DRC knocking

[Tkalxx]

Took the car out for a drive this morning and the drivers rear suspension is definitely making the dreaded knocking sound.

What exactly is this knocking, and what parts of the suspension fail to make this sound?

What are my possible options going forward?

[Al Sline]

Rip the band-aid and get V3's


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WinterRunner]

Aw too bad, sorry to hear. Mine is still strong lowered on H&Rs for 87K now.

[Tkalxx]

I'm at 65k km's... Hypothetically speaking, what would happen to the health of the car if nothing was done to fix/replace the drc?

[PetrolDave]

The longer you drive with the DRC pressure so low that it knocks the greater the likelihood of the DRC valve block being damaged - and that's a LOT more expensive to replace than a shock.

[skhan91]

the exact same thing happening to my passenger side front shock. i took a look at it and i think the shock is leaking, there is a fluid like substance all over the shock but its pretty dried up and not runny. im swapping out the upper front control arms so i figured id order some Blistein sport shocks and some lowering springs. could be a nice little upgrade. the DRC will have to be removed though

[Tkalxx]

The longer you drive with the DRC pressure so low that it knocks the greater the likelihood of the DRC valve block being damaged - and that's a LOT more expensive to replace than a shock.

Good to know, thanks.

the exact same thing happening to my passenger side front shock. i took a look at it and i think the shock is leaking, there is a fluid like substance all over the shock but its pretty dried up and not runny. im swapping out the upper front control arms so i figured id order some Blistein sport shocks and some lowering springs. could be a nice little upgrade. the DRC will have to be removed though

I haven't had the chance to take a look at mine yet. Any particular reason you decided to go with bilstein and lowering springs rather than a coilover kit like h&r's or kw's?

[skhan91]

well im not particular about ride height so the coils arent too interesting to me. plus the blistein shocks + lower springs are about 1/3 price of the KW V3s. my car will never be tracked so i think the blisteins should be perfect for spirited street driving with about 1inch lowered.

I did consider the H&R street performance coilovers but I found that the blistein shocks and H&R sport springs are coming to about $730 since vs $1200 for H&R coils or $2600 for KW V3s.

the Blistein shocks and sport springs just seemed like the best idea/deal if im not tracking the car.

[Toronto5.5]

Isn't there an open recall on DRC? Have you tried that option?

[skhan91]

i did, not sure about OP. my recall was done 50k km ago. :S

[skhan91]

Isn't there an open recall on DRC? Have you tried that option?

also, awesome profile pic :)

[Tkalxx]

Isn't there an open recall on DRC? Have you tried that option?

Is this still a thing? Thought the recall was only if you still had warranty...

[skhan91]

Is this still a thing? Thought the recall was only if you still had warranty...

mine was done under warranty. i would imagine almost every original owner would have gotten it done as audi recommended it? you should take the VIN to your audi dealer and see if its done.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

[Tkalxx]

mine was done under warranty. i would imagine almost every original owner would have gotten it done as audi recommended it? you should take the VIN to your audi dealer and see if its done.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

That'll be my first step. I can't confidently say that the previous owner did the recall which could be why it's now failing at 65k km's

[skhan91]

yea i mean it could be a good time to get new/better suspension anyways. i am just finicky about removing/living without DRC lines. like what does that look like? what are the cons? etc. researching up!

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

[Tkalxx]

yea i mean it could be a good time to get new/better suspension anyways. i am just finicky about removing/living without DRC lines. like what does that look like? what are the cons? etc. researching up!

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

I agree. I've always wanted to be a bit lower as well so new suspension wouldn't be hurt. My problem is finding a reliable shop in edmonton that knows what they're doing...

Pretty sure DRC lines do not get removed, they just get plugged and left as is.

[badbluers4]

DRC recall is long over with. Grab some quality coilovers and enjoy her for years to come!

[skhan91]

I agree. I've always wanted to be a bit lower as well so new suspension wouldn't be hurt. My problem is finding a reliable shop in edmonton that knows what they're doing...

Pretty sure DRC lines do not get removed, they just get plugged and left as is.

for sure, thats my issue here in calgary as well. need to have someone who knows what they are doing. i am going to try Tunedub this week

[skhan91]

DRC recall is long over with. Grab some quality coilovers and enjoy her for years to come!

for sure!

my thing is though i dont need fully adjustable coils. i just wanna go one inch lower thats it. so shocks + springs is a better route for me

[Tkalxx]

DRC recall is long over with. Grab some quality coilovers and enjoy her for years to come!

That's what I thought. Thanks

[Badtoyz]

I broke a line on the front shock when installing my h&r springs so the system had to be recharged and I had to replace the line. The line was 400 fucking dollars. I out it in and drove to the dealership to get a recharge. The dealer then stripped the threads on the bleeder screw so they replaced a bunch of other stuff free of charge and recharged the system. Car still didn't feel right. Bouncy because there is air in the system still so I had them do the recharge again. Still no change. They told me to do a full evacuation and recharge the machine needs to be hooked up to the rear canisters. When we dropped the plastic guard and looked at them they were in horrible condition and I didn't even want the guy to touch them because if they needed replacing they were a million dollars. System is made of gold apparently. So I said fuck drc and ordered the bilsteins. Haven't got them in yet but they will be in soon.

