Been thinking about Audi RS4 for few days, common problems, has some, what do you think guys? I know this is not a good way to ask people for opinions- because this is P section, 90% of people will say stick to 996 turbo, -, 996 was my dream car. What i love about 996 they keep value. audi's rs4s are dropping and they come with huge millage 60-70k on odo.

Wife doesn't care what I drive-she enjoys speed, but never drives my car - She says 996 is pretty small. ( I showed her miata the other day) and we bought laughed- We have a daily car, we don't drive much. thinking about second kid. I feel like 996 might be small-- but option would be exchange her car for an suv, and keep the 996

I just answered my own question, walks away and takes 996 for a spin.....

 

I believe that the B7's had issues with their timing chain tensioners after 80-90k. The only issue with that... the timing chain is on the back of the motor :-\

 

Also suspension is not reliable and you need to do a carbon cleaning every 50k miles. Other than that I heard they are great drivers cars.

 

If it wasnt for the tensioner issue, I would love to get an S4 wagon as a DD.

 

yeah, suspension, but people swap them with KW - and its all good, carbon, tensioner - never know what you getting by buying used car, i have a huge issue with cars, i keep em, I fix them I sell em. and never ends. - I need to slap myself, and never get rid of 996. unless we have 4 kids lol , i just buy yellow mini bus

 

I hear you... if the chain wasnt at the back of the motor, Id just do the tensioner job and be happy. They are great cars otherwise.

Found a bus for you:

 

The chain on th back is why many owners sell just before replacement interval. Jalopnik has had an article or two about them - no way!

That school bus, I've seen it close up at a local cruise! Freaking awesome work!

 

^_ yeah I wonder how much it cost to do the job - I would never get rid of my car for something slower

 

$10k for job. $5k for parts

 

Buddy has one, APR tune and Downpipes. The car is wicked fast, no mechanical problems in about 1.5 years. Only issue to date has been the nav system going bad, which was changed under warranty

 

Id buy one in a heartbeat if it had updated tensioners and cam gears. Ive always had a thing for fast wagons and the S4 is just so inconspicuous. The fact that it also came in 6spd is a big plus as well.

 

I had a 2004 (B6) S4 with the 4.2 V8 for a couple years. After 2 months of owning it, 2 of the chain guides and one of the Camshaft adjusters went out, taking 20 valves with it.

I couldn't afford the 10-15k repair at the time, so I decided to do it myself. 9 months and about $6,500 later, I had a running car again and was able to get a lightweight flywheel, clutch, tune and some other aftermarket/maintenance goodies at the same time.

Loved the car until it was stolen. Great driver, very capable in the snow, plus a 40 valve V8 just sounds amazing with full exhaust. I struggled with decided whether to get an RS4 or the 996tt for a long time. Decided to get the 911 obviously but I've had many second thoughts. The RS4 is a pretty stout platform. JHMotorsports makes a supercharger kit that will take you into the low 10s on race gas.

 

Doing some research, it seems the issues that plagued the S4 B6 arnt in the B7 RS4 (the chain tensioners).

 

Correct. There is still a need to replace eventually, since it's a metal chain on plastic guides.

But no where near the issues with the cam adjusters, tensioners and guides on the B6. If I got another S4 instead of an RS, it would be a B7. But either way, you can get a B6 that has had the issues addressed with new/updated parts that will not fail again.

Good site for info, especially on RS4s, is audirevolution.net. Tons of really smart people that are not afraid to tear into their car and learn how it works.

Now I want another S4! Maybe I can get a cheap one as fun a winter car.

 

If your usage of the car is largely around town, have you thought about a Tesla Model S?

All my friends that have one are jaded. No other car even comes close to it's mix of capabilities/speed. I have a neighbor that switches very high end cars every year. From AMGs, to Rovers, to turbos S, and RS's. He's had a P85, and now a P90d. He's itching to try something new again, and test drove just about everything including the Audi rs7. While they might be better is some ways, (i.e. interior), he can't find anything better overall.