Audi RS & S Models - New Theft Warning :-(

[JonnyG]

Has anybody here heard of this ?

Looks like we need to be careful out there

From todays Sunday Times

[/quote]

 

[PetrolDave]

On BMWs thieves break the drivers window and connect to the diagnostiocs socket - using the fact that not only do BMW leave the socket live, but also that area is not covered by the interior movement detectors.

This technique won't work on Audis as the disgnostics socket is only live when the ignition is on. What I've heard happening on Ausid is people breaking in and removing the bucket seats - and nobody hears because the alarm "siren" on Audis is so ridiculously quiet... Several RS4s have been written off this year because the bucket setas are no longer available from the factory.

 

[Dean_T]

More on it from NV Motorsports site;

Audi Security Update Solution - NV MOTORSPORT - Birmingham ECU Remapping, Performance Parts, Diagnostics, Chip Tuning AUDI PEUGEOT BMW VW DPF Removal

 

[hades-]

if they want them they will get them
with or with out driving them off

 

[Artimus]

if they want them they will get them
with or with out driving them off

this ^^

It's always been the same with any car! if a thief wants it bad enough, he'll find the means to get it - even if it means car jacking or breaking into your house for the Keys. It's not right, but it's a sign of the times in which we live. It doesn't have to be a prestige car either, just a clean example.

You might delay or deter them with extra Visible security - something like a Crook Lock might be the difference between yours being stolen & a similar one parked not too far away! Security lights at Home are always going to give crooks pause for thought too.

More on it from NV Motorsports site;

...URL removed...

I'm always suspicious of websites that offer counter measures that cost OTT! it appears they have an ulterior motive to cause "Alarm" (pun intended) amongst their subscribers to get them to pay for their software "update". Most - if not all - of the solutions listed on that website can be set by the owner with VCDS, or if you don't want to buy a VCDS cable, there's a list of ASN members Here that will do it for beer tokens.

 

[NHN]

This technique won't work on Audis as the disgnostics socket is only live when the ignition is on.

That's not entirely true Dave, as you can connect to some modules with ignition of & key out iirc, limited but some do respond.

 

[@udi A3]

That's not entirely true Dave, as you can connect to some modules with ignition of & key out iirc, limited but some do respond.

Or simply bypass the ignition live.

 

[B5NUT]

Several RS4s have been written off this year because the bucket setas are no longer available from the factory.

Checking etka all the RS4 seat parts are available, but looking at one of the RS forums they damage the car talking them out, so it's really the cost of all the seat parts, and labor to assembly the seats, looking at etka it's around 3-4K per seat, plus cost for interior repair, replacement glass, fix any scratches/body work damage and finally add daily hire car costs (Your not going to accept a kia rio!). = one written off RS4, with prices of B7 RS4 start from around 15-16K you can understand that 6-8K just for the seats alone is getting towards 40-50% of the value of some RS4's. (I know there are some RS4's going for a lot more so I'm just looking at the cheapest prices on autotrader etc)

 

[MBK]

I have no idea if this story is true (oh and why only RS & S models I thought everyone wanted a DIEsel Chelsea tractor these days), but I do know the fear of crime is far greater than the actual likelihood. I think this infographic from ONS shows that well.

 

[Dave Hedgehog]

They tried to break into my house a few months back to get the keys, luckily its a pretty new house with a metal door and locks all up and down the door which stopped them getting in

 

[45bvtc]

That's NOT good news Dave, GOOD that the bas*ards were not successful!

And the brake squeal Dave, you never answered my PM to you on RS*#6; are they new sorted, and you're now happy?

 

[Dave Hedgehog]

That's NOT good news Dave, GOOD that the bas*ards were not successful!

