Went to look at a B7 RS4 for the first time and have a couple of q's?

[Braveheart]

Hi Folks,

Went to see a nice example of a used RS4 yesterday, first time I've looked at one of these, would appreciate if anyone can clear up a couple of points for me.

1. The strips that run across the bottom of the doors. When you look along the side profile of the car (i.e. if looking for parking dents) these strips are far from being smooth, in fact they have a ripple like effect, the dealer (indie) says that's normal due to them being made of plastic and held on with clips which then distorts the plastic a bit, is that right, seems odd that Audi would have designed it like that on a 50K car.

2. The two auxillary radiators behind the front bumper. These are the originals and I'm sure I detected a very mild sweet smell so I suspect a slight leak of antifreeze, which means they'll probably need replacing before long, is that a DIY job? (I'm no professional mechanic but reasonably handy and have a 2 post ramp at home). Anyone had this done at an Audi dealer and can give a price?

3. Both headlights had condensation in them near the bottom. The dealer says this goes away after a half hour drive. Is that a common occurrence on these cars and something to worry about / budget for, would the entire headlight units need replacing if it gets worse?

Many thanks,
Kev

 

[mikep99]

Hi Kev,

Hope this helps a bit:

1 - yep, a common occurrence. The dealer is correct. The 'blades' are actually the same as the ones on standard B6 A4s and the metal inside them can corrode causing the plastic outer to ripple. I've changed the drivers door one on mine - from memory, they're about £120 each new from the dealers + paint.

2 - although I've had no problems with mine, I've read that changing the aux rads is easy enough and it sounds that you'd be more than capable of tackling it yourself. Some owners have removed the drivers side aux rad completely and installed a cold air feed and aftermarket filter. Don't think it gives any more horses though...

3 - not sure on this. Sounds like the headlights have been opened up at some point.

Mike

 

[Braveheart]

Great Mike, many thanks for that. The headlights are indeed a concern, would be interested to hear from any other RS4 owners if they have experienced a similar problem?