ginch

So I've decided to sell my avant for a B7 RS4. Anyone with first hand experience?

Derek

XR4Tim

I've worked on and driven a few. Aside from the carbon buildup on the valves and the cracking in the trunk floor, they're pretty solid (and a lot of fun).

ginch

Never heard about cracking in the trunk floor. Please fill me in!

XR4Tim

Too much flex caused the trunk floors to crack (irrepairably) in some cars. There was a recall issued early on (in 2008 I believe) to correct it, which involved filling the bracing under the battery with some super-tough epoxy. Most cars didn't have an issue, but all cars should have gotten the recall performed to prevent cracking from occurring.

As for the carbon buildup, I'd bet money that a water-meth injection kit would solve the issue completely.

Robert993TT

Is it a new or old RS4 you are after? There are 3 different generations out there. I would guess you are after the (B7) RS4 -the second generation. I don´t have any first hand experience on any of them. I know that the RS4 (B7) has problems with carbon build up like many other cars with direct injections.

CorrdoBrit

Didn't the E46 M3 suffer from a similar problem?

swesna

i have a b7 rs4 2008. have not heard many or anybody having the trunk issue. carbon on the valves is something most FSI engines experience and is best cleaned every 10K.

my other car is a 964 91.

the RS4 is a great car, 4-doors, awd, 6-spd, 420 hp...what is not to like i have had mine over a year and enjoy my drive to dunkin donuts every morning.

stickypatch

I thought the carbon build up with the FSI engines was related to fuel quality - if 98 is used and the engine is regularly revved across its range, it's less of an issue? I might be wrong though - I looked into it with my last car which was a 2.0L T FSI engine (B7 A4 DTM) and I remember reading that in a few places.

cgfen

Hoping they bring the new RS4 Avant to the US in late 2013 or early 2014.

see here.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...vant-in-the-US

$80K+ though

Craig

XR4Tim

Less of an issue, maybe. But it's still an issue. On a regular EFI engine, fuel is injected ahead of the intake valves, and the fuel cleans the valves with every injection cycle (here, fuel quality makes a huge difference). On the DFI engines, fuel is injected in the combustion chamber, so it never touches the valves. Combustion residue (which can be reduced to a degree with higher-quality fuel) builds on the valves when they open, and never gets cleaned until someone takes the intake manifold off and manually cleans them. It's quite a chore on the RS4. Some DFI engines seem to have a lot less of a problem than the Audi 3.2 and 4.2, but most will see it to some extent.

My theory is that a water-methanol injection system would clean the valves automatically, by injecting ahead of the valves (while simultaneously improving overall fuel quality).

tanger

I have an 08 RS4 that I picked up earlier this year - what do you want to know?

Out of the box it is a near perfect car. The engine is a screamer, quattro is perfect for slippery days (of course in Los Angeles there aren't many), the 4 doors lets me haul my kids around easily, the trunk space is quite good, and in LA where porsches are a dime a dozen the RS4 actually stands out. There really isn't much to complain about, if anything. Wicked fast too obviously.

The carbon clean issues are overblown by forums, my only (minor) gripes are 1) clutch engagement when driven hard not as tight as in the p-car (you can read about sticky clutch issues on some RS4s), pedal placement not ideal for heel-toe, the outdated NAV is garbage. All minor.

PM me if you want to talk more about it.

My favorite forum is quattroworld (http://forums.quattroworld.com/rs4b7/) - there are others (audizine, audiworld).

Note that RS4 owners seem to be younger (late 20s/early 30s) and somewhat more "fanboyish". Not necessarily a bad thing, but impacts the tone of discussions on the forums.

ginch

Yup B7 RS4!

McQueen993

I miss mine and don't let the carbon build-up turn you off. It's repairable. The only other issue I can think of and had to deal with it twice was leaky OEM shocks. This is remedied by installling new ones (chances are this was already done if your seller is reputable) or by installing better aftermarket shocks.

The car was a beast.

goofballdeluxe

RS4 is a great car. But direct injection sucks. Automakers love it because it helps enhance MPG numbers, and the carbon build-up problem, and it's associated costs ($1000-$1500 every 10K miles or so) don't usually happen until after the warranty is up. How convenient

Robert993TT

Did Audi sell the first generation of the RS4 in the US with the twin turbo V6 engine? I own an RS2 and I know it was never sold new in the US. That´s the reason for asking.