2008 RS4
 

Hello all,I need your knowledge. A local dealer has a 2008 RS4 with approximately 75k. My question is I currently own n E46 M3. I love the car but would line something I can drive year round (I live in mich) and would also like something that is a little less maintenance intensive. Assuming the PPI checks out are these birds of the same feather or is the Audi a little more user friendly? Thanks in advance, I do appreciate the help.

similar cars from a maintenance standpoint. Given your climate, RS4 can be far more usable. RS4 is also far rarer and will absolutely hold it's value better than the E46.

Thank you. Similar as in I should plan on dropping 5k in preventive maintenance? What are the common issues to look for on the RS?

similar as in they are both enthusiast, specialty cars, and as such, there is a level of maintenance schedule that is always required to keep them running optimally.

The big ones - high pressure fuel pump/cam follower due to carbon build up, and timing chain tensioners. Low pressure pump goes at some point too, but that is a simple job. If the car has had at least the carbon treatment done (or at the very least, regular cam follower replacements), and especially the timing chain tensioners, etc. done, all other things being equal, it should be a very robust vehicle

Don't know how or why but this car is at a Ford dealer. If they have no history on the vehicle is reason enough to stay away or let the PPI determine that.

Why does it matter what dealer has it?

Carfax will have history of maintenance on the car if it was done at a dealer (or even some indy's). Let a PPI determine the condition if you're serious about the car

It doesn't ,just a pet peeve of mine. Thank you for the information, I do appreciate it.

Couple things to look out for during a PPI:
-Recent Carbon Clean
-Brake Rotors/Pads
-Sticky clutch
-Oil cooler lines corroding at insertion point (causing leaks)
-If it still has the original DRC Suspension, check for leaks
-Injectors
-Check the CV boots for leaks/tears

For the most part though, these cars are very solid besides the need for an occasional carbon clean.

FYI, timing chains are NOT an issue with the RS4, only the B6/B7 S4 4.2L. The guides were upgraded to metal on the RS4 (when the service is performed on the B6/B7 S4's most shops actually use the RS4 kits as the default upgrade).

I checked out the carfax and there were only 11 service records recorded ,most sounded like oil changes. There were a couple fuel system cleanings,not sure if that is the carbon clean. Something else struck me as odd,there were 5 previous owners, between owners 3 and 5 there was no mileage or service recorded (around 2 years and 30,000 miles). Is this a concern? The car is at Varsity Ford in Ann arbor mich. If anyone wants to take a look at the carfax

Without any paperwork or knowing the previous owner, it's tough to say. The fuel system cleaning could also just be a fuel filter replacement, but you could always try to reach out to Suburban Imports of Farmington Hills if you're serious about finding out exactly what all was performed (they might have more detailed records). As for the owners, it's a little hard to interpret CarFax sometimes. It could be that it just bounced around to a couple dealers, and each one registered as a owner since there's really only about 1500 miles between the 3, or it could have even been driven by someone at the dealership and not titled in their name.

Just an FYI - the RS4 forums over here aren't really that active, your questions would get answered much quicker and by a lot more users (that are a lot smarter than me) over on Audizine (https://www.audizine.com/forum/forum...-RS-4-Specific).