My Second B6 S4

[1781cc]

Finally some progress being made after months of concentrating on the cabriolet... (and almost selling her because of losing my way a bit)

A huge box of shiny metal arrived through the post yesterday and goes in for fitment today... Miltek Non-Res system!

More goodies to come via the postman later as well :-)

[S2central.net]

Oooh - Can you pls post a clip of the sound of that setup ?

Also - did you keep the primary downpipes & CATs or go straight thru ?
Did you relocate the primary lambda probes to live behind the 2nd CATs or just get the ECU tickled to ignore the primary sensors ?

[merlin's S4]

Just been looking at the B6 S4 as a possible daily. Are they pretty reliable and reasonable cost wise to run? Do you have any particular buying tips? Thanks!

[S2central.net]

Depends on your definition of 'reasonable' - at 20ish mpg one wouldn't exactly call them frugal. I can only justify mine as I am either working from home or on flyaway trips. So far I have been lucky in that most expense as been on OEM+ upgrades (de rigeur RS4 RARB, RS4 pedal covers, B7 Aeros) rather than things that break, but they have the capacity to break your heart and bank balance. Try and avoid an oil burner (very difficult) and don't touch one with anymore than momentary valve chain rattle on a cold start. Try and get one with a recent clutch as well.

It depends a lot on how much gumption/tools/time you have for DIY tasks - it is WAAAY more complicated than an S2 in respect to mechanical & electrical systems and most jobs around the engine will have you cursing at the lack of space.

Mine is burning more oil than I would like - its dripping some too via cam cover gaskets - very hard to see unless its a severe leak that hasn't been cleaned recently by the seller.

Check the aux radiators (inlets at fog lamps) as well - you get lots of dirt and ying in there which corrodes the rads... its ok on driver side as deleting that raditaor makes room for a nice big cold air scoope (project).

You have the usual dual wishbone affair on these so you need to listen for all the dreaded / normal clunks on a road trip... and test absolutely every button on the thing. Definitely scan it for all codes as well to check all is well.

Its a really nice car to own and drive but its nothing like as tuneable as the S2 being that its normally aspirated... you are looking at expensive exhausts to extra some little more poke for the most part.

Given how cheaply they can be bought nowadays (be very careful though) I would say they are very good value for a high quality & rapid vehicle for the Audi S-enthusiast that also handles great and has a burbly V8 soundtrack that you can't help but enjoy.

Watch out for quality of plastics & switchgear - I had to replace a few of mine (and the climate control unit) as they looked so shabby - accountants cost cutting of course... they improved again on B7 apparently - thats the source of my climate unit and very happy.

If I was buying one again... I would say get a later one as possible (some factory tweaks on DBW software) and one with RNS-E if you can as that is the gateway to the best 'infotainment' options.

If you are reliant on a garage to fix your car when it does go wrong... then the B6/B7 S4 could be a nightmare on labour charges.

The only parts that have failed on me in 18 months ownership are -
- glovebox hinge (very normal break - easy repair though)
- defrost flap in the cabin (aircon)
- thermostat has the occasional mood in slow warm ups
- battery failure (5yr old cheapy one just died)

Definitely try a few - they are a LOT of car for relatively small money !

[merlin's S4]

Thanks Paul! I'm definitely no stranger to DIY mechanics after 10 years of urS4 ownership and of course wouldn't expect much more than 20ish to the gallon. Just after reading a few horror stories about some of the newer Audis (RS6 in particular) I'd like to be as informed as I can be should I go to view one.

[S2central.net]

They have horror story potential alright - no different from most old/fast Audis to be brutally honest. I forgot to mention that my power steering pump is whining recently and feeling heavy - cos some **** put the wrong oil in before my time... I think that can be done without engine removal, but I am almost considering to just remove the engine so I can tackle that, the cam/chain tensioners, the excess oil consumption and some other god awkward jobs in one go with the relative luxury of it sitting on a nice big engine stand for a week or two. It would be a whole day graft pulling the engine and I haven't dared price up any engine internal work yet so the jury is still out... the biggest problem will be resisting temptation to do full bottom end rebuild, lighten & balance and the oodles of time & £££ that costs - this car wasn't supposed to be a project vehicle !!!

[1781cc]

Oooh - Can you pls post a clip of the sound of that setup ?

Also - did you keep the primary downpipes & CATs or go straight thru ?
Did you relocate the primary lambda probes to live behind the 2nd CATs or just get the ECU tickled to ignore the primary sensors ?

