purchacing an s4 help
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1st Gear
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 70
purchacing an s4 help
i'm seriously looking at purchacing a 2002 s4. it has 91k.... the price is right $8k. the car is imaculate. but the more and more i read the forums, the more i get a sense i could be making a purchace that will cost me a whole lot more later. the timing belt has not been changed yet. i'm somewhat mechanically encline, and have changed timing belts on previous vehicles. is it worth me doing it myself, or having a shop do it? also... i test drove the car today! a kick in the pants! but is there a way for me to tell externally whether or not the turbos are on the fritz? and if they are in good condition...how long before i can expect them to go out? will they make it past 150k? i have a million questions.... any kind of insight would be greatly appreciated. i love the vehicle, i just want to make sure its a worth while investment... a reliable investment. thanks!
1st Gear
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 439
From: Michigan
Well, I've got 148,000 miles on mine and the turbos are still pullin strong, knock on wood. If the turbos are on their way out you'll hear a high pitched noise. Sort of like a dentist drill, and the noise will be loud. Anytime you chip the car, or add more boost you'll run the risk of endin their lifespan quicker. I would say that I'm not a master mechanic, but I'd say I'm pretty mechanically inclined. And changing the timing belt and water pump seemed to be one of the easiest things I've ever done on the car. Maybe it was just because I had the DIY from the internet, but it seemed easy. Just time consuming. And just make sure you don't rotate the sprockets and ruin the timing. Otherwise you are screwed. But honestly it wasn't hard making sure they stayed right. Mark them well and check constantly.
From the reliability stand point, it all depends on how much you rag on the car. Or if you let the turbos warm up and cool down. The more you mod the car, the less reliable it gets. Sure, things seem to break quicker than any other car I've owned. But this car has a LOT more than any other car I've ever owned. So really if you get a really good deal and know how to wrench, then you should be set.
From the reliability stand point, it all depends on how much you rag on the car. Or if you let the turbos warm up and cool down. The more you mod the car, the less reliable it gets. Sure, things seem to break quicker than any other car I've owned. But this car has a LOT more than any other car I've ever owned. So really if you get a really good deal and know how to wrench, then you should be set.