RS6 Vibration when passing 70mph

[DanX]

Hello guys , I bought an old Rs6 C5 a month ago and what do you know it has a lot of problems . I bought the car from an independent garage and my mistake was that I haven`t test drove it on the motorway , on the way back surprise surprise.
When I`m passing 70mph car feels like a tumble dryer , very noticeable vibration on the entire car. I took it to Kiwk fit where they did the balancing and traking , nothing . I went to a "specialized garage in audis" ,I`m not going to name names , but they told me that the front tyres are gone and let`s give it a try by swaping them with the back ones which were in a better state . Back on the motorway again pass 70mph , even worse this time.Bought 4 brand new Dunlop tyres 255/35/R19 SPMAXX GT , now the tyres are making a funny noise like catching on something on slow speed almoast close to stoping. I took the car to Audi Liverpool ,result , all 4 shock absorbers worn/leaking and I was told that the tyres are not really right for the car , because they have a rim and is catching on the strut. Anybody else with this problems ? Any suggestions about the tyres? . I bought the tyres 1 week ago from camskill , can I send them back? Pls respond . thanks

[Daveperc]

Hmm - looks like a mix of problems to me.

The tyres are fouling on "Ol Knobbly" - do a search on here and you'll find plenty of info, and basically you need to take a small grinding wheel to him and that will allow your Dunlops to rotate freely. Not sure why you bought them - but you've got them now so best drive hard to wear them out ASAP and then put some Mich or Goodyear on - again, a quick search on here and there are loads of threads (and views!!). Wouldn't expect Camskill to take them back, and you will probably already have a groove in the inner shoulder from Ol Knobbo.

The vibration is almost certainly a knackered driveshaft bearing - get under the car and check for excessive wear and/or split gaitors on the UJ's. Best to replace the whole shaft, with both bearings, and IMHO best to do both at once, cos if one has gone, the other is not far behind.

The leaking DRC is the well known achilles heal - most on here will tell you to ditch it and replace with coil-overs. Personally I disagree - but only if you can get the car to Camberley Audi, as they seem to be the only dealer in the country capable of fixing the DRC so it stays fixed!

On the basis you are speaking to Liverpool Audi, your best bet is probably to get the car down to Unit 20 (Wirral) and let them fix all your problems at one go.

Welcome and FON!!

Dave

[ahoooga]

Although you've had the wheels balanced, physically check the rims to see if they are out of true, as in perfectly round and not oval shaped.

A machine will 'balance' them but cannot make them perfectly round, and when they balance them, they covert he wheel up with a shroud, so no one sees if the rim is perfectly round or not.
Consequence is, that although the wheel is 'balanced' , it may not be 'round', the faster you drive ( turn the wheels) the more emphasised this becomes.

Unless camskill recommended the tyres to you for that particular car, its unlikely they will take them back off you. I think there was only 2 makes/types tyres Audi recommended for use on the c5 rs6

[Maximo]

If you've just bought the car then you need to take it back to the dealer, regardless of whether you completed a test drive or not the car is not fit for purpose and are within your rights to either return it for a full refund or allow the dealer to resolve your issues. Legally they have to provide you with a three month warranty that covers all the mechanical's. By all means tell them what you now know as it will help them out.

Your in for a very expensive few months unless you get the dealer to sort things out for you.

Welcome to a world of pain. Oh and I would get the Dunlop's replaced very very soon or you may find yourself climbing out of a ditch soon.

[Mr Footlong]

NOOBYDOOBYDOOBY! Welcome my dear chap. I haven't got time to read all of that atm but these guys will have you steered right sharpish, like they did with me way back in the day.

Regarding the knobbly, you will have lunched the inner side of those tyres pretty sharpish and if the don't fit right, you either have to bite the expensive bullet and redo the tyres again, Goodyear F1 Assymetric2 every time IMO, or, stop driving it right now and get the knobblies ground off as a matter of urgency. I vote for the latter than figure out if you can stretch to much better tyres depending on the damage already done to the inners.

Been there, done that with the Sport Maxx, they came fitted to my when I bought her. Not a hope in hell of returning them damaged through no fault of Camskill I am afraid. This is what you need to read regarding the knobbly. A lot of us have done it and suffered no ill effect, stress cracks, failures yada yada. - http://forum.rs246.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=89329

[sulli]

It could be wheel balance, tracking, driveshaft. Nothing major. As long as the rest of the car is ok, no big deal, don't fret, get this sorted and you will love the car.
By all means go back to the dealer if you like, or bite the bullet, get it sorted and enjoy the car.

