RS4 Purchase Advice
Discussion
After a disappointing experience with a 997 I have decided to call it a day with Porsche and today test-drove an RS4 at my local Audi centre. WOW that engine!! I am now seriously smitten and am hoping for some advice from any owners willing to share their experiences of these cars and dealers.
I do an 80 mile commute to work each day, mainly motorway, what kind of MPG can I expect? The car I have seen has got 15,000 miles on it - anything likely to need to be replaced at this kind of mileage like the clutch or brakes?
Are their any problems that seem to occur with these cars (like the RMS on the Porsche), which necessitate the warranty to be renewed yearly?
Is their a dedicated forum or club for RS4'S?
Any info gratefully received
Thanks
Matt
I do an 80 mile commute to work each day, mainly motorway, what kind of MPG can I expect? The car I have seen has got 15,000 miles on it - anything likely to need to be replaced at this kind of mileage like the clutch or brakes?
Are their any problems that seem to occur with these cars (like the RMS on the Porsche), which necessitate the warranty to be renewed yearly?
Is their a dedicated forum or club for RS4'S?
Any info gratefully received
Thanks
Matt
Firstly you need to go to www.rs246.com - there you will find everything you need to know
Main issue is the DRC system - it's a long story that someone who is more technically minded than me will explain but essentially the shockers are all connected in a pressurised system that, err, isn't pressurised very well and leaks. This is covered under warranty but unfortunately they seem to keep going - there are several long threads on this on the 246 site - mine let go at 3,000 miles from new and I'm pretty sure it had gone again when I traded in after another 3,000 miles.
the engines are very solid - albeit they drink oil at a frankly ridiculous rate - I think mine was drinking a litre about every 1500 miles
If the brakes haven't been done at that mileage then they'll probably need doing (big heavy lump up front) and check the disks for cracking
mpg isn't too bad on a run (20-30 possible) - just don't watch it whilst driving around town or you'll weep
finally haggle hard as they really are dropping fast at the moment and stealers are offering fairly insulting numbers for them
other than that enjoy it - it is basically a rather comfortable ballistic missile
HTH
Main issue is the DRC system - it's a long story that someone who is more technically minded than me will explain but essentially the shockers are all connected in a pressurised system that, err, isn't pressurised very well and leaks. This is covered under warranty but unfortunately they seem to keep going - there are several long threads on this on the 246 site - mine let go at 3,000 miles from new and I'm pretty sure it had gone again when I traded in after another 3,000 miles.
the engines are very solid - albeit they drink oil at a frankly ridiculous rate - I think mine was drinking a litre about every 1500 miles
If the brakes haven't been done at that mileage then they'll probably need doing (big heavy lump up front) and check the disks for cracking
mpg isn't too bad on a run (20-30 possible) - just don't watch it whilst driving around town or you'll weep
finally haggle hard as they really are dropping fast at the moment and stealers are offering fairly insulting numbers for them
other than that enjoy it - it is basically a rather comfortable ballistic missile
HTH
I havnt seen any RS4's with DRC faults, but we only have 10-15 that we look after. But we do see it alot on the old RS6, and its the same system, so I can beleive the DRC fails.
All that happens is it leaks,(you will see oil on the shocks) but as its pressurised to 5 bar, when you get a litle leak all that pressure is lost. When the car is driven without enough pressure in the system the shocks and more likly the acumulator/resorvior get damaged and need replacing, its warranty so nothing to be to worried about, but it is an issue.
The oil consumption is a customer to customer thing, we have two guys who use a litre every 2000miles and a number who's top up pack is unopened at 12,000 miles.
Audi say 1 litre per 1000miles is normal, so unless its worse than that, its not a waranty issue.
All that happens is it leaks,(you will see oil on the shocks) but as its pressurised to 5 bar, when you get a litle leak all that pressure is lost. When the car is driven without enough pressure in the system the shocks and more likly the acumulator/resorvior get damaged and need replacing, its warranty so nothing to be to worried about, but it is an issue.
