Newbie Info please

[shamus_mcd]

Hi guys i'm looking for advice please as i'm thinking of buyng a RS4 2006/07 sort of area.
I'm currently driving a BMW 2001 e39 M5 and would like something newer. I had a S2 many years ago and loved it. I have always liked the RS4 shape (saloon).
1. What should I be looking for.
2. Is there any common faults (I'm not sure if the RS4 suffers from the same problem as RS6 in suspension leaking)
Advice please guys as I'm swithering but I also don't want to be throughing loads of money at it also.
My car has only got 73k on it and runs like a dream and I've had very little problems with it (touch wood)
What kind of running cost for it and what's the service interval etc etc.
What sort of cost should I be looking at for this sort of age?
Thanks and look forward to replys.
No BMW jokes please!

 

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1) flat bottom steering wheel is common want and Sat nav is pretty much a must. Bucket seats look nice but try them as they don't suit everybody's shape. I don't htink anything else is really a "must have" but bluetooth integration is nice.

2) DRC damper problem first found on the RS4 and appears to be common. Check the service history to see if any have been replaced. Look for leask on the dampers (so take a good torch with you) - don't be too worried about dampness on it as they do breathe a little. Make sure no noise/knoick when going over speed bumps or simlar. If worried then make sure the car has a rock solid full audi service history and you'll be able to claim on the goodwill warranty should they fail.
Check the exhaust valves open and close and that there is a noticable "kick" and noise change when accelerating hard and the engine speed climbs over 5k rpm (2nd gear is best for this).
If you get buckets check they inflate - expensive to fix but to be honest I wouldn't reject a car based on this alone.

For a good 06-07 plate car looking at between 26k-33k depending on private or audi dealer and mileage. Don't jump in the first one you see and worth looking for the one thats "just right".

Service interval is either fixed at 12month/10k miles or variable which is up to 24months/20k miles.
Dpending on use the mpg is about 16 round town/traffic or 26-28 on a motorway run. average about 22-24. Tyres about 250 ish/corner and you need to keep an eye on them as with the 4wd you want even wear so you tend to replace in pairs or all together.

 

[shamus_mcd]

1) flat bottom steering wheel is common want and Sat nav is pretty much a must. Bucket seats look nice but try them as they don't suit everybody's shape. I don't htink anything else is really a "must have" but bluetooth integration is nice.

2) DRC damper problem first found on the RS4 and appears to be common. Check the service history to see if any have been replaced. Look for leask on the dampers (so take a good torch with you) - don't be too worried about dampness on it as they do breathe a little. Make sure no noise/knoick when going over speed bumps or simlar. If worried then make sure the car has a rock solid full audi service history and you'll be able to claim on the goodwill warranty should they fail.
Check the exhaust valves open and close and that there is a noticable "kick" and noise change when accelerating hard and the engine speed climbs over 5k rpm (2nd gear is best for this).
If you get buckets check they inflate - expensive to fix but to be honest I wouldn't reject a car based on this alone.

For a good 06-07 plate car looking at between 26k-33k depending on private or audi dealer and mileage. Don't jump in the first one you see and worth looking for the one thats "just right".

Service interval is either fixed at 12month/10k miles or variable which is up to 24months/20k miles.
Dpending on use the mpg is about 16 round town/traffic or 26-28 on a motorway run. average about 22-24. Tyres about 250 ish/corner and you need to keep an eye on them as with the 4wd you want even wear so you tend to replace in pairs or all together.

Thank you for taking the time mate. I was looking at one in Glasgow Audi and they were looking for 32k and it never had the sport seats (The sales guy never knew of any problems regarding the dampers in the RS4 all he wanted was a sale)
If any one else can think of anything it would be most helpful.

 

[shamus_mcd]

1) flat bottom steering wheel is common want and Sat nav is pretty much a must. Bucket seats look nice but try them as they don't suit everybody's shape. I don't htink anything else is really a "must have" but bluetooth integration is nice.

