Buying a B7 RS4 - reviews?

[The BMW Guy]

Been looking into a B7 RS4. Don't see too many for sale in Calgary very often. I know of some common issues: carbon build up, brake rotors costs, leaky suspension.

Anything else? Hard to drive and compare a few when they are so rare. Hoping for member feedback.

[flipstah]

They're awesome but fetch a pretty penny, because people who have them rarely let them go. The carbon buildup is the biggest issue people talked about; walnut blast takes care of it though.

There's a Eurodrivers section on FB that can help you out; lots of RS4 owners there.

[bjstare]

No idea if I'm off base here, but I'd look into whether it has the same issues that plague the S4 with the 4.2 V8 (insane cost to replace timing chain tensioners, and some issue with cylinder scoring that's not too uncommon).

[BavarianBeast]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

No idea if I'm off base here, but I'd look into whether it has the same issues that plague the S4 with the 4.2 V8 (insane cost to replace timing chain tensioners, and some issue with cylinder scoring that's not too uncommon).

I owned a B7 S4 and had cylinder scoring. Had to get them machined and it ended up running me about $10k USD. What a nightmare that was. I should of known better though, the vehicle I purchased was from an auction down in Bellevue and it ended up being a stolen vehicle that was written off previously..

Anyways...

There is a really nice sprint/Sepang blue RS4 in Ontario for sale privately if you can handle the trip/freight. It would certainly stop tempting me if you picked it up! lol

I would just ensure that maintenance has been completed religiously and that if it is around 100k kms that the carbon blast has been completed and the timing chain has been replaced. The 4.2FSI V8 is a great engine when maintained properly, but can be a helluva headache if they aren't serviced accordingly..

[The BMW Guy]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

No idea if I'm off base here, but I'd look into whether it has the same issues that plague the S4 with the 4.2 V8 (insane cost to replace timing chain tensioners, and some issue with cylinder scoring that's not too uncommon).

I have heard the timing chain problem is non as prevalent (if at all) on the RS4 due to upgraded metal timing components. Which is a big reason why I'm looking at RS4s over S4 for the B7 chasis.

[The BMW Guy]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I owned a B7 S4 and had cylinder scoring. Had to get them machined and it ended up running me about $10k USD. What a nightmare that was. I should of known better though, the vehicle I purchased was from an auction down in Bellevue and it ended up being a stolen vehicle that was written off previously..

Anyways...

There is a really nice sprint/Sepang blue RS4 in Ontario for sale privately if you can handle the trip/freight. It would certainly stop tempting me if you picked it up! lol

I would just ensure that maintenance has been completed religiously and that if it is around 100k kms that the carbon blast has been completed and the timing chain has been replaced. The 4.2FSI V8 is a great engine when maintained properly, but can be a helluva headache if they aren't serviced accordingly..

Oh yeah....that one is clean.

[danno]

i owned a rs4 for 3 years, and it was great to me. big expense was the front brakes which i did myself with oem rotors and aftermarket pads for $1600. they should be carbon cleaned imo every 60k km. i don't think is to much to be concerned about other than that.

you will have a hard time buying one as they don't get listed very often and have a fairly large group of former owners like myself wishing they didn't sell theirs. when i sold mine it was to a former rs4 owner, and i had another former owner looking as well.

[The BMW Guy]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

i owned a rs4 for 3 years, and it was great to me. big expense was the front brakes which i did myself with oem rotors and aftermarket pads for $1600. they should be carbon cleaned imo every 60k km. i don't think is to much to be concerned about other than that.

you will have a hard time buying one as they don't get listed very often and have a fairly large group of former owners like myself wishing they didn't sell theirs. when i sold mine it was to a former rs4 owner, and i had another former owner looking as well.

Why'd you end up selling it?

[ducaudi]

OP, be aware of the B7 issues when it comes to the glove box, the far right hinge snaps due to poor design.

Some other things...

