How you finding your motors?
Good, bad, views and things you're thinking about be it mods, change of motor etc
Good, bad, views and things you're thinking about be it mods, change of motor etc
Active s4 forum members your reviews please
- Thread starter p1tse
- Start date
had my car 8 years now bought it from audi edinburgh
very little gone wrong in that time
few things to look out for on the engine , most prominant and important is timing chain if it rattles for more than a second on start up whilst pressurising the tensioners change the oil asap
if your looking at buying one and its doing this from clock cold walk away and find another
also check the second stage of the inlet manifold is working correctly as new ones are in excess of £1000
alternator is unique to the car and is water cooled...first sign of trouble get one ordered
air con can be problematic as again is unique to the car with the compressor being reversed
pumps seize or drive coupling snaps , theres even a couple of cases of the drive coupling not snapping when it should have and damage done to the timing gear and chain , some owners have even gone so far as to remove the drive coupling to avoid this ever happening
secondary radiators get leaves stuck in them and rot
expensive to replace , but can be looked after well if your prepared to get your hands mucky
top arms often need replacing and are very difficult to get off the car
if you replace the full set id advise a good 4 wheel alignment to make sure its all running correctly
mods wise
engine doesnt like anything other than the stock air box as there is a secondary radiator directly underneath which usually heats the air too much ... so avoid aftermarket cold air systems
biggest gain power wise is replacing exhaust preferably with a quality system
milltek offer 2 alternatives resonanted and non resonated resonated is quiet in the car but still loud outside non resonated is loud everywhere but suffers bad droning at motorway cruising speeds
there is also an option for high flow cats but a few owners have had problems as the design may not be quite upto scratch
(cats are too close to engine and burn out) leaving the owner with a very expensive bill
the alternative is to remove the pre cat which is where all the restriction is ... a very very worthwhile modification
rs4 rear anti roll bar swap is good for stiffening car up , but at the expense of rear grip
service parts are not bad at all , brake parts are a little expensive but id reccomend fitting quality items
very little gone wrong in that time
few things to look out for on the engine , most prominant and important is timing chain if it rattles for more than a second on start up whilst pressurising the tensioners change the oil asap
if your looking at buying one and its doing this from clock cold walk away and find another
also check the second stage of the inlet manifold is working correctly as new ones are in excess of £1000
alternator is unique to the car and is water cooled...first sign of trouble get one ordered
air con can be problematic as again is unique to the car with the compressor being reversed
pumps seize or drive coupling snaps , theres even a couple of cases of the drive coupling not snapping when it should have and damage done to the timing gear and chain , some owners have even gone so far as to remove the drive coupling to avoid this ever happening
secondary radiators get leaves stuck in them and rot
expensive to replace , but can be looked after well if your prepared to get your hands mucky
top arms often need replacing and are very difficult to get off the car
if you replace the full set id advise a good 4 wheel alignment to make sure its all running correctly
mods wise
engine doesnt like anything other than the stock air box as there is a secondary radiator directly underneath which usually heats the air too much ... so avoid aftermarket cold air systems
biggest gain power wise is replacing exhaust preferably with a quality system
milltek offer 2 alternatives resonanted and non resonated resonated is quiet in the car but still loud outside non resonated is loud everywhere but suffers bad droning at motorway cruising speeds
there is also an option for high flow cats but a few owners have had problems as the design may not be quite upto scratch
(cats are too close to engine and burn out) leaving the owner with a very expensive bill
the alternative is to remove the pre cat which is where all the restriction is ... a very very worthwhile modification
rs4 rear anti roll bar swap is good for stiffening car up , but at the expense of rear grip
service parts are not bad at all , brake parts are a little expensive but id reccomend fitting quality items
GeoffDunk
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12 mths in, 2003 S4, had 89k on the clock now has 114k in the 14 mths and loving it. Had to do a few routine jobs as you would expect for a 100k car but all in all very very pleased with it.
Mods:
RNS-e
RS4 RAB
LED inside and out
Maintinence:
@89k
Detailed and life-shined in the 1st week of having the vehicle
@90k
Rocker cover gaskets (they always leak)
Coils pack recall (FOC from Audi UK)
New starter motor
Full service inc plugs
Speed limiter removed
@100k
Pirelli's swapped out fo Continentals (factory spec)
Front suspension rebuilt, all upper and lower arms and bushes
Both front CV joints replaced (one started to slightly make a noise so I replaced both)
Replace rear exhaust brakcet (near side)
New front disk & pads
New rear pads
@112k
Full service not inc. plugs
G/box and diff oil change
Jobs outstanding:
Replace engine mounts
Rear engine oil seal
I have put it through 2 MOT's and it passed both times with no advisories. This is probably partly down to me looking after the vehicle correctly and not letting it get into a condition where by it would ever fail.
