So for the last couple weeks ive been looking for a new car and have fallen in love with the s4... ive read countless reviews on the net and looked at many different cars via auto trader. i got the loan approved and the insurance quote and just before i decided to buy i spoke to my uncle who is an european auto mechanic and he advised me not to go with the car. His reasons were the cost of the upkeep and cost of fixing even minor problems. So ive decided to come here and ask actual s4 owners what you think. How much per year do you spend on your car? do any of you have frequent problems? everything i read talks about how much you guys love the car but i need to know the realistic downsides to owning one. any honest info would be a great help thanks!

 

Well he's definitely right about repairs being expensive, but since you're looking at b6's they're very easy to find with the audi cpo warranty or an extended warranty so just make sure it comes with a good one. I just got mine at the beginning of summer and already was quoted 750 for a repair, but my warranty covered it and I just had to pay the deductible. The cost for upkeep is going to be more than pretty much any domestic but it's not gonna be bad enough to not get the car imo. My last service cost like 300 and it was nothing major. Something will break sooner or later being that it's a performance car so just be prepared and get some kind of a decent warranty to cover your ***.

 

I've Shopping b6 models too and was wondering the same thing. The car is affordable but i just keep thinking the maintenance is going to be killer compared to a Subaru which I'm driving.
My plan is to get it with an extended warranty and not mod it...too much

How is Audi with warranties on modded cars ?

 

Although im not sure what transmisson you want, if i had to do it again as much as I love my 6-spd maunal I would rather buy the automatic. My reason being is I bought it as a certified pre-owned unit and ive been having problems with it which they claim are not warrantable.. and im not the only one it seems that most people on here who bought a used manual s4 the previous owners of these cars beat on them or drove them very hard. When you take it in to service and they see any hotspots on the clutch or flywheel its automatically ur fault and abuse and nothing in the tranny is covered, it can run u up to $8400!! I really love mine but after dealing wit that i kinda wish it woulda been an auto... plus i heard they were better on gas

 

That is BS.

Have you talked to an Audi Rep about it?

 

ya audi wont cover it because it was the dealership who did the repairs responsibility so now its to get them to pay another dealer to do the repairs

 

after reading all the issues with the clutch i am definately going to go with an auto... i dont need the extra .3 1/4 mile time i got too many tickets already

 

What problem with the clutches

Links ?

 

I have 45k on my clutch and havent had a problem. The dealer just check it also and they said its grabbing and hooking up like a champ. If you know how to drive a stick, and dont constantly launch from a dig (I only have once) then your clutch will be fine. I've never heard of our clutches having a common problem, it all tends to depend on the driver.

As for reliability, they are decently reliable cars but the cost to repair is a lot higher than other cars, mainly because of the build quality and complexity of a lot of components. If you're in the market I would HIGHLY recommend getting an extended warranty, my factory just expired and I've already used the extended for an $800 valve cover and tranny leak. The repair costs of any german car is generally a lot more expensive, including the labor.

 

Thats is what I was thinking.

Any clutch will go if you beat the crap out if it, the only problem I have is that I'm buying used and have to hope the previous owner new how to drive.