Buying 2008 B7 S4 - Need Advice

[Spaceme1117]

Hello.

I just joined these forums to do some research and learn about the B7 Audi S4. I am considering purchasing a 2008 Audi S4 4.2 Quattro. It is a 6-speed manual with 117K miles. I went and inspected it yesterday and took it for a test drive. It looks to be in really great condition and seems to have been well taken car of; undercarriage was clean and it has new Continental tires. No curb rash at all on any of the wheels (I don't think I have ever seen that). It appears to not have been modded and is all original. The car drove really nicely with great power and was very comfortable yet firm and sporty ride and handling. Shifting was buttery smooth and the clutch engagement was light and easy. No engine rattle on startup.

I have read that the 4.2 V8 engine is prone to chain tensioner failure. Is this as common as the internet makes it seems or is this overblown? I read an article on Jalopnik that makes it sound like every S4 with the 4.2 V8 is a ticking time bomb. Is there any truth to this or is this issue overexagerated?

Any other major potential issues I should be aware of?

Also, the dealer is asking $11500 for the car. Is this a good price or not?

Any help or advice is appreciated. Sorry if the answers to my questions are already here on the forum. I am trying to read as much as I can but haven't read everything yet. Thanks.

[VinnysS4]

Some of the later b7 (the s4 you are looking at is a late b7) don't suffer as bad from timing chain guide failure, however, they all suffer from it because the guides are made of plastic. I wouldn't say EVERY one, but I'd give a percent that would have a 9 in front, if that give a you an idea. Great cars, fun to drive, but if the timing does go, you either better have deep pockets or be able to turn a wrench! $11500 is a decent price, less than I paid for mine, however, if the timing does go and you take it to a shop, there goes 5 to 10 grand for timing .... choice is yours

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[Flyboy02]

I'm sure you will find lots of opinions on this but the biggest question you need to ask your dealer is- has the chain tensioner service been done?

At 117K, it is possible that they may be trying to offload at essentially the maintenance interval. I would not buy the car without having this answered. The service is very expensive due to the labor involved with getting to the back of the engine, which is why the relatively simple maintenance is often not performed.

The next thing I would be looking for is oil leaks and oil consumption from the PCV system. The valley and intake manifold seals tend to leak, so look around the top of the engine and near the oil filter area.

Everything else is manageable, though. It's not the easiest car to work on given the limited space left by the engine in the hood. It's a fun car to drive and has an addicting sound, but a bit of a gas guzzler.

Just get those questions answered and you'll be fine. I just passed 180K on mine and it's going strong. Enjoy!

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[Spaceme1117]

I'm sure you will find lots of opinions on this but the biggest question you need to ask your dealer is- has the chain tensioner service been done?

At 117K, it is possible that they may be trying to offload at essentially the maintenance interval. I would not buy the car without having this answered. The service is very expensive due to the labor involved with getting to the back of the engine, which is why the relatively simple maintenance is often not performed.

The next thing I would be looking for is oil leaks and oil consumption from the PCV system. The valley and intake manifold seals tend to leak, so look around the top of the engine and near the oil filter area.

Everything else is manageable, though. It's not the easiest car to work on given the limited space left by the engine in the hood. It's a fun car to drive and has an addicting sound, but a bit of a gas guzzler.

Just get those questions answered and you'll be fine. I just passed 180K on mine and it's going strong. Enjoy!

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Hello. Thanks for the advice. I assume that you have had the time chain/tensioner service done on yours. If so, at what mileage did you have it done?

From what I could see and smell, the car didn't have any oil leaks. No way to know if it burns oil or not as that would be something I would have to monitor over time. Test drove it for about 25 minutes and it was solid.

I'm not sure if I would be able to find out if the timing chain service was done or not. The Carfax shows that the car had regular service but doesn't go into detail at all. I assume the timing chain service would have been done around the 100,000 mile mark (if it was done). I will try to call the dealerships where service was done and see what I can find out.

As for wrenching on cars, I do all my own work. While I don't doubt I could pull the engine myself and do the work, I don't have access to a work space to be able to pull the engine.

I will see what I can find out and decide from there. Thanks.