Mine is a saloon, I would have bought the avant out of choice but the car became availabe after my brother-in-law could not afford to run it. He had it for 12 mths and did 900 miles, I have had it for 14 mths now and in the 1st 12 mths I did 20k miles.
The only thing I would now swap it for would be an RS4, I see no other choice, actively looking in 2014 for a low milage example.
I look after the vehicle but don't be fooled, it gets used, I've done a lot of miles and all have been fun and some have been extremly fun. The car has been driven in all weathers and in some rare cases very hard!
I resently got pulled up local to my home after leaving work at 1am after enjoying a good hard rive home running the car to the rev limiter in all 6 gears. Got pulled up and let off which was very cool of the officier, he was a decent chap.
Any way, i have waffled on for long enough lol, If you have any other questions then give me a shout.
Geoff
Mods:
RNS-e
RS4 RAB
LED inside and out
Maintinence:
@89k
Detailed and life-shined in the 1st week of having the vehicle
@90k
Rocker cover gaskets (they always leak)
Coils pack recall (FOC from Audi UK)
New starter motor
Full service inc plugs
Speed limiter removed
@100k
Pirelli's swapped out fo Continentals (factory spec)
Front suspension rebuilt, all upper and lower arms and bushes
Both front CV joints replaced (one started to slightly make a noise so I replaced both)
Replace rear exhaust brakcet (near side)
New front disk & pads
New rear pads
@112k
Full service not inc. plugs
G/box and diff oil change
Jobs outstanding:
Replace engine mounts
Rear engine oil seal
I have put it through 2 MOT's and it passed both times with no advisories. This is probably partly down to me looking after the vehicle correctly and not letting it get into a condition where by it would ever fail.
Mine is a saloon, I would have bought the avant out of choice but the car became availabe after my brother-in-law could not afford to run it. He had it for 12 mths and did 900 miles, I have had it for 14 mths now and in the 1st 12 mths I did 20k miles.
The only thing I would now swap it for would be an RS4, I see no other choice, actively looking in 2014 for a low milage example.
I look after the vehicle but don't be fooled, it gets used, I've done a lot of miles and all have been fun and some have been extremly fun. The car has been driven in all weathers and in some rare cases very hard!
I resently got pulled up local to my home after leaving work at 1am after enjoying a good hard rive home running the car to the rev limiter in all 6 gears. Got pulled up and let off which was very cool of the officier, he was a decent chap.
Any way, i have waffled on for long enough lol, If you have any other questions then give me a shout.
Geoff
Thanks for both the responses
If car has been driven nicely what's the life expectancy of clutch and dual mass flywheel?
Is there any services to the cam chains, tensioners apart from good oil and regular?
If car has been driven nicely what's the life expectancy of clutch and dual mass flywheel?
Is there any services to the cam chains, tensioners apart from good oil and regular?
clutches are known for being a little weak on manuals , much stronger on the tiptronics as its the same gearbox on the rs6
you can get 5 differant service packs to do the can chain and tensioners
they start about £600 for minimal kit and go upto £4000 for everything both these are without labour
regular oil changes and the correct oil is essential
you can get 5 differant service packs to do the can chain and tensioners
they start about £600 for minimal kit and go upto £4000 for everything both these are without labour
regular oil changes and the correct oil is essential
sammi
Registered User
we have had a b6 s4 auto cab for 14 months its a 54 plate with 49k on the clock, other than a steering angle sensor, tyres, breaks, usual wear and tear its been perfect. parts so far have been no more expensive than our b7 a4. Mind you it needs 10 litres of oil for an oil change though! The fuel consumption is anywhere between 18 mpg up to 28mpg in the nice weather.
Mods : new wheels just to make it more mine really, a cupra splitter as the front of the cab is so boring with the se bumper, its been re mapped and as we speak its being lowered. also white side light bulbs as the standard side light bulbs look so yellow against the xenon head lights
Mods : new wheels just to make it more mine really, a cupra splitter as the front of the cab is so boring with the se bumper, its been re mapped and as we speak its being lowered. also white side light bulbs as the standard side light bulbs look so yellow against the xenon head lights
sammi
Registered User
Hi,
5 1/2 years in mine now and about 30,000 miles.
Things that have broken so far:
*both small radiators(2 years apart)
*thermostat (cow of a job apparently)
*rocker cover gasket (weeping again so needs doing again soon)
*coil packs (replaced by audi for free)
Ive got a milltek cat back, RS4 rarb, porsche cayenne front brakes, coilovers, K&N pannel filter and prob a few more things that have slipped my mind.
I was only 22 when I bought mine and tbh it has been driven fairly hard at times but always lived upto any abuse I have thrown at it.
As far as I'm aware it was on its original clutch when I bought it at 46,000, its had god knows how many launches and its still on its original and going strong!
