DRC - is their an easy fix?

Post by **Rek** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 4:12 pm

Not very technical so bear with me.
When the DRC 'goes' the shocks leak and there is loss of damping and play within the shocks themselves. If this is correct, then it must be the seal in the shocks is not up to the pressure (5 bar I am informed) and breaks down over time with normal use.
I am also told by Audi that the central valve is quite sturdy and can generally be saved, something which certain dealers handling mates cars regularly undertake. Finally the system is fitted empty and then charged with fluid to the required pressure.

If so, can the shocks be resealed easily? Even better, can better seals be fitted which are more up to the job?

It used to be that this was not practical, but Demon Tweaks business was built on the back of reconditioning shocks so does anyone still do this?

My DRC is screwed and I cannot locate any PSS9's in the country before Feb. Anyone got any ideas? I like the idea of the Bilsteins as I want to recreate the original ride as much as possible and have heard that the KW option is a lot firmer.

Now - shoot me down!

Post by **GardinerG** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 5:19 pm

well the shocks new are a fraction of the cost of the central valves. Infact 1 valve = 4 shocks (roughly). As for the seals themselves it seems we play lucky dip on when they actually go. Sorry but I don't know about repairing them.

FWIW the KWv3 is actually softer than the Billsteins on normal settings (bump, rebound and height adjustable). In fact mine is going in on Friday to get it raised (as I am running 275 tyres) and stiffened slightly.

HTH

Grant

Post by **SimonY** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 6:48 pm

Rek,

I came to the same conclusion - why keep spending money on something which is essentially flawed! I have just had the DRC replaced with the Bilsteins on mine at Fontain and they did a cracking job. That was only 10 days ago and they got the kit over a weekend so you may want to give them a call.

I have been meaning to post some feedback on my experience with them which has been fantastic - if only I could say the same about my local main "stealer"!

PM me if you want to take this offline.

Good luck.

Simon

Post by **Fen** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 9:10 pm

Grant's take doesn't surprise me at all; KW's are extremely compliant on my track car - until turned up at least - whereas Billies usually have a reputation for being stiff.

Post by **L14MDP** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 9:18 pm

Simon,

Out of interest how much were the Bilsteins from Fountain?

Cheers

Liam

Post by **s4woody** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 11:53 pm

i took an RS6 to the dealers i used to work for and the top tech there recharged the DRC..no more knocking..now another dealer that looked at the car before i got hold of it quoted £2100 for various DRC parts..the recharge was less that £200 quid including oil..and labour..thats some saving..and the owner is very happy..

Post by **Rek** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 8:52 am

I suppose it bought some time for the DRC but given this, a solution might be to replace the cheaper shocks early as a precaution and recharge. That avoids the costly valve being replaced, as I presume that this is damaged only when there is insufficient fluid. If its £200 for fluid and recharge, and say two shocks a year then it can't be more that say £500-600 a year. Certainly takes the shock out of replacement costs and turns it into almost into a service item.

Post by **SimonY** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:09 am

L14MDP wrote:Simon,

Out of interest how much were the Bilsteins from Fountain?

Cheers

Liam

Liam,

Bit of a story here as I bought the car from Fontain earlier this year and had only covered 3500 miles when the DRC started to play up so they did me a deal and provided me with some discount on the Bilstein kit which came in at £1,085 + VAT and then the total installation was 6 hours so they charged me for 3 @ £65 per hr. While the car has only just covered 24K miles they did replace the shock mounts as recommended on the forum so that was another £90 in parts.

The installation worked out at an hour per corner. I was then asked by the owner Marcus if it would be OK for him to take the car home that night on a short journey to let it "settle down" and then they took a further 2 hours the following morning to do the tracking/alignment etc.

They also said that if I'm not happy with the ride or the height of the car they would adjust either FOC either while I wait or having the car booked in so again they're very helpful!

Simon

Post by **LondonRS6** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:30 am

Not wishing to hijack the thread. To date my vehicle has as yet not had any problems with the DRC. Can someone tell me what are the noticeable symptons for DRC failure? Sorry for the stupid question but i cant find a definative answer in this forum. Some owners talk of a knocking noise on start up - coming from where? others have mentioned the car sways under heavy braking... Your guidance is appreciated...SimonY sorry to hear about your DRC going so soon into RS6 ownership...

Post by **GardinerG** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:51 pm

Most noticeable signs of (progressive!) failure - clanking coming from opposite rear corner on uneven road (esp. in an Avant!) - not on start-up though! Twitchy on hard braking from speed - mine was dangerously so by the time the suspension actually was replaced. Leaks on the shocks if you are looking for them - most noticeable after a pressure increase (aka DRC recharge)

The central valves are supposed to be replaced after the pressure drops below 12psi (IIRC), so if you catch the leak early enough you will be fine.

Dunno if that helps.

Grant

Post by **s4woody** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:19 pm

If its £200 for fluid and recharge,

its not normally that price..that was a friendly price from a mate of mine that works at my old dealership...

Post by **Rek** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:05 pm

I got a quote of £150 plus Vat without the fluids, so not that far apart. Does anyone know what happens to the valves if the pressure drops and why they aren't usable? It would be good to know the mechanics of the valves as they must be under zero pressure before charging the system.

Post by **GardinerG** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:21 pm

The valves are supplied/sold pressurised at 15psi (again IIRC) according to the RS6 techie manual.

I'm at work so can't confirm the pressures.

Post by **Rek** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:24 pm

Got it - so as soon as pressure is lost, they are useless. They way the dealer I spoke to di it was to charge the system at pressure, then drain it so the valve was still presumably sealed, then charge the system again and it worked. It may be a way of resetting the pressure of the valve, or maybe he just got lucky.

Post by **GardinerG** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:30 pm

The central valves have pressure seals that only open when connected to the pipes, hence recharging should repressurise the valves (and all fluid in the pipes). I imagine the problem is that if air gets into the central valves I don't think there is any way of "letting out" / purging the air. But I honestly don't know.

Audi SP is to replace the valves, maybe this has something to do with the number of DRC failures due to repair work not being done correctly, again I don't know?

If I had an Audi warranty then I would still have the DRC, as the repairs would have been free.

Grant

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