Mileage on your RS4, failures, known issues

[AvusPdx]

So I am a relatively new owner (purchase Jan 2015, 41k miles on the odo) and was curious what kind of high mileage guys are out there, and what issues they have experienced..

I understand the nature of the forums to blow things up out of proportion, but wanting to get a general idea of ~80k to 100k+ guys out there, what issues/replacements have you done to keep the car running? I'm the paranoid type, so I try to keep my maintenance up before "factory recommended" time frames.

Any electrical issues? (sensors, MAF, O2 sensors etc) Mechanical? (transmissions going out, clutch wearing out)

I know of the common ones such as carbon clean/control arm bushings/fuel filters etc., but these just seem like maintenance items to me. I'm more curious of the weak spots, that the Germans are known for such as electrical gremlins etc., for the high mileage owners. I'm starting to really love the car, and wanting to keep it for long term. I think these are such cool little cars that is rare, some what discreet and the engine sound is pure bliss.

[badbluers4]

Just 02 sensors and that manifold sensor is common. Oh and starter. Other than that. Knock on wood, this car is very stout! I'm at like 103k and haven't had any other issues. Oh and oil level sensor ~$75 that I replaced when I first bought the car around 42k miles

[WinterRunner]

89 K, no real failures, 4 carbon cleans, new PCV and oil cooler lines go in next month. Did UCAs and other bits awhile ago, wear items. The OEM clutch sticks from the self adjusting pressure plate. The most solid car I've ever owned!

[Blake-O]

I just hit 75k this week.

Original clutch and flywheel replaced at 70k.

Other minor stuff- fuel pump, one carbon clean, DRC replaced under warranty at 30k ages ago, at around 65k had some CEL's that my independent shop couldn't readily diagnose and the engine would unexpectedly die while driving at low speeds (took it to the stealership, they said to replace the intake manifold to get the CEL light to turn off, even the the intake manifold was not defective... yeah right, instead my independent shop replaced the intake runner flap solenoid, replaced fuel pressure sensor and that seems to have fixed the engine dying/CEL light situation), replaced the headlight lenses due to internal fogging. Also replaced all of the interior carbon trim as 50% of it had started warping delaminating/peeling away really badly- looked awful, so I had all trim redone by OCarbon.

Pretty much rock solid. The only frustration was the random engine dying/CEL light situation which took 3-4 visits to stealer and independent to sort out and the crappy OEM carbon trim.

[voidopolis]

nothing out of the ordinary for me. 83k Miles. These are pretty much standard maintenance / wear items...

rear rotors & pads all around
Clutch / flywheel / bearing / etc replaced because there was a small amount of slip and I figured it was about that time. The old clutch wasn't in a terrible condition when removed. It could have definitely lasted longer. but I don't like waiting to have major problems before I replace something...
front Upper control arms. I was going to replace them all but my indy said everything else was tight and proper and not needed for a while
battery - because it was time (was using the original battery up until 2 months ago)
Pretty much all the standard filter/fluid stuff (spark plugs, oil, fuel filter, coolant replacement, brake fluid, air conditioner Freon).

I'll be replacing the coil packs in the spring when I do all my normal maintenance. but the car just runs. I've owned it for about 2.5 years now and have had very little to worry about. I did a bunch of searching when I was considering buying one, and found that most people were pretty happy overall and were not having many problems with out of the ordinary things. There are some recalls you should check out - DRC & coilpacks. I'm inspecting my DRC every few months to see if there are any signs of leakage - good so far. I'm typically seeing folks just moving over to coilovers once their DRCs bite the dust.

[FWP!]

PCV valve is a good idea to replace between 50k and 75k miles, make sure the large stainless steel oil lines underneath the engine aren't rubbing on eachother, brakes are pretty pricey to replace but they're worth the money, front upper control arms will likely have failed inner rubber bushings but they're pretty easy to replace, coolant reservoir likes to develop cracks but they're pretty cheap to replace, be careful with the overflow tube nipple coming off of the passenger side upper radiator hose, it's small and I've snapped a few of them (they get brittle over time), change the oil every 3-4k miles, high pressure fuel pumps die on some cars, they're about $300 each but really easy to replace and the new ones have a few revision updates.

