Official, RS4 Carbon documentation thread

[WinterRunner]

Ours look about the same, yours seems just a tad worse. When did you clean last? Mine was about 18-20K ago, I forget exactly...

[WinterRunner]

not sure if serious..

Who cares, we know the benefit...

[slvrb7]

76k and first cc with spacers and oil heater bypass car feels like night and day

[slvrb7]

I will post the valves once I pull them from my go pro

[KiwiRS4]

I did my carbon clean over Christmas. Car has 78k miles (125k km's).
Car seemed to drive ok with no cel's etc. I don't think it has ever been done before going by service book and hose clamps still being original.
Took around 4hrs to remove manifold and then around half an hour for each port to clean. A few hr's for refitting of manifold.
Next time I think it will be half the time for manifold removal and re-fit.
Didn't really notice that much of a difference at first until a few km's, but the more I drive it I am finding there is a very noticeable gain.
From around 3.5k rpm it pulls harder and revs better after 5k. I have A JHM 93 tune with piggies, no cats, non resonated and a non valved milltek exhaust.
A worthwhile exercise in my opinion that didn't cost me bugger all apart from a day and half of time.

Will look at removing in a years time and seeing what it's like.

Worst port
[IMG][/IMG]
Best port
[IMG][/IMG]
Cleaned port
[IMG][/IMG]

[Daytona RS]

So I finally arranged to get my car carbon cleaned, had it done today.
My tech replaced the intake manifold for me last week under motorplan, so decided it was time to clean up the ports.
The car is currently on 40 700kms

The pics speak for themselves, and I can say that so far I am amazed at the difference in power delivery, and the way the revs climb effortlessly and the pull from 6k rpm to the red line.... OH MY WORD!!!
Definitely worth it and I will highly recommend it to anyone who is having second thoughts.

From now on, I will treat this as a maintenance item.

Before:














My new intake manifold:






After:

[B00sted20VUSP]

Wow! What did you use to clean those ports Daytona? They look perfect! Walnut blaster??

[Daytona RS]

Wow! What did you use to clean those ports Daytona? They look perfect! Walnut blaster??

Its a proceess where they use crushed wallnut blasting. Its delicate not to damage the aluminium of the ports, yet agressive enough to remove all the gunk.

[Datadatum]

Vehicle Make/Model: 2008 RS4 Sedan
Location: Florida
Mileage: 50,000 miles
Mileage@ W/Carbon: 20,000 miles
Oil used: Dealer Castrol
Oil Change Interval : 5,000 miles
Fuel: Shell 93 octane

Notes: Did this at the same time I installed JHM downpipes and tune, so I can't differentiate between the cc and the dp. However, the car did feel wonderful after the cc and new parts.

[juventuss]

I just picked up a 2007 RS4. It's got little over 44,000 miles on it. Any signs to look out for to know if a carbon cleaning is needed ?

[Mphatik]

You wouldn't have a "baseline" to know where the car was before, since you've recently purchased it so it will be hard to check for signs. Check to see if the previous owner has done a CC, otherwise, if not, maybe you should slate it for 60k+.

Regardless of driving style, carbon buildup seems to plague the head and intake manifold so you'll be due if you haven't done one already.

[jeff33702]

Fast carbon clean:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fwa...ature=youtu.be

[xalfa]

^ Nice. So that's about a $60,000 hourly labor rate? :)

[jeff33702]

Yep, and I'm running a 90% off groupon for carbon cleaning!

[Blake-O]

2008 RS4
Salt Lake City, Utah
70,300 miles
First CC

[IMG][/IMG]

[SuperMex]

Just had mine done yesterday. 60k miles, 1st one. [IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[jeff33702]

2008 RS4
Salt Lake City, Utah
70,300 miles
First CC

[IMG][/IMG]

That actually doesn't look too bad! Have you owned it since new? What kind of oil have you used? What kind of maintenance? How do you drive? Sorry for all the questions but you have a lot less than normal buildup after 70k miles and I'd like to know why! :)

[jeff33702]

Just had mine done yesterday. 60k miles, 1st one. [IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

That's getting pretty restrictive. I had something similar, plus at least 1/8th to 1/4" of build up along the entire runner length (the top was a lot worse). My port separators were actually bridged closed in many of the ports.

[your daddy]

done tonight at autoengineering lexington,ma (by me) 38k miles. 1st time done. installed spacers, heater bypass, and heat reflective tape on manifold (because i had it from my gti) 5500+ night and day.

[Katchup]

Dealer did mine at 45k miles. It now has 65. I won't worry about it until probably 85

[badbluers4]

Dealer did mine at 45k miles. It now has 65. I won't worry about it until probably 85

Are you sure they did a true carbon clean by removing the manifold or just putting some cleaner in the tank and calling it an "induction service"?

[s4master1]

Los Angeles area so far looks the worst on carbon build up.

[your daddy]

Los Angeles area so far looks the worst on carbon build up.

huh? i dont think the cars location in the US cares how bad these FSI engines get. Its almost car specific. I can see the same car, same miles, and different degrees of build up.

[BIG_blu]

Car is at the shop being cleaned as we speak. Looks like I should see some significant improvements.


