View Full Version : C5 RS6 maintenance vs. a B5 S4
andrejs
August 4th, 2009, 22:35
:s4Addict: vs :addict:
Have any of you come from the B5 S4 family? If so, would you say the maintenance/reliability headaches are about the same or worse/better?
I know neither car is a maintenance-free car, so I'm not asking that (I currently own a B5 S4); I would just like a comparison from an owner who has owned both. Thanks!
Jani
August 5th, 2009, 07:31
I had a B5 RS4, and I would estimate the RS6 is about 2 x more expensive to run. I don't know how RS4/S4 would compare, but I'd say they are in the same league, maybe RS4 a bit more expensive due to more expensive brakes etc.
If you go for RS6, buy either a car with warranty for DRC or a car with H&R/KW or other suspension set that solves the problem with leaking shocks. And buy the best you can afford as always.
bfly
August 5th, 2009, 15:46
I agree with Jani, the RS6 is about 2x as expensive to maintain as a S4. This is mostly due to the cost of parts for the RS6. I think reliability plays a little into the equation, but an aggressively built stage III S4 would probably be just as prone to failure as a RS6.
That said I wouldn't want my S4 back. If you want to modify one of them I would stick with the S4.
andrejs
August 5th, 2009, 16:11
Thanks for the info. The S4 I have is currently a built Stage 3 and surprisingly it has been much more reliable than in stock form. Many of the weak parts have been replaced and I believe this plays a huge role.
As far as DRC goes - I'd just plan to replace it right away with KW's or something similar.
bfly
August 5th, 2009, 16:22
Thanks for the info. The S4 I have is currently a built Stage 3 and surprisingly it has been much more reliable than in stock form. Many of the weak parts have been replaced and I believe this plays a huge role.
As far as DRC goes - I'd just plan to replace it right away with KW's or something similar.
I would start out with replacing the DRC with the recall setup. It is free and works quite well. If you decide you don't like it then go with the KWs later.
Benman
August 5th, 2009, 17:27
I had a B5 S4 for a little under two years... so I would also go with the 2X more expensive comment, but if anything, I'd say closer to 3X. ;)
Also, I can compare apples to apples since I bought the B5 bone stock, and then proceeded to mod it. Much lower cost than an RS 6 (although new RS 6s all had included maintenance, I had the dealer print out costs so I could see the running costs once the "free" 4 year, 50K maintenance ran out).
Ben:addict: