B8 S4 Ownership
Discussion
SD_1 said:
How solid are the older manual ones? A rather nice looking one has popped up for sale locally, and it's exactly the sort of thing I think could replace my B7 3.0 TDI
I've had my 2009 Avant for six years and apart from fuel pump controller failure that left me sitting on the side of the A1/M half way to a holiday in the Lake District in my second year of ownership, It's been pretty good. A few little niggles like the odd loudspeaker and some dead led's in a rear light but nothing major (touchs wood)
Has any one any experiance of B8 RS4's? I'm thinking of changing from my S4 and don't think a B8.5 would be much different from what i've got.
But then is the the RS?
Easternlight said:
I've had my 2009 Avant for six years and apart from fuel pump controller failure that left me sitting on the side of the A1/M half way to a holiday in the Lake District in my second year of ownership, It's been pretty good.
A few little niggles like the odd loudspeaker and some dead led's in a rear light but nothing major (touchs wood)
Has any one any experiance of B8 RS4's? I'm thinking of changing from my S4 and don't think a B8.5 would be much different from what i've got.
But then is the the RS?
Thanks for the input, sounds like there isnt too much in the way of terminal stuff that goes wrong? Yours seems to have served you well, although any car will break down at the most inconvenient time! A few little niggles like the odd loudspeaker and some dead led's in a rear light but nothing major (touchs wood)
Has any one any experiance of B8 RS4's? I'm thinking of changing from my S4 and don't think a B8.5 would be much different from what i've got.
But then is the the RS?
Also slightly interested in hearing about B8 RS4s, they are very tempting but it is a shame they are all automatics
fastgerman said:
Brake pads light just came on but they look okay to me. Driving to Holland on Friday and the car just had a major service at Audi - how long to change the pads do you think (2015 car is on 24k miles)?
Pads at one end of the car only should be 0.5-.75 hr work - I had discs and pads done on ours and was billed an hour for each end of the carEdited by fastgerman on Wednesday 14th August 21:38
Worth noting that the piston design can mean wear is uneven each side of the disc - need to check inside and outside pad to be sure
If they were that close to needing doing at service I’d expect Audi to bleat about it even if pads are half worn. If the pads have good life I’d suspect a broken pad wear sensor (there’s only one - can’t recall if it’s per side or axle)
If you’re doing any heavy hauling I’d get them done before you go if poss - get pads from TPS and a local Indy can fit if dealer can’t fit you in. I’d expect a call to their service dept to at least invite you to drop it in for a quick look given how recent the service was
SD_1 said:
How solid are the older manual ones? A rather nice looking one has popped up for sale locally, and it's exactly the sort of thing I think could replace my B7 3.0 TDI
Had my 59 plate S4 for ab out 4-5 years, started with 72k and has now hit 99k (I don't drive it loads). Has been very good, its a manual and I knew the clutch would probably be due but I've only just replaced it now, it wasn't slipping just heavy. That did cost £1500 with the flywheel but I got the car at a steal frankly when I bought it. Only niggles are:
- Key sometimes gets a little stuck in the dash slot, but I have the 'knack' for removing it, will fix it at some point
- Warning light sometimes comes on saying 3rd brake light failure, but its working so I think its just a sensor.
Otherwise its just been a set of front brakes and servicing (annually, alternating from minor to major)
I don't thrash the car hard though, most a family runner, but its been sublime and would prove very hard to replace for less than double what its now worth.
If you like music get the B&O stereo, its insanely good.
SD_1 said:
How solid are the older manual ones? A rather nice looking one has popped up for sale locally, and it's exactly the sort of thing I think could replace my B7 3.0 TDI
Only had my B8 S4 for a year and a half, had to trade it in, as the auto box was playing up (was warned it would be the mechatronic unit and about 8k to fix) Other than that, the car was OK, a bit of a dull drive though
I'll add this for future googling; whilst the earlier S Tronic boxes (09-10 generally) in these are not trouble free they're not that bad to fix either.
A good garage will diagnose the fault (and there are Mechatronic repair parts available) rather than just throw a gearbox in it.
The boxes can be rebuilt also, we've used Milta in Bristol:
https://milta.co/
They currently charge £2500+VAT for the S4 box. Not pocket change but not 8k either. Free recovery within 100 miles and very reasonable charges further out.
A good garage will diagnose the fault (and there are Mechatronic repair parts available) rather than just throw a gearbox in it.