Haven't made a video of it yet, but kept the original downpipes and cats so no reworking needed. I will be doing the downpipes longer term though and that will require the disconnection of the lambda sensors and an MRC remap (which also deletes the CEL code)

[1781cc]

To add to the comments about ownership above, for my second one I got one without any aux rad problems (£400 job on my first B6 S$) and no issues with clutch/dual mass flywheel (£1200 job on my first B6 S4) and made sure all the electrics in the seats, etc worked.

I also ensured this one had all the goodie options, Nappa Leather, RNS-E, Solar Sunroof, the only option I couldn't find but wanted was the auto-dimming rear view as my first one had it and its definitely an asset!

Tuning wise there isn't much short of a full supercharger kit and some JHM stuff but all in its about cruising, overtaking and devouring continents with ease, its a comfy fast car that can hustle when it needs to but ultimately isn't a track car, so soundtrack improvements made the most of it.

So far I have done:

- wishbone replacements
- control arms
- CV joint
- both rear callipers and hoses (prone to cracking)
- replaced the wheels
- uprated drilled and grooved MTEC discs and pads
- fitted mats
- Chrome gear knob
- switched off long life servicing to 10K services
- Miltek non-res catback

All in I have spent as much on the car as I purchased the car for, but I know that I have a 100% rock that is good for years to come and is silent on startup.

Oil consumption is common on these, was on my old one and is for everyone I know. I typically get about 1500-2000 miles and it does a litre of oil, but I have recently replaced the rocker cover gaskets so expect that to drop slightly. For reference, the E34 BMW M5 is know to do a litre/1000 miles...

Things I plan on doing:

- B7 S4 transmission tunnel cover retro-fit (for better cupholders, the current one is a cappuccino away from getting smashed off in anger at the moment )
- RS4 rear ARB (did this to my first one, makes a huge difference)
- RS4 steering wheel and button map to my RNS-E
- RS4 pedals
- Full paint correction detail
- 10mm spacers
- Miltek decat racing downpipes and MRC filter/map

Finally, make sure its undergone the audi coil pack recall, if it hasn't expect to chew a few, but check the numbers just incase. This one had, the previous hadn't and Audi did them gratis for me

There is a stupid amount of car for very little conga at the moment!

[S2central.net]

I did the RS4 pedals on mine - nice improvement in style over the stock affair. I am not so sure about the mfsw wheel from the rs4 though - I don't find it so pretty and it's phooking expensive. Mine had the cool packs done by Audi in a past life. Agreed with sentiments above - it's much more of a luxurious GT / Cruiser. Letting more burble out is going to increase the fun factor.

Next tweak for me will be a VFIZ or RNS-E.
Actually I bought the RS4 rarb a year ago and still not fitted that yet so I better sort that first.

[1781cc]

The steering wheel looks nice imo, but agree about the price, for me its about getting the buttons on the wheel sorted, mine doesnt have them and there isnt much price difference between a buttoned S4 one and an RS4 one... plus the company I am looking at for mapping the wheel also fit S4 badges instead of the RS4 one.

The ARB really makes a difference to the rear end of the car, it feels a lot more positive on turn in and helps it feel a lot more stable.

I forgot to mention, I also want to colour code my blades, why the hell the factory let them go in the same matt finish as the stereo buttons I have no idea!?

I get 25mpg on day to day driving, and thats usually with some heavy foot moments, on a granny run up the country (the usual motorway cruising speed on) I manage just over 30mpg (my 2.8 cab does 32mpg so not far off)

[S2central.net]

Colour code your "blades" - say what ?

I fully agree the Rs4 mfsw looks nicer than the S4 one but for me the button-less wheel looks the best.
That said there are functional advantages with having the buttons integrated to phone etc.

I am seeing 25ish mpg too - it likes longer cruises for sure.

It's the scarey oil consumption on motorway runs that irks me the most. Gonna have to bite the bullet on that one.

[S2central.net]

Oh and note to self - the parking sensors stopped working - almost into a wheelie bin tonight as I have grown too accustomed to relying on the damn things. Have to look into that - more VCDS fun for sure.

[1781cc]

Door blades are the protruding strips of plastic that are at the base of the front/rear doors - out of the factory they are a dark grey, but most colour code them!

[S2central.net]

lol - never noticed... mine must be colour coded then !

[S2central.net]

Actually.... mine aren't color coded after all lol - - but now its been mentioned I have noticed them all of a sudden looking rather dull & grey.