Old Man Sedan: 2003 RS6

[davej]

Truth be known, this thread was mere hours away from being titled ‘Damn you, Lee’ and featuring


I had everything lined up to get the van, called again to put a deposit down and they only took checks or credit cards, which would have been a $100 fee on top. By the time the check could get there, I would have already picked it up, so I cheaped out and told him I’d be down the next day. He called me the next morning and said they received a deposit on it and the guy had 7 days to close, which he ended up doing, so I did the next logical thing and bought an RS6. 

I would keep an occasional eye on the RS6 market and finally floated the idea past the better half. I think after dodging the Master Ace bullet she was happy to have something better to look at. (Although Amanda may have unearthed the true reasoning behind a lack of opposition) 

A quick review for the class, these were only brought to the US in 2003 as a sedan, we never got the Avant, and it only had an automatic transmission. [Rex’s rationale in the other thread as to why this is ok is spot on] It’s a 4.2L v8 being fed by a couple of turbos to their Quattro system and was rated at 450/415 new, although it’s a healthy 4000 pounds. There were only two options, a sport package for the carbon fiber trim (this car has it) and a warm weather which had electric sun screens and a solar panel in the sunroof (which runs a fan to keep the interior cooler while sitting out during the day. (do not have)

I had a forum friend in Phoenix who knows these inside and out (currently owns 6 of them) help vet a few that I was serious about. I had put a deposit on a car in Philly with 122k miles, but maintenance records back to almost new when he said he had a friend that might be selling one of his and I should check that out, turned out his friend lived in Leesburg and also has an impressive fleet of vehicles. I put the Philly car on hold with the dealer and a couple of kids and I roll up in the 02 to meet Stephen last Sunday. He meets us in 1 of 4 of the RS6 MTM cars in the US, and brings us back to his house where we’re greeted by the one I was looking at and another RS6 Avant that he and Phoenix Dave had built together from an S6. It turns out Phoneix Dave is buying the MTM and Avant, and I get the bottom of the barrel regular one. I later told Dave I felt bad we were taking all of his RS’ but he informed me that Stephen would be fine since he’s keeping the Bentley and Aston. These guys live in a whole-nother world than I do.  

Stephen was super gracious and let me drive the Avant and MTM also, if I had a spare 40k, I would have tried to snipe the Avant from Dave. Anyway, enough story time, on to the car. 

Maintenance work done
Torque convertor & transmission replaced by Audi in 2008. (bad seal in early TC’s was a common issue)
Dynamic Ride Control recall/rebuild complete. (Known to leak oil, everyone pulls the DRC and switches to koni’s or coilovers if when it fails) They still use this system on their R/RS cars but 2003 was the first attempt for it.
Full timing belt service at 72k miles. Car is at 74k miles currently. (these are due every 35k miles per audi)

Laundry list of upgrades done about 50k.

[*]Apikol intake system
[*]Apikol intercoolers
[*]10SecondTune (haven’t found an exact spec on this map yet, but should be ~550hp/580tq
[*]Transmission Tune
[*]Euro Nav head unit (RNS-E)
[*]Full Milltek Exhaust
[*]Hotchkis front and rear sway bars
[*]Bailey diverter valves
[*]Superfancy Aluminum paddle shifters (+10whp)
[*]and maybe other goodies to discover as I get time to crawl around it.
[*]


Stephen gave me a few sets of wheels with the car.
18” Stock 9 spokes (4) (currently on winter tires)
19” Sportec (6) on S-drives
18” Ronal 5 spokes (Stock for Euro) (5) 18” [Winter Setup]
Originally he was going to swap the stock wheels to the MTM car to send with Dave and give me the 19” Vorsteiner, but when the shop was mounting them, they realized they wouldn’t fit, they would either rub the control arm or stick out past the fender with the spacers he had, so now I have none Vorsteiners. [/coolstorybro]

There are also some spares like the original carbon fiber air boxes, stock intercoolers, head unit, etc.