[wednesday]

I bought mine with around the same mileage as you and now have 134k miles on the odometer. Daily driven and pushed every day. It has not been a cheap journey or flawless, but a lot of fun at the same time. Following are just some items that have been done/replaced under my ownership and I am sure I missed a few.

- Brakes (natural wear and tear). Stock brakes are good, but nothing to write home about because of how heavy this thing is.
- Control arms (clunking noise started around 100k). They were probably not performing efficiently before then.
- Axles (boot wore out and splattered everywhere of course).
- Carbon cleaned every 1.5 years (I hate the fact that car doesn't perform every next day and continues to lose power until CC is done. Stupid).
- Engine/transmission mounts (engine mounts leaked around 100k).
- Sticky clutch around 70k miles. Took the car to Audi dealership and the mechanic shoved gear into 3rd making the synchros go bad - replaced.
- Slave cylinder and the hose
- Coolant reservoir leak
- Windshield washer reservoir leak
- DRC
- Throttle body (replaced) almost caused a t-bone accident because car lost all power (common issue with these). It's $1,100+ part and takes a while to ship. Many of the forum members have documented an alternate solution that is quarter of that price.
- Manifold flaps

So, yes, this new beast of yours is about to make you a religious person in front of your friends. But hey, the old ladies at my work think this thing is fast. Little do they know..

Good luck changing headlight bulbs :)

[ven0m]

2006 model; 73k miles (118k km); PO renewed complete DRC for ~10k€ (saw in repair history from Audis database)

Regular maintenance:
- Oil, filters, plugs, coils

"Extra" maintenance:
- 1 carbon clean
- 1 servo pump oil flush
- A couple of brake&clutch bleeds (due to sticky clutch - it improved but hasn't stopped)
- 1 Transmission & differential oil change
- 1 water pump exchanged (precautionary)

Issues:
- 1 AUX radiator exchanged (the old one leaked due to its age)
- All front CV boots exchanged - destroyed the inside two due to own stupidity
- At the next carbon clean I will also change the Fuel Injectors, because I'm exceeding the healthy tolerances with my short-term fuel trim

[Ravage]

58K on mine. Upon doing my first carbon cleaning I discovered one of the plastic intake manifold flap arms had fractured again. Apparently the previous owner had gone the half ass route and JB welded it back together. Not sure at what mileage this occurred or how common this issue but since there is a metallic aftermarket replacement I would say common enough. Flap removal is an option but the cost/benifit factor doesn't make it worth it in my opinion. Headliner sag really bothers me too but is kinda minor.

[skhan91]

Took the car to Audi dealership and the mechanic shoved gear into 3rd making the synchros go bad - replaced.

do you mind me asking how much this cost you? my third gear occasionally grinds. tried replacing transmission fluid, no change. i think my synchros are done.

[gesTTalt]

I'm at 96K.

Maintenance:
2 carbon clean
All scheduled services
Oil change between service
Fuel filter
Front brake pads 2x
Rear brakes pads 1x
Rotors front and back 1x

Repairs
Both inner cv boots
Front and rear O2 sensors
oil pressure sensor
Coolant reservoir

SC related:
Replaces old fuel pump
Replace maf
Replacing coil packs (this weekend)
Replace fuel pressure valve

No other repairs that come to mind.

[seblove]

Bought mine with 35k miles, about to hit 40k. My clutch was sticking on high-rpm shifts so I replaced it with the jhm stg 3 clutch - highly recommended. I've also had to replace the rear o2 sensors and I got it carbon cleaned. Flawless other than that.

[wednesday]

do you mind me asking how much this cost you? my third gear occasionally grinds. tried replacing transmission fluid, no change. i think my synchros are done.