The oil consumption is a customer to customer thing, we have two guys who use a litre every 2000miles and a number who's top up pack is unopened at 12,000 miles.
Audi say 1 litre per 1000miles is normal, so unless its worse than that, its not a waranty issue.
Depends on the driving style of the previous owner, its not unusual for these things to blow through a set of brakes in under 20k, and your looking at the thick end of 1k for discs and pads at your MD's
And make sure you have a healthy warranty for the whole time you own the car, it will pay for itself easily.
They do drink oil and blow through tyres and brakes but what you get is madder than a bag of cats!
And make sure you have a healthy warranty for the whole time you own the car, it will pay for itself easily.
They do drink oil and blow through tyres and brakes but what you get is madder than a bag of cats!
bradders said:
OliFH - steelers offering fairly insulting numbers.....
Toying with trading mine at the moment (06 saloon) - would appreciate a PM on the numbers currently offered, so I can guage how much I am getting stiffed. Can you help?
Cheers, Mark
Mark, You account is set to not accept emails.Toying with trading mine at the moment (06 saloon) - would appreciate a PM on the numbers currently offered, so I can guage how much I am getting stiffed. Can you help?
Cheers, Mark
I sold my 07/57 RS4 Avant in August for 41k, privately. It had 5000 miles, Daytona Grey, Sat Nav, Phone, IPOD, Sun Roof, SS+, Cool Box, Heated Seats & Privacy Glass. Best trade bid was 39K, the rest were 35K ish. RS4's are depreciating by 1,500 quid per month at the moment and like most cars of this nature are fetching less than book price. In addition, all cars suffered a large drop in Sept Glass's guide.
MATTYBOY said:
After a disappointing experience with a 997 I have decided to call it a day with Porsche and today test-drove an RS4 at my local Audi centre. WOW that engine!! I am now seriously smitten and am hoping for some advice from any owners willing to share their experiences of these cars and dealers.
I do an 80 mile commute to work each day, mainly motorway, what kind of MPG can I expect? The car I have seen has got 15,000 miles on it - anything likely to need to be replaced at this kind of mileage like the clutch or brakes?
Are their any problems that seem to occur with these cars (like the RMS on the Porsche), which necessitate the warranty to be renewed yearly?
Is their a dedicated forum or club for RS4'S?
Any info gratefully received
Thanks
Matt
Matt, All cars have theie issues be it M-Series BM's, Porsches, AMG Mercs & Audi RS's etc. I had a RS4 Avant for 1 year and loved every minute of it. The steering was not as good as the 911 it replaced but it hides it's weight very well. DRC is an issue, mine failed after 3000 miles. It also used a litre of oil every 1000 miles. SS+ makes it handle much better without affecting the ride too much. It's also been proved that they put out much less power that the stated 420 BHP. The variance between different RS's is huge, there has been alot written about this on RS246. Finally, like every thing else, these cars are depreciating at a rapid rate of knots, and you need to be careful that dealers/private sellers are marking their cars down each month to refect the depreciatation shown in the trade guides and the actual trade price that they are fetching.I do an 80 mile commute to work each day, mainly motorway, what kind of MPG can I expect? The car I have seen has got 15,000 miles on it - anything likely to need to be replaced at this kind of mileage like the clutch or brakes?
Are their any problems that seem to occur with these cars (like the RMS on the Porsche), which necessitate the warranty to be renewed yearly?
Is their a dedicated forum or club for RS4'S?
Any info gratefully received
Thanks
Matt
yep - as above - it isn't pretty
Mine went into the trade at the end of June, also for £41k
It was a black '57 plate Saloon with 5,500 miles and all the usual gear like bucket seats/ nav/ flat bottom wheel etc, list was about £54k I think (fortunately I didn't pay that!)
Quite a few places wouldn't even bid for it and there were a couple of really silly offers
A mate of mine is looking to get out of his and into a Z4M at the moment - '56 plate sprint blue saloon, same spec as mine but circa 15-20k miles IIRC - and I think the trade are bidding him around £31k - I will check
Mine went into the trade at the end of June, also for £41k
It was a black '57 plate Saloon with 5,500 miles and all the usual gear like bucket seats/ nav/ flat bottom wheel etc, list was about £54k I think (fortunately I didn't pay that!)
