DRC action against audi, please contribute!

[Stuart6587]

As I understand it:

Audi USA are replacing all owners shocks with the new upgraded items and are reimbursing all the owners previous costs (DRC or Coilovers)

Audi UK are replacing shocks again with the upgraded items at either all the cost or a substantial proportion of the cost but with the caveat that the car must be less than 6 years old, have covered less than 100,000 miles, have FASH and still have the DRC system (not sure whether any other "small print" and only time will tell depending upon owners experiences and their posts on here)

The new upgraded shocks will of course have Audi's two year warranty but only time will tell whether the upgrade is successful or whether like many owners we will have to "bite the bullet" and change to coilovers

If I am wrong with my summary or there is further comment to add I am sure someone will come along and advise otherwise !

[MoRS6+]

Bumping main list. Keep 'em coming people!

1. MoRS6+ - RS6 plus - 10,500 - Fontain - March 08 - DRC replaced with H&R coilovers
2. Shoppinit - RS6 Avant - 68959 - Inchcape - Feb 08 - All shocks diagnosed faulty, Bilstein PSS9s ordered
3. Hartge - RS6 plus - 35526 - T.B.C - March 08 - DRC to be replaced with H&R coilovers
4. Lionelflair - RS6 Avant - 42000 - RNS replaced - new shock & valve, 44000 - RNS replaced AGAIN - new shock & valve
5. HungryPigeon - RS6 Avant - 37000 - all four shocks need replacing 2K miles after rear suspension rebuild
6. LondonRS6 - RS AVANT , 03 plate, 33k - AUDI CAMBERLEY - all four shocks and 2 CV replaced , third party warranty replaced with New DRC
7. Cas - RS6 Avant - 37000 - Audi Franklin Leeds diagnose require just OSR shock + accumulator replacing for £1k.
8. Rupert RS6 Avant, 04, 50k miles, various dealers, Failed 9 times, twice replaced completely. Currently very bad.
9. Onlinesys - RS6 Avant - 24000 - all four shocks leaked and just replaced with H&R coilovers. Can't wait to get the car back!!
10. Lowell- RS6 Avant, DRC failure at 33k, replaced with H&R coilovers
11. Pedro - 04 RS6 Avant, NSF failure at 40k, replaced with valves in Jan09 and beginning to go again
12. WeaselRS6saloon - 2003, RS6 saloon, all four shocks leaking at 47k - replaced with KWv3 coilovers.
13. GardinerG - 2003 RS6 Avant, 40k miles, DRC failed twice in 2007 within 3 months of ownership, replaced with KW coilovers.
14. Bazza - 2003 RS6 Saloon, 36000, 20 shocks and 10 accumulators in 3 years and 7000 miles, In with audi at the moment
15. Mac - 2004 54 RS6 Shocks replaced june 07, Full System inc vlaves replaced Oct 08....55k
16. Stuart6587, Audi RS6 Avant 2003, 2 shocks and central valve @ 3,300 miles in Jan 09
17. MalcolmSu - RS6 saloon 2004, 1 front shock Jan'09 @ 52k; 1 rear shock Feb '09 @ 55k
18. Andyt - RS6 Saloon '03: Both valves replaced May 08 @ 56k, both valves and front right shock replaced Feb '09 @59k.
19. RichRS6 - RS6 Avant '03. All Four Shocks and Two Valves Replaced by Audi Warranty March 2008 @24,000 Miles. Jan 2009 @33,000 Miles Two leaking shocks and One valve Replaced and finally removed the whole lot in March 2009 for H&R coilovers when I found another leaking shock.
20. Langstone - RS6 Avant - 49384 - Audi Approved Newton Abbot - 06/09/07 - shock absorbers replaced under parts warranty.
21. Gorwanvfr - RS6 Saloon '03 - Audi Issac Agnew - Oct 2008 @ 36400 miles new rear shock
22. BigMo - RS6 Avant 03 - Listers Audi - 29/11/06 OSF+Valve@42520, 08/03/07 OSR+Valve@45464
23. aRSy - RS6 Avant 03 - Camberley Audi - Aug'08 @ 37,000 miles - Full system
24. rachaeljf - RS6 Avant 04 - 57500 - DRC failure diagnosed March 09 by Northampton Audi - Warranty Direct have authorised repair but I want to go to Unit 20!
25. Deanobeano - RS6 Plus 54 - 06.11.07 (47045) replace both front shocks accumulators pipe work and nsf top suspension arm. 01.12.06 (35518) renew nsf/osr accumulator. 25.08.06 (31076) renew nsf / dsf / dsr shock absorbers.
26. LIG - DRC totally replaced (with DRC) March 08, June 08 2 x valves replaced, July 08 Shocker replaced, March 09 All replaced with H&Rs!!
27. DrB - One corner failed in January 2007 and then the other in April 2007. Both parts were repaired by Audi paid for by Warranty Direct.
28. ells109 - RS6 53 - Walton Audi - DRC, leaking shock. Replaced, within 2 weeks leaking again and replaced again. All out of warranty. over £3000. Mileage 55k
29. Speedsix - RS6 53 - Unit 20 Jan 09, 4 leaking shocks. Replaced under warranty (Warranty Direct) with coilovers. Had been le4aking for some time before replacement though.
30. Marmite - RS6 03 - Hatfield 24/4/07 41180 miles 1 shock o/s/r, 30/1/08 49756miles 4 shocks and valves, 17/2/09 58466 miles 4 shocks and valves, All covered under warranty, the vehicle did have the same repairs done but is not on record Vehicle has had a minium on 13 shocks.
31. PaulRS6 - RS6 Avant (All work at Listers, Coventry) 6/1/06 32329 miles OSF Shock replaced, 15/6/06 36660 miles OSF Valve replaced, 12/04/07 43059 miles All Shocks – Removed and inspected, fluid changed, 2/4/08 52712 miles All Shocks replaced, 17/11/08 60398 miles OSF shock repaired.
32. orangeeric - RS6 Avant - 92k, currently at Chelmsford Audi - rear (OS & NS) DRC. Previously repaired at Grimsby Audi in Summer 07, precise work detail unknown, c70k.
33. ROB - RS6 Avant - 37000 - Audi Warrington diagnose require just OSR shock + accumulator and front NSR replacing for £2k.
34. NumberoftheBeast.
35. andy71_lh - RS6 Avant 02 - 62000 - All out of warranty, DRC leaking at the moment, due to be replaced with H&R's very soon.
36. SteveG - RS6 Saloon 2003- 80000, complete replace of system in Sept 2008 and also in 2007. All under Audi Warranty.

