Any S4 B7 owners on here?

[Quavers]

Considering a V8 powered car for my next - I cover a low mileage plus the day is coming where thet will be priced/legislated off the road. So it's an itch I want to scratch.

The S4 looks a good car but £7k for a 100k + miles car seems a bit of a risk - especially with the timing chain issues the engine has. I am also considering a monaro as it is very old school but only has two doors - not great with two kids.

Is the S4 a liability or is their reputation undeserved?

[sgrimshaw]

Got one, a convertible.

Had Timing Chains replaced a few years ago.

Be aware, if you needed that done it will cost more than you are looking at paying for the car.

Also be aware, by replacing the engine oil with something thicker the chain noise can be hidden .......... Use that knowledge how you will

I had the job done rather than risk buying a replacement car which might develop the same problem. It's my wife's car and she adores it!

[Adrian E]

Many S4s of that era have been longlife serviced, which is absolutely the worst thing for chain life. Even a few years ago when I was looking at one in preference to the S8 4.2 I bought, the vast majority hadn't seen services more than once every 2 years irrespective of mileage covered. I decided not to bother.

If you can find a similar era S6 they are standard belt drive cambelt and a lot less aggro (albeit the belt change isn't cheap and they need doing every 5 years or so) but they seem to be around in much smaller numbers now and are all autos IIRC. The V10 era cars start to creep into budget not without fault, but if you fancy taking a risk there's much to like about them (aside from carbon build up!)

[Fort Jefferson]

sgrimshaw said:

Also be aware, by replacing the engine oil with something thicker the chain noise can be hidden.

The original oil spec was 0w-30 after a few years in production, Audi changed it to 5w-30.

Mine has always been serviced by the main dealer who we bought it from when it was 6 months old. For one reason or another i had the oil changed by a local indy last time, and they used 0w-30. The chain rattle was dreadful on start up. Just had it done with the proper 5w-30 and there is no rattle at all.

So just the right oil can make all the difference.

[sgrimshaw]

Following the rebuild the specialist who did the rebuild recommended using a 10w 50 Miller Synthetic going forward, more than four years on and we've stuck with that recommendation.

Engine runs both smoothly and quietly.

[Fort Jefferson]

sgrimshaw said:

Following the rebuild the specialist who did the rebuild recommended using a 10w 50 Miller Synthetic going forward, more than four years on and we've stuck with that recommendation.

Engine runs both smoothly and quietly.

That's interesting, I did talk to the main dealer about a thicker oil, but they were a bit reluctant.

5w 30 seems to be fine for now, but I'll keep this in mind.

[sgrimshaw]

Fort Jefferson said:

That's interesting, I did talk to the main dealer about a thicker oil, but they were a bit reluctant.

5w 30 seems to be fine for now, but I'll keep this in mind.

My main dealer point blank refused to use the oil I supplied for a service .. supplying the oil was not the issue, the fact it was not "their" spec was the issue.

I even offered to sign a waiver for them.

Was only using them as I couldn't get into my usual place for the service.

Fell out with them big time over it ... never been back, never will.