Quite a few places wouldn't even bid for it and there were a couple of really silly offers
A mate of mine is looking to get out of his and into a Z4M at the moment - '56 plate sprint blue saloon, same spec as mine but circa 15-20k miles IIRC - and I think the trade are bidding him around £31k - I will check
Changed from a 997S to an Avant about a year ago and I still love it, which is unusual for me.
Fuel consumption on the motorway is about the same as the 997, from memory, although as previously stated, around town it's a fair bit worse. I regularly see 10mpg on my drag into work (although that is Central London).
Grip, noise and grunt are all phenomenal, on a par or better than the 997, but what will amaze you is the occasional glance into the rear view mirror at all that space behind you. Or your shaking, white-faced children if you have them.
One other bit of advice is to make sure you try the Recaros as well as the RS4 buckets. Especially if you're a larger gentleman. Which I am.
Fuel consumption on the motorway is about the same as the 997, from memory, although as previously stated, around town it's a fair bit worse. I regularly see 10mpg on my drag into work (although that is Central London).
Grip, noise and grunt are all phenomenal, on a par or better than the 997, but what will amaze you is the occasional glance into the rear view mirror at all that space behind you. Or your shaking, white-faced children if you have them.
One other bit of advice is to make sure you try the Recaros as well as the RS4 buckets. Especially if you're a larger gentleman. Which I am.
Thanks for all your replys, your help is very much appreciated, I tried a saloon with buckets and they were a little tight across the beam (to many pies & pints I fear) and I am seeing a car this weekend with the other type of seats, but without the flat bottom steering wheel :-(
The trade bid for my 997 is awful, but thats not to suprising as all performance cars seem to be the kiss of death at the momment. The car I tried was on 06 plate saloon in red with the usual sat nav, tel, bose etc.. with 15,000 miles and 1 owner, and they would accept £33,000 for it without to much pushing so probably some more room for money off, but whilst I thought the red looked fantastic I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day, and the rear wing had been painted (got this thing about original paintwork)
Anyway the hunt continues!!
The trade bid for my 997 is awful, but thats not to suprising as all performance cars seem to be the kiss of death at the momment. The car I tried was on 06 plate saloon in red with the usual sat nav, tel, bose etc.. with 15,000 miles and 1 owner, and they would accept £33,000 for it without to much pushing so probably some more room for money off, but whilst I thought the red looked fantastic I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day, and the rear wing had been painted (got this thing about original paintwork)
Anyway the hunt continues!!
Thanks for all your replys, your help is very much appreciated, I tried a saloon with buckets and they were a little tight across the beam (to many pies & pints I fear) and I am seeing a car this weekend with the other type of seats, but without the flat bottom steering wheel :-(
The trade bid for my 997 is awful, but thats not to suprising as all performance cars seem to be the kiss of death at the momment. The car I tried was on 06 plate saloon in red with the usual sat nav, tel, bose etc.. with 15,000 miles and 1 owner, and they would accept £33,000 for it without to much pushing so probably some more room for money off, but whilst I thought the red looked fantastic I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day, and the rear wing had been painted (got this thing about original paintwork)
Anyway the hunt continues!!
The trade bid for my 997 is awful, but thats not to suprising as all performance cars seem to be the kiss of death at the momment. The car I tried was on 06 plate saloon in red with the usual sat nav, tel, bose etc.. with 15,000 miles and 1 owner, and they would accept £33,000 for it without to much pushing so probably some more room for money off, but whilst I thought the red looked fantastic I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day, and the rear wing had been painted (got this thing about original paintwork)
Anyway the hunt continues!!