I'd definitely think about the fuel injectors (x8) and the HPFPs (x2) on the engine itself.
Steering rack clunk (two bolts that need to be tightened)
Steering whine noise (a real wretched sound) when you go lock to lock.
The starter is another pricey fix (Car will not turnover when you turn the ignition, could take up to 15mins before it will start, gets worse in cold weather)
Oil cooler lines (there's a zip tie fix you can do that prevents it from chafing together or buy the beefed up JHM lines, could get catastrophic if you start leaving an oil trail)
Control Arms for the B7, Audi stuffed the V8 into that bay...it's a nose heavy car, I did a complete refresh from MeyleHD, 034 sells a complete set as well.

If I think of anything else I'll post

I still regret letting mine go because it was such a tank when you sort it out, maybe one day...another sedan, but I guess one could wait another 4-5 years and bring the Avant over.

[The BMW Guy]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

OP, be aware of the B7 issues when it comes to the glove box, the far right hinge snaps due to poor design.

Some other things...

I'd definitely think about the fuel injectors (x8) and the HPFPs (x2) on the engine itself.
Steering rack clunk (two bolts that need to be tightened)
Steering whine noise (a real wretched sound) when you go lock to lock.
The starter is another pricey fix (Car will not turnover when you turn the ignition, could take up to 15mins before it will start, gets worse in cold weather)
Oil cooler lines (there's a zip tie fix you can do that prevents it from chafing together or buy the beefed up JHM lines, could get catastrophic if you start leaving an oil trail)
Control Arms for the B7, Audi stuffed the V8 into that bay...it's a nose heavy car, I did a complete refresh from MeyleHD, 034 sells a complete set as well.

If I think of anything else I'll post

I still regret letting mine go because it was such a tank when you sort it out, maybe one day...another sedan, but I guess one could wait another 4-5 years and bring the Avant over.

Thanks for the insight. The glovebox is something i'm aware of just from watching YouTube videos. Is there a way to check the HPFPs on a test drive?

Also, any tips on checking the clutch on these? I've heard they can get sticky. I'm also not sure how heavy the clutch is supposed to be (have heard a heavy clutch pedal means it's on it's way out).

[danno]

they have a very heavy pedal, oh i forgot about the control arm issues, lots of guys will complain of random steering wheel vibrations (which mine had from 110-120).

i sold mine because i was putting to many km on it and i didn't want to lose to much value in the car. got a golf r instead which is probably faster and easy to tune. i will be getting a rs4 or m3 next though as a toy car i'm in the market now and watching daily. can't beat the v8 sound

[Type_S1]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Been looking into a B7 RS4. Don't see too many for sale in Calgary very often. I know of some common issues: carbon build up, brake rotors costs, leaky suspension.

Anything else? Hard to drive and compare a few when they are so rare. Hoping for member feedback.

These don't have the engine problems S4s have. S4s of this model are garbage, the RS4 is a complete tank and the best car I've ever owned. Put me in the category of wishing I never sold it. The carb build-up is an exaggerated problem and easy to fix on your own. The only pricey item to watch out for is the breaks. You can get the parts and do them yourself for under $2k but the dealership will want $3500+.

Driving quality - one of the top 5 funniest cars I've driven just because it is such a drivers car. Unless you have driven it people won't know this. You can feel every rock on the road through the steering wheel - it's truly an experience to drive. The funny thing when owning this car is most "enthusiasts" have no idea what it is. They think you have an S4 then tear their rivers to pieces.

[The BMW Guy]

The more I read about this car the more I want it. What are your thoughts on high mileage RS4s? Do these cars die off pretty fast at higher kms?

[Type_S1]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

The more I read about this car the more I want it. What are your thoughts on high mileage RS4s? Do these cars die off pretty fast at higher kms?

The engine is bulletproof on these cars - I would t worry about buying one with 150k and running it up to 220.

[VWbloke]

Lots of good input in this thread already, but I'll echo what others have already shared...