The boxes can be rebuilt also, we've used Milta in Bristol:
https://milta.co/
They currently charge £2500+VAT for the S4 box. Not pocket change but not 8k either. Free recovery within 100 miles and very reasonable charges further out.
There's an early B8 S4 on ebay and it's done 154k miles. I'm aware the gearbox can be an issue but as the post above shows it doesn't have to always be a £10,000 bill anymore.
The advert says it's mostly motorway miles so if that is the case the bushes and suspension shouldn't be too bad..
The engines are fairly robust aren't they? I heard that some of the early ones can be a little thirsty with oil consumption is there any truth to that?
The advert says it's mostly motorway miles so if that is the case the bushes and suspension shouldn't be too bad..
The engines are fairly robust aren't they? I heard that some of the early ones can be a little thirsty with oil consumption is there any truth to that?
My 2010 recently required all 3 timing chain covers to be repaired (new gaskets I guess) as they were leaking quite badly. Was having to add a bit more than the “normal” 0.5L of oil every 600 miles.
About £3,500 all in, luckily mostly covered under extended warranty.
Also had to have the water pump thermostat done a few times.
Based on my experience, I wouldn’t say the engine and it’s ancillaries are that strong!
About £3,500 all in, luckily mostly covered under extended warranty.
Also had to have the water pump thermostat done a few times.
Based on my experience, I wouldn’t say the engine and it’s ancillaries are that strong!
InfamousK said:
There's an early B8 S4 on ebay and it's done 154k miles. I'm aware the gearbox can be an issue but as the post above shows it doesn't have to always be a £10,000 bill anymore.
The advert says it's mostly motorway miles so if that is the case the bushes and suspension shouldn't be too bad..
The engines are fairly robust aren't they? I heard that some of the early ones can be a little thirsty with oil consumption is there any truth to that?
It's nearer end of life than first flush of youth, so depends how you'd feel about throwing a wedge of cash at the first fault that appears that's potentially half the price of the car (given it sold for £7k when last listed)?The advert says it's mostly motorway miles so if that is the case the bushes and suspension shouldn't be too bad..
The engines are fairly robust aren't they? I heard that some of the early ones can be a little thirsty with oil consumption is there any truth to that?
Bushes and suspension deteriorate for a number of reasons - I'd be amazed if it hasn't had front end bushes changed, at least, but you'd need to know what's in the service history (and I'd want to see a lot of detail!)
It's got the nice wheels, pano roof (but check it works and doesn't squeak!), carbon trim, front parking sensors (even these were an option!), heated front seats, B&O etc. It has the lower grade tech pack - MMI 2G so has disc based nav and a CD changer, rather than HDD based 3G nav and x2 SD card slots and a HDD jukebox.
Word of caution - how long has he owned it? It's been HPI'd in January this year according to the advert pics - why? Is that when he bought it, or how long he's been attempting to offload it?
I very much doubt it's on the original gearbox, but if it is that'd put me off with those miles and being so early. MOT history looks pretty clean, bar some bald rear tyres and a CV boot in the past.
InfamousK said:
Ah the sense of the PH collective is steering me away from this potential headache.
Honestly no one can say with any certainty how much bother this will cause. Seems cheap even with the miles. Go and have a look, take a mechanic if you want some reassurance but could be a bargain in high mile disguise.It's an interesting one. I keep an eye out on the prices of S4 Avants, especially at higher miles as they're comparable to mine.
They're getting to that point where the documented 'weak points' could well write off a higher miler; I'm thinking specifically gearbox replacement or needing the chains done. If either were to go what would you do, repair and stick with it or sell it on broken?
Thing is there's nothing else, really, at this price point. Let's say you've a budget of £6-9k, what else can you get with the pace and refinement of the S4, especially if you add in the security of the 4wd?
If it really is motorway miles then the gearbox would have had a reasonably easy life. Take a good look round it, could well be a good buy if your specific criteria are as above (as mine were/are). Just beware, they're a competent car but not really much in the way of sparkle.
They're getting to that point where the documented 'weak points' could well write off a higher miler; I'm thinking specifically gearbox replacement or needing the chains done. If either were to go what would you do, repair and stick with it or sell it on broken?
Thing is there's nothing else, really, at this price point. Let's say you've a budget of £6-9k, what else can you get with the pace and refinement of the S4, especially if you add in the security of the 4wd?
If it really is motorway miles then the gearbox would have had a reasonably easy life. Take a good look round it, could well be a good buy if your specific criteria are as above (as mine were/are). Just beware, they're a competent car but not really much in the way of sparkle.
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