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Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 9:38 pm
by Gordie1979
Hi guys

I have a little question regarding a leaking DRC and an Audi approved RS4 purchased only 3 months ago.
I noticed that the O/S rear suspension was a little closer to the tyres than the near side.
Took it to my local Audi dealer, and they have said that the shocks are ok but the pressure is slightly low at 11.5 bar,
They said as the DRC is classed as a serviceable part, it will cost me £240 to re-charge, but as a goodwill gesture they would pay 50 % of the price.
Does this sound about right or am i covered with my Audi approved warranty?

thanks for any info

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 9:46 pm
by HYFR
Iv had drc fixed under warranty.

They are conning you

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 9:54 pm
by Gordie1979
Was that for a repair or a replacement?

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 10:02 pm
by pDkALO
Unless I'm mistaken, the principle of DRC is that it's a "sealed for life" system, so if the pressure's dropped, the first response would be to question why - to me, a pressure drop in itself surely indicates a leak (and therefore failure) somewhere in the system?

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 10:16 pm
by Gordie1979
DALO wrote:Unless I'm mistaken, the principle of DRC is that it's a "sealed for life" system, so if the pressure's dropped, the first response would be to question why - to me, a pressure drop in itself surely indicates a leak (and therefore failure) somewhere in the system?
Yeah thats what i said to them
But they kept mentioning all the usual words i.e servicable part, wear and tear :audibash:

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 10:21 pm
by Graeme4130
Mine's going into Swindon Audi on Wednesday to have a leaking damper replaced under warranty. If your dealer is being a pain, and depending on your location, you could always take it there as you know they'll do the work

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 10:22 pm
by pDkALO
Ask them to show you DRC re-pressurisation in the service schedule...

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 10:34 pm
by HYFR
Call audi cs

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 10:56 pm
by TonyHayers
This is the kind of thing that I hate about stealers. grrr.

Whether or not it's a serviceable item, it should have been checked in the 10,000 point Audi approved check list or whatever it's up to now.

I don't believe for one second that it's classed as a "serviceable item" tbh, I'd just ask for my money back under the Sale of Goods act since you couldn't have been reasonably expected to check the DRC pressure yourself before the sale.

All the best, don't let them get away with it.

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 12:14 am
by Pie
Point dealer and Audi UK in the direction of this thread and gauge their reaction - http://forum.rs246.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70803

These things were failing at around the 3k mileage mark in the early days!

And don't forget not every RS4 owner has signed up on 246 so it's only a small minority who have documented and recorded this as an issue.

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 12:25 am
by TimDogg
I'm with D_K - go straight to Audi CS and do not pass go. They need to know that if they ship a car with a flaw then they will have to pay for that - normally they are OK but some dealers and just plain stupid.

Camberley will give advice, they are the authority IMHO.

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 4:43 pm
by adsgreen
TonyHayers wrote: I'd just ask for my money back under the Sale of Goods act since you couldn't have been reasonably expected to check the DRC pressure yourself before the sale.
Thats not how the SOG works...
You won't get all your money back and you have to give them reasonable opportunity to fix it.

But yes, you should be pressuring them to fix it as you wouldn't expect it to be failing this close after purchase.

It's definately not a servicable item - DRC pressure isn't even checked.

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 4:34 pm
by ewand
I'm looking for an RS4 Avant at the moment, and would consider adding an Audi aftermarket warranty if possible, should I buy a car privately. A couple of noob questions, if I could be forgiven...

* Is it actually possible to buy the Audi Extended Warranty (https://www.audiextendedwarranty.co.uk/) for a car which is out of warranty already?
* Would the Extended Warranty cover future DRC failure? From the looks of it, the Named Component Warranty only covers suspension parts, though there's an exclusion for "Any defect which is likely to have existed before the Period of insurance" - which one could argue DRC issues have... (https://www.audiextendedwarranty.co.uk/ ... _01_12.pdf)

thanks in advance,
Ewan

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 5:12 pm
by WillRS
ewand wrote:I'm looking for an RS4 Avant at the moment, and would consider adding an Audi aftermarket warranty if possible, should I buy a car privately. A couple of noob questions, if I could be forgiven...

* Is it actually possible to buy the Audi Extended Warranty (https://www.audiextendedwarranty.co.uk/) for a car which is out of warranty already?
* Would the Extended Warranty cover future DRC failure? From the looks of it, the Named Component Warranty only covers suspension parts, though there's an exclusion for "Any defect which is likely to have existed before the Period of insurance" - which one could argue DRC issues have... (https://www.audiextendedwarranty.co.uk/ ... _01_12.pdf)

thanks in advance,
Ewan
yes you can - I did - it was expensive due to the car being out of warranty but was told that the renewal cost (if i renew) would be significantly cheaper.

there is a 30 day cooling off period when you take out the warranty and as you've noted it would exclude existing defects. My front dampers needed replacing, it wasn't covered under warranty but a. it was within said 30 days and b. they hadn't "just" started leaking - it only came to light when camberley audi gave the car a once over....

Re: Leaking DRC and Audi warranty

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:30 pm
by ewand
WillRS wrote: yes you can - I did - it was expensive due to the car being out of warranty but was told that the renewal cost (if i renew) would be significantly cheaper.

there is a 30 day cooling off period when you take out the warranty and as you've noted it would exclude existing defects. My front dampers needed replacing, it wasn't covered under warranty but a. it was within said 30 days and b. they hadn't "just" started leaking - it only came to light when camberley audi gave the car a once over....
thanks - did you have to pay for your DRC in the end or did you get it fixed under warranty/goodwill etc?

cheers, Ewan