S4 B6 - Cost of ownership/ work carried out past 2 years

Hi All,

New to this forum, I thought I would post up my experiences with S4 ownership and hopefully can help people with questions on the S4 to help out.

I thought it was time I had a look through all my invoices on what I have spent on the S4 since I purchased it back in Sept 2012 with 95K on the clock. I mainly got it as a weekend car and also to do bits as a hobby.

Here is a list of the service history and costs/ most of the work was carried out by myself to save on huge labour costs, I noted where Audi did the work. I didn't include MOT's or petrol on top of this cost & any tarty bits like painting the calipers etc oh and the amount of wax/ cleaning materials I have used in the past 2 years! I thought this might help anyone looking for an S4 or currently owning one on rough costs

Here is a pic of when I first got the car back in Sept12 after a good clean up




PDI – Peter Gilder Audi, Sheffield – 26/06/03
16691 - Peter Gilder Audi, Sheffield – 23/09/04
33153 - Peter Gilder Audi, Sheffield – 23/09/06
50155 - Peter Gilder Audi, Sheffield – 16/05/07
63492 – Basingstoke Audi – 25/09/08 (used car MPC)
78862 – Newbury Audi – 22/07/10 – (used car MPC) spark plugs/ air filter/ pollen filter/ rear suspension bushes/ Intake manifold (£1400)
30/5/11 -Coil packs (Audi Recall)
87983 – Swindon Audi – 31/10/11 – (Timing Chains/ tensioners/ Clutch & clutch slave cylinder & headlight switch/ Aircon regas/ coolant change & 4 wheel alignment & Service) £3680 – Audi Warranty

I Purchased the car Sept 2012, 95K on the clock

22/09/12 – Airbag connector/ under driver’s seat - £14.40
96652 – Swindon Audi – 09/11/12 – Rocker cover gaskets both banks - £296.29 – Audi Warranty
96664 – Own Service – 10/11/12 – Oil/ filter/ Air filter/ pollen filter & Wiper blades £124.66
97600 – Gearbox/ Diff oil change 02/03/13 – Motul 300 75W90 ester based racing oil - £67.96
97800 – Fitted Milltek Non res cat back exhaust £440
98120 – NS/OS front upper suspension arms + drop links - 20/04/13 - £195.82
98280 – Rocker cover passenger side due to leak + cleaned breather system 23/04/13 - £45
98330 – Alternator belt/ Tensioner & Idler bearing + Snub Mount – 04/05/13 - £132.36
98550 – Coolant temp sensor – 05/06/13 - £61.81
98660 – Aircon sanitizer + pollen filter – 11/06/13 -£33.06
98884 – Front discs/ pads – 06/07/13 - £194.17
99200 – Engine mounts both sides/ ARB’s & starter motor – 01/08/13 - £561.09
99446 – Own Service 13/08/13 – Oil & Filter change/ Spark plugs/ Brake fluid – £103.80
99529 – Audi Swindon – 16/08/13 – Water Pump/ Thermostat/ Coolant expansion bottle & Coolant change - £410.58
22/08/14 - Rear Headlight cover + plastic trim underside £26.10
29/10/14 -4 x Wheel refurb/ powdercoat £254.40
101784 - Changed rear flexi brake hose + Brake fluid change -21/05/14 £41.97
102349 – Own Service 2/08/14 – Oil & Filter change + Pollen filter £80.66
I have also painted the door blades/ colour coded them to the car also sorted out some rust behind the door blade £40
They came out really nice

Hi P1TSE,

I managed to get a 2nd hand Milltek from a guy that had a drop top S4 and only had it fitted for about 600 miles or so, he didn't like it due to being too boomy in the cabin so managed to sort out a deal for £440. I was really pleased and think its worth putting on the S4 as it should of been like that from the factory really.

Hi Dualmono21,

9 years is good going for the S4, as it seems to be a car that ends up being a short term car for a lot of people, I guess it can be a scary prospect with some of the big bills it can produce. For me I love the car and for the money its a bargain car for performance comfort/ safety etc.... not much else out there that can compete for the money. I was looking for an E39 M5 when I was looking around keeping an eye open for an S4 too. Luckily this one came up and had all the major bits done and was just out of Audi warranty too so had been kept well. low owners etc. You still loving it after 9 years? any other things too keep an eye on?

Cheers

Al

Yeah that was the other thing to look out for.... luckily the Aux rads are date stamped 09 & 10 which I checked when I had the front end off to do the Aux belt/ tensioner etc so they must of been replaced in the past maybe as part of the MPC or under Audi warranty. I also hoover out the duct every now and again to stop any crud sitting in there like you say. So far so good.

