Hey Everyone,

I'm a newbie here and I'm negociating to buy a new(used) '01 S4 with 166,000 k's on the clock..I just wanted to know if there were any issues/recalls with these models that I should have looked at before I purchase the vehicle, and the car I'm told is already chipped..anything I should watch out for in this case..how can I tell if it's a '01.5 or not...??

thanks so much

Alfred

 

Yes it is chipped better get a new one for now , '01 S4 with 166,000 dont buy used one get a brand new one

 

I just want to know how you think your post has helped this guy? Seeing that you have endless amount of money to splurge on a brand new S4 why dont you buy him one? Either help out or dont say anything at all! Your next Dumb post will be deleted!!!!!

 

Welcom Alfred,
A chipped S4 would likely have been driven pretty hard by the previous owner; with 166,000 km, if i were you i'd really want to make sure its in top shape first, otherwise it can be very costly the first year to get it healthy again.

Get the service history; was the Timing belt / water pump changed at 80K ? 160k?
Did they use synthetic oil, changed regularly (like 5-10k km) ?
accident repairs?


Chances are it was affected by recalls on Timing belt, and engine sludge issues, there are a few well known " weak" components with A4/S4's like water pump, suspension links, diverter valve etc..
You can research on this and other Audi forums (see the FAQ's) and factory recommended service intervals should be shorter than the overly optimistic values originally stated, like 75-80K on Timing belts etc.

Best thing you can do is find a trustworthy independent Audi/VW mechanic and have him perform a detailed inspection, scan engine, tranny,abs, SRS for fault codes; look at engine internals (any sluge?) tranny/diff oil, suspension, brakes etc.
Better to spend $200 to inspect and walk away from a bad deal if thats the case than get stuck with several thousand $$ of unplanned maintenance/repairs.
these are great cars but service is way more expensive than most.
If you still want the car you can use the knowledge to negotiate a better price and plan for the needed maintenance expenses.

Good luck!

Frantz

P.S. 1move- would you rate this as more helpful?

 

Thank you! I added to your reputation very good job!!!

 

I know exactly what you are thinking!

I was in search of a winter car as my BMW blows in the winter (even with snow tires)

A friend of mine who wholesales cars new I was looking and he called me a week ago because he got his hands on a 2000 S4 with 190K.

I thought the KM's were way to high and was going to be a waste of time, but I decided to go for a drive anyway. I jumped in, and fell in love in about 5 minutes.

needless to say, I bought the car a week ago, and the BMW is collecting dust waiting to be taken back off lease in 2 months.

The reason my buddy called me about this car are the key things he noticed

- No chip. If's it been chipped, it's been driven hard!
- Km's were high, but there have been two belt and water pump changes
- The factory service manual had all the stamps of regular maintenance
- All service records from out of warranty repairs / oil changes were there
- Carfax / Carproof came back clean - 1 owner!
- LCD screen actually works! (99.8%) do not

These are just a few things to keep in mind that I was not aware of, but fortunatly my friend did.

The car is truly amazing. I just got back from a drive around the block, kickin the crap out of all the done up rice rockets This will be my daily drive for sure!

Cheers,
Dave

 

Hey Guys - thanks so much for all your replies and insight...I have truly taken into account what all of you have said and have decided to walk away from this model and continue my search for a clean model.