing most have no real clue on what the RS is about; there is a lot of confusion regarding warranty prices, service intervals and what should be done at each service etc.

The indys mentioned spend their days (and nights) working on S/RS cars and know them to a level the main stealers can't compete with (they know how to replace EGTs etc without taking the engine out!), plus their hourly rates are about 40% of the dealers.

I would advise getting a warranty that covers all major components (gearbox, turbos etc) - just make sure the claim limit is sufficient! (gearboxes at the stealers can come to £6k - I'm on my second (pre tuning!)).

Don't bother getting the DRC repaired if it goes - go H&R or similar.

Servicing costs are reasonable at the indys and parts aren't that expensive to be honest (£200 for front pads that lasted 2 years/25k miles for me).

If you are worried about the cost I get 17mpg (520Bhp/575lbft) but it really is grins per mile.

Even after 2 years of ownership every time I drive her I think wow, what a machine. Maybe I need to get out more!