Audi reliability:S4 (B8) v A6 4.2 FSI (C6) v A8 4.2 FSI (D4)
Discussion
I’m looking for a new family car following a Passat R36 Estate and A6 Avant (C6) 4.2 V8 and keep coming back to the S4 Avant S tronic (B8), A6 4.2 FSI saloon/Avant (C6) and A8 4.2 FSI (D4).
Can anyone tell me how reliability and maintenance costs compare across the different models? I’m looking to spend £5k-£11k and have narrowed things down to a £6k 2007 A6 saloon, a £9k 2010 A8 and a £11k 2011 S4 Avant, with a correspondingly smaller contingency pot, as the car’s price goes up.
I’m finding it hard to gauge how reliable the two different versions of the 4.2 V8 FSI engine in the A6 and A8 are, and while the S4 is a a smaller and supposedly cheaper model, I’m aware that the S tronic gearbox and several other parts including the thermostats and water pumps can be problematic. Meanwhile, the A8 also has air suspension, which I imagine is more costly than standard shocks/springs.
Can anyone give me a steer on how the likely reliability/maintenance costs compare? Many thanks!
Can anyone tell me how reliability and maintenance costs compare across the different models? I’m looking to spend £5k-£11k and have narrowed things down to a £6k 2007 A6 saloon, a £9k 2010 A8 and a £11k 2011 S4 Avant, with a correspondingly smaller contingency pot, as the car’s price goes up.
I’m finding it hard to gauge how reliable the two different versions of the 4.2 V8 FSI engine in the A6 and A8 are, and while the S4 is a a smaller and supposedly cheaper model, I’m aware that the S tronic gearbox and several other parts including the thermostats and water pumps can be problematic. Meanwhile, the A8 also has air suspension, which I imagine is more costly than standard shocks/springs.
Can anyone give me a steer on how the likely reliability/maintenance costs compare? Many thanks!
I've got a 2011 S4, had it just under 2 years.
It had 124k on the clock when I got it as my last hurrah V8, I love it.
It has had some costs, the 20" wheels needed a refirb and one was cracked.
The front suspension arms and bushes were worn and knocking, also wearing the tyres prematurely so got them poly bushed.
It's a 6 speed auto with paddles and was told by a specialist that the fluid wouldn't need changing as they are bomb proof but being mechanically sympathetic I got the oil and filter changed, I thought that 10 year old 124K oil should need a change.
That lot was about 1K over a year.
The biggie so far has been the injectors, it was idling badly and occasionally backfiring and bring on the CEL with a lean bank error.
Had a local place look at it and they replaced a coil pack, which was about £60 with 6 hours of diagnostics and didn't solve the problem so went to MRC in Banbury who put it on the dyno and said there were at least 2 injectors faulty and a lot of oil in the V from a leak.
Long story short, 8 matched injectors (£300 each) a full carbon clean (a common problem) and the oil leak from the oil filter sorted and a full dyno with it producing 355 bhp was £3K. Frankly, the work has transformed the running and it's like new with great response in dynamic mode.
It didn't have matched tyres front to rear which were causing oil leaks on the sports diff so new SP4S all round have helped.
I'm hoping the reliability will be good as I'm not doing more than about 5k miles a year
So in all, a fair amount of cost but the plan is to keep it until it's inevitably taxed off the road.
It had 124k on the clock when I got it as my last hurrah V8, I love it.
It has had some costs, the 20" wheels needed a refirb and one was cracked.
The front suspension arms and bushes were worn and knocking, also wearing the tyres prematurely so got them poly bushed.
It's a 6 speed auto with paddles and was told by a specialist that the fluid wouldn't need changing as they are bomb proof but being mechanically sympathetic I got the oil and filter changed, I thought that 10 year old 124K oil should need a change.
That lot was about 1K over a year.
The biggie so far has been the injectors, it was idling badly and occasionally backfiring and bring on the CEL with a lean bank error.
Had a local place look at it and they replaced a coil pack, which was about £60 with 6 hours of diagnostics and didn't solve the problem so went to MRC in Banbury who put it on the dyno and said there were at least 2 injectors faulty and a lot of oil in the V from a leak.
Long story short, 8 matched injectors (£300 each) a full carbon clean (a common problem) and the oil leak from the oil filter sorted and a full dyno with it producing 355 bhp was £3K. Frankly, the work has transformed the running and it's like new with great response in dynamic mode.
