Unreliable RS4? Or just bad luck?

[Smithy4655]

I have owned my 06 RS4 B7 Saloon for nearly a year now, and it has been a bit of a pain from day one to be honest. The car had 40k when i bought it and now it has just shy of 50k. It's driven properly and always been extremely well respected!

I've had a spark plug crack and coil pack break on me causing a misfire.
Both front seats lumbar support and inflatable bolsters packed up which also needed replacing.
The oil cooler was leaking too, which has also been replaced along with all pipes etc.
A faulty solenoid valve threw the EML light on, which has also been replaced.
Both ballasts for the headlights also packed up which i have had replaced, and while the bumper was off i thought i may aswell replace bulbs too.
The door locks have also been replaced, i had to press unlock on the key fob about 15 times for one door to finally unlock!
I have also had problems with the inlet manifold. Audi said they had re-adapted potentiometers and all seems ok now.

It's currently in Audi again because there's a problem with the secondary air injection system, causing insufficient air flow.

Luckily ALL of this work (except for bulbs which i paid for) has been carried out under Audi's warranty!

Just curious as to whether anyone else has had any problems similar to what I've experienced!

[andyg72]

bloody hell have you ever run over a black cat .....

[Smithy4655]

Funny you should say that because yes i have. Thankfully not in my RS4 though!

[coffey555]

Sounds like normal B7 ownership to me......... at least someone else is paying to have it fixed.

[Smithy4655]

Sounds like normal B7 ownership to me......... at least someone else is paying to have it fixed.

I've read a few threads on here and i did my research prior to purchase but i never thought it could be this bad. I think i'd be a lot more annoyed if i had to pay for this myself but thankfully i didn't.

[R1RS4]

Sounds like normal B7 ownership to me......... at least someone else is paying to have it fixed.

+1

Engine under warranty would would be nice

[andyg72]

Funny you should say that because yes i have. Thankfully not in my RS4 though!

[bluenosewrx]

Well just aux rad and TPMS and you've a full house, lol

At least it's all done for re sale

[Smithy4655]

Well just aux rad and TPMS and you've a full house, lol

At least it's all done for re sale

Thats very true. Not sure if i'm going to keep it another year or not yet. I'm only 22 so will see how kind the insurance company is 2nd time round.

May extend the warranty too. If anyone knows how much it is for 1 year?

[HYFR]

8/9yr old car

[Harris.]

How long is Audis warranty then ?

[slobber_chops]

I think what you're experiencing is bad luck quite frankly. It's an old car now and any expenditure should be considered preventative maintenance.
A cracked spark plug can be caused by poor fitting...........the ceramic sleeve is easily cracked with axial load applied by a fitter.......regardless of whether they're fitted by a qualified Audi technician or a competent DIY'er..............a simple mistake to make
Ignition coil packs are subject to extreme temperature transients and thus the weld joints in the internal electrical connections expand and contract and can fail..............a consumable item
Door locks can become sodden with water if the vehicle is regularly passed through a car wash or cleaned by means of a jet wash.............window seals are designed to exclude rain water predominantly
Ditto for the headlight ballasts.....water soak and thus corrosion
Oil cooler pipes is a known fault
Inlet manifold, solenoid valve and secondary air injection............could be coked up and/or vacuum system fault..........another known problem
Mine is an 07 model.........the inlets are coked up, the transmission and brake fluids need replacing, as do the plugs............all of which i can do myself. The vac system is leaking (no kick at 5500 rpm), jerky throttle and gear change (clutch switches and MAF already changed so probably a worn engine/torque mount), wanders on uneven surfaces (worn suspension arms which i can replace).................but............holy <beep>..............do i love it...........Oh yeah, that sound is addictive, the handling is addictive (even though it has open diffs)..............it's an RS4, it's been on my bucket list for years, and i have no regrets whatsoever. Yes, it's going to cost me a small fortune to maintain, i have no warranty, but it's worth every penny in my mind............it's a wolf in sheeps clothing and fulfills all my needs.
Stick with it.......spend the money as required............you'll need to with any other brand............they're all the same!

[slobber_chops]

And I'll be trying Castrol Edge FST at the next oil change to see if it addresses the coking issue...........the inlet valves are chrome plated. Chrome is a catalytic element so can react with compounds in the oil to create the coking issue.

[MikeFish]

I'd say you've been unlucky. I've had mine for over 4 years and not had anywhere near as much problems as you.

[MikeFish]

But actually not unlucky, I'd say lucky cos it all happened while still covered by warranty. Now sit back and enjoy the ride (and hope you have less problems post warranty).