[Spaceme1117]

Some of the later b7 (the s4 you are looking at is a late b7) don't suffer as bad from timing chain guide failure, however, they all suffer from it because the guides are made of plastic. I wouldn't say EVERY one, but I'd give a percent that would have a 9 in front, if that give a you an idea. Great cars, fun to drive, but if the timing does go, you either better have deep pockets or be able to turn a wrench! $11500 is a decent price, less than I paid for mine, however, if the timing does go and you take it to a shop, there goes 5 to 10 grand for timing .... choice is yours

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Thanks for the advice. The car seems to be well taken care of and based on looking it over thoroughly and a 25 minute test drive, it seems to be a good specimen. No way to know if the time chain/guides are good for another 50K miles or if they will fail after another 1K. More than likely the car would be fine for a good while but then again it may not. Not sure if I want to take the risk. I will try to find out more detailed service information tomorrow. I am also thinking I may offer $10500 for the car and see what they say.

I really like the package of the car; 340 HP V8 with 6-speed manual and AWD with great handling. Great looks too.

[VinnysS4]

Thanks for the advice. The car seems to be well taken care of and based on looking it over thoroughly and a 25 minute test drive, it seems to be a good specimen. No way to know if the time chain/guides are good for another 50K miles or if they will fail after another 1K. More than likely the car would be fine for a good while but then again it may not. Not sure if I want to take the risk. I will try to find out more detailed service information tomorrow. I am also thinking I may offer $10500 for the car and see what they say.

I really like the package of the car; 340 HP V8 with 6-speed manual and AWD with great handling. Great looks too.

I just got done rebuilding my car, I had a broken timing chain at 118k.... 6 thousand dollars later and I have a brand new car (6k just in parts including my 6 speed swAp)
I have people drool over my car every time I drive it. Everywhere I go somebody has something to say about it. What they don't understand is what a car like this cost to own and maintain. The timing service is not something to take lightly. It is a 40-hour book time engine out job.
In my honest opinion, I would never buy another one of these cars if the timing had not been done unless I got for super super super cheap. There is an S4 for sale here on audizine 9000 and change. The seller is taking into account that the timing service was not been done. When I bought my car at 92000, I did not have any timing chain rattle. If you do buy it, enjoy it and make sure to set aside a savings account just for the car.

Another thing I would highly suggest is to take the car for a pre-purchase inspection and have the cylinder walls boroscoped and checked for piston ring scratches. These engines are notorious for consuming oil past the Rings If the engine was not warmed up properly before the driver revved it high. At that point you will either be going through oil at a ridiculous rate (some use a quart every 300miles and consider a quart every 1000 to be normal) or rebuilding the engine or replacing it. New engines are $10,000. Rebuilding it is much cheaper.
Spark plugs are not cheap and my car doesn't run well on cheap plugs just keep that in mind. The car also takes two and a half gallons of oil so depending on what oil you use and how much you go through it that can get very expensive
120k is a good time for a complete overhaul of suspension stuff too...
Just a couple things to think about before you make your decision. I am not trying to scare you away from buying an S4 as I absolutely love my car. But I would have kept my RS6 had a known about the timing chain troubles of the S4.

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[WolfGanG13]

Some of the later b7 (the s4 you are looking at is a late b7) don't suffer as bad from timing chain guide failure, however, they all suffer from it because the guides are made of plastic. I wouldn't say EVERY one, but I'd give a percent that would have a 9 in front, if that give a you an idea. Great cars, fun to drive, but if the timing does go, you either better have deep pockets or be able to turn a wrench! $11500 is a decent price, less than I paid for mine, however, if the timing does go and you take it to a shop, there goes 5 to 10 grand for timing .... choice is yours

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[roboto_1337]

I just got done rebuilding my car, I had a broken timing chain at 118k.... 6 thousand dollars later and I have a brand new car (6k just in parts including my 6 speed swAp)
I have people drool over my car every time I drive it. Everywhere I go somebody has something to say about it. What they don't understand is what a car like this cost to own and maintain. The timing service is not something to take lightly. It is a 40-hour book time engine out job.
In my honest opinion, I would never buy another one of these cars if the timing had not been done unless I got for super super super cheap. There is an S4 for sale here on audizine 9000 and change. The seller is taking into account that the timing service was not been done. When I bought my car at 92000, I did not have any timing chain rattle. If you do buy it, enjoy it and make sure to set aside a savings account just for the car.