So real talk, this isn’t going to be a project/build thread as much as it is a ‘here is why the car is broken this week’ documentation repository. I am fully aware of the level of stupidity I have sunk to in purchasing a one off car with a propensity to self-destruct, but this scratches a huge itch I’ve had for the last 14 years for me; and I feel somewhat prepared to enter into an abusive relationship again even if the S4 was like a drunken spouse who verbally abuses you where the RS6 is one on bath salts and meth that likes to get stabby.

If nothing else it should prove entertaining and a PSA for others not to make the same mistake. 

Immediate plans are to run it through Mid-Atlantic for a post purchase inspection and see what we’re dealing with here, then hopefully find someplace to get an inspection sticker while not having cats. 

*Edit* - Replaced bad photos with some slightly less bad ones.
Here’s a photo dump of poor quality driveway shots, and a bad exhaust video I tried to make as another clue for the 20 questions thread, but never got to use. Hopefully we’ll get some better ones up in the future.


























[*]

The Help loading wheels.
[*]


The stock paddles are laughable 
<br />

These are the one he had made for a group buy
[*]

[WRXtranceformed]

My God that thing is tuned too?! Sounds evil!! I love that you almost bought that coolbro van and wouldn't have judged you any more than I am right now for this purchase.

So good, seriously. Who cares if it explodes it will be the most glorious explosion in the history of cars. I bet it will be more reliable than you think though, it's held up this long right?

[.RJ]

Well, that escalated quickly.  Well done, sir.

18” Ronal 5 spokes (Stock for Euro) (5) 18” [Winter Setup]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

[Senor_Taylor]

I know nothing about Audi. So this is a super cool car? Glad you got something that excites you so much!



Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[.RJ]

I know nothing about Audi. So this is a super cool car?

Well, its not a miata, thats for sure.

[Jake]

I love this and am excited to see how it treats you - I feel like both of us kind of held our noses while buying cars this last round. Hopefully our purchases work out for the better.

And like Lee said, if anything goes boom, it'll be the most glorious and worth fixing.

[CaptainHenreh]

I still can't believe you bought it. I know you did because I drove it but I still can't believe it.

[Beej]

I think I almost died in a variant of that Toyota (?) thing in Peru last week. Shocking how well that thing handled offroad abuse.

To go from that to the RS6, my god.  Excellent bait'n'switch on the Missus - looks like a stellar example, too!

~550hp/580tq

Jesus.

Engine bay has me confused.  Is the engine so far forward that the turbos sitting on top of the transmission or something?

[.RJ]

I feel like both of us kind of held our noses while buying cars this last round. Hopefully our purchases work out for the better.

I would ask if i join, but my latest purchase is poverty status compared to an RS6 and a Range Rover

[ScottyB]

amazing.  i saw the intakes but had no idea it was tuned that aggressively.  if you don't capture the first brake-boost drag launch you attempt on video, i don't think any of us can forgive you.

i think i've maybe seen 2 of these in the last 10 years, and i'm kind of an audi-phile so i actually keep an eye out for these things.  so cool.  i seriously hope the boost fever overpowers any pain of working on it.

Engine bay has me confused.  Is the engine so far forward that the turbos sitting on top of the transmission or something?

yerp.  the entire block is way out ahead of the front axle line, which is why these old audis get the reputation for handling a bit...pushy.  the turbahs are nestled up under the V of the block on each side, just ahead of the axles near the bellhousing.  see exhibit A:

[davej]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

If you find me 18+" Teddies, I would 100% rock them.

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I know nothing about Audi. So this is a super cool car?

Well, its not a miata, thats for sure.

Well, not a regular Miata, more like a special brown one.

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I think I almost died in a variant of that Toyota (?) thing in Peru last week. Shocking how well that thing handled offroad abuse.

To go from that to the RS6, my god.  Excellent bait'n'switch on the Missus - looks like a stellar example, too!

~550hp/580tq

Jesus.

