RS4 B7 4.2 FSI Engine - Good or Bad??

[WilkinsonRS4]

I own the above RS4 and I keep hearing comments on how good and hard wearing these engines are then I also hear how much of a pain they are so.....
Come on let's tap into the knowledge and expertise out there and tell me are they really indestructible if looked after or do they end up busting at a high mileage!!??
I personally own an RS4 with 90k on and my engine is running fine due to regular oil changes and a bit if TLC but what do you guys think!?

[S4WON]

IMHO, it is impossible to say and anyone who says otherwise is talking BS.

What we have in our favour is that it's been engineered by incredibly talented people, in a well respected firm. But at the end of the day, it's a high revving V8. You could wrap it in cotton wool every day, yet one random failure could blow it.

There is no way to tell, even those "who have done more than 200k" miles is irrelevant as there are failures with 10k miles.

My feeling is that you are seeing the mileage increase and are getting concerned about its longevity and resale, right?
There is a reason that the high milers are 10k less than the minters and it's all to do with wear and tear not because they wish to give you a great deal.

The rs4 is an awesome bit of kit, I had a low miler, I loved it but I'd personally never consider buying a high miler without a warranty (most companies wont touch hem after 100k) unless I had 10k sat there.

If you want to continue with a b7, personally I'd try to sell now for 18k or so and buy a lower mileage one, otherwise the time bomb carries on ticking!!

[coffey555]

Don't worry about the engine, the design is solid. It is all the other bits of the car that need attention as the car gets older. Most of which are more age related rather than purely milage based. Either sell it before it hits 100,000 (because at which point hardly anyone in this country will want it) or forget about the mileage, enjoy what is one of the best fast Audi's ever made and fix it when it breaks.

[toyneg]

i have been having this dilemma for the past 6mths - as the miles creep up towards the 100k mark do i sell? the problem is i love the car and know what condition it is in however the bills have started to roll in so maybe it is time to change. Of course once you have shelled out do you then think of selling or rest in the knowledge that a lot of the wear and tear items have already been sorted.

recently replaced - discs and pads all round, oil cooler, all top suspension arms and bushes, springs replaced with k/w, new milltek, recent oil change and FASH. Full MRC carbon Clean done 5k miles ago.

[V8mark]

I love the car but cant help thinking that Audi could have done better..... I used to own an Toyota Twin Turbo Supra, that was pushing our over 400hp all day long, no issues at all over the 7yrs I owned the car, no carbon clean, no issues with the brakes, no worries of bore scoring etc. and all that from a car that was being built in 1993, so I'm not sure this is the progress we should expect, especially from Audi. When I look back now I realise what a fantastic car the Supra was and also good value when you consider the reliability of the thing!
That said, I love the RS4, but maybe because it fits my lifestyle, but then that's the point of the RS4 isn't it?
As for running costs, if you are serious about running an RS4, then you must be prepared for sizeable bills, at any mileage, they are getting on a bit now. If you have had the car for a while and it's getting up on the mileage and you know it's solid, to my mind better the devil you know, as others have said, you could buy a low mileage dog......... its easy to say but keep putting the fuel in and don't worry

[Covkiller]

I don't give a sh1t about mileage. I look after my car properly and will keep it forever.

[HYFR]

I've got a 1.8T TT with 200k on the clock and runs like a dream.

So I wouldn't worry about a 4.2V8

[John Johnson]

If you are bricking it already you want a b5 with cambelt changes and cam wear and other joys to behold .... No matter what you get it's got foibles and the possibility of big bills ... Routine servicing is the key from day one

[TAB1S]

I don't give a sh1t about mileage. I look after my car properly and will keep it forever.

+1 on that

[Afsimba]

Mine was meticulously maintained regardless of cost an relatively
Low miles when sold 5 months ago had been de carboned new
Clutch the works !
Then while doing a very unusual 30 mph or so the timing chain
Tensioner jammed and another £4000 later and less than a thousand
Miles later developed tiny oil leak was time to go after that !!

[GAZ-MAN]

Mine has now turned 118k sounds and drives absolute awsome ,mileage is never one thing that bothers me and never will its had 2 owners fash and love it

[V8mark]

GAZ-MAN ..... that's stunning for the mileage - credit to you

have you have had some paintwork to keep it that tidy? Mine is still at 60k miles and appears to be suffering a bit from gravel rash, but yours seems fairly clean,

[GAZ-MAN]

the passenger side did yeah mate wing and door and front bumper but the rest is original my pal owns a detailing business the paint work is flawless on this mate not a ding on her now

[V8mark]

must admit I'm tempted to have mine touched up, and looking at yours it would be worthwhile, always worried they might bugger it up though!! had bad experiences in the past...

[adsgreen]

I love the car but cant help thinking that Audi could have done better..... I used to own an Toyota Twin Turbo Supra, that was pushing our over 400hp all day long, no issues at all over the 7yrs I owned the car, no carbon clean, no issues with the brakes, no worries of bore scoring etc. and all that from a car that was being built in 1993, so I'm not sure this is the progress we should expect, especially from Audi. When I look back now I realise what a fantastic car the Supra was and also good value when you consider the reliability of the thing!

That's a completely different engine from a time long gone by. There's no way an engine developed in 1992 (assuming mark4) would get even near to current regs.
Anyway a 3l 6 twin turbo and yet pretty much the same torque as the RS4 and way less power.

Pushing out 400+bhp N/A is much much harder and needs more effect than using a turbo.