I did a pseudo-intro on my shipping inquiry thread but I want to get a separate one up here where I can share photos of my RS and ask a few more specific questions I have not been able to resolve through search.
Be forewarned - I am not very good at keeping things short and sweet...
I always lusted after these cars - the wide fenders, amazing performance, incredible sound… I drove two local examples back in 2013 before I leased my last vehicle (BMW X5 50i MSport) but neither one was in decent shape and at the time, getting a vehicle with no warranty was WAY outside my comfort zone having done leases (Owner’s Choice here in Chicago) on my last five vehicles so I moved on and thought I may revisit things if Audi ever brought another RS4 or the RS3 stateside.
Getting down to the wire over the last month and a half, I needed to make the call on my next set of wheels, however, I was having a lot of difficulty making a decision. I have a kiddo who loves looking out the window so a coupe was out of the question. Throughout the past year I have jumped back and forth considering everything from another X5, 650GC, M5, M3, S6, S4 to a Golf R just to name a few. I have a whole spreadsheet and managed to drive my wife nuts flip-flopping back and forth thinking my mind was made up multiple times!
While I had narrowed it down to about seven very nice options, none of them seemed to tick all the boxes for me. The thought of an RS4 popped back to mind and the hunt was on! I had two local cars sell the day before I called on them - drove two other local ones over the following weeks that were in disappointing shape - paint work on one and rust + destroyed interior on the other.
I never thought I would consider something without getting seat time but I expanded my search across the country. Thought the search was over when a friend drove an hour out of his way to check out a low mile Mugello example in California for me but that one did not end up working out. Neither did a black one in Utah, black one in Maine or a silver in Colorado - the search continued.
The majority of the time I was limiting results to under 60k miles. I also really wanted bone stock - preferably not even tinted. As you all know there are very few examples with those two criteria and they demand a premium. Still battling my apprehension of a vehicle out of warranty (not to mention a high-end, high-performance one!), I began to convince myself the best route may be to look for a decent high mile example that hopefully had some of the more expensive service items taken care of throughout it’s lifetime. I could save a fair amount over the lower mile examples and not be in totally over my head if this whole used car endeavor did not turn out how I envisioned.
Fast forward through a handful of other highs and lows thinking I had found a good one only to uncover a deal-breaker flaw.
Did I mention I am very particular?
Okay let me wrap this up already! After all the search alerts, phone calls and emails, one popped up in Tennessee that caught my attention. The pics looked decent and the price was right. I was particularly enticed by one of the listing photos showcasing a folder of service records and the description noting it was only a two owner car. With ~93k I was amazed at how good it looked in the pictures. I rang the dealer and after a few quick questions, immediately put down a deposit.
Following a full independent PPI including compression test where everything came back above board - including confirmation of no weird smells and a handful of other obnoxious questions - I pulled the trigger!
At the time I was really unaware of the rarity of Lava Gray. If the registry is accurate, there are evidently only four in the country. Pretty neat little bonus on an already rare car. It is a fantastic color in person - changes in different light.
Aside from a few imperfections one should expect on a nearly 10 yo car with close to 100k, it was very well cared for. The service records are great and include a recent carbon cleaning as well as confirmation of DRC replacement following the recall. It is totally stock except for a few tasteful tweaks including an OEM flat bottom TTRS wheel with RS4 badge, hardwiring for V1 with a display very cleanly mounted in the center cluster and nice bright white bulbs in the fog lights.
Sorry, no mods planned. I am a big OEM purest. The wheels have been refinished in a couple spots. I will see how they look come springtime and may consider a new set of OEMs, keeping the current ones exclusively for winter. It is plenty fast for my needs so performance upgrades are not a consideration. At some point I may consider blacking out the window trim as Gansel did with a wrap for the titanium package look but I prefer the bright silver mirrors and wheels.
A full detail as well as service including plugs is on deck. It has brand new all seasons but I will likely get dedicated winters.
Although it came with great service records from the previous two owners, the actual owner’s manual was not with the car. I have searched for a PDF copy online and/or somewhere to purchase a hard copy with no luck locating one. Anyone have any info on where to find a copy? Audi states they are out of stock but will restock. Do they actually restock manuals from 2007?
In light of my lack of the manual I have a few configuration questions I hope someone may be able to help with as well as a few other additional general questions.
-At startup the top states ‘OK’ in green but then ‘Service!’ below. Oil change records do not indicate it’s due and cycling through the ‘Check’ menu does not produce any results. Is that telling me everything is OK or service is needed? At the PPI there were no codes less than 200 miles ago.
-Should the passenger side mirror tilt down when in reverse if the mirror adjustment knob is on driver’s position?
-It is equipped with Bluetooth but the default 1234 passcode is not working and neither is 0000, 1111, 5555 or 9999 - what am I missing?
-The driver’s seat belt retracts very slowly - is the tensioner accessible/able to be tightened up via DIY or need to be replaced by a pro?
-The center arm rest is intact but pretty creaky and bugging the crap out of me! I see ECS has all the parts but they are quite pricy. Anyone do a full replacement with a brand new one - is it rock solid, no creaks?
-I have only had it a week but noticed significantly more brake dust on rears - is that common or a sign of needing to replace the rear pads? Rear pads were 5mm at the PPI and I can feel a lip on the rotors so I know they will need to be replaced at some point.
-It has been years since I daily drove a manual. (Loving it btw!) At complete stop, zero throttle, it does not always want to go into first. If I keep the clutch depressed and put it in second then immediately back to first it goes right in. Normal?
Any info is much appreciated!
I will be out at Collector’s Car Garage for the last Rise & Drive of the season on Oct 2 as well as the Audi Exchange + Audi Car Club Chicagoland car show on Oct 9. I hope to meet some other local RS4 owners - come out to these events guys!
Lastly, coming from years of Bimmerpost which is a great, very active community, I have to thank Audizine for the nice smooth iOS experience. It definitely increases my participation having easy access to the forum through a well designed app.
Here are a couple quick pics. I will be sure to add some more here as well as on Insta - moabiite
Sent from my iPhone using Audizine
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Originally Posted by tweak419
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