RS246.com Forum :: The World's #1 Audi R, S and RS Enthusiast Community

hi guys ,the dreaded drc question,i have a 2004 rs6,had the free mot with local audi ,passed fine but advised front and rear n/s shocks have oil misting,so phoned my warraty company(warranty 2000)not covered ,what a suprise,phoned fontain where i bought car,they wanted to see the car,went up and they say there is nothing wrong,so i need some advise,if there is oil on the outside of the shocks,a fine mist are they failing,fontain say it is normal and dont need replacing

assume this is the avus silver saloon with 27k on the clock - very nice piece of kit.

ok, I would get a statement from the audi dealer to say whether they recommend replacement of the shocks and whether it is a deemed failure under Audi repair guidance. Fontain know these cars inside out and I have been told by their salesmen before (when I was looking for one) that their warranty covered the drc system. Indeed the warranty they have sold you with the car may have an exclsuion polcy for say any claims in the first 3 months of ownership hence Fontain saying its normal - bllks is it normal !

Don't stand for any cr'p from the selling dealer - personally no-one there fills me with confidence! But they know these cars inside out and have sold many of them! if you need a second opinion go to the specialists MRC or APS or Camberley Audi (ask for Rob Chorley in service). Do it fairly sharpish as you have 28 days under sale of goods fit for purpose etc etc

When my DRC failed, there was no visible traces of oil. Just a terrible ride quality. Audi have a tool for testing the pressure in the system.

Pressure should be between 12 and 16 bar.

If it has a full Audi Main Dealer Service History, you should be able to get this done FOC...give Audi CS a call and hopefully they'll get the changed. I did this with mine just recently

I have just purchased a 53 77,000mile RS6.

Is there any way for me to test whether the DRC is working properly or not. I see lots of posts about it being unreliable and lots of people changing it for H&R etc. Its just been to Audi for a new alternator and they did a health check and checked all the fault codes etc and said all was ok (apart from needing new rear discs cos of corrosion!!). Would I have to specifically ask for the DRC to be checked or would that have been included? Is there anything I can check myself/signs to look for?

I am thinking of taking it to one of the specialists mentioned on the forum for a good checking over/a proper road test by someone who knows their stuff. Any recommendations - I am in Southampton.

For me, it was when I realised the funny vibration that I thought was ABS / EPS activating was in fact the wheel bouncing and rebounding on the road. I then had it on a suspension tester and it was way off the scale. It was like there was no shock absorber in there at all.

I also had the impression that the back end would "hop" an inch to the side when I went over a pothole.

After fitting bilstein PSS9s all that has gone away and I'm now learning to drive the car again. It's ace.

I have a bit of the vibration but I think it might just be one/more of the wheels may need rebalancing. or at least i'll get that checked first. where did you find a suspension tester?

does everyone recommend changing the suspension. my problem is that its a 'new' car to me and so i dont really know what its supposed to feel like! its just VERY different to everything else Ive driven!

jd_hants wrote: its a 'new' car to me and so i dont really know what its supposed to feel like! its just VERY different to everything else Ive driven!

I know what you mean. This was my problem. I realise now that mine was banging and crashing over the slightest bumps. It was only once I had the bilsteins on that I realised just how bad it was. I still wince a bit, but only from force of habit.

I tested mine while I was in France. It's part of the MOT there, so you can find a calibrated suspension / brake testing machine absolutely everywere. If you're in southhampton then it'll be a quick trip over the channel

quattroboy1 wrote:hi guys ,the dreaded drc question,i have a 2004 rs6,had the free mot with local audi ,passed fine but advised front and rear n/s shocks have oil misting,so phoned my warraty company(warranty 2000)not covered ,what a suprise,phoned fontain where i bought car,they wanted to see the car,went up and they say there is nothing wrong,so i need some advise,if there is oil on the outside of the shocks,a fine mist are they failing,fontain say it is normal and dont need replacing

I also bought mine from Fontain with a DRC failure - they replaced with H&R kit but I did pick it up in a post collection once over by my maintaining specialist quattronics within a couple of days of collection.. Would suggest you get a second opinion and go back to them for a replacement (I opted to get the kit fitted by quattronics) - mine also had a warranty 2000 policy..

so, really, unless I know what I'm looking for and know what the suspension 'should' feel like, there is no real way for me to check whether its working properly. Maybe next time it goes for a service (and I'm thinking Unit20 or Fontain etc etc) I'll get them to road-test and see what they think and go from there.

Might be better to get someone from here to compare your car with. If you go down the non-dealer service route you will rule out the free replacement by Audi route (needs full Audi service history)

Dave

Also bought mine from Fontain, and DRC failed after about six weeks. Failure was quite obvious, leaving oil covering my driveway from front shock.
Warranty did not cover full cost of repair (£1000 only), but Fontain fitted H&R kit at no cost to me, as they made up the difference themselves. They even filled car with petrol for me on collection to cover expense of returning to them, so I can honestly say great service.
If your failure is not quite so bad (mine was hopping around like a kangaroo on acid) it may be difficult to get someone to admit it's on it's way out. See if problem gets any worse, and keep on at Fontain, you may find they will at least help with cost of replacement.

Had car a week now. Just returned from 600 mile round trip to North Wales. Definately something not right with the suspension. Have various strange behaviour: vibration, bit bouncy, back stepping out cornering on uneven/bumpy country roads. I drove my '55 A4 Quattro to work this morning and the ride felt superb compared to the RS6. Obviously the DRC is not right!!!

To be honest, I like to keep things as original as possible. Will a trip to the Audi garage be able to say whether the system is working properly or not??? If not, whats the likely damage to my wallet???? Has anyone got an RS6 which still has DRC fitted and working properly???

It's broken. As for Audi, don't ask them, tell them it's broken and let them prove it's not.

If your car is within the 6 year rule then they should change it for free.

Does anyone have any feedback on the "new improved" DRC?

Bugger!!!

Whats the 6 year rule?? Its a '53 plate, so def within 6 years (JUST) and 77K on the clock. But no AUDI warranty. I assumed anything is gonna cost me now??