Jinxed

[Nastypsychoboy]

Ello, ive owned my RS4 for about a year now and yeah its a pretty sweet ride, comfotable, handles pretty well considering the size and the engine is a beast. But since owning it, it has been hard work and expensive..... the dump valves needed replacing, i've replaced the MAF sensor, the cam timing chain became loose causing rattle(under warranty but Audi were like blood out of a stone (it took 4 months and a diagnosis from MRC)), one of my new Bridgestones were ripped by a pothole and crack in one of my genuine alloys, and now it's misfiring, running up fault codes and lights and the cylinders are not holding a consistant pressure.

Phew, quite a list for a year and i know quality doesn't come cheap and i'm prepared to pay the extra if the result is worth it. But are these models just over sensitive? It's standard, 1 previous owner and the millage is about 90k but its been service regularly with the best fluids etc. Do they have too many sensors for their own good and are they always this much work to keep running?

Has anyone experienced similar misfiring problems? Or similar cylinder pressure problems and how did you solve them? Considering getting rid but its just too good too give up just yet. Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers

[quattrokid1]

get it to Grizz at Unit 20, AVPerformance or MRC

specialists so you wont get better advice than these guys.

[SimonC]

Your experiences are the exception, not the norm. The Bosch MAF has a finite life on any car and the same can be said of the Bosch DV's. A collision with a pothole severe enough to rip a tyre and crack a wheel is bad luck (certainly not an over-sensitive car).

The cam timing chain is a very unusual problem - has the car recieved major work to the top of the engine?

Re- the misfire, this could simply be a loose spark plug (this would also explain the pressure loss).

My RS4 is an extremely robust and reliable car and, aside from one DV, every problem I've had has been a result of human error on the ramps of garage.

[Blue_Thunder]

Your experiences are the exception, not the norm.

Really?

Aside from the cam chain coming loose and driving through a pothole, which is just unfortunate, i'd say the rest of the stuff sounds like 'a year in the life' for an RS4.

DV's and a MAF will cost about £150 to sort out. As SImon has suggested, a loose spark plug could well be the culprit, so another cheap and easy fix.

Stick with it. If you can find another 400bhp car which costs you £200 in repairs a year at 8-9 years of age, good luck.

[Norrs2]

My RS4 is an extremely robust and reliable car and, aside from one DV, every problem I've had has been a result of human error on the ramps of garage.

This is more of what I've experienced also.

Wonder if the car has had a experimental Mechanic at the Stealer's working on it at some point.

[Hiltoa]

My RS4 is an extremely robust and reliable car and, aside from one DV, every problem I've had has been a result of human error on the ramps of garage.

I'm learning to my cost that there seem to be very few garages out there that will treat these complex cars with the time and respect they deserve. It's practically a given with the B5 RS4 that you be prepared to travel to get the car looked after by the right people, unless you are lucky enough to live near one of the decent ones or you have the time, skill and facilities to sort it yourself. If a previous owner hasn't ensured that work was done properly, you will have to sort it out eventually.

Blue_Thunder has an excellent point though - Think about the kind of cars an RS4 can humble, how much does a 10 year old Ferrari, TVR or Porsche cost to run properly?

[SimonC]

I think as enthusiasts we are just more aware of a wider problem - the poor service and extortionate hourly rate of many garages. It takes no more specialist skill to properly look after an RS4 than it does any modern turbo-charged petrol-engined car. Many modern cars have almost identical MAFs, DVs and other sensors and actuators (the car is basically managed by a fairly generic Bosch system) and the architecture and plumbing of the engine isn't that far removed from more mundane cars. If you replace the MAF and DV's regularly you are just maintaining your car to a higher standard than it would receive at a main dealer and therefore this should not reflect badly on the reliability of the car. Perhaps the amount of BHP per litre these engines produce means a slight problem that goes un-noticed on another engine seems serious on our cars.

Just imagine what the new crop of twin-charged engines will run like in ten years....

[rsmonkey918]

Forums such as these are mostly a blessing, sometimes a curse because you get to know what the pitfalls and problems are as well as the fixes and where to go for them. But ask youself, as mentioned above, if you had an 8-10 year old car with 400bhp whether you could expect more or less problems? We ask a lot of these cars- and they mostly deliver, in spite of being relentlessly modified, mollycoddled and used as nature intended. How many run of the mill cars are knocking around at 10 years, still looking and hopefully going as well as ours?
Feel for your expense and hope all fixes are reasonable- I will always drive to MRC now (200 mile round trip) to make sure mine is as good as it can be...
Regards

Steve

[Nastypsychoboy]

Yeah suppose many do have a point that it is 9 - 10 years old and 350 bhp+ and to give it credit it still performs very well today, it's just temperamental and costly (and i already have one misses).

