I love my car too much to give it away, but check this out!

Since I pulled it off the lot in Nashville back in Sep Ive had the following:


-Windshield washer fluid leaking ($120)
Repaired, was at fault due to clamps not being installed on headlight washer hosesafter RS4 body kit went on, fluid would dump out as soon as it was poured in

-Drivers side door handle did not work ($54)
Repaired, entire assembly broke due to wear. Without a warranty the cost would have been $500

-Trim piece boken during repair to door handle ($0, but needed to drive 60miles once they got the piece in to get it fixed)

-Fuel system, ABS, Stability Control failure ($480)
Repaired, this was causing random multiple misfires like crazy then it just shorted out the fuel system fuse and ABS/Stab control lights went off on the dash. Turns out the dealership installed the exhaust and hung a wire improperly, the heat insulation wore through then the wire insulation melted and exposed the wires which fried the fuel system fuse after I hit a bump.

-Brakes (previous owners fault, cost to me....$554)
This was so stupid, the new set of brake pads that needed to go on the car cost $180 front/rear. They take those pads that I paid for then charge me 554 because they find the aftermarket wheels dont fit because the calipers have expanded against the rim, so they have to put my stock wheels back on and balance them. Now I need wheel spacers for the front to keep my aftermarket wheels on the car. They come in the mail in 2 weeks. But 140/hour for that.....not worth it.

-Rear skirt piece broken (374+paint=expensive)
This was a problem that I let go until it literally disapeared. After owning the car for 2 days a gas station underground fuel tank cover got caught on my car and bounced along the bottom until it nailed the RS4 kits rear skirt. The crack was minimal and with all the other problems I ignored it. Finally it rained and as the car went through a puddle (8inches deep) the force of the water broke it fully and tore half of it off. The other half was hanging from the car when I got home. It took one month for an "intact" skirt piece to arrive from California. Not cheap, not easy.

-Clutch, Flywheel, Axel, Crank bearings, Turbo Gaskets ($2800+tax)
Repaired, for the love of Mike. I was shifting normally and the car wouldnt go into 4th gear. I dont peel all 4, I dont launch the car. Its fast enough without all the track stress. I have it towed to my barracks($60), get my insurance to have towing and the next day ship it to Nashville for repairs. The dealer tells me that the clutch and flywheel are toast and they are aftermarket (no warranty coverage). Since this was not explained to me before I bought the car I could sue but, screw it. I send the car to another shop in order to avoid the 140/hour charge from the dealership. The shop takes it in, pulls it apart and says the aluminum flywheel warped, putting stress on the clutch which disintigrated (you spell it) the clutch. As they pulled the car apart to get at it they found blow by markings by the, you guessed it, disintegrated gaskets on the turbos( I felt a loss in power and smelled fuel, this was the reason.) Then as the clutch and fly came off they found severe play in the crank. So the bearingsgot changed out. As the drive train came down the saw extreme play in the rear axel. So it went to an axel repair shop. 4,300 was the quote for stock components to gointo the car at the dealership. And that was for the clutch and fly, only. This guy hooked me up 615-256-8165 (Nashville Transmission - Rick) 2800, he did it all. And now it has a stage 2 clutch with a stage 6 steel fly with alum weighting. Not unwarpable, but sturdy as hell!

Dedicated, if you drive an Audi S4, you get dedicated fast. Its so god forsaken quick and after you drive one, you wont know why you ever considered another car. Ive driven Scion Tc's, toyota celica, toyota supra, all series of mustangs, A4, etc. it just pulls you around cars, gets up to 170 and doesnt scream for you to stop. I need a cold shower.....but I tell ya, if you can afford it.....do it. Just have some deep pockets, you pay for the exprience.

 

welcome to world of audi

 

ur car is uber hot

 

Nice...

Can u afford a shower after all that?[]

Yes be prepared to $$$ when some thing goes wrong on the S4, so many guys buy em and just wont to chip the thing regardles if they no the thing is running ok or not[:@]

 

Sounds like normal stuff, most seam to be a product of poor maintenance, poor parts (fiberglass bumpers, wrong rims).
Most of the cost could have been taken care of with a good pre purchase inspection.

Clutches are usually never covered by any warranty.

While I know & understand where you are coming from , learn to DIY & save the cash for mods.

 

I agree with you entirely, unfortunatly this isnt my can o' worms. Clutches dont disintigrate after owning the car for 4 months. The previous owner obviously was an idiot. The kit was poly, but I couldnt find a polyurethane replacement for the rear skirt so I had to buy a fiberglass piece instead, the rest is still polyurethane. At least she pulls hard now, I picked her up today after that whole clutch ordeal. AWE Stage 2-3 clutch and stage 6 race fly, what a feeling. Ill let everyone know whats its like after the break in period if you are looking to buy one.

 

I must say, even tho i'm new, I've noticed that the Bi-turbo'd S4's are the ones that cost $$$$ to own and maintain. Spoke with a dealership about getting me an 04-05 S4 (v8) and asked about the extended warranty. He told me that owning the V8 would be cheaper as far as maintaince cost's compared to the Bi-Turbo'd S4. That the extended warranty would be cheaper for the V8 then the Bi-Turbo.

Sure owning an Audi in general is expensive (Mom had an 88 5000 and it took alot of work until she just sold it) but i'm sure the V8's are a little bit "cheaper" to own and maintain than the Bi-Turbo versions...

 

Has the dealership also told u that the with some of theearly B6 S4's that they rebulit engines, had to do timing chains and some of the manual gearboxs were also being rebulit.

And trust me these would be $$$ if u were outa warranty[:'(]

 

When I was in fixing that trim piece it took forever, so I went to lunch. the guy that sold me my car saw me and told me to take the new S4 convertable down to Sonic. Smooth, the hydraulic clutch was kinda trippy for me, since I am so used to cable. But there was one problem. Im not saying this goes for all of the new ones, but the dealer noticed it too. As I was trying to put it in reverse to get out of the parking lot, it wouldnt go. Push down, slide it into first.....nothing. So after a few attempts to half clutch it, re cluch it, half push down the shifter, I just slam it. And with a resounding clunk of achievement it went into reverse. It frustrated the hell out of me. Most people would say that the linkage to the shifter needs adjustment but when I went inside to talk to the dealer, he explained that out of all the S4's on his lot, that was the best at going into reverse. Wierd huh? As far as maintinance goes, im not sure any car could get much worse than this one. Still love it though, its all for fun

 

See now that i'm reading more about these... i'm 2nd thinking my purchase. I want something with a good amount of speed , has good handeling, and isnt demanding on maintance. Other choices of mine were a g35c/350z, STI limited, IS350, or if I could find one at a good price, M3

Sorry guys, I'm not trying to thread jack. If I am, i'll just make a seperate thread about this. Just didnt want to at first because I dont want to add to the already made threads even tho they arent specific to my situation