Post from V_6 Quattro
Nice report. I bet your were pleased to see that big bill of timing chains etc had been done before you purchased ? Looks lovely and shiny mate, black looks great when clean and polished up.

Post from THQuattro
Hi mate i bought a 54 reg black S4 Cab for wife in Jan 14 and so far
One Crank sensor two tyres plus new plugs= 400
Two new key fobs = 280
Cab roof problem with it sticking was a new switch and hydraulic motor cleaned = 250
And 50-60 pound petrol a week for school run and wifes coffee meets.
But i will say What a Car i love it.

monodude said:

Post from V_6 Quattro
Nice report. I bet your were pleased to see that big bill of timing chains etc had been done before you purchased ? Looks lovely and shiny mate, black looks great when clean and polished up.

Post from THQuattro
Hi mate i bought a 54 reg black S4 Cab for wife in Jan 14 and so far
One Crank sensor two tyres plus new plugs= 400
Two new key fobs = 280
Cab roof problem with it sticking was a new switch and hydraulic motor cleaned = 250
And 50-60 pound petrol a week for school run and wifes coffee meets.
But i will say What a Car i love it.

Click to expand...

That was half the reason why I went for the car, I didn't want to get one that didn't have the major problems done as it could of been a potential money pit, it was the same with the M5 with the vanos units etc.The brilliant Black is a cool colour when its clean bit like a mirror. however it takes a lot to keep it clean! I have also had a new key which was done via Audi warranty just before I got the car.

Cheers

Al

Yeah sounds like someone had the ECU out in the past, a lot of things with car problem comes down to people fiddling with stuff and not doing the job right. Sometimes you can get water around the ECU if the drain holes get full of muck. Always worth checking this is flowing freely to prevent any future issues. Especially this time of year with all the crap that falls off the trees.

Cheers

Al

Hey all

So now coming up to 3 years of ownership, here are some more updates on my car and costs.

I have only done 3000 miles since last year (2nd car etc)
27/10/14 - Replaced siren unit (preventative maintenance) brand new unit £35
08/03/15 - Replaced rear discs/ pads (pagid) & new brake fluid cap £122.67
26/06/15 - Audi dealer, New Wheel bearing/ hub, Fuel filter & Aircon service & health check (nothing to report) £484
04/07/15 - Cleaned/ checked breather system + new PCV valve £20
14/07/15 - Own Service, oil, filter, Air filter, Pollen Filter, wiper blades £133.45

Total £795.12

MOT - 14/08/15 - 105,585 miles
Fast Idle results:-

CO = 0.004 /Max limit = 0.200
HC = 1 /Max Limit = 200
Lambda = 1.012

Natural idle:-

CO = 0.002/ Max limit = 0.300
So the car is running pretty good at the minute and cats are still doing their job nicely.
The only advisory was the front flexi pipe on one side was showing its age, I have replacements sitting in my tool box ready to fit from when I did the rears just didn't get round to it.

Apart from that the car is running really well and still enjoying it, so have a few little jobs still to do like the lumbar support but the temp fix is working nicely

Cheers

Al

Hi All,

Little update for anyone interested and understanding ownership of an S4.

Ok... now up to 4 years ownership with the trusty old B6 S4. Due to a few health issues at the end of last year I didnt get to use it much so only covered 2672 miles since the last MOT.

Anyway, this year I have only done the following work.

23/05/16 - Changed front flexi brake pipes including metal pipes from calipers/ changed 4 x hose mounting brackets. New rear suspsension bump stops and obviously a brake fluid change. In addition while the rear arch covers were out I rubbed down and rust proofed inside the arches. £90

29/07/16 - Oil and filter change £59.24

So in total I have spent £3801.37 over the past 4 years of ownership so averaging £950 on up keep each year and averaging just over 3300miles per year. The majority of the costs are when I first got it, so the final years are a lot less. The car passed the MOT no problem and is still running very well from emissions point of view. I only fill up with the Shell Nitro fuel which probably helps.

MOT - 26/08/16 - 108,257 miles - Pass with no advisories!
Fast Idle results:-

CO = 0.005 /Max limit = 0.200
HC = 4 /Max Limit = 200
Lambda = 1.010

Natural idle:-
CO = 0.007/ Max limit = 0.300

Still loving the car, prices have probably hit the bottom point now so would expect the nice ones to start going up in price. So not getting rid of it yet as it perfect for a 2nd car.

Cheers

Al