It didn't have matched tyres front to rear which were causing oil leaks on the sports diff so new SP4S all round have helped.
I'm hoping the reliability will be good as I'm not doing more than about 5k miles a year
So in all, a fair amount of cost but the plan is to keep it until it's inevitably taxed off the road.
Ozone said:
I've got a 2011 S4, had it just under 2 years.
It had 124k on the clock when I got it as my last hurrah V8, I love it.
It has had some costs, the 20" wheels needed a refirb and one was cracked.
The front suspension arms and bushes were worn and knocking, also wearing the tyres prematurely so got them poly bushed.
It's a 6 speed auto with paddles and was told by a specialist that the fluid wouldn't need changing as they are bomb proof but being mechanically sympathetic I got the oil and filter changed, I thought that 10 year old 124K oil should need a change.
That lot was about 1K over a year.
The biggie so far has been the injectors, it was idling badly and occasionally backfiring and bring on the CEL with a lean bank error.
Had a local place look at it and they replaced a coil pack, which was about £60 with 6 hours of diagnostics and didn't solve the problem so went to MRC in Banbury who put it on the dyno and said there were at least 2 injectors faulty and a lot of oil in the V from a leak.
Long story short, 8 matched injectors (£300 each) a full carbon clean (a common problem) and the oil leak from the oil filter sorted and a full dyno with it producing 355 bhp was £3K. Frankly, the work has transformed the running and it's like new with great response in dynamic mode.
It didn't have matched tyres front to rear which were causing oil leaks on the sports diff so new SP4S all round have helped.
I'm hoping the reliability will be good as I'm not doing more than about 5k miles a year
So in all, a fair amount of cost but the plan is to keep it until it's inevitably taxed off the road.
Last hurrah V8…wouldn’t a 2011 S4 have a V6? Sounds like a 4.2 FSI, so an S5 maybe?It had 124k on the clock when I got it as my last hurrah V8, I love it.
It has had some costs, the 20" wheels needed a refirb and one was cracked.
The front suspension arms and bushes were worn and knocking, also wearing the tyres prematurely so got them poly bushed.
It's a 6 speed auto with paddles and was told by a specialist that the fluid wouldn't need changing as they are bomb proof but being mechanically sympathetic I got the oil and filter changed, I thought that 10 year old 124K oil should need a change.
That lot was about 1K over a year.
The biggie so far has been the injectors, it was idling badly and occasionally backfiring and bring on the CEL with a lean bank error.
Had a local place look at it and they replaced a coil pack, which was about £60 with 6 hours of diagnostics and didn't solve the problem so went to MRC in Banbury who put it on the dyno and said there were at least 2 injectors faulty and a lot of oil in the V from a leak.
Long story short, 8 matched injectors (£300 each) a full carbon clean (a common problem) and the oil leak from the oil filter sorted and a full dyno with it producing 355 bhp was £3K. Frankly, the work has transformed the running and it's like new with great response in dynamic mode.
It didn't have matched tyres front to rear which were causing oil leaks on the sports diff so new SP4S all round have helped.
I'm hoping the reliability will be good as I'm not doing more than about 5k miles a year
So in all, a fair amount of cost but the plan is to keep it until it's inevitably taxed off the road.
Seems like some reasonably chunky bills. From what I’ve read, I get the impression that the older 4.2 V8 is more robust than the FSI version. No idea how the D4 A8 version of the engine - which is more economical - compares, though.
Am potentially looking at a 70k-mile A6 4.2 V8 FSI tomorrow, so hopefully that wouldn’t require such work just yet…
Apologies, yes an S5, had the v6 S4 previously 
I didn't have to have all the injectors done but the advice was to get them done at the time as they are a sod to remove after a long time of heat soak and a return visit in who knows when, increases the labour costs again.
When researching for my year S5, I found the following can be common:
The timing chains can rattle but don't seem to be a weak point but are costly if need to be replaced.
The manual boxes are known to eat clutches and they last about 40k
Good luck with your choice
I didn't have to have all the injectors done but the advice was to get them done at the time as they are a sod to remove after a long time of heat soak and a return visit in who knows when, increases the labour costs again.
When researching for my year S5, I found the following can be common:
The timing chains can rattle but don't seem to be a weak point but are costly if need to be replaced.
The manual boxes are known to eat clutches and they last about 40k
Good luck with your choice
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