Poor College student up Sh*ts Creek...

[kingo486]

Yep... today it happened, the day every B5 S4 owner dreads. One of the KO3's has finally died.

Now...

WTF DO I DO!?

With a lack of money to pay for the repair, It looks like i may have to sell it. I dont want to do it at all, but what are my options... I have 101k on the car and its in great shape besides the turbo.

Please give me suggestions...

PS- Does anyone on here live in the Dayton, OH area?

[infinkc]

buy some used k03s that are in good condition, put them in DIY, save some $ wait till they go again and change them out again.

[jaredsogn]

When this happened to me, and I had no money to be fixing it, I bought a set of K03's and did the work myself. Its really not that hard. If you are looking for a set, I have a set that I took out when I upgraded to stage 3. They are pretty low mileage, perfect shape. Let me know if you are interested.

[VR4-S4]

I have a set of k03's ill sell to you for a good price. Im in columbus, ohio

[DefiantS4]

If the budget is really tight, you could probably pick up a pair of used functioning K03s for cheap. Donate lots of sperm and plasma to pay for the labor.

[kingo486]

Without a garage, tools or anything, I am 800 miles from home and cant do the work myself... did i mention that?

What are you guys thinking for a price on your KO3s? (PM me)

Also, if I bought the KO3s, what do you think i would be charged for just the labor?

[zmw]

does it still run and drive? if so trade it in to a note lot or a non audi dealer.... any sign of the blown K03 other than lack of boost? oil leaking, grinding, anything?

-Z

Yep... today it happened, the day every B5 S4 owner dreads. One of the KO3's has finally died.

Now...

WTF DO I DO!?

With a lack of money to pay for the repair, It looks like i may have to sell it. I dont want to do it at all, but what are my options... I have 101k on the car and its in great shape besides the turbo.

Please give me suggestions...

PS- Does anyone on here live in the Dayton, OH area?

[kingo486]

does it still run and drive? if so trade it in to a note lot or a non audi dealer.... any sign of the blown K03 other than lack of boost? oil leaking, grinding, anything?

-Z

Actually, I havent seen any oil and no grinding. What I have noticed is white smoke and a smell when I drive, less turbo whine sound, and i havent really tested the power because now i am afraid to drive it.

[GramCracker]

Shiiiiiiiiiit. Im in the same boat. Only my k03's haven't gone yet. *knocks on wood*

[S4-ORCE]

Figure $1000 minimum for labor.

[GramCracker]

Figure $1000 minimum for labor.

Are we talking SSP prices here?

[mholme]

My records show 22 hours@$90.00/hr for turbo replacement at an Audi dealer.

[Dr. Jekyll]

Honestly, I hate to say it... but you gotta pay to play. These cars are cheap now, but they are still $40k cars to repair and maintain. Unless you can do the labor yourself or you have the money to pay for labor you could end up being hosed. Not just in this repair but in future repairs. What happens if your clutch goes right after you replace your turbos? You're chipped with 101k miles and if you drive hard, that could be on its way out. EGT's are 250 a pop... etc.

I'm not trying to be discouraging. I'm just being realistic. These cars can really burn through your wallet if you get a streak of bad luck.

[OldYella]

Im in Columbus also, there are plenty of K03's up for sale for less than 300. Buy them rebuild them and do the labor yourself.

[Dimcorner]

you could probably rent one of those storage shed thinggies for 1 month and borrow tools and the cherry picker. Should run less than 1k. Either that or just look for a buddy with a garage.

[JumboBlack1.8]

Damn.....this is one of the reasons I'm happy I didn't get an S4....didn't know the labor was that ridiculous tho

[kingo486]

Honestly, I hate to say it... but you gotta pay to play. These cars are cheap now, but they are still $40k cars to repair and maintain. Unless you can do the labor yourself or you have the money to pay for labor you could end up being hosed. Not just in this repair but in future repairs. What happens if your clutch goes right after you replace your turbos? You're chipped with 101k miles and if you drive hard, that could be on its way out. EGT's are 250 a pop... etc.

I'm not trying to be discouraging. I'm just being realistic. These cars can really burn through your wallet if you get a streak of bad luck.

Trust me, I knew this when I bought it, I just hoped I made it to my first salary job before it did.

What do you think the car is worth to sell as-is?

[Dr. Jekyll]

You could always park the S, uninsure it and buy a $500 beater civic. Then fix the S4 (properly - with k04's and everything else that needs to be done) when you have the money/time.

If you're in school, a summer job should be able to net you enough to have it fixed up and back on the road by next fall.

[kingo486]

So does anyone know what the car is worth to sell as-is?

