They call it the ‘50p seal’ because that’s what it costs in your hand.
Unfortunately, fitted to an RS6, it costs considerably more – from around £2200 after you’ve taken parts and labour into account. It goes in the oil pump. When it fails, it allows oil to leak onto the driver’s side of the engine’s undertray. When checking over a used RS6, look for oil pooling there and weeping at the back of the engine.
See Audi RS6 for sale on PistonHeads
We might as well get that out of the way first. That and the car’s coolant pipes, which, where they run around the wheel arch, are exposed to the elements. In time, they rot and leak fluid. Some garages reckon it’s an engine-out job to fix but others are smarter and can do the work in situ for a fraction of the price. Either way, check these as well before you buy.
And while you’re at it, give the dynamic ride control (DRC) system the once-over. Its hydraulic dampers can leak fluid. Road dirt was blamed for damaging the seals and at one point Audi issued rubber covers to protect them. Check for leaks.
All well? Good because it would be a shame to allow these three well-documented, but mercifully rare, problems to slip through undetected, so spoiling the pleasure of owning one of the most rapid estate cars in existence. (There’s a saloon, too, but the Avant was easily the more popular.)
The RS6 – the C6-series model that ran for just two years, from 2008 to 2010 (it was mildly facelifted in 2009) – is powered by a 5.0-litre V10. It’s force-fed by an intercooler and two turbochargers to produce 572bhp – and 479lb ft torque from 1500rpm all the way to 6250rpm. Quattro four-wheel drive and a six-speed Tiptronic gearbox (so without the brutal launch control system found on some of Audi’s DSG-based S tronic gearboxes) are standard.
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Running old'ish cars
I'm running an old'ish sports car at the moment and I reckon the trick is to buy a straight honest one privately, with no real corrosion and don't worry about the minor problems, these keep the price down and will give you something to do to make ownership interesting and rewarding.
Spend time and money on whatever it takes to get it 95% as quick as possible before you get disillusioned/fed up with constant DIY and garage bills then end up selling it on vowing never to do it again.
Then once you've got them running right and all the little bits fixed you'll be surprized how fun it is run/maintain older cars, just remember all the money you spend on repairs is offset by little or no depreiciation.
Cheaper to run a Ferrari
I owned a quattro A6 non RS and it was soooo expensive to run, Tyres alone cost a fortune £7K in 8 years for tyres is no joke
Dont get me wrong they are great cars, but ouch the bills !!
£900 a year on tyres
Just out of interest size are they and how many miles do you do (£900 a year may not be as expensive as you think for such a big car AWD) , you never know you might get a few tips and recommendations.
Scary
"What's that noise?? Is that a leak? - No, it's from the previous car parked here. I think. Is that a misfire? That sounds like a clunk! Is it down on power since I last drove it? HOW MUCH???" One for the (very) brave... Great car, though.