B7 RS4 running costs / risks nowadays?

[havoc]

Looking for a V8 family bus while I still can, and the RS4 is one of the few with a manual 'box...and as a bonus also has a nat-asp high-revving engine.

Mrs H has had a succession of fast Golfs since the Mk5, but I'm fairly certain the RS4 is in a different league, both in performance and costs.

...so, what can I realistically expect in terms of servicing costs, preventative maintenance, and above all what are the big risks / big bills...and how likely actually are they to come home to roost (on a 15+y.o. 70-100k mile car)?

Thanks,
Martin.


PS - any ownership experiences, good or bad, gratefully received.

[jeremyc]

My specialist subject having owned one for more than 14 years.

I've averaged £1K per year in maintenance and servicing costs.

The main (well documented) challenge is in the DRC suspension: it's expensive to replace, and difficult to get hold of parts. Check whether dampers are leaking and whether there are knocks from the suspension. One option is to replace with coilovers, but that potentially loses some of the magic handling.

Others will tell you about coking up of the inlet manifolds which is common on all direct injection engines. There are a number of places that can resolve this with walnut blasting or similar.

Parts that are unique to this model can also be expensive (brake discs and the like), though there are aftermarket alternatives.

Audi don't have a good reputation in parts support for older models, so it may be that this becomes more of an issue over time for these cars.

That said they are a fantastic drive, and the reason I still have mine.

[jeremyc]

havoc said:

(on a 15+y.o. 70-100k mile car)

The youngest B7 RS4s are now 19 years old, so you need to factor in looking after a twenty year old car and all that brings.

[Dr G]

I can't add much to Jeremy's post; he's on the money.

But:

£1k annually is conservative, very few cars are maintained properly these days and will be behind where they need to be.

Whatever you buy allow some 'make it right' money, for the same reason.

[MinchCS]

Just to echo the DRC warning. I have never owned a B7 RS4 but I did 70K miles (between them) in a new B9 RS4 and a new C7 RS6, both with DRC, and over that mileage I had one complete set of dampers and 10, yes ten, DRC control valves (they were replaced in pairs). All under new car warranty thankfully. And these are later systems than the B7. Nightmare in what were otherwise two amazing cars.

Edited by MinchCS on Monday 11th May 13:16