My advice is do not put a dollar into the drc because if one area is weak u can guarantee the rest of it is weak. Bilsteins is the cheapest route and if u want to see ride height with h&rs there's tons of cars on here with them my car Included. If u spend 3k on coil overs you'll still be ahead of the game. That being said if u decide to stay with it I'll sell u a rear shock lol.

[skhan91]

I broke a line on the front shock when installing my h&r springs so the system had to be recharged and I had to replace the line. The line was 400 fucking dollars. I out it in and drove to the dealership to get a recharge. The dealer then stripped the threads on the bleeder screw so they replaced a bunch of other stuff free of charge and recharged the system. Car still didn't feel right. Bouncy because there is air in the system still so I had them do the recharge again. Still no change. They told me to do a full evacuation and recharge the machine needs to be hooked up to the rear canisters. When we dropped the plastic guard and looked at them they were in horrible condition and I didn't even want the guy to touch them because if they needed replacing they were a million dollars. System is made of gold apparently. So I said fuck drc and ordered the bilsteins. Haven't got them in yet but they will be in soon.

My advice is do not put a dollar into the drc because if one area is weak u can guarantee the rest of it is weak. Bilsteins is the cheapest route and if u want to see ride height with h&rs there's tons of cars on here with them my car Included. If u spend 3k on coil overs you'll still be ahead of the game. That being said if u decide to stay with it I'll sell u a rear shock lol.

my god, DRC seems like a nightmare. are you going to be removing the drc system al together? like draining and cuting the lines?

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

[Badtoyz]

Yes I will be removing everything completely. Save weight

[CoreyRS]

my god, DRC seems like a nightmare. are you going to be removing the drc system al together? like draining and cuting the lines?

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

I quite like DRC, but once it starts to go, I would definitely be looking at coilovers. It seems that most DRC repairs do turn into a nightmare.

[skhan91]

im going with blistein sport shocks and h&r sport springs. any idea if that should suffice close to stock or slightly better suspension?

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

[Badtoyz]

The h&r springs ride a little stiffer but not much. As far as performance I can't tell Any difference. The stance from those springs with 10mm spacers is perfect IMHO.

[petoria]

skhan, Tunedub is a very reputable shop in Calgary. He will sort your issues out, from upgrades to maintenance. My RS4 was there for pretty much everything throughout the time I owned mine. Done right.

[Tkalxx]

Can anyone chime in on some reputable shops in Edmonton?

[skhan91]

skhan, Tunedub is a very reputable shop in Calgary. He will sort your issues out, from upgrades to maintenance. My RS4 was there for pretty much everything throughout the time I owned mine. Done right.

definitely agree. I took my B8 s4 and my B7 S4 there as well. George is a good guy. As this is going to be a quite a big job, I wanted to do my research in terms of getting a few quotes.

I am shopping around for estimates at the reputable shops here as i plan on getting brakes, suspension and control arms all done at once. but yea, Tunedub is def on top of the list

[skhan91]

Can anyone chime in on some reputable shops in Edmonton?

Dubsport Inc
4821 118 Ave
Edmonton, AB
(780) 477-5000

try them ^

[skhan91]

The h&r springs ride a little stiffer but not much. As far as performance I can't tell Any difference. The stance from those springs with 10mm spacers is perfect IMHO.

^^^^ i have seen an RS4 with those springs and 10mm spacers and its perfect. exactly what im looking for

[PetrolDave]

Isn't there an open recall on DRC? Have you tried that option?

Only in NA, in the UK all we got was a "goodwill" extension to the original warranty to 75k miles or 5 years - which had many "strings" attached so it was often a real struggle to get Audi UK to pay for DRC repairs.

[Badtoyz]

^^^^ i have seen an RS4 with those springs and 10mm spacers and its perfect. exactly what im looking for

That's what I have.

Dubsport Inc
4821 118 Ave
Edmonton, AB
(780) 477-5000

try them ^

[skhan91]

That's what I have.

awesome how difficult was it to put the lowering springs in with new shocks?

[Badtoyz]

Easy. No different on an audi than any other car really. U can do it without a spring compressor but I strongly recommend u use one. The hardest part for me was getting the pinch bolt off the upper control arms. That thing can be a real bitch.

[skhan91]

Easy. No different on an audi than any other car really. U can do it without a spring compressor but I strongly recommend u use one. The hardest part for me was getting the pinch bolt off the upper control arms. That thing can be a real bitch.

awesome! so which shocks did you go with? im thinking of getting blistein sport shocks and H&R springs. or is that literally what you have? haha

also, how did you deal with the DRC lines?

[Tkalxx]

Got the car looked at. DRC in good condition, no leaking struts. Source of the knocking was the battery bouncing in the trunk over bumps because the bracket was loose. I guess it was vibrating through the floor of the car...

[skhan91]

Got the car looked at. DRC in good condition, no leaking struts. Source of the knocking was the battery bouncing in the trunk over bumps because the bracket was loose. I guess it was vibrating through the floor of the car...

holy would have never guessed that.

[Tkalxx]

holy would have never guessed that.

Yea, pretty weird but it's worth taking a look at if your hearing the knocking sound.

[skhan91]

I am definitely getting a sound but i think it may be due to the shot upper control arm bushings and the right side shock. it seems to have some greasy substance in the middle leaking. definitely will check the battery too though

Left strut:



Right strut: the substance in the middle is what concerns me