Those of you that are lucky (and wealthy) enough to own an RS line audi should know a few things about the cars they own, mostly maintenance.

RS6 owners:

Well the RS6 is one of my favorite cars to drive but one of the worst cars in the world to work on, here are a couple of things i have seen go wrong with the RS6.

1. Valve cover gaskets. These have been found to leak just like most audi V motors. The catch is the book requires removing of the engine, i have been able to get them out more than once without removing the engine. So if you feel up to doing it yourself, just remove just about everything in your way and slowly change them out.

2. Front brake wear. Moving all that weight at a fast speed means stopping all that weight fast as well, this has often caused warped rotors before the 20k mark. The rotors are very expensive as well, shouldn't be a problem for you RS6 owners though. If you feel the brake pedal pulsing or the wheel shaking during braking thats your problem.

3. Timing belt: These cars snap timing belts like no other engine can! There is a reason the dealer recommends replacing the timing belt every 40K, because they won't last more than 50K! Just before i left the dealer i had the good fun of changing out an RS6 motor, yeah that took me like a week..... The price tag was a whopping $20,000 as well. So make sure you get the timing belt changed before the 40K mark.

RS4 owners:

Twin turbo B5 owners really don't have anymore concerns than the standard S4 owner has with thier 2.7T. Change the timing belt every 80k and do your due dilligence for changing wear items when they are due.

V8 RS4 owners:

1. The only thing found before i left the dealer was the brake pads wear out at a super fast rate. I had to change a set at the 5K mark before!!! LOL.

2. I have also noticed that when audi techs change the oil on these cars they sometimes don't get the belly pan back in correctly and some belly pans have fallen off as a result. Make sure you double check under the car after the oil change has been done to see if all the belly pan bolts are back in and its aligned correctly. Don't take any crap from a dealer, you paid 80k for your RS4, it deserves top notch service.

 

good info!

 

Hi Nate

Thanks for the info.

I am a happy 08 RS4 owner and till now no problems with the car.

Anyway, understand that you have worked for AUDI, maybe you could answer the following questions:

- Why does AUDI not use variable service intervals here in USA as in Europe?

- Why the requirement for engine oil for the RS4 is a quality below what is required in Eurpoe. Here they specify VW 502.00 where as VW 503.01 on the continent, is that because of the Fixed service schedule?

Yours or anys answers are most appriciated, thank you.

 

Great info, exactly what I came here for - thanks! I'm considering an RS6 and was going to start a thread asking about maintenance, but then saw this one. I am not wealthy so the price of service/repairs is a concern - how much are front rotors and how much does a timing belt replacement cost? What is the maintance schedule on these - i.e. is it every 15K with major service every 30K, like most cars, or is it more (or less) frequent? And how much? Or if someone has a link to this info, that would be great. Sorry to ask so much in my first post, but with some RS6s going for under $30K, I am seriously considering getting one and need to know as much as I can.

 

I have the same questions, with prices dropping I'm thinking about trading my 02 S8 for a RS6.
Anyone have the answers?

 

I talked to the service department at a local Audi dealer and got some info. Timing belt service is recommended every 35-40K miles and costs app. $2500. Front brakes about $600 - just pads! Definitely look for one that has had recent service

 

Many RS6 Owners have complaints about the DRC Suspension. Any thoughts about this?

 

38k miles RS6. Timing belt still okay suspension is good but I do notice some shake under heavy braking

 

Iv heard nothing but negative about the DRC system in RS4's. They leak and fail, id replace with some Stasis motorsport coilovers if i had one

 

I have 41K on mine now. Purchased it Oct 13, 2003.

I've had the oil changed by Audi from the start. As soon as my dash said it wanted to be serviced, it's been taken in. I will continue to do this.

The car has not been dreadfully expensive to maintain, thus far, as the majority of my issues were covered by Audi's warranty. Now that it's out of warranty, well, looks like I'm going to become an Audi Tech Wannabe and try to save myself some $$$.

I'm not scared of using my wrenches!

Over the life of my car, here are the issues that reared their ugly heads:

Front rotors & pads made it 16K the first round and covered by warranty.

Second set was installed (by me this time) at 34K. Rotors & pads ran US$1016.16

First DCR (Demon Riddled Catastrophe) issue was at 17K (warranty) - right front.
Second DRC issue was a mere 2700 miles later at 19.7K. Still right front.
Left outer CV was failing at this check too. Both were covered under warranty.

23.5K - right front wheel bearing was failing. Covered under warranty.

Timing belt replaced at 25.7K under warranty.

Power steering rack developed a leak at 29.3K - covered by warranty

DRC issues at 32K. Right rear - last time it would be covered by warranty.

DRC has been banging for the last 3K - right rear again. It's really bad at present and no longer covered under warranty. The rattle and thump is worse now that I've ever heard it. It just has to last another 10 days or so...

I have a full KW suspension and H-bars sitting in my shop right now. I hope to install the suspension components the week after Thanksgiving and rid my Blue Beast of it's DRC once and for all.

Once that's done, it's time to add the Revo setup.