And the brake squeal Dave, you never answered my PM to you on RS*#6; are they new sorted, and you're now happy?

soz, i meant too

the fixed breaks dont squeak anymore, and i have given them a long time to run in as recomneded by my centre, but they are still truely terrible, no feel or bite, wont stop properly and you need both feet on the peddle to get it to do anything

its pretty much ruined the car as far as i am concerned, been ultra busy at work so not really had time to look at it properly

half tempted to change the pads but its a lot of money on a gamble that they are ok, i dont want to be changing the pads half a dozen times to find the right ones.

i have been driving a few other cars including the A45, waiting on the A45 black

 

[JudderMan]

How much are RS4s without seats from breakers then? I'd happily slot some Recaros/buckets/any old armchairs in if they're going for pennies from insurance companies looking to recoup some costs.

 

[L33h]

How much are RS4s without seats from breakers then? I'd happily slot some Recaros/buckets/any old armchairs in if they're going for pennies from insurance companies looking to recoup some costs.

Wouldn't we all lol

 

[monkeyboy_marcus]

soz, i meant too

the fixed breaks dont squeak anymore, and i have given them a long time to run in as recomneded by my centre, but they are still truely terrible, no feel or bite, wont stop properly and you need both feet on the peddle to get it to do anything

its pretty much ruined the car as far as i am concerned, been ultra busy at work so not really had time to look at it properly

half tempted to change the pads but its a lot of money on a gamble that they are ok, i dont want to be changing the pads half a dozen times to find the right ones.

i have been driving a few other cars including the A45, waiting on the A45 black

Can't say I had quite the same bad experience but I wasn't impressed with the new pads, so swapped them out for these New Brembo Sport Pad For Audi TTRS & RS3 | APS - been excellent so far and for about £140.00, that's got to be worth it to get the enjoyment back... Otherwise, Pagid blues have got good reviews.

 

[MBK]

I also have the Pagid RS4-2 blue pads, they are confidence inspiring. They work perfectly from cold and just get better when they are warm with a progressive feel to the pedal. You have to get them searingly hot before there is any fade.

Oh and how was Brands Marcus?

 

[NHN]

Interesting, I was going to push the button on some RS3 fronts, had read allot of RS3 brake issues & wondered about a new pad combo with oem discs, this maybe a good move.

 

[MBK]

I'd say that would work well, as long as the discs and pads are fitted new together the Pagids work well but according to Dave at Vagbrembtechnic you get problems if you try to use the Pagid pad on a disc that has had brembo material already used on on it.

 

[NHN]

Ah ok then I may have to hold of for now, kit I have been offered is complete with 6k miles on.

Had a moment yesterday where my 345's anchored up ok, but I'd like that little bit more of a safety net

 

[MBK]

I agree I like to have 'more brakes than tyres' if that makes sense.

 

[NHN]

The Sessanta's are incredibly good tyres, albeit a bit noisy imho, subject to confirming not a bearing or shaft noise, but they really do stick to the road.

I'm toying atm to go B8 Avant route & fit some Gallardo brakes or just keep the 8P & fit RS3's for now, we'll see, its not high on my list as the 345's are good as they are, but with the increasing idiotic drivers I am seeing, including on my install yesterday down in Portland & cretin like drivers not indicating, pulling out etc, I'd like to stop more & more on a dime, the investment in the brakes would be far less than the cost of a repair, let alone the hassle.

 

[MBK]

I like the sound of Gallardo brakes a lot! These R8 carbon ceramics are total brake porn too, if ceramics are an option on any future car I buy I will be ticking that box, I was amazed by the hammering they withstood on the new RS4 on track with no fade lap after lap. Ceramics may seem expensive but it's easy to get close to those prices in upgrades.

 

[NHN]

You could fit ceramics to yours, wouldn't be cheap, but Dave the brake guru could design a kit

Only hard bit is getting hold of him lol.

Luckily for me & my wallet, the Gallardo's aren't ceramic lol.

 

[PetrolDave]

Checking etka all the RS4 seat parts are available.

Two owners who have had the seats stolen from their RS4s have been told that while the seats are still shown on ETKA they are not actually available to order.

