2003 Audi RS6

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

MY 2003 AUDI RS6 HAS A DRC ISSUE, WHICH INVOLVES MY SHOCK ABSORBERS LEAKING FLUID AND IS CREATING A BOUNCING EFFECT THAT IS GETTING WORSE AND WORSE. THE VEHICLE HAS AN UNEASY AND UNSAFE FEEL AT LOW AND HIGH SPEEDS, ALMOST LIKE THE CAR IS ON ICE SKATES AND MEANDERING ALL OVER THE ROAD. AFTER READING MANY FORUMS, IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT 77% OR MORE OF THE 2003 RS6 OWNERS HAVE AND ARE EXPERIENCING DRC FAILURES THAT ARE RESULTING IN HUGE REPAIR COSTS ( FOR VEHICLES OUT OF WARRANTY). I CALLED THE AUDI EXCHANGE IN HIGHLAND PARK ILLINOIS, AND THE COST TO REPAIR THESE INHERENT LEAKING SYSTEMS IS $2200 PER AXLE. *TR

DRC SUSPENSION LEAK - REQUIRED TWO TRIPS TO DEALER TO FIX IT DUE TO BAD VALVE INSTALLED THE FIRST TIME - DRC WAS AUDI'S SUSPENSION THAT WAS ON THE RS6 AND RS4 CARS. THESE APPEARED TO BE PROBLEMS WITH THE SYSTEM IN TERMS OF # OF FAILURES ,AND IF THE DEALERS COULD ADEQUATELY FIX THE PROBLEM, THE CAR COULD BE UNSAFE TO DRIVE IF THE SHOCKS FAILED ON A LONGER TRIP. *AK

THE DRC (DYNAMIC RIDE CONTROL) SUSPENSION ON THE 2003 AUDI RS6 HAS FAILED TWICE. THE ONLY SYMPTOM WAS A BANGING UNDERCARRIAGE RATTLE, BUT OTHERS HAD HANDLING PROBLEMS. DRC FAILURE WAS RAMPANT AS A SUBJECT FOR THREADS ON OWNER FORUMS, AND IT WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN ARTICLE IN THE MARCH ISSUE OF AUTOMETRIX, A BRITISH PUBLICATION, THE FIRST PAGE OF WHICH COULD BE FOUND HERE: HTTP://WWW.RS6.COM/FORUM/ATTACHMENT.PHP? *AKATTACHMENTID=5172&D=1181644759. SINCE THE DRC FAILURES OCCURRED AT 32,000 AND 50,000 MILES I EXPECTED MORE FAILURES IN THE FUTURE. BUT WHILE THE FIRST TWO REPAIRS WERE COVERED UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY WHICH HAS EXPIRED. THUS, I FEARED I WILL HAVE TO PAY NEXT TIME, AND THE COST TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE SYSTEM MAY BE AS HIGH AS $6500 ACCORDING TO FORUM POSTINGS. AN AFTERMARKET ALTERNATIVE WAS AVAILABLE, PER THE LINKED ARTICLE ABOVE, BUT EVEN IT COSTS ABOUT $4000, AND IT WAS TOO NEW TO DETERMINE ITS LONGEVITY. TO ME THIS WAS AN OBVIOUS DEFECT IN AUDI DESIGN THAT COUD LEAD TO HANDLING PROBLEMS, AUDI SHOULD STEP UP TO THE PLATE FOR ALL OWNERS. SO FAR THEY HAVE REFUSED TO DO SO DESPITE A 3/22/06 LETTER TO ME FROM A REPRESENTATIVE AT AUDI OF AMERICA HQ IN ROCHESTER HILLS, MI, IN WHICH HE ACKNOWLEDGE "HAVING HANDLED MULTIPLE REPAIRS WITH THIS SYSTEM. TO BE FAIR, AOA DID EXTEND THE WARRANTY FOR A YEAR, BUT THAT WAS BECAUSE I HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR, INCLUDING DOWNT IME OF UP TO ONE MONTH. AUDI SHOULD AT LEAST EXTEND THEIR WARRANTY FOR THE DRC COMPONENT TO ALL OWNERS, AS THEY DID WHEN OWNERS REPORTED WIDESPREAD FAILURES OF THE MAF FILTER ON THE AUDI S4 FOR THE 2000 MODEL YEAR. THAT RESPONSE WAS EXEMPLARY! DRC HAS BECOME SUCH A WIDELY PUBLICIZED ISSUE THAT I AM SURE IT WAS CONTRIBUTING TO DRAMATIC RESALE VALUE DECLINES IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. AUDI NEEDED TO KNOW THAT IF RS6 OWNERS GET NO SATISFACTION BUYERS OF THEIR ONETIMEFLAGSHIP" SEDAN WILL BE FLOCKING ELSEWHERE NEXT TIME THEY SHOP. *AK