I got this done by a local guy who used to work on VW/Audi and raced professionally. Two Audi dealerships had lost my trust since they kept saying we have never worked on this car and need to contact Germany for advice. Local guy charged me $600 to change clutch and do synchros at the same time.

If I am not wrong, aren't you getting some sort of work done at this time? Best time to get synchros changed is when transmission is out for clutch or something else.. The thing is, not everyone will work on transmissions by taking them apart. He ordered the synchros for me - nothing fancy, just stock ones. Hope that helps.

[skhan91]

I got this done by a local guy who used to work on VW/Audi and raced professionally. Two Audi dealerships had lost my trust since they kept saying we have never worked on this car and need to contact Germany for advice. Local guy charged me $600 to change clutch and do synchros at the same time.

If I am not wrong, aren't you getting some sort of work done at this time? Best time to get synchros changed is when transmission is out for clutch or something else.. The thing is, not everyone will work on transmissions by taking them apart. He ordered the synchros for me - nothing fancy, just stock ones. Hope that helps.

the work i am planning getting done is just that. i need new synchros. that is an incredible price if he charged $600 for everything.

ive been quoted $1500 for labor only as its apparantly a 18 hour job. and then additional for parts.

and this is through a local indy shop which has always been great. audi wants around $4000 CAD for everything

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[wednesday]

the work i am planning getting done is just that. i need new synchros. that is an incredible price if he charged $600 for everything.

ive been quoted $1500 for labor only as its apparantly a 18 hour job. and then additional for parts.

and this is through a local indy shop which has always been great. audi wants around $4000 CAD for everything

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Yeah, I gave up on official Audi very quickly. It seems that all they want/know to do is A4s (no pun intended).

Yeah, I rarely get good deals and that guy knew what he was doing and used to work on these with passion and heart.. money wasn't his interest. Heck, he originally quoted $500 and then asked if he could bump to $600 after work and I almost wanted to give him more than that.

Synchro job however, is bit of a skilled job and not everyone can/will do it. So, are you getting ALL synchros then? It might be cheaper to just buy another used transmission at this point I imagine..

Sorry for hijacking OP.

[skhan91]

Yeah, I gave up on official Audi very quickly. It seems that all they want/know to do is A4s (no pun intended).

Yeah, I rarely get good deals and that guy knew what he was doing and used to work on these with passion and heart.. money wasn't his interest. Heck, he originally quoted $500 and then asked if he could bump to $600 after work and I almost wanted to give him more than that.

Synchro job however, is bit of a skilled job and not everyone can/will do it. So, are you getting ALL synchros then?

Sorry for hijacking OP.

thats awesome. i wish i had someone here that would do something like that.

i am pretty much having them remove the tranamission and inspect to see what needs to be replaced and then replace everythinf that has any wear. also replacing the clutch, flywheel and pressure plate.


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[d2a4]

161K (probably highest mileages in here), 7 weeks of ownership, replaced the starter (already dying when I got the car, $200, no complain as I expect that to fail).

[Sales@DriveAuto]

Starters. We've done four or five this winter, all on cars ranging between ~75k and 105k. I think we've done a few sets of knock sensors, a fuel pump/module or two, but other than that, it's really just maintenance. These car's don't really seem to have catastrophic problems like other cars.

[highPSI-S4]

Purchased car with 65k miles back in 2013, History records show Oil Temp sensor replaced twice, although i have never had an issue.

I bought the car to drive and mod it so I upgraded as I went along. Currently @ 105K miles and still on original clutch, it's sticks if I get aggressive (hard Accel) but otherwise it's fine.

First maintenance issue I had with the car was around 85K, I repaired a outer CV Boot.

Rotors, Pads.
full control arm kit (they weren't bad, I just felt like upgrading before they did)
Inner CV Boots late last summer
Carbon clean
Injectors
Fuel Filter
Spark plugs
Rear o2's
PCV
replaced hood strut, (I was leaning on it and the gas seeped out of the shock lol!)
Glove box hinge broke



On the list is Oil cooler lines, they are rusted so I need to replace them. I can say I have spent more time modding then repairing issues.