 

[B5NUT]

Full Seats are not shown on etka just the exploded diagrams in 6 different drawing (You cannot buy a full complete seat, for some mad reason) I take it they never said which part is not available, I know for example body shell is no longer available, however you can still buy body panels/sections. Also is there not a European law about how long parts should be available?

 

[monkeyboy_marcus]

I also have the Pagid RS4-2 blue pads, they are confidence inspiring. They work perfectly from cold and just get better when they are warm with a progressive feel to the pedal. You have to get them searingly hot before there is any fade.

Oh and how was Brands Marcus?

Brands Indy Circuit was awesome! - a really well organised event, good value for money and a great RS3 experience.

Only two downers were that I messed up using the GoPro camera so have no proper record of my driving experience evolution and that the two instructor sessions I'd booked ended up being both squeezed in at the end, rather than one being at the start. Regards the former, kept pressing the front button thinking I was doing start/stop but of course that is the menu button. Tw@t!

It was a road car only day, which I purposefully went for, as I've no idea of the track etiquette and didn't want the first outing to put me off going again. As things went, there was zero aggro, plenty of chatty and friendly folks with mostly non-supercars. It was meant to be non-competitive and for the most part it was.

Still, the first time you line up to come out of the pits, wearing the crash helmet, not really knowing what to expect, wondering whether the RS3 can hack it against the other Porsches, Ferrari and other unknown but probably highly modded motors - that's a bit nerve racking!

Shouldn't have worries though, put it into S and the car performed fantastically. Loads of tyre noise for the first couple of laps, plenty of "steady" signals by the marshals as the corners were taken a bit quick. Then gaining confidence, started to pick off the other drivers one by one, in a totally non-competitive way. I couldn't really touch a couple of the Porsches and the Ferrari, or a very fast white Mk something Escort but the rest of them were fair game and none could quite match the acceleration or cornering, once I got that sussed.

Lots of very interested guys back in the pits, some knew what she was, others didn't but wanted to know what mods had been done etc. None really, not that would make much difference in performance advantage anyway.

Only went out for 10-15 minutes at a time though, to give the brakes chance to cool down as you could feel when they had enough and at that point so had I. These race drivers must have amazing concentration!

Had the instructor session late on and he visibly/verbally revised his opinion of the RS3 upwards on several occasions. I think he'd not been in one before but had experienced A3s and S3 before and of course, it's incomparable. Tips were pretty obvious in hindsight but along the lines of slow in fast out, use all the track, unwind out of the corner etc. After two laps I already felt the difference. Had to give it a longish pause in between sessions as the brakes were smokin hot.

Michelin PSS tyres were very grippy, ESP kept me from spinning off on several occasions and I could imagine how much more fun it would be with this turned off but only if you know what you're doing...

Would defo go again, now that I know what to expect, the rules/etiquette, idea of driving principles etc. Also, to properly film it as I was absolutely gutted to get home and have nothing to show the missus. Would also like the functionality to see the speed/revs in the video, like I've seen a few times - how do you do this?

 

[dbm]

with the increasing idiotic drivers I am seeing, including on my install yesterday down in Portland & cretin like drivers not indicating, pulling out etc, I'd like to stop more & more on a dime, the investment in the brakes would be far less than the cost of a repair, let alone the hassle.

Alas, that is great until a numpty goes in the back of you! Yes, they are presumed to be at fault but it's still a pain in the 'behind'!

 

[MBK]

Brands Indy Circuit was awesome! - a really well organised event, good value for money and a great RS3 experience.

Only two downers were that I messed up using the GoPro camera so have no proper record of my driving experience evolution and that the two instructor sessions I'd booked ended up being both squeezed in at the end, rather than one being at the start. Regards the former, kept pressing the front button thinking I was doing start/stop but of course that is the menu button. Tw@t!

It was a road car only day, which I purposefully went for, as I've no idea of the track etiquette and didn't want the first outing to put me off going again. As things went, there was zero aggro, plenty of chatty and friendly folks with mostly non-supercars. It was meant to be non-competitive and for the most part it was.

