Retiring the S4 (B7) - Things To Think About

[AJS77]

So the time has come to retire the motorway workhorse to a cosseted garage and feed her super unleaded at last. After 118K miles (mainly on motorways) I now have another car much better suited (cost-wise) to my 120 miles / day commute.

Question is what should I watch out for in suddenly changing from daily use to once every fortnight...?

All thoughts gratefully received.

Also starting to hear these "old" V8 Audi models may start to appreciate soon...mine was registered May 2008 so I think is close to the end of the production run before the switch to 6...

[Adrian E]

It's unlikely to appreciate any time soon, until numbers have dropped significantly. Mileage, condition, spec and history all factor in with the rarity and generally it's a logarithmic scale on the mileage front! It becomes less critical when numbers are very low, when condition becomes the top priority.

Depending on your past service regime, irregular usage is likely to result in the battery deteriorating more quickly - either plan for it not starting on a random time of asking or invest in a decent quality float charger (although this only maintains a good battery and if the battery is dead, it's dead(ish!)

Get it serviced annually irrespective of mileage. Worth looking at esther based oils, even though they cost a fortune, as they'll offer better cold start protection on an engine that's left standing for long-ish periods.

Don't be tempted to dig it out and leave it idling on the drive as a way of 'keeping it running' as that does more harm than good - only dig it out if you're taking it for a long enough drive to warm the oil through thoroughly.

Tyres will deteriorate as well, with a vehicle left standing for longer periods. If you don't plan to use it over the winter invest in some tyre saver ramps which help to spread the load on the tyre http://www.towsure.com/tyre-savers?gclid=COvZhuWph... so you're not as likely to get flat spots developing. Depends how infrequent the use will be - my S8 is garaged and rarely used in the depths of winter, but I've never experienced tyre issues.

[AJS77]

Thanks for the recommendations. Hadn't thought of the tyre issue, though I expect to take it out for at least a 20 mile run once every 2-3 weeks, though in winter that may extend a little. Any recommendations on a good trickle charger? I had exactly the battery problem you talk about around a month ago when I went to start it and it was as dead as a dodo. Brand new battery is now installed so should be a good time to invest in a battery maintainer...?

[g7jhp]

AJS77 said:

Thanks for the recommendations. Hadn't thought of the tyre issue, though I expect to take it out for at least a 20 mile run once every 2-3 weeks, though in winter that may extend a little. Any recommendations on a good trickle charger? I had exactly the battery problem you talk about around a month ago when I went to start it and it was as dead as a dodo. Brand new battery is now installed so should be a good time to invest in a battery maintainer...?

CTEK MXS 5.0

[AJS77]

Thanks, good to know - think I'll invest in one this weekend.

[Adrian E]

Yeah, the CTEK chargers are supposed to be decent - just make sure it's one beefy enough for the battery. I don't have power in my garage so have to rely on the occasional top up charge to maintain the battery in depths of winter. Batteries for the v8 engines tend to only be good for 5 years in ideal conditions anyway

[Alucidnation]

g7jhp said:

CTEK MXS 5.0

[AJS77]

Just bought one - should be here next weekend so hope setting it up is fairly straightforward...

[phumy]

What mileage does it have on it, as the first ones to appreciate (not in the near future) will be the very low mileage and with full service history. The RS4 (B5) 1999 - 2002 are only just starting to pick up on value and many are over priced at that as some have been up for sale for months. S4 models will take even longer to appreciate im affraid as there are just way too many of them around to give the rarity appeal.

[AJS77]

I think it's one of the last before the B8 came in. First registered in the Summer of 2008. It's got 119K on it at the moment so it's never going to be considered a low mileage car - but it's all been on motorways so interior is excellent and exterior has been looked after so belies the miles. It's an auto tip cabriolet, pretty well loaded with extras including Bose, heated seats, iPad connectivity, etc.

[phumy]

AJS77 said:

I think it's one of the last before the B8 came in. First registered in the Summer of 2008. It's got 119K on it at the moment so it's never going to be considered a low mileage car - but it's all been on motorways so interior is excellent and exterior has been looked after so belies the miles. It's an auto tip cabriolet, pretty well loaded with extras including Bose, heated seats, iPad connectivity, etc.

Sorry but i think you will wait years for it to be of any appreciable value, due to mileage, cab and auto....either keep it, use it and enjoy it for what it is, or get shot of it now for the best money and invest in something that would appreciate quicker..

[anonymous-user]

AJS77 said:

I think it's one of the last before the B8 came in. First registered in the Summer of 2008. It's got 119K on it at the moment so it's never going to be considered a low mileage car - but it's all been on motorways so interior is excellent and exterior has been looked after so belies the miles. It's an auto tip cabriolet, pretty well loaded with extras including Bose, heated seats, iPad connectivity, etc.

Never worry about what your car will be worth and just enjoy it for what it is! a S4 cab auto as a weekend car in the summer running on fresh super unleaded would see me NEVER wanting to sell it or leave it in the garage!

[AJS77]

Good advice, thanks!!