My other bumper got eaten.Well not really lets just say New Jersey sucks!!!I course middle of the night driving down the highway minding my own business a god damn tire laying in the middle of the damn highway. tried to avoid it but still clipped the p/s of the bumper took half the bumper with it and the fog on that side as well.Luckily nothing else was damaged.Go figure Jersey!!!!!

Chris is right.These cars are put together pretty well and arent like any other car.These cars aren't a jeep with a iron duke in it which you can over heat and keep driving as it has cast iron heads and block.Truth be told these engine are very sophisticated and the fact that there is no room under the hood anywher doesnt make things any easier to for anyone.Oh what's that you say you gotta replace valve cover gaskets and tensioner gaskets.No problem just take most of the **** off the top of the engine.Then youll be able to change those.There is no shortcuts on these cars.For just about everything something has to come off.If your doing a timing belt,the front bumper has to come off and the car has to be put into service postion which means loosening the rad support among other things cause there is NO Fukin room ANYWHERE!!!Lol.

 

pssst... that's why I just took the damn lock carrier right off! hahahaha got the tools for it.. oh oh oh oh oh story time... heheheehe So I found the lock carrier support tool online, really cheap.. I'm all excited, great another tool to add to my arsenal. I get the package, they sent it in this massively huge box for two tiny little bolts. I opened it up.. found only one bolt. like wtf!... k called the guy up, totally nice guy, he called the company he drop ships from. called me right back and said no worries they'll send you another one asap. I'm like great, thanks abunch. He also said chances are, they'll send you another pair too. hahaha I laughed... so I got the package, it's a pair.. I'm like ooh great.. now I have three when I only need two!... meh.. no worries. the next day I get another package with the one in it. lol!!!! I now have two pairs. awesome.. I called the guy and asked if he'd like me to send him the other pair, I had no reason to keep it, and since he helped me so promptly I wanted to help him get another few bucks. He said nope they're yours. no sweat, enjoy. Like I said, totally cool guy.

Soo all in all, taking the lock carrier off makes the job such an easy going task, where you can see everything and no second guessing about hmm... is that on there properly... hmmm... lol

So ya.. definitely worth buying and OWNING the tools. Screw renting crap. Totally not worth the hassel and if your plan on keeping the car for many yrs as I do... I want my own tools to do the job the right way... it's the only way.

Chris

 

Yeah i do agree.I never take the carrier totally off.I just put it in service position I learned to do it that way which to most people seems like your doing blind cause you cant see most of the bolts and have to feel them and find them.But It doesnt bother me.

 

Im from Jersey too, which is one of the reasons why I am unfortunatly looking at an automatic. I dont know where your located but its too damn jampacked up north here, so manual would be great but for the type of driving and the roads up in the northeast corner, it would end up being a hassle, you would barely be able to get it out of 1st for roads and I guess you could run it through the gears on the highway, but in the end the automatic trans has bit of an advantage of north here. Also as for the engine work, I enjoy tearing apart the engine seeing how things function and work while fixing it almost as much as actually driving it. My Dad is always yelling at me becuase whenever I clean my Dirtbike it ends with the bike in parts strewn across the driveway, waiting to be put back together.

 

If your gonna get a automatic it is more than likely gonna need a torque converter that is also expensive.Just FYI.My car is stick and there is plenty of room to gallop in NJ!!Lol just gotta find the roads.

 

Hi EC

I am way older than 17 (LOL) and even I would say that affording these cars, if you do not do majority of the maintenance and repair yourself, is tough. It sounds like you have some skills so you might be ok. Just note that you will need to spend some money in the beginning on some tools.

Here are some docs I always suggest to prospective buyers:

http://www.vaglinks.com/Docs/Audi/B5...Newbie_FAQ.pdf
http://www.vaglinks.com/Docs/Audi/B5...uyersguide.pdf
http://www.vaglinks.com/Docs/Audi/C5...uying_Tips.pdf

Hope that helps

Cheers
Massboykie

 

I guess your right, Ive driven my niehbors stick around with him a few times and its not bad at all, but just for commuting to high school and around town its easier to get an auto, at least for me it is. Just curious, what are some of the tools you guys would recommend getting for maintnence and repairing a S4.

 

1000 is more for an e46 or a Volvo. S4 requires 2-3K in bank at all times. no joke, the used B5 S4 population is probably the most unreliable group of cars out there considering how badly they've all been beat on. So either do the wrenching yourself of be ready to pay up.

 

I agree... Tis expensive.

 

alright guys so i bought a 2001 b5 s4 with 113k on it for 5500. two weeks later my fuel pump dies. I get my car back acouple days ago and I'm gunning it down the road at like 5000 rpm and my car just shuts off and i cant drive anymore. I dont know what it was, the same day i get it out of the shop it stops working.