Discussion
Hey, I'm looking at the possibility of a 2014 (ish) RS4 Avant. I have a family and two dogs so it seems to fit the bill.
I'm aware it wont be great on fuel so a second more economical car would likely be around too.
In real world use what is an RS4 like to live with? How bad is it on fuel, what are the servicing/running costs like and most importantly is it reliable?
Thanks in advance.
I'm aware it wont be great on fuel so a second more economical car would likely be around too.
In real world use what is an RS4 like to live with? How bad is it on fuel, what are the servicing/running costs like and most importantly is it reliable?
Thanks in advance.
I had a 2014 RS4 from new and ran it for just under 3 years and ~20k
Servicing costs were pretty reasonable, I honestly can’t remember the exact numbers but Audi normally asked for £400-500 but chanced their arm with about half of that being oil. I just supplied my own which saved a reasonable amount.
Fuel- I averaged around 20mpg, it can do 30mpg on a gentle motorway run.
Reliability wise mine was generally ok except for needing a new gearbox at 14,000 miles. This I’m told would be a 5 figure job if done outside of warranty.
I had an RS5 before that which suffered an alternator regulator failure and leaky driveshafts that needed replacing. I’ve no idea of the cost of those jobs as they were done under warranty.
All of the above said I loved mine. It worked perfectly as a dog mover and that V8 at 8000rpm is a masterpiece. Personally I wouldn’t hesitate to have another but I would invest in an insured warranty for peace of mind.
Servicing costs were pretty reasonable, I honestly can’t remember the exact numbers but Audi normally asked for £400-500 but chanced their arm with about half of that being oil. I just supplied my own which saved a reasonable amount.
Fuel- I averaged around 20mpg, it can do 30mpg on a gentle motorway run.
Reliability wise mine was generally ok except for needing a new gearbox at 14,000 miles. This I’m told would be a 5 figure job if done outside of warranty.
I had an RS5 before that which suffered an alternator regulator failure and leaky driveshafts that needed replacing. I’ve no idea of the cost of those jobs as they were done under warranty.
All of the above said I loved mine. It worked perfectly as a dog mover and that V8 at 8000rpm is a masterpiece. Personally I wouldn’t hesitate to have another but I would invest in an insured warranty for peace of mind.
djc206 said:
I had a 2014 RS4 from new and ran it for just under 3 years and ~20k
Servicing costs were pretty reasonable, I honestly can’t remember the exact numbers but Audi normally asked for £400-500 but chanced their arm with about half of that being oil. I just supplied my own which saved a reasonable amount.
Fuel- I averaged around 20mpg, it can do 30mpg on a gentle motorway run.
Reliability wise mine was generally ok except for needing a new gearbox at 14,000 miles. This I’m told would be a 5 figure job if done outside of warranty.
I had an RS5 before that which suffered an alternator regulator failure and leaky driveshafts that needed replacing. I’ve no idea of the cost of those jobs as they were done under warranty.
All of the above said I loved mine. It worked perfectly as a dog mover and that V8 at 8000rpm is a masterpiece. Personally I wouldn’t hesitate to have another but I would invest in an insured warranty for peace of mind.
Really helpful, thanks so much.Servicing costs were pretty reasonable, I honestly can’t remember the exact numbers but Audi normally asked for £400-500 but chanced their arm with about half of that being oil. I just supplied my own which saved a reasonable amount.
Fuel- I averaged around 20mpg, it can do 30mpg on a gentle motorway run.
Reliability wise mine was generally ok except for needing a new gearbox at 14,000 miles. This I’m told would be a 5 figure job if done outside of warranty.
I had an RS5 before that which suffered an alternator regulator failure and leaky driveshafts that needed replacing. I’ve no idea of the cost of those jobs as they were done under warranty.
All of the above said I loved mine. It worked perfectly as a dog mover and that V8 at 8000rpm is a masterpiece. Personally I wouldn’t hesitate to have another but I would invest in an insured warranty for peace of mind.
I deal with these daily at a variety of ages and mileages.
They're fairly heavy on brakes and tyres. Discs last >40k and you're looking at £2k to replace the set.
The 40k service is expensive and often missed or scrimped on. As well as the engine gubbins you're doing 4 different fluid changes on the four wheel drive system.
The front final drive oil is due every 20 (and also part of the 40) and often missed.
You'll see 10-15k out of a set of tyres driven normally.
Boxes are lovely when driven hard and fairly good the rest of the time but can be slightly clunky in traffic, particularly when hot. There have been some software updates to improve but overall they're pretty good.
Dampers can suffer leaks (nowhere near as bad as they used to be) and are 600 quid a corner; there's a sensor on one as well that likes to play up.
Engine itself is strong.
Probably a few more bits I'm forgetting and will add later.
They're fairly heavy on brakes and tyres. Discs last >40k and you're looking at £2k to replace the set.
The 40k service is expensive and often missed or scrimped on. As well as the engine gubbins you're doing 4 different fluid changes on the four wheel drive system.
The front final drive oil is due every 20 (and also part of the 40) and often missed.
You'll see 10-15k out of a set of tyres driven normally.
Boxes are lovely when driven hard and fairly good the rest of the time but can be slightly clunky in traffic, particularly when hot. There have been some software updates to improve but overall they're pretty good.
Dampers can suffer leaks (nowhere near as bad as they used to be) and are 600 quid a corner; there's a sensor on one as well that likes to play up.
Engine itself is strong.
Probably a few more bits I'm forgetting and will add later.
I ran one for 3 years from new. Really, really good car but expensive if things go wrong. I had all four shocks replaced on mine under warranty and the labour costs were eye watering due to the way the system has to be balanced. I personally wouldn't have one without a manufacturer warranty which are also eye wateringly expensive. I'd rather run a cheaper economical estate and have something else for fun.
My son has a B7 RS4 Avant and the greatest cost if it were mine would be speeding fines! It goes like stink! If you want it to, though, it is a docile pussy cat. His Z4M Coupé was similarly fast - faster in some ways - but docile it ain't!
DrG, did they ever get to the bottom of why the clutch pedal sticks down sometimes after a bit of 'brisk' driving? Googling comes up with very little joy.
DrG, did they ever get to the bottom of why the clutch pedal sticks down sometimes after a bit of 'brisk' driving? Googling comes up with very little joy.
Edited by motco on Saturday 4th May 20:14
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