VerrÜckt

So, now that many will be itching to pick up their new RS4's soon...it's a good time to share problems that people in other parts of the world who have had these cars for 6 months to a year have already been having. It seems to me that most of the issues known thus far are carry-over from the normal S4.

1.) Oil consumption: I've seen numerous reports in English and non English speaking forums on oil consumption issues. This seems to be a common problem on all the S4 V-8's...not just the RS4. The high reving nature and F1 level piston speeds of the RS4 seems to exaggerate the problem though.

<a href="http://www.rs246.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=53880">-Example-</a>

What does this mean? Keep a close eye on the oil level! The car should report if the oil is low, but I would not rely on this. I would check the oil more often than ususal. If your car does consume more oil than normal, don't panic. This is often something that will get better over time (may take over 10k miles). These cars are not old enough to know if it's only a break-in issue.

2.) Clutch durability: As with the B6/B7 cars, there are cases of clutch failure. Some seem to stem from abuse, some don't. From my personal experience, I would NOT test the limits of the clutch on this car. Every RS4 event I have been to has had at least one car not make it through the day due to clutch problems. After one medium 3000 RPM launch, I noticed a change in clutch feel and the dreaded clutch smell. People have also noted clutch problems at the SOA events in the US.


<a href="http://www.rs246.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=53724">-Example-</a>

What does that mean? It's not a drag car! I wouldn't expect any problems with spirited driving...but launching a 400+ hp 4000 lb car on the factory clutch will be asking for problems IMO. Use your head about it. Audi intentionally designs the clutch to be the "fuse" for the driveline as you'd much rather be replacing the clutch than a busted gearbox.

3.) Cars not making advertised power: I have heard of 3 separate cases of RS4's being dyno'd short of advertised power. Two cases were in England and one in Sweden. Is anyone planning on dynoing their cars?

<a href="http://www.rs246.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=54230">-Example-</a>

To be fair, this is another issue that may get better over time. High revving BMW M3 motors are notorious for being tight when new. It's not unusual for those engines to pick up power over time. The RS4 is still too new to see if it's the same.

Professor Gascan

While I don't know what the ultimate issue is with the S4s using oil, I'm very familar with breaking in new engines, so oil consumption isn't a large concern for me in that time period (within reason of course.) The thread you linked listed low levels around 4800miles. Again, from my experience that is not out of the norm, especially for a high reving, high performance engine. You never know though, and it could turn out to be a big problem.

Anyway, thanks for the links and the info.

VerrÜckt

In the case I linked, he added two quarts which works out to a quart per 2400 miles. This is certainly on the high side. VW will tell you their tolerance is 1 quart per 1000 miles. This is very excessive. I've heard of cars meeting or exceeding this.<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/s4b7/msgs/25893.phtml">This guy uses a quart every ~1200 miles.</a></li></ul>

larryV

how well the stock brakes will hold up to semi-frequent track use. This is a concern because a few of the RS6 guys in the local audi club track events have had some issues with their brakes not being up for the task. Now I know that the RS4 is lighter, but really it's not that much lighter and from my understanding, it has basically the same brake setup as the 2003 RS6. We shall see...

DrGP

you will just follow his break in methods. Those of you who follow Audi's just because you think they know better, will live with the consequences. It's your car and you can do what you want. BTW, the first thing that I would do would be to drain out the synthetic oiland put in an Audi aproved conventional . I would put the synthetic back at 1000 miles.<ul><li><a href="http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm">Motomans break in theory.</a></li></ul>

VerrÜckt

Pads will likely be expensive. I watched two Audi DTM drivers HAMMER on an RS4 lap after lap and the brakes held up. They drive a lot better than I ever will. The quattro GmbH rep told me the brakes were 100% stock.

absoluteis

Are we supposed to be doing full throttle runs through 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears ? Or like the dyno, 1/2 throttle, 3/4 throttle and full throttle runs through each gear ?

And do we keep 'running it up and down' throughout the first 1000 mi ? (as he states that 20% of the sealing takes place)

And finally, aren't the rings already sealed as the engine has been run at Audi for 500-mi prior to install ?

VerrÜckt

The harder you run the car, the sooner you'll see stabilized oil consumption and blowby when all the parts seal up.

sparkhill

Click the link above to read it from Motoman himself

larryV

and I don't mind paying the price for pads as long as I don't have to upgrade the rotors and calipers to be suitable for track use.