S4 Buyers guide?

[Tank.]

got a £6k budget and looking for S4's

any tips on things to look out for? things to avoid?
Most mileages i've seen for that price are around 130-140k which as a figure doesn't bother me unless you good folk say there's things that i should worry about around there?

Yes i know, dont buy a car if you cant afford to run it, but interested to see what the most frugal MPG has been for owners with some smart driving with a mix?
Mainly for work and back a 5 mile route managing a steady 30-40mph all the way

any insight much appreciated

 

[Av4nt]

you after B6/B7 on that budget?

 

[Tank.]

yes, B6
seen plenty on gumtree and a few on PH with that budget mileage low end 100's

 

[p1tse]

What's on the list, manual or auto

Saloon, avant, cab?

 

[Tank.]

Manual, and avant really, something attractive about audi estates that no other estate does for me, plus more practical,

 

[p1tse]

I've been reading up too

The avants do look nice but hard to find a nice one in a decent colour combination

My main concern on these are the next possible major costs
I read and seen a couple which has had cam chain replaced/ or tensioner adjusted, new clutch and flywheel and then we're talking like at least a couple £ks

 

[Tank.]

I wouldnt mind paying for that kinda stuff if i at least got a year or twos driving/saving first.
The question is really after what sort of milage to these problems occur

 

[dualmono21]

first and foremost
make sure the engine is o.k anything that has chain slap for more than a second on a clock cold start up walk away and find another
if you can find one try to find one which has had an accumulator fitted as this eliminates chain rattle and makes the likelyhood of a broken guide far far less audi reccomend new timing chain and gear and guides at approx 300,000 miles

other engine niggles include
air conditioning ... unique to this car and expensive to replace , unit is driven directly via a shaft off the auxillary duplex chain on the
back of the engine the compressor seizing has also been known to snap the timing chain some owners even go so far as to remove the compressor shaft so as it cannot do this

alternators are again unique to the car and are water cooled 2 differant types with one being vastly more expensive than the other
check which you have before replacement

auxillary radiators , commonly get full of leaves and plant debris which starts to rot and in turn rot the radiators till they leak
this can be avoided if they are kept clean or protected

cam cover gaskets are known for leaking a little oil until replaced ... bit of a pain to remove the back ones

auxillary belt needs changing every couple of years along with tensioner
its the front end off car into service position to change it so consider this if you have to have front end of car off for any reason
some owners also change the snub mount or front engine mount whilst doing this as its an ideal time

coil packs ...by now should have been replaced f.o.c by audi on the improvement scheme check yours has or hasnt been done

manual gearboxes good but clutches can wear quickly especially if launched often expensive to replace
some cars have a device fitted to stop clutch being dropped
tiptronic box is same s rs6 change gearbox oil and filter at 60,000 and all should be fine

 

[Tank.]

Brilliant! Great info there thank you
A lot to remember there and some bits im guessing like the alternator would be hard for the untrained eye to distinguish between the two types. Also how would i know about the accumulator? Would/should most owners know about this if it has been done.

I'm aware of quotes of around £3k i read for audi to do the chain.
What a realistic price from an independant garage for the same work?

I have a family member who used to be a mechanic with the mentality of "no jobs too big" despite having no garage to work and limited tools, but frankly I'd rather have it in a garage and done professionally and have some legal comeback should anything go wrong

 

[dualmono21]

do not underestimate the timing chain whatever you do

for parts alone the bare minimum kit is around £600 with a full kit coming in at around £3200 both these are without labour
which will be considerable , most independants will not want to do this job as it is very technical and very labour intensive

the two alternator types the main one is a hitachi unit which is water cooled the later versions were not water cooled but started melting and some companies now offer an upgrade to make the units water cooled

the owner will most definitely know there is an oil accumulator on the car as they are all after-market and anyone who has gone to the trouble of fitting one is aware of the massive benefits as regards wear on the guides and tensioners

t0 do the timing chain on a tiptronic they usually remove the entire drive train as a whole then split the torque convertor

 

[Tank.]

Wow didnt realise a full kit was that much. Thanks for the help

Think I'll stay well clear of auto's takes away the pleasure of real driving in my opinion and potentially more expensive to repair

 

[dualmono21]

do not worry about tiptronics if the oil change has been done they should be very very reliable
if you get chance to drive a tip try it .. i drove both before i bought mine and much preferred the tiptronic allthough they are rare over here

 

[p1tse]

At least with auto no need to worry about the clutch change

Chain job is engine out and technical fit as mentioned

Don't think there is a guide to clutch and chain when need doing as I've seen some examples at 60k getting done whilst some at 150k still on original

 

[dualmono21]

No guide on clutch as and when

Reccomend new timing components at 300,000 this includes the chain
No reason they cant get to that kinda mileage if looked after

 

[4wheels]

car buying is always a risk... but long as you havent got the chain rattle thing then itll be fine.
i do about 20mpg on my 4mile trip to work in traffic.
watch tyres as they arent cheap of course... should get a really tidy one for £6500 ish (like mine). as long as its tidy then someone else will always buy it!
ebay is the place to look.
wires in doors break so check the buttons work.

 

[Tank.]

Thanks for the reply, but after some careful consideration it just isnt practical and probably foolish for someone in my situation to get something this big.
I'm not well off enough to justify one and it would most likely become a hinderance rather than a joy.

Turning my attentions to other slightly less beefy audis

 

[crazy88]

Such as.....?

What you got in your plans now? I was the same as you, I wanted a b6 S4, and was considering getting one as our only car, but I opted to keep my b6 1.9tdi and get a second b5 a4 1.8tqs...and I love it. A little cheaper and easier to work on, and won't financially cripple me. In a year or two i'd like to upgrade my b5 a4 to a b5 s4, but we shall see whether that happens.

Good luck with your car searching.

 

[Tank.]

Possibly still a little foolish but an 8L S3 or 8P 3.2 quattro

Maybe still a bit on the thirsty side :\

not so practical being a 3 door but a compromise id be willing to make

 

[S4_dan]

Go for a really tidy B5 S4 Avant?

 

[crazy88]

I was going to suggest a b7 3.0tdi quattro. Will be bags of fun, tuneable and not quite so thirsty.

 

[p1tse]

It's always a good idea to think finances

I've owned a mk1 TT 1.8t 225 remapped and was good and so was the 3.2 v6 r32

The a3 3.2 looks too bland
The s3 will need more money spent on it to get a better feel like new arbs, remap, and additional maintaince if not done like cambelt and water pump done.

So that in mind a standard s4 would be a better buy in my mind at a simlar original £ outlay
Plus I think the s4 would depreciate better from your price bracket

 

[Tank.]

I quite like the plain look of the A3, and with that engine a bit of a sleeper,
Plus like any good enthusiast would have to give it some of my own touches, nice set of wheels, lowered slightly, the usual

 

[p1tse]

Sounds like the 3.2v6 might be the one

Nice cars.
Yes bit of a sleeper but too bland , but lowered and a decent set of rims would be a good start. Don't go big though as will ruin ride and speed

 

[Tank.]

Defo not, made that mistake with my current car bigger rims and smaller profile make it horrendous even on standard suspension.

 

[Markinoxon]

Whatever you decide, be careful if considering the 3.0v6...I've had my mint A4 Cab for 500 miles now and although its gorgeous to drive it's somehow disappointing. I'm looking at a remap to 240bhp and a rs4 rarb in the hope they will add a bit of sparkle. My Bluefin'd 2.2 tdci Mondeo ST (c.185bhp, 6sp and loads of torque) is more fun. I'm a bit gutted.