Engine bay has me confused.  Is the engine so far forward that the turbos sitting on top of the transmission or something?

Thank you, thank you. It's a fine moment in my automotive buying history, but the hidden costs with her are sure to add up over time. I was actually pretty bummed I missed out on the Peruvian Death Trap (in for story time by the way) I think that would have been silly fun to haul kids around in for a year then throw up on BaT. 

Yeah, I think I stumbled upon a very clean and well maintained specimen. I barely drove the car or checked it out at all. This was the equivalent of Paul or Blair telling you the other person is selling one of their cars. I'd buy it sight unseen based on their reputation.

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amazing.  i saw the intakes but had no idea it was tuned that aggressively.  if you don't capture the first brake-boost drag launch you attempt on video, i don't think any of us can forgive you.

i think i've maybe seen 2 of these in the last 10 years, and i'm kind of an audi-phile so i actually keep an eye out for these things.  so cool.  i seriously hope the boost fever overpowers any pain of working on it.

Engine bay has me confused.  Is the engine so far forward that the turbos sitting on top of the transmission or something?

yerp.  the entire block is way out ahead of the front axle line, which is why these old audis get the reputation for handling a bit...pushy.  the turbahs are nestled up under the V of the block on each side, just ahead of the axles near the bellhousing.  see exhibit A:

I will most certainly make that an event with lots of cameras to capture the fun or flames. 
Yeah, I'm with you, 850 came to the states and a few more for the rest of NA and I've had maybe a couple of sightings since their release, but now I'm starting to figure out why. Between the two guys involved with this car, they own 1.2% of all the state cars. 

Thanks for grabbing that photo, that guy's site www.audirssix.com is a great resource.

[JPolen01]

Am I not seeing there complete post on Tapatalk? I see photos of 2 different audis, a highlander, and an exhaust video. Nothing about a tune or any real description of what's going on here.

[davej]

My God that thing is tuned too?!  Sounds evil!!  I love that you almost bought that coolbro van and wouldn't have judged you any more than I am right now for this purchase.

So good, seriously.  Who cares if it explodes it will be the most glorious explosion in the history of cars.  I bet it will be more reliable than you think though, it's held up this long right?

Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised with how the exhaust sounded, and it's pretty mild-mannered under 2500rpm when going around town. Still enough to let you know it's there but not droning on. 

The cars seem pretty bullet proof once you get an updated torque converter done, it's just they are very needy and spendy in the preventative maintenance department.  You're right though, if it ends in a giant boosted fireball, it will be glorious.

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Am I not seeing there complete post on Tapatalk? I see photos of 2 different audis, a highlander, and an exhaust video. Nothing about a tune or any real description of what's going on here.

I can see the full text and photos on my taptalk v.6.5.6

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Phew, that's one less thing to worry about. I'm not even mad I got it with 3 days left in the month.

[JPolen01]

Weird. I couldn't see any of your text about the mods or maintenance or description of driving his other cars. That's why I was so confused as to what was happening.

[davej]

I've had a solid week (and one tank of gas) in the car and it just turned 75,000 miles today, so I figured a quick recap was in order. First off, this car not only fills, but overflows the hole I had left over from the S4 departure, and it's more fun than I ever imagined they were. It's not as light or nimble feeling as the S4 was, but we are talking apples and oranges a bit. The steering is deliberate yet somewhat heavy, although still lighter than the 02, yay hydraulics. I am still in love with Audi's interior from those years, so clean and simple, just don't you dare try to keep a drink in the car. I missed the build quality and solid feeling when you close a door since it's been all tin cans on wheels for a while. The headliner is alcantara and makes me feel all fancy when sitting in the back seat. Speaking of which, the heated rear seats are a favorite with the kids on the way to school, and there are two more stupid Audi cup holders that come out of the middle bench spot.

The brakes are amazing, I've never owned something with this much grab. 8 pot fronts?! I don't know what pads are in there currently, but they are super dusty. 



