Higher mileage S4 Q's...

[JD797]

In the market for a b5 s4, was originally gonna look for one with 60-80 miles, but now I'm thinking it might be a better idea to get one in the 90s, since I could probably save some more money and put that towards k04s for when the turbos go. Is there anything I should look for in s4's with higher mileage? I know about timing belt alreay, what other maintenance should I look for? And are there any common problems between 100-150k miles, or does the car perform well still? One more Q - how long do k04's tend to last at stage 3? thanks

[fenderstrat1184]

here;s something that should answer a bunch of questions

http://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/1407640.phtml

[JD797]

eh not really knew all that stuff already, lol.

[IamEzraM]

look at the condition of the front upper control arm bushings, if they're torn, you're looking at a grand or more to replace them. tire wear is a good indication of the condition of the front end. ask about the timing belt, VAG the car aswell if you have the tool

[Daness373]

Def vag the car. That sould be the first thing. Look at suspension components. K04s should last you a very long time if you don't just constantly romp on them over and over. they are very reliable turbo's

[SoEvoL]

In the market for a b5 s4, was originally gonna look for one with 60-80 miles, but now I'm thinking it might be a better idea to get one in the 90s, since I could probably save some more money and put that towards k04s for when the turbos go. Is there anything I should look for in s4's with higher mileage? I know about timing belt alreay, what other maintenance should I look for? And are there any common problems between 100-150k miles, or does the car perform well still? One more Q - how long do k04's tend to last at stage 3? thanks

or just buy a stg3 s4, but i dont know how much your trying to spend.

[sCeRaXn]

I bought a 00 s4 with almost 155k miles on it for $8k a little over 2 months ago. Everything looked perfect on the car, and it drove great. The turbos werent making any unusual noises, it had impecible service records, the tires had no abnormal wear, no cel or mil was on, every suspension component looked brand new, and the previous owner only used it to drive from Greensboro to Atl...so i thought the clutch would be good(only had 30k miles since it was replaced). Well to make a long story short...the car has been sitting on jackstands for a month waiting for a new clutch lol.

When it comes down to it, the car WILL have problems because its used. Especially higher mileage cars. Audis arent known for their long term reliability, and this is something that should be fully understood before buying one(especially an s4 lol). Ive put $2k +/- into this car since i bought it and i only got to drive it for a month before the clutch went out. I know people have had better luck with theirs, but youve gotta come to terms with the fact that no matter how much you look the car over you wont know its real condition until you buy it. I had my mind set on one for a while so i had the time to research it find all this shit out before i bought it. I went into knowing that it would be a money pit...and you should as well. Youll quickly learn that its a love/hate thing with these cars...but 9 times out of 10 its worth it in the end lol.

[tike0rz]

I bought my 00 S4 with 127k miles for $10k almost a year ago. Today it has 145k miles. It was perfect, except for a dime sized hole in the drivers seat, and some rock chips on the bumper. A week ago the throwout bearing went, so I figured hell as long as its in the shop lets go stage 3.

Make sure you thoroughly inspect the car. If you can't VAG it find someone who will. Make sure it produces full boost and steadily.

[BurnAll4S4]

i dont think this topic has ever been discussed before....ever

*subscribed*

[Jayco88]

Bought an s4 with 94k miles for $9k just a little over 6 months ago...After 100k the car falls apart.

I feel like as soon as I fix a problem, something else goes out: timing belt, clutch, auxiliary pumps, boost leaks(tbb then diverters), cv boots, axles, etc. Now my fuel pump is making a weird noise. And all this is perfectly timed to where I get the LEAST enjoyment of driving. I'm going crazy

[JD797]

well timing belt, tbb and dv's problems are easily prevented, clutch i guess if hasnt been replaced at all is bound to go soon at that mileage, but you got a pretty good deal, so couldve been worse

[SoEvoL]

Depends on how the car is treated and location its driven as well. Higher the mileage the more prone to failure it is. Wear and tear, you can't stop all failure but you can do preventive maintenance. You can always pay a dealership to look over the car and do a inspection before you buy the car. All parts on every car has a wear rate/life. They don't build cars to last forever, service department needs money too.

[mholme]

8k-10k for these cars now a days?? I'm keeping mine forever if that's the case. Those are sad prices, high mileage or not...

I would think that anyone that has invested in these cars and taken care of them, knows the value of having proper service done and it would be reflected in the price...I'd be concerned of anyone trying to dump one of these cars off for cheap...but that's just me...