MATTYBOY said:
Thanks for all your replys, your help is very much appreciated, I tried a saloon with buckets and they were a little tight across the beam (to many pies & pints I fear) and I am seeing a car this weekend with the other type of seats, but without the flat bottom steering wheel :-(
The trade bid for my 997 is awful, but thats not to suprising as all performance cars seem to be the kiss of death at the momment. The car I tried was on 06 plate saloon in red with the usual sat nav, tel, bose etc.. with 15,000 miles and 1 owner, and they would accept £33,000 for it without to much pushing so probably some more room for money off, but whilst I thought the red looked fantastic I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day, and the rear wing had been painted (got this thing about original paintwork)
Anyway the hunt continues!!
The RS4 looks great in Sprint blue in my opinion. Looks fantastic!!!The trade bid for my 997 is awful, but thats not to suprising as all performance cars seem to be the kiss of death at the momment. The car I tried was on 06 plate saloon in red with the usual sat nav, tel, bose etc.. with 15,000 miles and 1 owner, and they would accept £33,000 for it without to much pushing so probably some more room for money off, but whilst I thought the red looked fantastic I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day, and the rear wing had been painted (got this thing about original paintwork)
Anyway the hunt continues!!
MATTYBOY said:
Thanks for all your replys, your help is very much appreciated, I tried a saloon with buckets and they were a little tight across the beam (to many pies & pints I fear) and I am seeing a car this weekend with the other type of seats, but without the flat bottom steering wheel :-(
The trade bid for my 997 is awful, but thats not to suprising as all performance cars seem to be the kiss of death at the momment. The car I tried was on 06 plate saloon in red with the usual sat nav, tel, bose etc.. with 15,000 miles and 1 owner, and they would accept £33,000 for it without to much pushing so probably some more room for money off, but whilst I thought the red looked fantastic I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day, and the rear wing had been painted (got this thing about original paintwork)
Anyway the hunt continues!!
I'm pretty sure you can change the steering wheel (check rs246 for details) - although it is worth finding one with the flat bottom. Regarding the red, you might have had a lucky escape there. There was a very funny clip on youtube last year featuring someone attempting donuts in their red B7 RS4 and not being very successful...The trade bid for my 997 is awful, but thats not to suprising as all performance cars seem to be the kiss of death at the momment. The car I tried was on 06 plate saloon in red with the usual sat nav, tel, bose etc.. with 15,000 miles and 1 owner, and they would accept £33,000 for it without to much pushing so probably some more room for money off, but whilst I thought the red looked fantastic I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day, and the rear wing had been painted (got this thing about original paintwork)
Anyway the hunt continues!!
Sorry, I should add that of course, the car you saw isn't necessarily the one I saw on youtube.
Edited by gmk666 on Monday 22 September 22:11
gmk666 said:
MATTYBOY said:
Thanks for all your replys, your help is very much appreciated, I tried a saloon with buckets and they were a little tight across the beam (to many pies & pints I fear) and I am seeing a car this weekend with the other type of seats, but without the flat bottom steering wheel :-(
The trade bid for my 997 is awful, but thats not to suprising as all performance cars seem to be the kiss of death at the momment. The car I tried was on 06 plate saloon in red with the usual sat nav, tel, bose etc.. with 15,000 miles and 1 owner, and they would accept £33,000 for it without to much pushing so probably some more room for money off, but whilst I thought the red looked fantastic I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day, and the rear wing had been painted (got this thing about original paintwork)
Anyway the hunt continues!!
I'm pretty sure you can change the steering wheel (check rs246 for details) - although it is worth finding one with the flat bottom. Regarding the red, you might have had a lucky escape there. There was a very funny clip on youtube last year featuring someone attempting donuts in their red B7 RS4 and not being very successful...The trade bid for my 997 is awful, but thats not to suprising as all performance cars seem to be the kiss of death at the momment. The car I tried was on 06 plate saloon in red with the usual sat nav, tel, bose etc.. with 15,000 miles and 1 owner, and they would accept £33,000 for it without to much pushing so probably some more room for money off, but whilst I thought the red looked fantastic I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day, and the rear wing had been painted (got this thing about original paintwork)
Anyway the hunt continues!!
Edited by gmk666 on Monday 22 September 21:29
I also seem to remember that it was for sale not so long ago...
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