Still, the first time you line up to come out of the pits, wearing the crash helmet, not really knowing what to expect, wondering whether the RS3 can hack it against the other Porsches, Ferrari and other unknown but probably highly modded motors - that's a bit nerve racking!

Shouldn't have worries though, put it into S and the car performed fantastically. Loads of tyre noise for the first couple of laps, plenty of "steady" signals by the marshals as the corners were taken a bit quick. Then gaining confidence, started to pick off the other drivers one by one, in a totally non-competitive way. I couldn't really touch a couple of the Porsches and the Ferrari, or a very fast white Mk something Escort but the rest of them were fair game and none could quite match the acceleration or cornering, once I got that sussed.

Lots of very interested guys back in the pits, some knew what she was, others didn't but wanted to know what mods had been done etc. None really, not that would make much difference in performance advantage anyway.

Only went out for 10-15 minutes at a time though, to give the brakes chance to cool down as you could feel when they had enough and at that point so had I. These race drivers must have amazing concentration!

Had the instructor session late on and he visibly/verbally revised his opinion of the RS3 upwards on several occasions. I think he'd not been in one before but had experienced A3s and S3 before and of course, it's incomparable. Tips were pretty obvious in hindsight but along the lines of slow in fast out, use all the track, unwind out of the corner etc. After two laps I already felt the difference. Had to give it a longish pause in between sessions as the brakes were smokin hot.

Michelin PSS tyres were very grippy, ESP kept me from spinning off on several occasions and I could imagine how much more fun it would be with this turned off but only if you know what you're doing...

Would defo go again, now that I know what to expect, the rules/etiquette, idea of driving principles etc. Also, to properly film it as I was absolutely gutted to get home and have nothing to show the missus. Would also like the functionality to see the speed/revs in the video, like I've seen a few times - how do you do this?

I think this write up is deserving of it's own thread. I know a few others like TeeBee have expressed an interest in a first track day and it's good to get the opinion from another owner.

Ah that is typical GoPro - that is the only downside they are a bit of a pain until you get used to them. I leave the wifi on and use the App to control them on the 3, that way you get the preview and know they are recording.

It's great that people were friendly, that's 99% of my experience too. I know what you mean about the start of that day, everyone eyeing up the other cars and wondering who and what is quick. I think you were right to do the 10-15 minute slots too like you say it takes a lot more concentration than you realise and it's good to let everything cool down.

Instruction is worth every penny, every good sports person has a coach, they can see all the things to improve when you are wrapped up in the moment of driving.

As for the video overlays, things like speed, g-force and track map with the moving track position indicator are easy to add cheaply with Harry's Lap Timer Welcome to Harry’s GPS LapTimer which is now on the App store and Android. Depending on the track you might get some data grop out if the GPS signal is poor but for about £13 it's hard to beat for the occasional track day user. Harry's Lap Timer will write the speed/gforce and track data directly to the GoPro footage which saves time. If you want more accuracy and less data drop out you could get a VBox Sport (£330ish) which integrates with Harry's Lap Timer and the GoPro cameras via and also has an IOS App.

If you want the gears and rev overlay things get much more expensive. You will then need something like a Racelogic PerformanceBox VBOX Motorsport - Video Loggers and Performance Meters or the real pro gear like the Video VBox (£2K plus!). You would also need the right connections from the box to your ECU to pick up the gear and rpm data. Most of the systems I've seen like that have been semi permanently fixed to the car as they take some setting up. I used to use some software called Trackvision TrackVision to get the data from the PerformanceBox to the video footage, it took quite a bit of time and effort but I'm sure like most things this has got much easier today. The IOS set up with Harry's Lap Timer is good enough for me, I will get a Vbox sport when I get the time to do a few more track days a year again.

Glad you enjoyed the track it is really the only place to get close to the full performance of the RS3.

 

[PetrolDave]

Also is there not a European law about how long parts should be available?

That doesn't apply to all parts only major mechanical parts.