2) DRC damper problem first found on the RS4 and appears to be common. Check the service history to see if any have been replaced. Look for leask on the dampers (so take a good torch with you) - don't be too worried about dampness on it as they do breathe a little. Make sure no noise/knoick when going over speed bumps or simlar. If worried then make sure the car has a rock solid full audi service history and you'll be able to claim on the goodwill warranty should they fail.
Check the exhaust valves open and close and that there is a noticable "kick" and noise change when accelerating hard and the engine speed climbs over 5k rpm (2nd gear is best for this). (is the click on the rear of exhaust or front?)
If you get buckets check they inflate - expensive to fix but to be honest I wouldn't reject a car based on this alone. Is this the same idea as New M5 (sorry know more about BMws than audis)

For a good 06-07 plate car looking at between 26k-33k depending on private or audi dealer and mileage. Don't jump in the first one you see and worth looking for the one thats "just right".

Service interval is either fixed at 12month/10k miles or variable which is up to 24months/20k miles.
Dpending on use the mpg is about 16 round town/traffic or 26-28 on a motorway run. average about 22-24. Tyres about 250 ish/corner and you need to keep an eye on them as with the 4wd you want even wear so you tend to replace in pairs or all together.

I spoke to a guy on the BM forum who done 30k in a year in his 2 services and new tyres and had his shock replaced under warranty at 20k.
How long do the shock last REALISTICALLY or do they get after market ones fitted to solve the problem happening again?
I like the black and the daytona grey colour

not sure about the black wheels in this picture but like this colour.

 

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The problem isn't they only last x time. The first few designs were flawed (mainly affecting B7 RS4's and C6 RS6's). After much customer complaining Audi do seem to have sorted it and the latest gen (gen3) appear to be better but still fairly new so hard to say. That being said there are plenty of gen2 ones working fine so whilst yes it is a problem I would say that if you are looking second hand and either the DRC has been changed or there is no evidence of fluid leaking around the damper (which you should be checking for anyway regardles of the car) then I'd take that as a good indicator.
Audi will not fit aftermarket.
If it does go then Audi give a 75000/5 year goodwill warranty on them so not the end of the world. Does require a good audi service history as it's not a warranty or recall just goodwill. If it fails and you have to fix yourself then looking at about 3k bill (for one pair). My view (and that of many owners I've spoken) is that if it goes and audi fix it then fine, if they don't then it'll be junked and there's plenty of full aftermarket solutions that offer the same or better performance for 3k all fitted (some cheaper than 2k).

The seats work using air pumps to inflate bags mounted within the seat in four places (left/right sides and a high/low lumbar support). You have a manual adjust button for all of them and the side bolsters can be set to automatically inflate when the sport button is pressed. It's common that seals and/or solenoids can fail meaning that the seats deflate again within a few minutes rendering the feature a bit pointless. However, the lumbar support adjustment is limited anyway and I would guess most people don't like the side bolsters inflating too much as the bucket seats are allready a very snug fit. If it wasn't fitted most wouldn't be bothered. A dealer fix is going to be 1-2k as it's labour charge to get at it.

it's not a click at 5k but a kick in the back as the throttle opens fully (it's restricted slightly below 5k rpm to protect the transmission) and the extra air intake valve opens in the engine bay. You should in 2nd gear under full throttle notice a distinct and noticable acceleration surge (think turbo lag) and noise tone change to the engine. However the exhaust valves for noise can be seen easily when looking up the tail pipes and these should open and close when you activate the sport button.

 

[PetrolAholic]

Loads of people have spoken to me about the DRC issue, not had any problems with mine, would I notice any difference in ride/handling?

 

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"Depends".
Slightly down on pressure you'd not notice much except a clunk when driving slowly over speed bumps (not too slow though).
Although this can be the steering rack it's an early sign.

If the system has really gone low through a leak then the car will not feel as sure footed esp over country roads. It'll fell slugish and possibly a bit wayward. You'd not notice it too much unless you were hussling a bit though.

Alternatively get a flashlight and take a decent look at the shocks. Dirty or sweating is ok but evidence of fluid on the shock inner rod inside the spring is a big warning light that something is up.