Although I wish the car could make more power in N/A form ,it's a lot of fun and fairly reliable.

[bigoltater]

161K (probably highest mileages in here), 7 weeks of ownership, replaced the starter (already dying when I got the car, $200, no complain as I expect that to fail).

I would love to see that E30 M3, back in 98 I was gonna buy one from some rich kid, 1990 with 60k miles for $6500!! Wife said no!!! I could have put my kids threw college with that purchase! Lol

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[d2a4]

I would love to see that E30 M3, back in 98 I was gonna buy one from some rich kid, 1990 with 60k miles for $6500!! Wife said no!!! I could have put my kids threw college with that purchase! Lol

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I do have 2 limited edition cars. The E30 M3 is actually appreciate but not the RS4 (but no complain since it is so much fun)
As you can tell, I am fresh new owner. Before Dec 31 2015, I know absolutely nothing about RS4 (yeh I know I am from another planet, especially I owned 1 B5 and 1 B6). Browsing thru CL, saw it posted about 1 hour ago, 5 min research, realized it is a limited edition, email/call, went see the car, offer on the spot, got rejected, making more offer 5 hours later, broke down paid full asking price, took her home 4 days later and the rest is history.

[MugelloB7RS4]

I purchased my 2007 in 2011 with roughly 70,000kms (44K MI), now I'm at 224,000kms (140K MI)

I've seen a fair share of issues, but I still love this car

-Replaced all injectors
-Replaced both HPFP
-Replaced Oil Cooler and Both Lines
-Replaced DRC with coilovers after DRC failure
-Replaced Engine Mounts
-Replaced all O2 sensors (This seemed to be more of an issue once aftermarket exhaust was installed)
-Replaced front upper control arms (twice)
-Replaced hood strut
-Replaced both front axles
-Performed 2 carbon cleans. Tried to minimize build up with BG products injection cleaner every other oil service.
-Replaced MAF
-Replaced coolant reservoir

Then maintenance stuff
-Fuel filter
-Spark plugs
-Trans fluid
-Rear Diff fluid
-Brake fluid
-Brakes all around a couple times

The one thing I still don't understand is that I've yet to change my clutch. Either the previous owner had it done before 44K MI which seems unlikely, or I'm still running on the factory clutch, which also seems unlikely.


Car seems to be running great now and I'm very happy with the way it's been working. Its sometimes a nuisance to work through all these issues, but when you do, it is just such a blast to drive.

[AvusPdx]

thanks for all the useful information! Seems like the HPFP fails on these cars, as well as some MAF sensors. I'm surprised to see not many wheel bearings on here, I think I'm hearing the slight "womp womp womp womp.." on the free way, not sure if that is the sound of the AWD system/tires or the bearings going bad. What is a good way to test wheel bearings going out? I tried changing to different tires when I got the car since I heard it right away, but not sure if these cars are a bit on the louder side cruising on the freeway.

[Seattle squash]

Have about 117k miles on mine, 2007.

Maintenance/mechanical repairs:

- 2 carbon cleans
- brakes x 1 with skimmed original rotors
- new PCV (changed 500 miles ago, and was shot)
- new xenon headlight bulbs after "dipping headlight warning", and all the rest w/ LED/upgraded halogen when I was in there + CC
- installed Bilstein PSS9
- new upper control arm bushings
- brake flush, hawk HPS and steel braided ECS lines
- flushed coolant and new tank
- replaced rear end fluid/Motul
- replaced trans fluid/Redline
- power steering fluid flush
- clutch slipped one time giving it a go with an R32, so eventually...
- new coils and plugs x 1
- new fuel cap
- new hood and trunk struts
- oil every 5k
- knock sensor replaced x 1
- fuel filter
- cabin filter - several
- flap/read error so coded error out but left flaps as the work well. Might pull them next carbon clean but all works well (question would you pull them?)
- 2 new flap positioning sensors but pulled off and sold as it was flaps, so still original.

That's it, otherwise rock solid!