s13logan

Hi Audi Fans! I used to own a 2005 (B6) S4. It was one of the best cars I've ever owned (and I've owned a few). I have a need for an extra car and I'm looking at a B6/B7 Avant as an option. It's a perfect mix of budget-friendly utility and fun-to-drive. I get that these are 10+ year-old cars. But, I recently read about the dreaded timing chain issues on the S4 and I'm wondering if it's real or a lot of fluff. I also have a 2011 911 and - at the risk of jinxing myself (knock on wood) - I've never had an issue despite another "dreaded" issue on the 997.1 version of my car. Back to the S4 - if the timing chain issue is real, how do I avoid it (beyond checking service history to see if it's been addressed or doing pre-purchase inspection)? Is it truly a ticking time bomb? Are there years that are better than others? Any other issues I should be aware of with this car? All ideas/comments welcome.

KevinGary

s13logan

Thanks!. Do you know if the A6 4.2 has the same problem?

KevinGary

alex911s

I just bought a well maintained one owner B7 S4 Avant as a daily ,hauler Audi events car . .. Im also a Porsche guy ..
Car have 106k miles very clean no rattles and just went thru inspection and service..I will eventually do the chain guides etc as preventive since JHM is local to me...
Im not afraid of it I've owned cayenne turbos, 997. 996 and 986 back in the days no issues lol.. find one with extensive service records and frequent oil changes...good luck

bapplefield

Any chance you've gotten a quote from JHM on the parts and labor, I live close enough but I saw the kit varies in price up to $4k, curious what labor is to take the engine out...found a cheaper kit from FCP Euro for $934, either JHM is playing a joke on us (which I doubt) or the FCP kit is not as high quality, but its still a huge difference.

bapplefield

Spoke to JHM on chat yesterday, they said anywhere from $6k - 12k...ouch.

KevinGary

Audi Dealer is about $10k

HalM

I am looking hard at the market now. Prices and mileage is all over the place. Very few cars have records older than 2017.

Is there any data out there to predict a better choice among a very low mileage car (50k or less), a 75k mile car, and a 125k car?