Possible RS4 purchase - PPI on high mileage car

B6/7 S4/RS4
#1

I really didn’t think I would be joining the RS4 ranks anytime soon, but I came across one locally that I think is too good to pass up. I feel like I’m pretty knowledgeable when it comes to the S4, and have followed the RS as well. But I’ve never really thought I would own one so the prospect of buying has me a little nervous.

It’s very high mileage at just under 90k and has a few cosmetic imperfections, but appears to be a very well maintained car. It’s a one owner, dealer maintained car with all the records. The owner followed the recommended OCI and has a blackstone analysis from about 10k miles ago that states it’s in really good condition.

It felt great during the test drive. Strong, consistent power throughout the rpm band, very planted feel to the suspension without any weird noises, clutch was consistent and engaged very nicely, and the engine started smoothly with no rattle and idled perfectly.

I’m comfortable with owning a higher mileage RS especially since it’s proving to be such a strong engine. Also, I only drive about 6-7k miles per year so I won’t be racking them up too much higher. I’ve meticulously maintained my S4 for the past 4 years and plan to do the same with this car.

I’m taking it in for a PPI on Saturday before I make the purchase and I plan on going through the car with the mechanic. It’s already had DRC replaced, IM replaced due to a flap issue, a couple of brake jobs and a couple of carbon cleans. My question to you guys is what else should I look out for when we’re inspecting it?

Are there any other common issues that I’m forgetting about? I want to make sure I cover everything with the PPI since you really only get one shot at it.

#2

congrats on possibly taking the next step

#3

I would have a compression test done if possible. It may add $200 to the bill.

Not sure how easy it is to get a scope to check out the cylinder walls for scoring…that’s something else I’d want to know buying a near 100,000 mile car.

Otherwise sounds great, but everyone presenting a used car makes it sound great. Things like ‘one owner’ and ‘all the records’ are seemingly what you hear from everyone lol.

If it’s all true, that’s awesome. I also logged my car with VAGCOM when I was buying it to see what was up.

The real key for me was that it had warranty, so I wasn’t too too worried, knowing factory warranty would have been used to fix it if there was an underlying problem. Whenever someone sells a used car out of warranty, you have to know that about 50% of the time it’s because there’s money they don’t want to put in the car that they know they have to.

#4

Thanks. I’ve always wanted one but told myself I should take care of other priorities first. The price on this one would allow me to be responsible and have my dream car. Can’t beat that.

#5

Can you guys comment on life expectancy of rotors and clutch as well. I know it’s all subject to driving style but looking at a car approaching 65k on original rotors and likely clutch.

#6

Good call on the scope, that totally slipped my mind. I was planning to have the compression test done already. He claims that it hardly burns any oil in between the 10k mile changes.

It truly is a one owner car with all the records. It’s an '08 and one of the latest vin #'s in the registry. It was bought and maintained at the Audi dealership closest to my house. He’s been very open about everything and I have no reason to doubt what he says. He’s got a massive stack of records that I’ll be going through with a fine tooth comb on Saturday. I’m an accountant, so I’m approaching it like a car audit. lol.

#7

At 65k rotors and pads will definitely need to be done soon. I made it to 68k before I did front brakes on my S4 and that’s the longest that I’ve ever heard of on original brakes in these cars.

The clutch could go well over 100k. Just depends on how it was treated. In the RS I’m looking at, it felt great at almost 90k. My stock clutch in my S4 still seems to be going strong at 72k.

#8

I just changed my rotors and front pads. I just hit 50,000 miles. The previous owner never changed them.

I have driven the car since September 2011, at 29,000 miles. I don’t do too much highway…maybe 40%? And I have never taken the RS4 to a road course or anything.

So bottom line, the brakes last pretty long.

Stock rotors can be had for $600 for fronts. Pads for OEM are like $500, however I hated them as they squeak like a city bus. I bought Carbotech Bobcat street pads, and they’re EXCELLENT. Lower dust, no noise, great feel (just like stock feel really). They were $200 for fronts, and I believe you can get a better deal. They even have the little wire for the brake sensors.

So bank on $1000 for front brakes after all is said and done and a bit less for rears (which you will change half as often anyway so not a concern). If you go to the dealer and pay dealer prices, you’re looking at $2000 for fronts.

My clutch has 50,000 miles on it and no problems other than the sticky issue that almost everyone has. It’s not a ‘wear’ thing…it is just a weird thing that nobody has figured out. Certain conditions (usually bad driving) will cause the clutch pedal to stick half way down and not return. Engagement is fine, but the pedal gets stuck. You can just pull it up. It’s really not a big deal. Stock clutch is excellent. You’ve seen my youtube channel :slight_smile:

#9

PPI, compression test & boroscope all scheduled for Saturday morning. 2 hours of labor, $170 for all of it. Money well spent.

#10

nice one

Question: Who is selling the car?
Question 2: Who is doing the PPI etc?

#11

Local guy, actually a QW guy. The PPI is being done by a local indy shop that has a good rep with working on Audi’s. As far as I know, he’s never been there. He’s letting me take the car to have it done since he doesn’t have a lot of free time.

#12

Great price and awesome sounding seller.

#13

Do any of you guys burn a lot of oil. I had one seller tell me it did burn oil in the beginning but has since tapered off an not been noticeable.

#14

just for refernece if they are doing a compression testing, borescope inspection via the spark plug hole should be fairly straight forward.

#15

Yeah, I actually mentioned that to the shop over the phone and they cut their time estimate back by half an hour.

As far as the numbers go, is it safe to say that I should be looking for numbers between 150-185? I believe 185 would be brand new for 12.5 compression. Also, what’s the maximum variance from cylinder to cylinder? I know I’ve read it before but can’t recall right now…

#16

Should be less then 10% iirc

#17

The fact that your doing the comp test and bore scope puts you at an huge advantage. My advice set a limit on how low the comp you feel comfortable for me no less then 155 and also set standards on what wall or piston damage you feel comfortable with. Write it down on paper akd stick to it. This will help take the excitement out of thr prosses and maybe lead to a bad desision. Also figgure 2500 $ in expences the first 3 months. Get it all down and if the csr falls into the range then welcome the new car into your posision.

#18

I usually add 0.5-1 qt of oil every 3K miles.

RE: brakes, I have no idea how you can possibly get 50K+ miles on OEM brake pads unless you are ultra-gentle. The OEM pads have these nasty rivets that tend to destroy the rotors. I got my car with 22.5K miles on it and had to replace the front pads and rotors pretty much right away. With labor, it is more like a $1300+ endeavor, but if you do it yourself you are probably at under $800 with decent pads.

As you know, main issues with RS4s is the DRC and potential intake manfold problems due to carbon build up. There is also an ECU flash that was supposed to be done.

With that many miles, I would want to take a good look at the suspension components to assess wear. If you need to replace things it adds up quickly. Outside of the routine stuff (which includes a compression tes), I really don’t think there is anything else in particular you need to watch out for. The RS4 is actually really reliable.

#19

whose car?

#20

What is an appropriate price to pay for a 65K miles RS4. There is a sprint blue one at a dealer by me that I am going to try to check out this weekend. 1 owner, new rotors and pads all around listed at 40K. There is another one owner (private sale) with similar mileage but will need rotors, has been carbon cleaned recently though.