mzguy

I traded my 06 S4 Cab for an 08 RS4 cab about a month ago. I loved my S4, but this car just blows me away every time I get behind the wheel. I'm not that rich a guy and still can't believe i get to drive this car. I am still looking for excuses to go places. I am no mechanic, so I had a buddy who used to be a service manager at an Audi shop, who now manages a body shop, check it out for me and he gave me the green light. Still, I bought an extended warranty, but now have some questions that may sound dumb but, here they are:

1. Tires: Because there is no room for a spare, I assumed that they came with run flats, even though my car currently has all seasons, that are not run flats. Then I saw a post on this forum that said that they don't come with run flats. What kind of tires should I be looking at?

2. Carbon. The car has 32,000 miles on it and pretty complete service records, but there is no record of a carbon cleaning. My assumption when i bought it was that i would have to do one sooner rather than later. The few opportunities that i have had to really step on it have not produced any hesitations or flat spots. That said, if it has gradually lost power, i would have no way of knowing that, as I have never driven one before the one I bought.
There is a shop outside Chicago that does a pecan shell cleaning for around $800.00 Would you recommend just doing it now?

3. The warranty. It seems like the things that are most likely to need work in the future are wear items and not covered; carbon, clutch, brakes. I can still cancel the warranty, bank the 4 grand, and self insure. I'm wondering what kind of long term experience you guys have had with this car.

Any advice on these or any other topics would be greatly appreciated.

MTN

Congrats!

I did own an 06 S4 Avant and you have noticed, the RS4's capability is in a different class. Mine has 53K and have not noticed any performance lost due to carbon build up. However, at 32K miles, you might need front brakes soon depending on the driving habit of the previous owner. OEM brake parts are costly. You might consider a new set of spark plugs at 35K miles.

I live in CA so I always use summer tires. I went with 275/30/19 (stock wheels and suspension) to get a bit wider contact patch albeit she goes 5mph slower than the speedo.

Coupon

Awesome purchase! My input:
1: The car came with a small air pump and some kind of fix-a-flat-fluid. Never use fix-a-flat, since it will void the warranty on your tire, and will probably ruin your tire pressure sensors. I have a separate set of winter wheels/tires and always carry one of the off-season rims with me, along with a jack and tire iron, since none of the tools are included.

2: The internet forums will tell you to have the carbon cleaned out every year. The dealer will tell you to do it every 80,000 miles. Your timeframe may vary. I'd say don't worry about it until you have engine misfire CELs. If you live in a colder climate, you might get some in the winter, then none when it's warm. When you get this done is completely up to you.

3: If you spent $4k on the warranty, I'd say it's not worth it. I got mine certified pre-owned with the 2 year warranty from the dealer for $1000 after some haggling. IF something does go wrong, it will be very expensive, but these cars are pretty sturdy. Hopefully it will just be small stuff that goes wrong.

Brakes aren't cheap, but I replaced all my rotors, pads, and fluid, and upgraded my brake lines for less than the dealer wanted for just doing my front rotors and pads.

Changing your tire size will affect your speedo, so do some research. This car, and a lot of performance vehicles, will tell you that you're going faster than you actually are.

Nothing else to say. Have fun!

Reggie

The OEM tires were never run flats - just a kit for sealing the tire. I ran all seasons on mine for the summer because the weather in Colorado was iffy in the spring and fall.
Also they tend to be quieter and longer lasting. Of course you sacrifice some ultimate grip in the dry but I preferred the importance of grip all the time.

TS_Ti

Helpful thread for me as a new owner, thanks all. Going to go get a B8 spacesaver / hubcentric spacer / jack / cargo net as a first purchase for the new ride.

@mzguy - Did you end up doing the carbon cleaning? If so where did you go?

@Reggie - Thanks for reccomending CPT elsewhere in the forum. Will be sure to check them out.

KawhiElliot

Anyone planning to buy the 2017 Avant or Sedan? I see the avant is more interesting! 2017 Audi RS4 Avant Engine, Release Date | Best Car Reviews

whitby

awesome car. I ran one for almost 70k miles and never had a carbon clean - no loss of power or CELs.
However it is an expensive car to maintain. Whether your warranty is worth $4k depends on what it covers.
I had - new clutch assembly under warranty at 14k miles (around $2,500) then a new engine under warranty after it threw a rod at 16k miles (around $16,000), the DRC suspension was replaced under warranty (around $3,000) at 25k miles. I had a 'clock spring- in the steering wheel replaced under warranty at 40k miles (around $1,500). Check the forums for other problems. But don't let that discourage you. I think i got the short straw when it came to things going wrong, but it didn't discourage me. I tend to sell cars after 6 years and 70k miles no matter what. There was no compelling reason beyond I wanted to try the, then new, S3.