C5 RS6 ownership

[gixermark]

Hi Guys,

i've been trying to find the ideal estate for quite a few weeks now.... the S4 avants caught my eye and i so like them, although i know the rear seat space is fairly tight (have tow kids in car seats) I prefer the B7 shape, and have not been able to find one the right colour/spec/miles to tempt me as yet......

i'll looked/considered all sorts, SPec B Subaru, various BMW tourings (do quite rate the 535d even though its an oil burner) !! and flirted with a high milage M5 touring that was coming cheap in the trade this week (i missed out on it)

no one car has won my heart though - hence the search has been tough... originally i didn't include the C5 RS6 as i thought the front looked dated.... but the more i look at them, i am starting to think it might grow on me.. having owned an '06 3.0 tdi quattro.. i love the space the A6 gives

this particular car

http://forum.rs246.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=107513

ticks pretty much every box, and although over my ideal budget... you get what you pay for (within reason) in these older cars i guess...

questions i have - apart from the DRC (that has been replaced on this one) and consumables like clutch/brakes/tyres etc... how do these motors fair ? gearboxes seem to be on every classified list as either being reconditioned/serviced/replaced....... can you buy replacements ? is it just generally certain cogs that wear out with torque and is a 1-2k fix ?? or what are we looking at ? is the box handy enough to drop out ?

this engine is belt driven - and fairly easily changed from the front ? rather than chain driven in the A4 and in at the back ? assuming that... belt changes are handy enough ?

anything else to be aware of ?? major diff or drive shaft issues ??

although a grey area and most likely shunned in pure RS circles... i'd be looking to add a discrete removable tow bar to whatever i buy........ i know the RS6 C5 was not homoligated for towing... but can physically be added - 98% of its use would be for a bike carrier.. but i'd also like the flexibility to be able to move a small trailer i have around too...

do the cars generally drive smoothly/easily ? i.e. if the Mrs needed to drive it - at high level is it just like driving any torquey auto car ?? she drove the A6 3.0 auto i had occasionally with no issues.

how is the drive with coilovers compared to DRC ? do the collective think cars with coilovers will be technically worse less (since they will not be std) in years to come when these things may start to appreciate a little ?

I know we don;t buy these for mpg.. but i assume late teens on average is the norm ? around town low teens.. and mid 20s max on a run ?

thanks in advance for any input..... sorry for long post

[chunky79]

Go to the C5 forum mate and have a look at the guide there

FON as well.

[gixermark]

thanks.. just expanded the forums.... IF admin reads this - could they move it to the C5 forum please... as this area seems to get used less...

thanks

[RS2]

I bought my RS6 C5 Avant in May last year with a dead transmission and needing some other bits and pieces and slowly did all of the work so that I have a great RS6 which I now have to sell - *no job and wife expecting our first!*

It's in the for sale section.

I managed 25mpg with cruise control on the motorway. On the daily hack (back roads, not great for an RS6!) I managed around 20mpg.

I have fitted a tow-bar (factory removable hitch) which I'll be taking off before the car goes unless arranged otherwise with a buyer. It fits without having to modify the rear bumper and the car already has all of the pick up points for the factory tow-bar.

My car also has Bilstein PSS9s and they're wound down pretty low. The ride isn't bad but you tend to find yourself avoiding the pot holes as it's just more comfortable. That's not to say it's hard... but you get what I'm saying.

I've never driven an RS6 with working DRC so I can't compare. I'd imagine that they're fairly similar as you're not changing the wheels/tyres and these will give you the feedback rather than spring rates and damping rates.

I rebuilt the gearbox (all posted up in the RS6 forum in full colour) and showed everyone what I had found. For once, it wasn't the normal failure (which is a bearing that isn't really strong enough long term) but a cracked oil filter than meant my gearbox (less than 3 years old from Audi) had failed. The gearbox parts aren't that expensive but getting the engine/gearbox out (really the only way to replace the gearbox) has a dealer book time of around 36 hours (to take out and re-install) so this is where a chunk of your money goes.

Timing belt - yes it's got one. When the RS6 first came out, Audi specc'd a 40K service life. Then a few years later with new technology in belts etc, they upped that to 60k as in similar engines so with new parts from VW/Audi, they're not as silly as they used to be. They also have a 4 year limit so bear that in mind when checking up on the history of a car. Yes it's a front end off job and it takes a while as there are more coolers and pipes than on any other Audi that I've seen. Budget on £1,000 for a timing belt done by someone that knows their stuff and will warranty it.

My wife has driven my RS6 a few times. She doesn't like the sporty suspension much but I've never seen her grin so much as when she booted it from stationary

The C5 RS6 is a very drive-able car. You must give it respect though. There is more than enough power to catch not only yourself out but everyone else too. People just don't expect cars to move that quickly and you can get yourself into very real trouble really really fast!!

MG

[Weiß-sechs]

"The C5 RS6 is a very drive-able car. You must give it respect though. There is more than enough power to catch not only yourself out but everyone else too. People just don't expect cars to move that quickly and you can get yourself into very real trouble really really fast!!

MG[/quote]"


That's where the massive Brembo's come in very handy, you really need to re-programme your spatial awareness to avoid rear-ending "normal" traffic