My JHM spacer had some shipment issues and got returned to JHM. Should I wait a few extra days for it to come in, or cancel my order and keep the manifold stock?

[your daddy]

wait for the parts. what shop is the car at? make sure you get the after photos! make sure if you do the spacers they dont put those intake dividers back in.

[S4Caster]

I had a CC at 62k miles a few weeks ago. While I would not say there was a night and day difference, I did notice the lurching during shifting I was experiencing pre-cleaning is now gone, and is a pleasure to shift. I don't normally run to 6k or more while running up through the gears, but I didn't notice a whole lot of improvement at the high end after the CC...maybe a little bit. Unfortunately, while at the shop, the tech noticed some fluid near the rear end. Yup, the DRC was leaking in the rear crossover supply line (at the fastener...metal to metal...what were the Audi engineers thinking, that it wouldn't ever corrode?) and the right rear shock clunks like a mother until residual fluid eases it after 30-50 miles. I had a stealer look at it...they had the nerve to tell me to get an aftermarket suspension! So, I'm getting a PSS9 kit to replace the DRC, and will shoot AoA a stern letter re the DRC...and even the CC. I understand high performance cars require extra maintenance and money...but the DRC scandal is shameful; the CC is kind of to be expected, but if that's the case, Audi and other DFI manufacturers should have a program in place to deal with it, like highly discounted service work after warranty, etc. etc. Thanks for this sticky.

[S42RS4]

Vehicle Make/Model: 07 RS4
Location:Upstate NY
Mileage:117825
Mileage@ W/Carbon:115966
Oil used:Factory Switching to Liqui Moly
Oil Change Interval :5000
Fuel:91

Note: First CC done at 117k Last owner or owners never attempted to getting it taken care of

[CoreyRS]

Vehicle Make/Model: 07 RS4
Location:Upstate NY
Mileage:117825
Mileage@ W/Carbon:115966
Oil used:Factory Switching to Liqui Moly
Oil Change Interval :5000
Fuel:91

Note: First CC done at 117k Last owner or owners never attempted to getting it taken care of

That doesnt look as bad as I imagined it would for 115k with no cleaning. How does it feel?

[S42RS4]

That doesnt look as bad as I imagined it would for 115k with no cleaning. How does it feel?

Waiting on my parts now. I had to order a new throttle body, new gaskets which included the JHM intake spacers, spark plugs, fuel filter, oil change. I will get back to you sometime next week when its all back together

[S42RS4]

Update as of now. I put the car back together, started it up I have a knocking noise that I had earlier before doing the clean. I took it to my local dealer to have them take a look at it. They told me that the guides was failing on the car. So they replace the guides and get it back to running the knocking noise is still there. So they drop the motor and do tear down on the head and somehow there was a loose screw that fell in the piston and as you all know, the piston and head is damage along with the scoring on the walls. So the dealer had to source out a used engine and they found one in Cali and had it shipped here in NY. They replace the engine and now I'm back on the road as we speak. She definitely pulls harder and for some reason she a lil louder I don't know why but I'm not complaining.

[zmw]

What is the process for doing this? do the heads and intake manifold have to come off?

[badbluers4]

What is the process for doing this? do the heads and intake manifold have to come off?

Intake manifold comes off yes, and either clean valves by hand or with walnut shell blasting.

[Alanmc888]

Does anyone have a decent guide on how to take the manifold off? I've searched everywhere and have found one for every car ever made except the b7 rs4?! I was going to attempt a carbon clean today but after taking the carbon fibre covers off the engine I seen what can only be described as a birds nest of pipes,wires and shit...I've heard it's a total bastard to remove and any help/guide would be appreciated

[Gansel]

Is there a some what easy way to check to see if your car needs a carbon clean? I was told mine had it done but it appears it was done 3 years ago.

[rs4max]

3 years ago means you're probably due. You don't _have_ to do it, but if you have the cash it's definitely a good way to keep the engine breathing nicely and reclaim some lost power. After ~3 years you can expect to regain 25-40bhp.

[ven0m]

3 years ago means you're probably due. You don't _have_ to do it, but if you have the cash it's definitely a good way to keep the engine breathing nicely and reclaim some lost power. After ~3 years you can expect to regain 25-40bhp.

The lost power is an added bonus to the clean. It's primarily a preventive measure as higher build-up may cause other issues with clogged injectors, stuck flaps, etc. (and you know what a lean mixture does to a cylinder over time, if the injector is clogged)

[Gansel]

The lost power is an added bonus to the clean. It's primarily a preventive measure as higher build-up may cause other issues with clogged injectors, stuck flaps, etc. (and you know what a lean mixture does to a cylinder over time, if the injector is clogged)

Roger that. I will add this to my "To Do" list.. It slowly turning into a long one

[Chuuey]

Who cares, we know the benefit...

Winter,

Do you have a shop you go to in the Northeast to perform the cleaning or was it done yourself? I am looking to do my big last maintenance round up and do injects, cc and the pcv. My usual shop does not have the walnut shell blaster as far as I know so I am looking for a place.

Thanks!

[your daddy]

We do. Josh has been coming to the shop for over a year. autoengineering.com

[Chuuey]

We do. Josh has been coming to the shop for over a year. autoengineering.com

You'll be hearing from me soon. Thanks!