[estrop77]

hi all

Rs6 Saloon (03) - May 08 40,700 miles 4 shocks 2 valves, Aug 08 47k 2 shocks and valve, Dec 08 49k 3 shocks 2 valves, April 09 1 shock 1 valve

car currrently driving spot on and the 3 shocks replaced in Dec were even more modified ones (according to Rob at Camberley) and these have held up over the past 5k with no leaks following check up 2 weeks ago

fingers crossed !

[Cas]

Right, got offer for parts fully covered but they want a 10% contribution to labour because of "age and mileage". It's an 04 on 37k - has anyone with similar got labour covered 100%?

[780z]

Sounds like Audi are taking the piss, when they should be bending over backwards to sort out the mess they made with the DRC, the simple fact is that the problems with DRC are not our fault, it is simply a poor design issue, it would appear Audi are not interested in customer loyalty even in these hard times when manufactureres are wowing us for business, especially at the RS level, all I can say is that based on the way they are handling this issue, my next serious car will not be an Audi.

[Rilla]

Cas, please contact me on: StuartHurd@Gmail.com and let me know what dealers your car is at and the reg, i can get onto Audi UK and get you 100% labour covered more than likely m8.
Their press release said 100% of costs would be met by Audi UK, your not the first to say they now want a 'contribution' towards costs. Total Bullshit m8.

Also if you can include the service managers name at the dealers you took your car to that would be great.

[jamesslater]

Does anyone have an idea if the DRC fails on rough or smooth roads. Has anyone done a poll? My RS6 gets hammered round the bumpy rural roads of the Cotswolds and at 70k its on its second set of shocks. Dealer incompetence apart, is this not too bad for a heavy, limited production, performance car with short travel suspension designed for German, smooth, roads not our knackered asphalt.
Yes, the DRC is unreliable, Audi seem to be hesitant about admitting its not up to the job but the warranty has replaced mine so far. Keep chasing Audi, is this a development issue they havent addressed? Did they allow for bumps when they designed it? Is the real villain the awful underfunding of our roads and their lack of appreciation of their condition? How do they fare in South Africa? Any ideas?

RS6 Avant Silver/ Black. Jan 05. 70K

[Ironside-69]

I think that view would stand up if the replacement parts lasted the course, or if the failure was predictable, either in terms of mileage or age, unfortunately the failures can occur very quickly, even on replacement parts and the cost and technical issues are riduculous when compared to the after-market alternatives.

[Ironside-69]

I think I am right in saying that a car with leaking DRC dampers will not pass the MOT. Surely this test is based on a roadworthyness assessment, is this based on safety at all do we think?

How does that sit with Audi's assertion that the problem does not present a safety issue?

Thoughts anyone.

Numbers for the action are building, please let me know if you would like to help with funding, the quicker we all get our act together the quicker we can get our action started.

[Cas]

Ironside - a week after audi diagnosed 3 leaking struts mine went through mot fine on the suspension (they reported one strut as "slightly leaking"). Failed on a heap of other stuff but never mind..

James - as our friends over the pond in the US have been having similar issues despite presumably driving 99% of the time in a totally straight line down flat roads, I don't think our road surfaces are the culprit here. (Read and weep about the package they've got though..).

Stuart - will drop you a line, might not need your help just yet.

[Cas]

Clearly the amount of leakage is subjective in the view of the eyes of the tester rather than an absolute indicator of safety or otherwise. (For what it's worth the car feels like a trampoline at the moment).

[andyt]

Lots of matches here, I'd be tempted if they were only a couple of hundred...

http://www.newreg.co.uk/search/search_r ... ntAdv.html

[hogansghost]

Lots of matches here, I'd be tempted if they were only a couple of hundred...

http://www.newreg.co.uk/search/search_r ... ntAdv.html

Perhaps they'll be open to an offer given the circumstances and possible publicity....

Even a short-term loan on the plate with a bit of appropriate advertising may work, but remember to add the transfer fee's involved (approx £80 x 2) into any costs...

[Rilla]

NO02 DRC is my first choice in the number plate game with NO08 DRC (NOOB DRC) in second lol

[bazza]

Hi Guys

just got the list of the parts for my latest DRC fix.
list is as follows

1x shock absorber w4b3513031p
1x shock absorber w4b3413032b
2x Wg052731a2 hydraulic oil
2x Wn10106402 hex nuts
2x w4b3698009 gasket set
1x w4b3616808a valve
2x wn0347908 screw
2x wn10272302 nut
4x wn0138115 gasket
1x w4f0412137 boot
1x w4b0512137c boot


Can some one confirm if the bottom two items are the new parts which the US are getting as part of the "new improved fix"???? or is it the same old crap that fails after a couple of hundred miles??
.

cheers

Baz