[zmw]

probably 10k minus the cost of repair, i say 10k because that is the low end of the retail market and the car needs work, so probably 7-8k$ and you'd have to sell it to someone who knew what they were getting into.

[S4_NE]

Figure $1000 minimum for labor.

It is alot more than , 1000.00 minimum, more along teh line of 2000.00 just for turbo swap and put back in the engine, if you add TB ect it runs way higher,

[MacDaddy]

post a classified and see if you can find someone willing to do the work for cheap or for a bunch of beer, etc. If you were anywhere near me i would offer to do it.

alternatley just park it at your parents place untill you finish school for the year (6 months from now?) and fix it then. if you work a 2nd job, saving up $1000 for labour won't take any longer than a month.

[Tifosi]

Damn.....this is one of the reasons I'm happy I didn't get an S4....didn't know the labor was that ridiculous tho

With that mind set, you will also never know what it is like to own a well sorted and well-tuned Stage 3 B5-S4.

[Tifosi]

Without a garage, tools or anything, I am 800 miles from home and cant do the work myself... did i mention that?

What are you guys thinking for a price on your KO3s? (PM me)

Also, if I bought the KO3s, what do you think i would be charged for just the labor?

If you have to pay someone for the installation, you should seriously consider putting in K04s. Reason being that used parts will be more prone to failure, especially used turbochargers. And if that does happen, you will be back to Sqaure 1 and out of the money from the first install. So unless you plan on selling/trading the car in almost immediately after, you are really taking a chance.

The labor should be ~$1,500-$1,000 and I would say an average of $1,200 is most common. It is ~10 Hrs job and not 22 Hrs like what your dealer quoted you.

[kingo486]

If you have to pay someone for the installation, you should seriously consider putting in K04s. Reason being that used parts will be more prone to failure, especially used turbochargers. And if that does happen, you will be back to Sqaure 1 and out of the money from the first install. So unless you plan on selling/trading the car in almost immediately after, you are really taking a chance.

The labor should be ~$1,500-$1,000 and I would say an average of $1,200 is most common. It is ~10 Hrs job and not 22 Hrs like what your dealer quoted you.

Multiple places have told me $2500ish... where are these $1200 shops???

[Paulyworld1432]

I wish I lived closer I would do it for 800, and could have it done in a weekend!

[Tifosi]

Multiple places have told me $2500ish... where are these $1200 shops???

More importantly, who are these shops that quoted you ~$2,500 ? I realize that there is a difference between coasts, but from what I used to see in the past, the East Coast tends to have better deals than the West Coast, minus WMS in CA that is. Anyway, check with your local forum and see who they recommend (Ind. shops and NOT DEALERS). Or figure out a cheap way to get your car to the PNW and I will hook you up, PM me if this is an option you will like to explore.

[A55A55IN]

There are some really nice people in this forum (as you can see, people are offering to do it but they are not close).

Try posting it in a regional forum and see if a local audiziner could help you out.

bump for you budd.

[xx_s4quattro_xx]

I say fruad that bitch lol. j/K

[kingo486]

I wish I lived closer I would do it for 800, and could have it done in a weekend!

Your not that far, chicago is like 5.5 hours! come down here and I'll give you $1000+!

I say fruad that bitch lol. j/K

haha, the idea has crossed my mind... it has full coverage.

[infinkc]

does it still run and drive? if so trade it in to a note lot or a non audi dealer.... any sign of the blown K03 other than lack of boost? oil leaking, grinding, anything?

-Z

Carmax FTW!

[tike0rz]

Pay shipping and you can have my K03s...took em off for my K04s, pulled hard.

[DefiantS4]

Carmax FTW!

CarMax offered me $5500 for the same car (black S4, 100K...) 3 months ago... Even with a blown turbo he's better off finding someone who knows what they're getting.

[Overboostin]

Are you in Mass right now? If so, how close to Amherst?

[Slow4]

Quick derailment question...do KO3s NORMALLY poop out near the 100K mile mark? I'm at 95K and getting antsy.

[MacDaddy]

Pay shipping and you can have my K03s...took em off for my K04s, pulled hard.

playa price!

[passatkid]

To bad your not local to me I would do it cheap/free.

[Paulyworld1432]

kingo486, if you are serious, see if you can get a garage with a friend, family etc. or rent one and we can talk more seriously about doing this.. 750+ Gas for travel. PM me if you'd like! :)

[mholme]

Quick derailment question...do KO3s NORMALLY poop out near the 100K mile mark? I'm at 95K and getting antsy.

Mine went at 20k and again at 44k... Replaced under warranty by previous owner.

[Paulyworld1432]

Wow that's early! I thought the first pair going at 48k for me was early... just goes to show that these things are ticking timebombs