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I have a 2005 rs6. It’s done 102k and standard apart from coil overs and head unit.
The gearbox has never been changed and this seems to be putting buyers off. Drives perfect and just had gearbox service. My first rs6 had a box every 40k. Are the later boxes better?

No, they are all the same as far as I know. Just the gearbox lottery.

I always say to people when they asking about buying one to make sure it’s had a box rebuild as even if it’s low miles it will go at some point.


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It puts people off as they expect it to be a £4k Plus fix if it goes wrong. And it eventually will.

I believe the box can be sorted for less than £2k these days so less than half of what most people assume.

Cars do appear to be priced accordingly though, if the box has been done, then they go for stronger money, if the box is not done then they have to command less. It may be fine right now, but 2 weeks after you sell it, it "May" go.

I guess that leaves me with a choice of sharing the driving with the c6 rs6. Or break it.

Is there any way of checking the health of the gearbox without taking it to bits?

I bought mine under the assumption the gearbox would go on mine eventually but after the F125 was replaced it's been trouble free. Also I've noticed poor 12v batteries seem to make it a bit more thumpy than a decent one (which is weird). The gearboxes may be the same but any subtle other difference eg different sensors, different gearbox software could also mean the same physical box is better in one iteration of the car than another.

Having a rebuilt box is no guarantee either. Who warranties their rebuild for say 3 years?

Yeah. It's like the subframes on E46 M3s or the engine issues on certain Porsche, or timing chain stretch on some BMWs. When you read stuff on the internet you get the impression that every car is about to Hari-Kari. The reality is that most RS6 owners won't have an issue with the gearbox but that doesn't help when you're trying to sell the thing to an owner with shallow pockets.

It's human nature to want to buy the best car you can afford, but most people don't take into account the cost of repairs. I wouldn't stretch to buy a Ferrari, for example, because I know that the purchase cost is only half the story.

Anyway, not much you can do about it. If you want an RS6 then the risk is that the gearbox will fail. But on the other hand there's an extremely low risk that you'll have issue with more critical parts like the engine. Engine failures on the RS6 are VERY rare.

I wouldn't buy a recent Range Rover because of my perceived risk of many different parts being unreliable. Fair or unfair, I don't know. That's my perception though.

srichards wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 07, 2021 10:34 am

Is there any way of checking the health of the gearbox without taking it to bits?

Yes. Warm it up. Do a WOT acceleration from 10mph to 5th gear and check that the gear changes are tight but smooth. Let it slow down under engine braking to s stop and make sure there are no thunks or jolts.

Go up and down between gears in tiptro at constant speed(s) to check the change is smooth (but not too smooth).

Any bangs, thumps, clunks, slippage is cause for concern. Potentially.

Burnt, or dark ATF is not a good sign if you go as far as checking the ATF. Tricky if it's a car you are planning on buying.

If it's a car you already own, best thing is to just not worry about it and enjoy it. Worrying about it will diminish your enjoyment. You will soon know if something goes wrong with the box and you are familiar with the car.

Also, I think a lot of people forgot that a slush box necessarily has a limited life - on *any* car. It contains clutches and friction material and that gets used up. Then the box is toast. They are not like manual boxes which should last more or less indefinitely.

My Landrover has an LT85 box on it. Their reputation is that you'll rebuild it because you're pissed off with the noise they make long before they actually fail.

On the RS, if I want to give it some beans, I always take a view of trying to avoid kickdown - either hold it in gear and use the torque of the motor to accelerate (which is one of it's great strengths), or pre-select the gear you want via the tiptronic before stamping on the pedal. I dunno if this helps, but it it feels like not having the motor pushing hard in the middle of a downshift is a good way to try and look after the clutches.

Took it out today actually with the family. "OOOOO DADDY's GETTING THE AUDI OUT...."

Shoppinit wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 07, 2021 11:12 am

........................................ They are not like manual boxes which should last more or less indefinitely.

Sadly, but if only. The 01E 6 speed box in the RS4 and also used in manual transplants and the US race version has it's own gremlins and just the revamped synchro rings from Germany are around 700 pounds, if you can get them. There isn't that much change from 5,000 pounds for a full refurbishment with cryo treating and so on. One of my spares has had that treatment and cost every bit or more. Special clutches and modified Torque converters are likewise in the same ball park.

The biggest issue with the RS6 is in fact if you can get a replacement gearbox or torque converter. Sometimes, a manual conversion is the only way out.

Jayjay101 wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 06, 2021 8:46 pm

I always say to people when they asking about buying one to make sure it’s had a box rebuild as even if it’s low miles it will go at some point.


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So basically, you're telling everyone that wants one, even if it's had a rebuild, they'll have to pay for one as well, so they might as well just buy one regardless!
There have been plenty of cars on here over the years with over 80k that have never had a problem with the gearbox.
It's all about how you treat them, let it warm up, don't do many launches and service them.

chunky79 wrote:

Jayjay101 wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 06, 2021 8:46 pm

I always say to people when they asking about buying one to make sure it’s had a box rebuild as even if it’s low miles it will go at some point.


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So basically, you're telling everyone that wants one, even if it's had a rebuild, they'll have to pay for one as well, so they might as well just buy one regardless!
There have been plenty of cars on here over the years with over 80k that have never had a problem with the gearbox.
It's all about how you treat them, let it warm up, don't do many launches and service them.

No what I mean is try and get one that’s just had it done as it will start playing up at some point.Most of the people that ask me are looking at £8k-£10k cars and there minefields.There’s very few of us that look after these cars the right way when it comes to servicing,most service the box for the 1st time just before they sell it as they think it’s enff and it’s not


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2 things i looked for when buying mine, brakes and gearbox, bonus was the suspension bushes were all refreshed also and had Pss9 etc

The box had been done a few year ago, but it has done low miles since and i bought on condition, box is strong and has been since ive had it... jinxed it now though

I think Shop's previous post is spot on. Auto boxes are a wear item - it's just the way they work.

I was reading a post on pistonheads yesterday where a modern little hatchback thing needed a clutch and cambelt - and they were quoting 4 days work to do it since the engine has to come out of the bottom on the subframe to do it.

So effort and labour is not disproprtionate on the RS. What is a little disproportionate is the life of the box on the C5. But Audi, by design, maxxed out the spec of the motor to the max ratings of the box. They could have made a slower car that gives the box a bit more life - it's called the S6, I think

So if a prospective buyer is insisting on a replacement box - maybe they're not the buyer you want, anyway.
Buy based on condition - an original box with a meticulous previous owner, regularly serviced and a recent VCDS scan, is just as good a bet as a rebuilt box.
Probably a better bet than a rebuilt box with a "loon" owner lacking mechanical sympathy.