[ahoooga]

I think there was only 2 makes/types tyres Audi recommended for use on the c5 rs6

I should of added to the above ,its only after you deal with the 'knobbly' problem ( in the link that Mr Footlong provided above) that you can put other makes and models of tyre on without worry.
If you had non original fitment tyres on when you bought it, then changed them front to rear, that would explain why the vibration got worse, as the 'new' fronts was getting chewed away by el knobbly.
Then, when you changed all 4 to the Dunlops, you'd have the same problem , Mr Knobbly eating them away. check the link and you will see tyre number 14 is the same as yours and got eaten ( knobbled).

The dealer/seller may take pity and put 4 new boots on, but you've to prove what the problem was , and he can easily say the tyres have been on there for a couple of thousand miles. without proof, you are unlikely to win. probably easier to get the grinder out and cut your knob off before you drive any further.

[DanX]

Obviously I told Liverpool Audi about the vibration and I told them to check the drive shaft , they said that is ok , in regards to the the tyres I will try to contact camskill today to crack a deal with them for a new set of GY or Mich if not what do you think about spacers for a short period? In regards to the sock absorbers , I had a word with Unit 20, 2k for PSS9 changeover , but I informed the dealer as well and he said that is going to take the car back and change the shock absorbers for me. I will try to get my self booked for Sat for Unit20 to have a look at the car and see what`s what.

[Mr Footlong]

Dude, if you can't get the knobbles ground off the front of the car where it sits (easy), speak to your nearest generic garage and ask them how much for 10-15 mins with a grinder and your car up on the lift.

With knobbles removes, eagles on there and a full 4 wheel alignment, she will be nice & sticky(ish), even with failing DRC and standard ARBs.

Small spacers would of course get you out of a tight spot short term but unless you are going super slim then you will need longer bolts and all that is just more expense. I would honestly be going down the knobbly removal asap route if it was me but hey.

DO NOT do the Pilot Super Sports if you are going to run the tyres all year round. Trust me, I have them and they are hilarious in the cold/snowy months! good/warm weather and they are excellent but the eagle is the better all round tyres easily imo.

While the 2k bill may seem like a hard pill to swallow, I see DRC fixes adding up to that sooner rather than later if you are unlucky (Dave would have a far better idea on price per failure than me)

[chunky79]

Unit20 can repair your drc aswell. I would ditch it personally and go straight to pss9 and get the hotchkis from them too.
As said above, 2 mins on each upright will remove knobbly bit and see you good. There's a lot of good things said about the Goodyear tyres on here by everyone just get em.
Welcome along to the joyride.

[DanX]

So i called Camskill , they said, these are the designated tyres for your car if they are catching is a problem with your car ) ...so no luck with them. I`m really sorry but i`m not very mechanical inclined so can somebody explain what actually ( like for a 5 year old )to grind off to get clearance for the tyres? . Unit 20 ...Saturdays are booked till 1st of June , so need to get time off work , not happy .

[Shoppinit]

4 words...

Sale of goods act.

[Maximo]

Drive the car to Unit20, drop your car off. Beg for use of the loan car and drive away. Wait for the call from Grizz to say it's all sorted. Go collect your car, pay Grizz his money and thank him for his service, drive away with a massive grin on your face. Job done.

[ahoooga]

two trains of thought here.

IF the problem is purely down to tyres , the seller has a get out clause , as DanX has changed them since purchase. You would need to speak nicely to the seller to get him to compensate you. Its unlikely the seller will grind the knobbly bits off.What's in your favour is that the original tyres are obviously not right for the car ( in its date of purchase state).
They will probably claim that you didnt give them chance to correct the situation by having the tyres changed without seeing them first.

IF the problem is something else apart from tyres, ( rims out of true, driveshafts, DRC suspension ect,) then the sale of good act may help you.
HOWEVER , if you like the car and want to keep it, then you will have to bat carefully as to how you approach the problem.

I dont think the Dunlops you bought was original fitment by Audi ( you'd have to speak to an Audi dealer to see what they would fit if you asked them to fit new tyres). If they say the Dunlops are not proper recommended fitment and Camskill told you they was ok for your car, you have a comeback against Camskill.
The fact someone else has fitted the same tyres and had the 'knobbly' problem suggests they are not OE recommended fitment.( ref 'SpaceCowboy' in this thread http://forum.rs246.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=89329 )

[Mr Footlong]

To save what is left of the tyres currently, based on the thread I linked you to, do you not have any more technical friends that could pop over and grind the knobbles off?

At least what is left would be saved and you could safely drive over to Unit20 and have Grizz check her over for you as if you haven't queried the brain with VCDS, there could be a million little surprises waiting for you.....