I love mine but I'm now starting to look at new S4's with their superchargers and easily achievable 400+bhp, the only thing stopping me is knowing how much money I've ploughed into mine and the fact it is modified means it will be worth less than a standard 1.
5 1/2 years in mine now and about 30,000 miles.
Things that have broken so far:
*both small radiators(2 years apart)
*thermostat (cow of a job apparently)
*rocker cover gasket (weeping again so needs doing again soon)
*coil packs (replaced by audi for free)
Ive got a milltek cat back, RS4 rarb, porsche cayenne front brakes, coilovers, K&N pannel filter and prob a few more things that have slipped my mind.
I was only 22 when I bought mine and tbh it has been driven fairly hard at times but always lived upto any abuse I have thrown at it.
As far as I'm aware it was on its original clutch when I bought it at 46,000, its had god knows how many launches and its still on its original and going strong!
I love mine but I'm now starting to look at new S4's with their superchargers and easily achievable 400+bhp, the only thing stopping me is knowing how much money I've ploughed into mine and the fact it is modified means it will be worth less than a standard 1.
its not worth less , the mods you have done are worthwhile and anyone who has owned an s4 for a while will probably want exactly the same
sammi
Registered User
Sorry my bad I read yr reply wrong, The only difference is that the front grill on the cab is part if the bumper. On the saloon it's part of the bonnet . I think that's it!! I believe that all b6 s4 s have an se bumper.
I've had a closer look at a couple of eBay ads
Avant and saloon if you look where the xenon washers are its more angled on the bumper whilst the saloon is more smooth and curved
I do prefer the lines on the 4/5dr due to the wheel arches and the rubber side skirt mouldings but already have a BMW touring in household so don't need an avant and the cab would tick off one of those wish lists of not had before
Would prefer non auto having had dsg in r32 and auto box currently so want to enjoy the manual experience
Seem a couple of 130-150k ad examples with no mention of clutch changes!!!
Avant and saloon if you look where the xenon washers are its more angled on the bumper whilst the saloon is more smooth and curved
I do prefer the lines on the 4/5dr due to the wheel arches and the rubber side skirt mouldings but already have a BMW touring in household so don't need an avant and the cab would tick off one of those wish lists of not had before
Would prefer non auto having had dsg in r32 and auto box currently so want to enjoy the manual experience
Seem a couple of 130-150k ad examples with no mention of clutch changes!!!
sammi
Registered User
We chose s4 to replace our nizmo r34 skyline after 5 years of ownership and 10 years of skylines and at the time we also had a 56 plate a6 . The Nissan was so much fun to drive but lacked the quality of the audi. We loved the v8 and I had never had a convertible so I won that choice! It's an amazing car but I do sometimes miss the rigidness that you massivley loose on the cab. It could handle a lot better but the noise and power takes that away! My husband also has a 535d estate so it is best of both worlds! I wouldn't be put off of auto we ended up putting a deposit on a Manual and bought an auto as we realised there was nothing in it and the spec was more important as they vary so much.
GeoffDunk
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According to my full paperwork I am still on the orginal clutch and flywheel @ 114k and I do launch the car when needed.
When I do the rear oil seal I'll do the clutch, maybe even the flywheel just in case.
good idea , launching the car puts tremendous strain on the clutch and drivetrain and depending on how often you do it it wont last long like that
GeoffDunk
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I've done a lot of miles and I use the car hard every now and again and realy enjoy it. In the dry both the M3 and C63 were just as good fun if not better but it would have to be bone dry and good weather. M3 was as old as my S4 and cost a lot more to run, C63 was brand new and a company vehicle so that got a lot of hard use and I went through 6 tyres in the 1st 9 mths, 2 fronts 4 rears lol.
So far the clutch has held up well, I am aware that its the original and I will change it as soon as it needs it. Recent oil service on diff and g/box has proven to show that both units are in good shape too.
I am saving the engine out work for clutch, rear engine oil seal and possible a new DM flywheel.
Seems i need to possibley double check the front aux rads.
if its not losing coolant leave it well alone ... if its parked near trees or reguarly gets leaves anywhere near it clean it out everytime you wash the car
leaves and plant matter build up around the bottom of the auxiilary radiators and rot the mountings and pipework
we use a spray on copperslip grease at work and when last i removed the bumper to do the auxillary belt i cleaned everything up with the jet wash and sprayed the front of the auxillary radiators with copperslip .... been brilliant ever since and water wont rot them
leaves and plant matter build up around the bottom of the auxiilary radiators and rot the mountings and pipework
we use a spray on copperslip grease at work and when last i removed the bumper to do the auxillary belt i cleaned everything up with the jet wash and sprayed the front of the auxillary radiators with copperslip .... been brilliant ever since and water wont rot them
GeoffDunk
Registered User
- Joined
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- www.gdluxurytransport.co.uk
