what's the worst maintenance to perform?

[emilio]

what do you think is the worst (annoying, painful, frustratingly engineered) typical maintenance to perform on B6 & B7 S4s? "typical" being regular service and the replacement of fluids or consumable parts (brake pads, fuses).

• replacing the accessory belt: service position, just for a belt.
• removing the rear brake calipers: and you thought the engine was the only limited clearance?
• bleeding the clutch: go-go Gadget arms.
• replacing fuses or relays under the ECU: don't break your windshield!

- emilio

[BCsniper]

Obviously......TIMING. everyone else just takes off the core support. For us you have to pull out the motor (sell you may not technically have to, but it's probably easier than trying to do it from behind with the motor in place)

[emilio]

i would definitely not consider anything timing related to be "typical maintenance" - though we might consider the all-plastic chain guides to be consumables, heh!

- emilio

[Luis_Heineken]

Replacing the coolant flange, at least on the B7

[zerokiller698]

Power steering line

[ZERO FRAME GRAB]

Those German engineers who designed the B6/7. Are sitting somewhere right now laughing at our pain. I swear everytime my CEL comes on, I want to sell the car by a ticket to Germany and hunt down one of those engineers.

[jakeoboy67]

Those German engineers who designed the B6/7. Are sitting somewhere right now laughing at our pain. I swear everytime my CEL comes on, I want to sell the car by a ticket to Germany and hunt down one of those engineers.

My CEL has been on since day one , lol

[2004B6S4]

somehow I didn't notice other or I would've voted for that for the timing chain guides. But out of the rest of the stuff, I chose rear brake calipers. I'ver never had to bleed the clutch with the engine/trans installed so I don't know how that goes, but I've done the rest and the bolts for the rear calipers are such a huge pain in the ass (only enough room for the open end of a combo wrench, so you gotta turn it like an 1/8 turn at a time), I'm gonna have to go with that one

[p3u]

All of the items you mention are not that bad.

Timing on the other hand is the clear winner for pain.

[jakeoboy67]

All of the items you mention are not that bad.

Timing on the other hand is the clear winner for pain.

the actual engine pull is the tough part,
I found the timing part very "fun" to do !

[bmwpower603]

the actual engine pull is the tough part,
I found the timing part very "fun" to do !

I agree. The actual timing part is actually pretty fun.

Has anyone done brake hoses? Mine are cracked and rusted. Hopefully I don't fuck up the acually brake line that it connects to!!

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[emcaha]

How about replacing the battery? Feel like it's in the same boat as the recent IM tribute thread. Nothing like climbing on top of your engine to pull a 20+lb. brick from behind the firewall.

Also heard A/C Compressor can be a real pain but haven't done myself.

[Hooblah]

Just done the battery on mine. Took about half an hour and a lot of head scratching. The trick is to use a long Allen key to get to the bolt on the hold down. You won't be able to get a socket down there due to clearance. Pulling the battery out from the side of the car wasn't too difficult.

[924Carrera]

How about replacing the battery? Feel like it's in the same boat as the recent IM tribute thread. Nothing like climbing on top of your engine to pull a 20+lb. brick from behind the firewall.

Also heard A/C Compressor can be a real pain but haven't done myself.

Yeah, the A/C compressor is a giant PITA, and seems pretty guaranteed to fail.

[ZERO FRAME GRAB]

LOL I swear man I also own a 01 Nissan Pathfinder & 02 Acura RL and the Audi CEL has been on and off in 6 months that those 2 cars combined in 2 years

[Vertol]

Filling up at the pump!

[emilio]

oooh, the battery is definitely a good candidate - i forgot about that one. sometimes i feel stupid for having to buy a tool for something so simple! and then once you get that bolt out you seriously need a friend's help or you'll just shoot a spinal disc across the garage.

still, i wouldn't consider anything like timing components or burst hoses to be "typical maintenance", those are repairs or preventative maintenance. i'm more thinking of regular jobs that anyone who's worked on a few cars would think "swap the battery? no problem." except they are a problem, oh yes...

- emilio

[Tire.Spinning24]

Filling up at the pump!

Haha! I feel yeah


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[Sphawkins007]

oooh, the battery is definitely a good candidate - i forgot about that one. sometimes i feel stupid for having to buy a tool for something so simple! and then once you get that bolt out you seriously need a friend's help or you'll just shoot a spinal disc across the garage.
- emilio

Didn't realize they were a pain; all the sudden I'm glad mine got a brand new one right before I bought it.

I've had nightmares with the power steering lines

[Vertol]

oooh, the battery is definitely a good candidate - i forgot about that one. sometimes i feel stupid for having to buy a tool for something so simple! and then once you get that bolt out you seriously need a friend's help or you'll just shoot a spinal disc across the garage.

still, i wouldn't consider anything like timing components or burst hoses to be "typical maintenance", those are repairs or preventative maintenance. i'm more thinking of regular jobs that anyone who's worked on a few cars would think "swap the battery? no problem." except they are a problem, oh yes...

- emilio

I laughed at the image of one of your discs shooting across the garage.

[melomandn]

I laughed at the image of one of your discs shooting across the garage.

I laughed and felt the pain at the same time.

I'm going to nominate the alternator as well. Just replaced mine about a month ago, huge PITA. Took me somewhere between 8-10 hours start to finish.

[zerokiller698]

I've replaced the following with personal ratings:
Battery - 5/10 because of the akward reach and weight
Front Wheel bearings - 7/10 former NY winter driver car, bearing housings seized in the knuckle
Fuel pump - 6/10 because I had a full tank of gas
Power steering line - 9/10 would be a full 10, but a recruited help
Rear calipers - 2/10 put a short reach allen key, then a closed end wrench on it and presto, easy
Wiper transmission - 3/10 can't believe I had to do this twice in 2 years, gets easier the more you do it
Pinch bolt removal - 8/10 We all know this one, with out the special tool for this, ugggg
Radiator - 5/10 really can't say much besides service position
Putting gas in the car - $/10

[emcaha]

Great call on the wheel bearings. Existing was seized in mine as well and took an air hammer and about every word in my vocabulary to get it out. New ones don't come as an assembly so have to get the bearing and hub pressed together. (Easy for me as I can do it at work but def something most can't do themselves).

If you have to do a rear then you'll also have to deal with those rear caliper bolts too. Win-win.

[TEB]

Having a rust free AZ/FL car makes several of the above complaints go away. I'll toss a vote in for the rear springs -- especially when compared to the B5. I'll also add the CTS, which is my next job.

[924Carrera]

Having a rust free AZ/FL car makes several of the above complaints go away. I'll toss a vote in for the rear springs -- especially when compared to the B5. I'll also add the CTS, which is my next job.

Yeah the rear springs are a huge pain. I fought with them for a long time before I just decided to drop the subframe and save myself the hassle.