RE: Audi RS4 (B7): PH Buying Guide
Discussion
Running Costs:
Lets be honest, you don't buy an RS4 if you can't afford to run one. Are the repair and maintenance costs any greater than any other car of similar performance and age? I suspect not.
I have enjoyed putting 50,000 miles on my Avant over the last 18 months and with regard to problems, yes, I had to replace a shock and get the DRC re-gassed. Cause of this problem was a broken rear spring which put increased load on the system. There are now three places you can get the system re-gassed, MRC, Unit20 and Hitchin Audi for a sensible price. So maybe those who've never owned an RS4 shouldn't get hung up on the horror stories. Ask those who know instead of listening to the bloke down the pub.
With regards to coking, show me any car that doesn't lose some of its quoted power over time. A drop of 5% doesn't sound too bad to me. Cars running much lower than that normally have a vacuum problem which can be fixed.
This car still puts a smile on my face every time I get in it, the comfort seats mean there is space for adults in the rear. I chose not to source a car with buckets. Only other major expense has been front discs and pads, but one set in 50,000 miles is not unreasonable. Servicing has been dealt with at MRC and again seems reasonable.
It is never going to compare with the driver involvement of an M3, but I needed an estate and therefore it ticks all my performance and comfort requirements. It is still a supremely capable car and With regard to real world driving in rainy England, I'd rather be in the RS4 than an M3 or C63 any day.
Lets be honest, you don't buy an RS4 if you can't afford to run one. Are the repair and maintenance costs any greater than any other car of similar performance and age? I suspect not.
I have enjoyed putting 50,000 miles on my Avant over the last 18 months and with regard to problems, yes, I had to replace a shock and get the DRC re-gassed. Cause of this problem was a broken rear spring which put increased load on the system. There are now three places you can get the system re-gassed, MRC, Unit20 and Hitchin Audi for a sensible price. So maybe those who've never owned an RS4 shouldn't get hung up on the horror stories. Ask those who know instead of listening to the bloke down the pub.
With regards to coking, show me any car that doesn't lose some of its quoted power over time. A drop of 5% doesn't sound too bad to me. Cars running much lower than that normally have a vacuum problem which can be fixed.
This car still puts a smile on my face every time I get in it, the comfort seats mean there is space for adults in the rear. I chose not to source a car with buckets. Only other major expense has been front discs and pads, but one set in 50,000 miles is not unreasonable. Servicing has been dealt with at MRC and again seems reasonable.
It is never going to compare with the driver involvement of an M3, but I needed an estate and therefore it ticks all my performance and comfort requirements. It is still a supremely capable car and With regard to real world driving in rainy England, I'd rather be in the RS4 than an M3 or C63 any day.
I had one for three years and loved it. Things I found wanting:
Brakes
Clutch
De-coke
I got the Brembo big brake kit fitted, no worries after that.
I went for a heavy duty clutch/flywheel which didn't feel any different but was made fornthe job.
MRC de-coked and flowed the head, they found one valve wasn't seating due to the coking. They also re-mapped it with a Milltek exhaust and de-cat.
After that it felt absolutely fantastic.
APS in Brackley did the clutch & brakes btw.
I do miss that sound and would gladly buy mine back if I could find it (YB56 TNK if the owner is reading this!).
Brakes
Clutch
De-coke
I got the Brembo big brake kit fitted, no worries after that.
I went for a heavy duty clutch/flywheel which didn't feel any different but was made fornthe job.
MRC de-coked and flowed the head, they found one valve wasn't seating due to the coking. They also re-mapped it with a Milltek exhaust and de-cat.
After that it felt absolutely fantastic.
APS in Brackley did the clutch & brakes btw.
I do miss that sound and would gladly buy mine back if I could find it (YB56 TNK if the owner is reading this!).
I'm really really surprised by the negativity towards the B7 RS4 here! I can only assume the majority of the naysayers have never owned one...?
I have one at the moment, test drove a V8 M3 then the RS4 and there was really no competition... the RS4 is a totally different beast, a weapon on a twisty road and the noise it makes is rivaled by few modern day saloons.
YES... it's not cheap to run... but why would you buy a V8 Audi if you wanted a cheap car to run? Come on.
Performance wise, as fast if not faster than a V8 M3. Yeah there are faster cars but the RS4 is no slouch at all imo, i doubt there will be much that you will come across day to day that will pass you on the private runway.
It turns heads as well... considering its another Audi, this surprised me. Great interior too.
I have one at the moment, test drove a V8 M3 then the RS4 and there was really no competition... the RS4 is a totally different beast, a weapon on a twisty road and the noise it makes is rivaled by few modern day saloons.