Another thing I would highly suggest is to take the car for a pre-purchase inspection and have the cylinder walls boroscoped and checked for piston ring scratches. These engines are notorious for consuming oil past the Rings If the engine was not warmed up properly before the driver revved it high. At that point you will either be going through oil at a ridiculous rate (some use a quart every 300miles and consider a quart every 1000 to be normal) or rebuilding the engine or replacing it. New engines are $10,000. Rebuilding it is much cheaper.
Spark plugs are not cheap and my car doesn't run well on cheap plugs just keep that in mind. The car also takes two and a half gallons of oil so depending on what oil you use and how much you go through it that can get very expensive
120k is a good time for a complete overhaul of suspension stuff too...
Just a couple things to think about before you make your decision. I am not trying to scare you away from buying an S4 as I absolutely love my car. But I would have kept my RS6 had a known about the timing chain troubles of the S4.

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Do this! ——^


My B7 needed chains at 120,000 miles. Ask for a cold start! If it’s cold outside in the morning go by and have them start it up with the hood popped. If it rattles I’d use it to negotiate. If you have any mechanical ability you can do the chain job yourself. It’s very daunting but if you take your time it’s really not that bad.

Love my S4, it seems like this one’s been taken care of.


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[Spaceme1117]

Do this! ——^


My B7 needed chains at 120,000 miles. Ask for a cold start! If it’s cold outside in the morning go by and have them start it up with the hood popped. If it rattles I’d use it to negotiate. If you have any mechanical ability you can do the chain job yourself. It’s very daunting but if you take your time it’s really not that bad.

Love my S4, it seems like this one’s been taken care of.


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I am really on the fence about getting the S4. I liked the car and it does seem very solid but these cars can be a gamble. I did not hear anything rattle on start up when I test drove it but the ambient temp was about 80 C.

Having to do major service myself doesn't scare me. I did a clutch install in my C5 Corvette a couple of months ago in my parking spot at my apartment complex. Even though the clutch is in the normal place just behind the engine, you have to drop the entire drive train behind the engine to be able to get to it. So the rear subframe, differential, transmission (which is in the rear and bolted directly to the differential), and torque tube all have to come out. What does put me off it the cost of all the parts should the tensioners need to be replaced.

I think I am going to call the dealerships listed in the Carfax and see if any timing chain service was done or not. I also need to find out what it will cost a month to insure the car. If it is not too much, that will help my decision.

Also, I don't anticipate putting more than 1000 miles on the car in a year. My intention for the car is to drive it mostly in the winter as a daily to work and back home. And have fun here and there the rest of the year.

That being the case if the chain and tensioners keep going for another 10K miles, that is way more miles than I will ever put on the car. But again, its a gamble.

[Spaceme1117]

Quick update. I found out the car did have a pre-purchase inspection done by a certified Audi dealer. It passed with no issues other than a Takada airbag recall which was taken care of. No way to know if the timing chain/guides were serviced but I doubt it. As I understand it, there is no official Audi service interval for that system.

I liked the car but I don't really know if I want to roll the dice.

[Kambesama]

Quick update. I found out the car did have a pre-purchase inspection done by a certified Audi dealer. It passed with no issues other than a Takada airbag recall which was taken care of. No way to know if the timing chain/guides were serviced but I doubt it. As I understand it, there is no official Audi service interval for that system.

I liked the car but I don't really know if I want to roll the dice.

Mine is a B6 and I found my timing chain guide broken at 90,000. I am probably to blame due to smashing on it when it was cold before it was warmed up. About $3,500 and lots of weekends lost it has new RS4 guide and I probably won't be dealing with that issue again.

I think I remember reading somewhere here that someone has gone up to the 200,000's with out doing the service. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[roboto_1337]

I wouldn’t describe it as a gamble. If you treat the car right and listen to what it’s telling you there will be no surprises. I don’t know many people who own V8 S4s that hate them.... even if the engine has had chain failure.


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[Spaceme1117]

I wouldn’t describe it as a gamble. If you treat the car right and listen to what it’s telling you there will be no surprises. I don’t know many people who own V8 S4s that hate them.... even if the engine has had chain failure.


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Yeah, not a big gamble but a bit of a risk. My current car is fine with no issues, so I am apprehensive to trade it for a car that may have potential issues. But then again it may not.

Similar to a very recent post by PigDiesel54, I may just go for it.