[mholme]

Audis arent known for their long term reliability, and this is something that should be fully understood before buying one(especially an s4 lol). Ive put $2k +/- into this car since i bought it and i only got to drive it for a month before the clutch went out. I know people have had better luck with theirs, but youve gotta come to terms with the fact that no matter how much you look the car over you wont know its real condition until you buy it. I had my mind set on one for a while so i had the time to research it find all this shit out before i bought it. I went into knowing that it would be a money pit...and you should as well. Youll quickly learn that its a love/hate thing with these cars...but 9 times out of 10 its worth it in the end lol.

Eh, they are as reliable as you keep them..It's a high performance car and when you treat it as such, you have to expect to pay to play..

[code7rpd]

I bought mine with 155k on the clock with original turbos and the original clutch. It's got 171k on it now and aside from control arms being replaced and a tune up, I have not had to do anything and I have not had any major problems. Two coils went out recently and the turbos are starting to whine a little bit but the car has yet to burn any oil. Now that I have written this, the car probably won't start when I go to drive it today :)!

[VinNyS4]

I bought mine with 155k on the clock with original turbos and the original clutch. It's got 171k on it now and aside from control arms being replaced and a tune up, I have not had to do anything and I have not had any major problems. Two coils went out recently and the turbos are starting to whine a little bit but the car has yet to burn any oil. Now that I have written this, the car probably won't start when I go to drive it today :)!

are you chipped and still on original clutch?

[code7rpd]

I have a APR chip and its been in for the last 6k. The clutch is original. I bought the car from an older guy (original owner) that commuted with it and he babied the car.

[stapo69]

I bought mine with 122k miles on it a year ago with full dealership history, 1 owner and a bucket full of receipts, totally standard. Had the usual EGTs, lambdas, MAF replaced, noral servicing, but other than that she's never missed a beat!

[sCeRaXn]

Eh, they are as reliable as you keep them..It's a high performance car and when you treat it as such, you have to expect to pay to play..

First of all, this is Audis sports car...its far from a high performance car lol. Like i said, mine had been extremely well taken care of. There were 6 pages of maintenance records from two different dealerships. The clutch had just shy of 30k miles on it when it failed. Today i just saw that the slave cylinder was replaced at the same time...and its shot now as well. The previous owner was a really old man who only drove it between g'boro and atl, so basically all the miles were on the highway...and i can guarantee you that the dude wasnt doing hard launches on the street(he was like 70yrs old lol). I love my Audi, and i dont see myself getting rid of it anytime soon...but from everything i read before i bought, and what ive experienced/read since ive bought it i can say that they definitely arent the most reliable cars on the road(JDP&A agree with a very low reliability rating).

Things seem to go wrong with them unusually often...but thats just part of owning an s4. As i said before, i knew this before i bought one but i decided to get it anyway because i fell in love with it as soon as i drove it. Its just something that should be taken into consideration when buying one...especially if youre on a tight budget. The cars are getting cheap to buy and mod, but they arent anywhere near cheap to mantain.

[Jayco88]

^ word

[mholme]

First of all, this is Audis sports car...its far from a high performance car lol. Like i said, mine had been extremely well taken care of. There were 6 pages of maintenance records from two different dealerships. The clutch had just shy of 30k miles on it when it failed. Today i just saw that the slave cylinder was replaced at the same time...and its shot now as well. The previous owner was a really old man who only drove it between g'boro and atl, so basically all the miles were on the highway...and i can guarantee you that the dude wasnt doing hard launches on the street(he was like 70yrs old lol). I love my Audi, and i dont see myself getting rid of it anytime soon...but from everything i read before i bought, and what ive experienced/read since ive bought it i can say that they definitely arent the most reliable cars on the road(JDP&A agree with a very low reliability rating).

Things seem to go wrong with them unusually often...but thats just part of owning an s4. As i said before, i knew this before i bought one but i decided to get it anyway because i fell in love with it as soon as i drove it. Its just something that should be taken into consideration when buying one...especially if youre on a tight budget. The cars are getting cheap to buy and mod, but they arent anywhere near cheap to mantain.

Well said..but like I said, it is a high performance car..It's a 12+ year old plarform, so by today's standards, it's pretty much par for the course performance wise(stock)..and when you run forced induction, you can expect things to break and wear...I bought mine with a boat load of records too and still had to fix little things(german cars..), typical of Audis...Cheap to buy, expensive to maintain, like you said..

[xx_s4quattro_xx]

Tell me about it. I work just to maintain my car and pay the rent but hell its worth it there is too many hondas out there thats why i got the s4 i fell in love with the s4 when i first bought my b5 a4 did all i can on that i still traded for the s4. Good luck buddy