YES... it's not cheap to run... but why would you buy a V8 Audi if you wanted a cheap car to run? Come on.
Performance wise, as fast if not faster than a V8 M3. Yeah there are faster cars but the RS4 is no slouch at all imo, i doubt there will be much that you will come across day to day that will pass you on the private runway.
It turns heads as well... considering its another Audi, this surprised me. Great interior too.
dukebox9reg said:
stugolf said:
420bhp for around 25k?
I'll buy a Porsche 996 Turbo thanks, surely a much better prospect?
An estate or a coupe. Its not really a comparison is it. Maybe 911 Cab vs RS4 Cab thoughI'll buy a Porsche 996 Turbo thanks, surely a much better prospect?
dukebox9reg said:
The rear leg room is also a non existent with the fancier seats fitted. Not really a family car.
I have four kids and all six of us fit nicely in the RS4 with bucket seats. It's used as family day to day car and its never been a problem with space (and I have the saloon) even on epic family trips.[quote]Audi also provided Dynamic Ride Control to reduce pitch and roll at the touch of a button but still provide a compliant ride when not switched on
[/quote]
Tut tut - not quite. There are no electronics on the B7 DRC - it is purely mechanical and essentially "fixed". This is what makes it so impressive from an engineering point of view. It really really works and body roll is quite contained and yet the ride isn't bad at all (esp considering the 35 profile tyres). I also think this is why a lot of criticism has been levelled at the B8 RS4 with it's electronically adjustable suspension. When you don't have access to the electrics, the designers have to get it right and cover as wide a range of scenarios as possible. However as soon as you throw in adjustable suspension I can't help feel that it takes some of this process out of the equation... regardless of the marque, it seems sports mode is always too hard, comfort is always to soft.
[/quote]
Tut tut - not quite. There are no electronics on the B7 DRC - it is purely mechanical and essentially "fixed". This is what makes it so impressive from an engineering point of view. It really really works and body roll is quite contained and yet the ride isn't bad at all (esp considering the 35 profile tyres). I also think this is why a lot of criticism has been levelled at the B8 RS4 with it's electronically adjustable suspension. When you don't have access to the electrics, the designers have to get it right and cover as wide a range of scenarios as possible. However as soon as you throw in adjustable suspension I can't help feel that it takes some of this process out of the equation... regardless of the marque, it seems sports mode is always too hard, comfort is always to soft.
Ah the joys of coking.
Yes (like all Direct injection cars) there is an element of coking.
However with 27k miles on mine and a blown vac line I still registered 380ps. With it cleaned out and de-flapped it was tested again (same place, same conditions) and hit 443ps (granted, rpm limit was raised by 250rpm to 8500). Even still it was considerably better throughout and recent test had it hit 420ps (not cleaned in the 20k miles since). I think the article is bang on and as long as the car is Italian tuned now and then and stretched it'll keep itself largely sorted.
I think a large part of the "it feels slow" sensation is that the torque curve is so flat - from about 3k rpm you just have a constant push where as some other cars (esp turbo) you get that big kick when on boost. You just don't get that with NA. The M3 V8 is very similar (as it should be given IIRC the same guy who designed the RS4 engine went to BMW to build that).
Overall, I've found the RS4 to be one of the better jack of all trade cars. The interior is not bad at all and the day to day usability it great. I've had mine for nearly 4 years with no horror stories.
Yes (like all Direct injection cars) there is an element of coking.
However with 27k miles on mine and a blown vac line I still registered 380ps. With it cleaned out and de-flapped it was tested again (same place, same conditions) and hit 443ps (granted, rpm limit was raised by 250rpm to 8500). Even still it was considerably better throughout and recent test had it hit 420ps (not cleaned in the 20k miles since). I think the article is bang on and as long as the car is Italian tuned now and then and stretched it'll keep itself largely sorted.
I think a large part of the "it feels slow" sensation is that the torque curve is so flat - from about 3k rpm you just have a constant push where as some other cars (esp turbo) you get that big kick when on boost. You just don't get that with NA. The M3 V8 is very similar (as it should be given IIRC the same guy who designed the RS4 engine went to BMW to build that).
Overall, I've found the RS4 to be one of the better jack of all trade cars. The interior is not bad at all and the day to day usability it great. I've had mine for nearly 4 years with no horror stories.
stugolf said:
dukebox9reg said:
stugolf said:
420bhp for around 25k?
I'll buy a Porsche 996 Turbo thanks, surely a much better prospect?