We won't talk about the fact that a single front oem rotor is more than the last two e30 part cars i bought, combined.  

As much as I am really, REALLY enjoying the car, it is proving to be tough to drive around town. From a stop light, I have two choices, get passed by every grandma in a Camry, or WARP 9. 
Ok, maybe not that bad, but as soon as the turbos start to spool car just wants to go and it acts like you blue-balled it when you let off; no matter when you do.
 I haven't found the happy place with the pedal that will allow me to gracefully pull away from a stop sign with out being a tool. but Rex was right on when he said it's not happy unless your at full boost. Maybe the happy place is touching the pedal to the carpet and I'll have to live with it. 

I've driven a grand total of 3 of these cars, all in the past 2 weeks, and all tuned to various degrees, so I don't know how a stock transmission is but the tune makes shifting very smooth compared to what other say on the forums. It likes to hold rpm's higher even in the regular Drive gear. (sport doesn't seem to let it drop below 4k, and then there's full flappy and you can hold a gear until the nanny steps in.) I have gotten better at hitting it up a gear around town which keeps it cruising nicely but will take back over after a few min if you are in Drive. 

I stopped into Mid Atlantic and Jason gave it a once over for me, there's a couple of vaccum lines to replace, the suspension bushings could benefit from a refresh, and of course, the DRC is leaking. The rear driver shock looks to be dripping hydraulic fluid so I called the dealer and they said if the system is faulty, it'd be covered by the recall warranty, but of course the closest one is in Charlottesville, so I need to find a half day to go down there for an evaluation. If it's not going to be fixed on their dime, I'll probably drive it till one actually goes then replace them with some Koni's 

Gas Mileage: I got 14.02 MPG on this tank of gas. Not that I'm blaming Rex directly, I share in the results as well, but after filling up today I vowed I was going to use one tank and see how good of mileage I could eek out by keeping the gears up a bit around town. I made it exactly 2.1 miles before the intake noise induced dementia took over and now I have to wait for the next fill up. This may end up proving to be a fools errand.

[Senor_Taylor]

This is so interesting to read. It's like this car is a wild animal you are trying to tame, and at any moment, it could buck you off and eat your face. Hopefully your car will be backed into a corner by a pack of angry Hondas and you'll dive in front of the Audi to protect it. Your Audi will then respect you and owe a life debt to you and it will allow you to ride it into battle.

[ScottyB]

just don't you dare try to keep a drink in the car

  i take it this has the little push-to-fold-out cupholder on the center stack where if you hit a bump, your drink spills and cascades liquid the entire way down the HVAC and radio front?

yeah, loved that in my A4

[davej]

just don't you dare try to keep a drink in the car

  i take it this has the little push-to-fold-out cupholder on the center stack where if you hit a bump, your drink spills and cascades liquid the entire way down the HVAC and radio front?

yeah, loved that in my A4

hahah yeah, that's the one. I can just picture the team meeting when the engineers are introduced to the new design requirement from the Audi of America VP stating they need to add cup holders for the US market, and then Hans and Franz return defeated to their drawing room all the while cursing Americans and with a malicious compliance, stick it right above all the sensitive electronic devices in the cabin.

[davej]

Previous me made unwise decisions and let my Ross tech cable go with the s4, they used to be unlimited use but the ones they sell now are 3 or 10 vin's.

Anyway, FedEx Santa just left me this and I'm excited to dive back into all the secret VAG stuff.

First order of business is getting the extra key fobs I bought synced, but reading a few moments ago makes it sound like the c5 used a newer version of the immobilizer and I may not be able to match a key like I could to the B5.

I only have one original key, so there's a chance I could turn the car into a 500hp brick when I monkey with it.

[Tyler.M]

What kind of care do you need to do with the turbos? Is a turbo timer still a popular thing on a twin turbo setup like this? I remember a little bit about lincoln's S4 back in the day and how many issues he had with the turbo and such.