Hey guys [and gals], my name is Ryan and I am joinin' to continue on researching before I make my purchase within' the next few months. For the last 4+ years I have owned, and built, a few Nissan 240sx's and have transitioned out of that stage.. even though I am missing it now. While driving my hatchback I was looking at getting a Volkswagen GLI this upcoming spring. Well before winter, I spun a bearing in my engine while drifting and had to retire my hatchback early and had to buy a beater to get me through my Chicago Winter....

I've always appreciated and loved the balance between Audi's luxury and power, and after researching more its grown even stronger... I've spent the few months creeping, learning and researching and have come to the conclusion that I intend to buy a Bi-Turbo B5 S4 and now lets just see if I am lucky enough to find the White on Blue combination... If not I will settle for a Silver or Black.

I may be new here but I am not new to forums, and come from the most dick filled 240 forum ever so I understand searching, etc, and intend to do so. If you'd like to give a kick in the few direction with the following questions if you're reading this, i'd appreciate it:

1) Other then the notorious Water Pump/Timing belt replacement at 80k, is there anything else dierly important to specifically inquire about when looking at the B5 S4?

2) I saw that the Passanger side turbo has the opportunity to fail, is there a way to look into this when buying the car, obviously with it on the car? Or is it just luck of the draw?

If theres anything else off the top of your head that you want to chime in with, feel free!

Happy to be a member, and looking forward to contribute to the AF.com community.

~Ryan

 

You're right about handling the timing service immediately if there are no service records to prove it has been handled. ECSTuning.com sells prepackaged kits with almost everything you need for the job (beyond the kit, be sure to order a new snub mount for $7-8). Other than that, go into the B5 A4 subforum and check the FAQ sticky at the top. It'll give you a rundown of the typical fail points on the B5 chassis (it's written for the A4 but the S4 shares the same design and most components and this info applies). As for the turbo question, the telltales are a dental-drill sound under boost and oil smoke from the exhaust. You can access some of the intercooler piping from under the front of the car - pop the clamps and check for oil in the pipes. Some oil is to be expected due to shaft seal leakage as a function of age, but there shouldn't be a lot. And replacing turbos means pulling the engine on an S4, so bear that in mind when shopping for your car. And it goes without saying, maintenance records are a great asset especially with cars like the S4, which can be problematic to say the least.

 

Devil, I really appreciate you taking the time to chime in with your response. I may have already visited the sticky, but with my A.D.D. I was jumping all over the site, so I may have missed it and will head over there now! Again, thanks for the response.