An estate or a coupe. Its not really a comparison is it. Maybe 911 Cab vs RS4 Cab thoughI'll buy a Porsche 996 Turbo thanks, surely a much better prospect?
ads_green said:
dukebox9reg said:
The rear leg room is also a non existent with the fancier seats fitted. Not really a family car.
I have four kids and all six of us fit nicely in the RS4 with bucket seats. It's used as family day to day car and its never been a problem with space (and I have the saloon) even on epic family trips.dukebox9reg said:
Surely fitting all 6 is slightly illegal. Well friend is 5 10 and sits in a 'proper' seating position arms bent etc and the leg room is all but a match for a 206CC
www.multimac.co.uk.All fine and above board.
I'm 5'10 and a bit and no problems. Granted, they are more restrictive than most seats (and you can get RS4's with the comfort seat option that has more rear legroom) but saying it's not a family car is a bit ott.
In retrospect, my B7 RS4 was probably the best all-round car I have owned.
Mine was a Misano Red Saloon, fitted with a non-resonated Milltek exhaust system. I should never have sold it, but I had a hankering for a Tuscan. I lost 10k in depreciation in 12 months. The Tuscan was a bad choice, and that made way for a Vantage. Exhaust note wise, I still think the RS4 had the edge, and having compared both, the RS4 was certainly the quicker point to point. I fondly recall a jaunt round mid Wales which witnessed a fuel bill for £175 and an average MPG reading of 11.8). I obviously wasn't driving hard enough.
Mine smoked like a Jutland Battleship on start up, but never felt down on power. I was the second owner, so can only assume that the first rarely gave it the thrashing that the B7 V8 lump needs.
I saw it for sale not so long ago. I do miss it.
Mine was a Misano Red Saloon, fitted with a non-resonated Milltek exhaust system. I should never have sold it, but I had a hankering for a Tuscan. I lost 10k in depreciation in 12 months. The Tuscan was a bad choice, and that made way for a Vantage. Exhaust note wise, I still think the RS4 had the edge, and having compared both, the RS4 was certainly the quicker point to point. I fondly recall a jaunt round mid Wales which witnessed a fuel bill for £175 and an average MPG reading of 11.8). I obviously wasn't driving hard enough.
Mine smoked like a Jutland Battleship on start up, but never felt down on power. I was the second owner, so can only assume that the first rarely gave it the thrashing that the B7 V8 lump needs.
I saw it for sale not so long ago. I do miss it.
RobM77 said:
I don't mean up be negative, but I tried an '07 RS4 a few years ago and it was the most disappointing car I've ever driven. It had lots of plus points. but all of those we're just standard A4 features present on a well specced 2.0TDi. The handling was dull, with a steady understeer setup and little adjustability and it felt like it didn't need 4WD with the grip and power available. Power, that's worth mentioning, the one I drove felt like a 330ci in a straight line - no doubt 4WD drivetrain losses and coking are significant (it had 30k miles on the clock). I drove an E46 M3 the day before and whilst the interior felt a few generations behind the Audi, the straight line performance was genuinely in a different league, and the handling far more involving. Don't get me wrong, the RS4 wasn't a bad car, but it only felt 10 or 20% better than the 2.0TDi I had for a few months last year.
Are you serious?I drove the RS4 and M3 V8 back to back and performance size there was very little in it but the quality of finish the Audi was better!
As for it being only 10-20% better than a 2.0TDi which is one of the most boring cars I have ever driven (loan car) you are either joking or
.B.J.W said:
Mine smoked like a Jutland Battleship on start up, but never felt down on power.
LOL at the battleship smoke. I must admit I have noticed my buddies RS4 spewing out a bit of smoke on the odd occasion that I am following him and he gets higher up in the rev range but the car has never shown any signs of it being a problem.TomG75 said:
LOL at the battleship smoke. I must admit I have noticed my buddies RS4 spewing out a bit of smoke on the odd occasion that I am following him and he gets higher up in the rev range but the car has never shown any signs of it being a problem.
Smoke is a sign of a couple things. If the car isn't used much then it can collect on the back of the valves. This is really common with any car dealer selling rs4's if they need to move them really short distances. It's also common if you do a lot of stop start city driving and never get a chance to clear it.Also, it can be when the oil is overfilled and is drawn into the intake system. I've had this with dealers who have misread the dipstick and overfilled by about 0.24-0.5 litres. Makes for a smoky time and I thought the clutch had bit the dust but a quick syphon of the excess and all was well.
Finally if the fine oil separator isn't working (either due to a failure in itself or the underlying vacuum system) then again oil can be drawn into the intake system. Not quite as common though.
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