I need to Make sure the RS4 I am buying is in good order

[WellsyRS4]

I am due to pick up an RS4 from Motorzone in Harlow (The Pinnacles) this coming Saturday.

I viewed the vehicle nearly three weeks ago now. When I saw the car I was of coure wowed by the car. I have owned an RS2 and was amazed by it. Now I am in a position to buy an RS4 but need to ensure, as best as possible, that I have the right car.

When I viewed the car internally it was mint apart from the cover to the retractable cup holder being missing. Which they have agreed to replace.

Externally there were a few marks on the paint work which again they have promised to sort out in terms of new paint. They will be painting the front and rear bumpers and also the side sills which were scuffed.

When I viewed the car they were in the throws of replacing the rear callipers as they were sticking!!?

The car was on the ramps so I was able to get underneath. The exhaust seemed as if it was not damaged however the undertray was craked at the back not to badly as it was cracked around the middle retaining screw/bolt. Another observation was a leeking CV Joint which again they are replacing. Also there was a tiny amount of oil around the sump plug which I pointed out and they said they would investigate. Is this of concern???

After searching the forum I found info relating to a possible weakness in the gearbox with the syncro's between 1st and 2nd gear. I asked this be checked and in fairness they called me to say they where not happy and have had the gear box reconditioned. I have obviously asked for the invoices relating to this work.

I have also lifted the RS4 buyers guide kindly posted in another forum and sent this to them and asked for all items to be checked and rectified where required prior to collection.

Is it possible to clock an RS4 ??, as I am concerned that this may have been done, not that the car indicates this possibility and after talking to the dealerships that have seen the car during its life all seems to add but you can never be to sure.

As the car was still on the ramps for the replacement rear callipers I have not yet driven the car.

Would some kind soul give assistance in test driving it with me to ensure that I am not buying a lemon. Is there anybody available, willing and local to Harlow able to help me out ?

[kcsun]

Would love to help you but travelling home to France this weekend. Been to Motorzone a couple of times and was not impressed by the salespeople there (appeared very "Arfur Daley" to me") would you buy a car from this man? All the cars I have seen their have had hard lives - but I am not an expert & it is only MY opinion when I visited them
Whats the colour & price - how many owners and is the reg no on our records?

kc

[WellsyRS4]

Thanks for the quick reply IMO I feel the same way.. I have been getting gradually more nervous as I have been lent a BMW 330 Coupe sport that was fairly ropey (IMO) and it had one of those lovely stickers on the speedo regarding not being able to guarantee the mileage??? mmm!!! In short I had a flat tyre and had to pay £80 to replace it and upon investigation the beed that seal the tyre to the wheel was damaged. They sold they 330 so delivered me a 323 coupe the chap that delivered it to me looked over the 330 to check I had not damaged it and then unpropted said "oh I see that the wheels been repaired !!! guess which wheel it was!!

I have agreed a price of £24500 for a Y reg. with an apparent 66k miles.

Where will I find the sites register?

Please help as increasingly becoming worried

[BOWS3]

Hi, been looking at this one too. Avus silver one. You say you've spoken to the dealers who have worked on the car and the mileage seems to add up. So, can we conclude that if it has been clocked, its not by anything substantial ? It is my opinion that a lot of the niche Audis have had "haircuts" at one time or another. Anyone who thinks otherwise is being naive. With regards to the stickers on the clocks, there's probably something in the trading/advertising laws that says unless they can categorically prove and verify the miles, they have to put on one of these.
BTW, they must have had this car very cheap. They are spending well on it. Paint both bumpers and skirts, recon the box, and the rear calipers.
Hope it works out well for you.

Chris.

[simple1]

Moral of the story is................. if in doubt, throw it out. Easy to clock any VAG car, car be done through the serial port, so complete service history and old MOT's will rule that out, if the car does not have, the previous owner should be on the V5, ask for a copy and contact him/her.
The register is not for public sonsumption, but if you need some info, PM johnW and give him the car details, he should be able to tell you what you need if the car has belonged to a forum poster...
You should also be able to trace the service history through Audi, if you have the Vin number and original registration.