Carbon build up is an issue but its just a matter of getting a carbon clean done every 50-60K kms (it's about $1K in labour to get done). Good to do the injectors at the same time if they haven't been replaced. They're a bit pricey though - $200 each for OEM, $100 for generic ones x 8.

The stock DRC suspension is known to leak but a decent set of coil-overs will sort that out!

The self-adjusting clutch mechanism is what causes the "sticky clutch" issue. I started getting that with my car and just upgraded to a JHM stage 3 clutch kit (beefier pressure plate, more robust clutch and light weight fly wheel) since it doesn't have the SAC it won't ever get sticky and will handle all that you can throw at it.

The timing chain issue in the S4's isn't an issue for RS4's due to a different design and is not prone to the same type of failures.

IMO it's the perfect car and I don't plan on ever selling mine. I've got 135K kms on it and it runs like a champ.

When you look at buying one, make sure its been maintained properly. Now that they've fallen into a more affordable price range, lots of people pick them up but don't have the money to maintain them. The main things I'd look for are when it was last carbon cleaned, if the injectors have been replaced, status of DRC (there was a recall from Audi so some cars have had it sorted), and condition of the brakes. I wouldn't be afraid of higher mileage cars if they've been maintained well and have had the usual issues sorted, but personally I'd want to be looking at ones between 80K-110K kms if you can find one.

Otherwise they're pretty bullet proof and awesome to drive no matter what the weather is like.

Oh, and invest in a Milltek non-res exhaust and a euro flat bottom steering wheel if you can. Both are so worth the money.

[Type_S1]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Lots of good input in this thread already, but I'll echo what others have already shared...

Oh, and invest in a Milltek non-res exhaust and a euro flat bottom steering wheel if you can. Both are so worth the money.

Just don't go to tunerworks for anything on the car despite it selling the Milltek system. The owner is a complete douchebag/loser who thinks his shit doesn't stink and will treat you like crap since the RS4 has depreciated to be a 25-30k car instead of 100k car.

[Sentry]

I was cross shopping RS4s and CTS-Vs before I picked up my M5. I'm happy with my choice. The RS4 I drove felt slower than M5s and Vs but being able to wing it to 8000rpm was a big plus. AWD is a negative for me, since for me it would have been a summer car only and it's less fun. Maintenance seemed like it was very expensive, even if you do all the work yourself which I do.

[Type_S1]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I was cross shopping RS4s and CTS-Vs before I picked up my M5. I'm happy with my choice. The RS4 I drove felt slower than M5s and Vs but being able to wing it to 8000rpm was a big plus. AWD is a negative for me, since for me it would have been a summer car only and it's less fun. Maintenance seemed like it was very expensive, even if you do all the work yourself which I do.

M5s are great cars but I loved the RS4 in winter so it hands downs wins considering most else is comparable. Taking it out to the mountains was a dream - you could feel everything through the steering wheel and are in full control even when hitting ice.

CTS-Vs don't compare at all to the driving experience in my opinion. They are not too exciting to drive for the "experience" but I guess they do go 0-60 fast (but so does the RS4 lol). The CTS-V interior also feels like a budget car comfort wise (despite people loving the suede) compared to the Audi/BMW comparables.

[Buster]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I was cross shopping RS4s and CTS-Vs before I picked up my M5. I'm happy with my choice. The RS4 I drove felt slower than M5s and Vs but being able to wing it to 8000rpm was a big plus. AWD is a negative for me, since for me it would have been a summer car only and it's less fun. Maintenance seemed like it was very expensive, even if you do all the work yourself which I do.

Not a fair comparison, you have one of the coolest cars ever built.

[BavarianBeast]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Just don't go to tunerworks for anything on the car despite it selling the Milltek system. The owner is a complete douchebag/loser who thinks his shit doesn't stink and will treat you like crap since the RS4 has depreciated to be a 25-30k car instead of 100k car.

Tuner works has always been like this from my experience. If it wasn't for Riegal tuning, I doubt they would still be in business.