Hear what your saying Simon C, it may just be bad luck but I've heard that the genuine alloys on these are prone to cracking anyway. And wish it was a simple fix like a spark plug but had a complete new set when the cylinders were being pressure tested, so can't be them that's causing it. But i can't say its really a continuous problem, as the engine management light comes and goes as does the misfire, some days it sounds and feels like i'm riding a tractor but this morning it was fine, but it is consistently annoying me.

Yeah probably have to just have to book it into a pro, probably MRC i've been there before and the service is excellent, it's just the 200 mile round trip for me too that puts me off, anyone know anywhere with a decent reputation down South?

Still i found it interesting to know if people are having similar problems.

[Blue_Thunder]

Misfires may just be a coilpack or dodgy ignition amplifier.

Again, a small thing, but probably overlooked by someone other than a specialist who knows the weak points of these cars.

How did the spark plugs look when they had been removed? Was one noticeably more of a mess than the others?

[boxerdogted]

What fault codes are coming up on Vagcom ?

[Norrs2]

MRC i've been there before and the service is excellent, it's just the 200 mile round trip for me too that puts me off

Agree wirh rsmonkey918, you sometimes have to be prepared to do a bit of traveling do get the serious stuff looked at. It's worth going the extra mile (where the saying comes from?!!!) to at least get the car fully checked out by a specialist to fix any recurring problem once and for all.

200 miles? I wish! I made the trip to MRC from central Scotland to have my car mapped, but more importantly for a full health check too, and as a result (DV's changed etc) I have not actually had any (major) problems with the car and don't require to keep visiting garages to have problems incorretly diagnosed or fixed. It really is a false economy! I then made the trip back to get the Timing belt done to ensure it was done properly.

As with any car, if a problem is not properly fixed the first time, then chances are, the problem will go on to **ck something else up in the process and the snowball gets bigger!

[quattrokid1]

I concur with Norrs2, I travel from Ayrshsire ( western Jockland) down to Chester to see Grizz and Lee at Unit 20. Knocking on a 500 mile round trip to get the car (RS4 B5 and when the time comes when its warranty expires an S4 V8 cabrio) WILL be visiting Unit 20 for the major services.

Its a small price to pay to get my cars to people who REALLY know what these cars need and thier ailments. Fault finding with a the Mk 1 eye ball Grizz and Lee can see and find things that a dealer service chappy wouldnt find in a month of Sunday.

Price for labour rates is also MILES cheaper than dealers which is another God send. Also the banter and friendliness I get from Grizz and Lee makes me want to go back and even though I get a good ribbing, I know that the cars taken to Unit 20 leaves there 110% ready for more fun on the Queen's highway:)

[Jules]

I also travel to Unit 20,but not as far as quattrokid And i am really pleased with them
I really think it's important to use one of the specialist's who really know these cars.

[rsmonkey918]

Forgot to mention on this thread (although have banged on about it on others) that although mine appears to one of the oldest with also relatively few miles, it has never thrown a code in two years at MRC- although 2 N75's, a MAF and a boost leak needed sorting first time around, in spite of being modified for 460bhp at MTM etc continues to run like Paula Radcliffe (ie without the <beep>)- always warmed up and down, regular top quality servicing and good fuel (I think- V-max 99!).
Nasty, I think if you put your hand in your pocket this time and get things sorted properly, you may be luckier in future, all things considered...
First thing I look at when I go and see a car are the tyres- any mis-match and I'm already walking- a sure sign someones run it on a budget.
As for your wheel, just bypass the whole issue with decent after=markets- or even Audis own- I've got a set of split rims that are the dogs danglies to look at and drive. I like the standard RS wheels, but why would you put up with the <beep>?
Its interesting to see that BMW are having problems with their 19" rims at present- ultimately big manufacturers farm out wheel contracts to what I would imagine are the cheapest bidder- so what do you expect? They don't give the contract to BBS routinely anyway I'm sure- probably some dodgy Italian outfit....
The exception IS tyres- manufacturers get the cream of the crop generally- both my brothers work for Michelin and say original equipment tyres are the best and well up to spec- as can be seen on Porsches and some of their unique fitments and speed ratings.