[DaveP]

The gearbox statement from them would worry me...they say they've had it reconditioned ? - this is not a cheap thing to do! - Obviously it's impossible to tell without seeing the car, but from what you've said, it will have cost them a lot of money to sort out those things...

Lets have a tot-up..for a decent job I'd expect to pay :-
750 quid respray+bits
50 quid cupholder
1500 quid gearbox 'recondition' - whatever that means! That's assuming they do the labour! (at a guess)

Unless they picked up the car very cheap thats a lot to be spending to sell at 24500 ??

End of the day...if you're not happy with it, don't do the deal - there will be other cars!

Incidentally, for comparison I've been offered 24k trade in for my car - with 59k miles on it.

[johneroberts]

ncidentally, for comparison I've been offered 24k trade in for my car - with 59k miles on it.

So youre gonna do it then?
Cheers
jr

[bakerdcb]

As Dave says they do seem to have been unusually co-operative for a dealer. In my experience garages are incredibly reluctant to any work on cars they are selling becasue of the dent this makes in their profit margins, which are often not huge. I would be suspicious. If in doubt look for another. There are a few about and plenty of then are honest examples. You need to feel confident in it to enjoy it properly.

[DaveP]

ncidentally, for comparison I've been offered 24k trade in for my car - with 59k miles on it.

So youre gonna do it then?
Cheers
jr

Still not sure !! - getting an inspection done today - we'll see what that throws up...

[derdle]

You should do an HPI check on it at least - not only for credit clearance but it may also throw up anomolies like mileage/number plate changes etc. You can also do a basic check via the dvla website but I'm not sure whether that gives you the last recorded mileage. I might be cynical here, but the garage could probably "knock up" an invoice to cover a gearbox recon. No doubt there are posters on the forum who could advise on potential gearbox recon costs to see if what they say is reasonable. I don't know of that dealer myself so can't comment.

I guess you can expect some "niggles" with any car (my partner needed a new turbo on a NEW car after only 800 miles) so you need to balance, age, mileage, price and overall condition with your expectations.

I'm in Royston at the moment and will be in Hertford over the weekend so not a million miles from Harlow - pm me if you want.

Paul

[derdle]

Just found out through the trade that "most"/"many" of their cars are imports.

[bobjebb]

I was afraid to post any negative thoughts - especially if you have signed on the dotted line, but as the general consensus is less than posotive, here goes my tupence. No one can tell you if it's citrus from here, and I'm no technician, so unless things were falling off it during a test drive, I would likely be non the wiser, or at least very capable of missing something. What I think is equally important buying cars like this is the general attitude of the salesman, his knowledge, his shoes (kidding) and even the way they market the car and their business. I wouldn't buy this car because: (and many of these reasons my sound silly), but there you go.

1. They are called "Motorzone". Bad name. A bit like "Cars Are Us" or "Cartastic".
2. They don't know the proper colour of the car.
3. They advertise as a selling point the fact that it has RS4 stiched into the seat. Add to this that no one has taken the time to research wht the standard options obviously are.
4. All the cars I saw seem to be at the cheaper end of the scale.
5. Don't think I'd buy a car like ours from a dealership that sells such a wide range of totally different marques, they sell too many cars. It looks like a supermarket.
6. They have a Yahoo email address


Aside from that, the car looks clean!

Good luck, Fontain may tend to know a bit about them, they sell a few.

[bakerdcb]

LMAO Nice one Bob
Very nicely put and I agree with all your reasons

[JohnW]

Have checked and I do not have details in the register at present.

You have had a brief relationship with them regarding the 330 & 323 on loan, so how do you think they might treat you (or the car) once you have handed over your money.
Better ?
Worse ?!?

I brought my car from an independent garage, and took a chance. As long as its history is complete and has a warranty an independant is no worse than a private sale imo.
Mine came with the remainder of its warranty, and the seller gave it a main dealer service prior to me taking it.

I suppose it depends on how much of a hurry you are in and how tight your budget is.
There are generally always a selection of cars up for sale now, and with a variety of specs, so if it doesn't feel right, don't buy it. There will be others.

Getting the previous owners contact details is good advice, and well worth giving them a call.

[derdle]

I bought mine privately! But thoroughly checked out the seller and the car beforehand.