FAILURE OF THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM, YIELDING ERRATIC BEHAVIOR OF THE VEHICLE OVER BUMPS AND DEPRESSIONS. THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A SYSTEM CALLED "DYNAMIC RIDE CONTROL" (AKA DRC) WHICH IS A FLUID-FILLED SYSTEM TO CONTROL SHOCK ABSORBER MOVEMENTS, BUT THE SHOCKS LEAK THE FLUID RESULTING IN FAILURE OF THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM AS DESIGNED TO PERFORM. *JB

I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR A FAMILY VACATION TO NASHVILLE TN FROM MILWAUKEE, AND I STARTED TO NOTICE THAT THE REAR SUSPENSION WAS VERY BOUNCY. I THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO THE EXTRA WEIGHT OF THE LUGGAGE IN THE TRUNK, BUT AS THE VACATION WENT ON, THE BOUNCE GOT WORSE. BY THE TIME WE WERE HEADED BACK TO MILWAUKEE, THE BOUNCE WAS SO BAD, THAT THE CAR WOULD LOSE CONTROL WHILE GOING OVER ROUGH HIGHWAY. WE TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS, AND WERE TOLD THAT THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM HAD A LEAK IN ONE OF THE REAR SHOCKS. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED, ALL FOUR OF THE SHOCKS HAVE TO BE REPLACED IN ORDER TO BALANCE THE PRESSURE IN EACH ABSORBER. MY CAR WAS OUT OF SERVICE FOR 2 WEEKS, AND THE FIRST TIME IT WAS REPAIRED, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE ANY TRAINING ON HOW TO FIX THE SYSTEM. HE DID AN ADMIRABLE JOB, BUT THE RIDE HAS NOT BEEN THE SAME SINCE. THE MECHANIC HAS SINCE RECEIVED TRAINING, AND HAD TO RE-PRESSURIZE AND REPLACE ALL FOUR SHOCKS AGAIN. THE SECOND TIME THE MECHANIC MADE REPAIRS THE SYSTEM WAS BETTER, BUT NOW THE CAR IS DUE FOR ANOTHER REPAIR ON THE REAR SUSPENSION THIS WEEK. IT SEEMS THAT THIS SYSTEM IS PRONE TO LEAK FLUID, WHICH HELPS IT MAINTAIN THE PROPER PRESSURE ON ALL FOUR WHEELS. I AM WORRIED THAT WHEN MY WARRANTY IS EXPIRED, I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THIS SUSPENSION SYSTEM AGAIN, AND IT WILL BE VERY EXPENSIVE, OR THERE WILL BE A TERRIBLE CAR ACCIDENT DUE TO LACK OF CONTROL OVER ROUGH HIGHWAYS. *NM

2003 AUDI RS6 - SUSPENSION FAILURE - SYSTEM LEAKED HYDRAULIC FLUID RESULTING IN A VERY UNSTABLE RIDE. REPAIR ATTEMPTED BY AUDI MANY TIMES FROM JAN TO JUNE, AND AFTER TOO MUCH LEG WORK ON MY PART THEY ALMOST FIXED IT. THE CAR IS BETTER, BUT NOT NORMAL, AND THIS HAS AFFECTED MANY RS6'S, AND IS A VERY DANGEROUS SYSTEM FAILURE. *JB