I've been lurking here, reading all I could about the 2001 S4s. I test drove one that is being sold by a private party yesterday. everything seemed fine with it. However, none of the mods have been done to make sure the turbos don't blow. that $6K repair does not look like a fun choice. it has 65K miles, and the stock ecu was replaced at 60K (not sure which ecu - boosts to 324 hp). No other mods have been done. I haven't found anywhere that says when the turbo-saving mods should be done. Really my question is - do the mods need to have been done fairly early in the life of the car, so as to avoid wear on the vehicle, or is the problem that those problem areas fail, which in turn blows the turbos? I'm trying to decide if I can buy the car and make the mods to ensure the turbos don't fail, or if it's just not worth it.

Also, what is a fair price for this vehicle? cosmetically good condition, no apparent problems. 6 speed. no nav, no cd changer, but everything else.

 

It really depends on how the car is drivin. I've heard of guys replacing them at 55,000 miles and 130,000 miles before they go. A chip will decrease the life of them, but if it's only been for 5,000 miles... meh. But it really depends on if they seem like the kind of people who have beaten the car in real good.

 

not sure if your year has the TBB / F-hose issues...
but i would replace those & the DV's as well...

but i agree - it all depends on how the previous owner treated it.
youve still got relatively low miles too..

as for price - I bought mine last year - it had the same mileage (approx)
paid 18K, but the thing is it was in immaculate condition. The previous owner
took great care of it (service records too) + he kept it stock.

 

"Turbo Saving Mods" Like what? The only thing you can do is get a turbo timer, or the lower temp after run sensor.
The sensor is $17 & takes 10 min to install. This will pump coolant threw the turbo's after you shut the car off.

Really the best thing you can do is, change the oil regularly, let the turbo's cool before you shut the car off.
Don't get into boost until the oil is warm.

Never let a boost leak go unfixed!

The cars are more solid then people are led to believe. The turbo's are not that delicate!

If you are that worried about them, don't get the car, at some point in it's life, the turbo's will go.

 

Forgot to add....

The best "Turbo-saving"

DON'T DRIVE THE CAR!

 

Thank you for your responses!

From the 2001 "noob" guide, it does have those three problems, so I'd probably want to change them, if it's not too late. looks like I'd be spending ~ $1K to get those three things up to the best options? [edit - the three mods I'm talking about are the TBB, BPV and F-hose, per this site: http://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/1407640.phtml]

Based on where he lived and where he worked, it was probably not particularly hard driven (would have been mostly highway driving). I live in Texas, so it does get hot - it seems that this would affect it as well - am I right about that?

The ECU has a switch (using the cruise control) to be able to switch from stock to the higher HP, so I don't know if he usually kept it stock or in the higher HP mode, but like you said, it's only been 5K miles (I would probably keep it stock most of the time).

I'd say assuming it was driven typically, not all out racing all the time, but certainly not grandma either (he did get it chipped, after all...), then what sort of life should I expect, assuming I make those three mods? what about assuming I don't?

 

What 3 things are you talking about? We don't read minds.
TBB
F hose
ARS?

Since we are not him, we have no idea how the car has been treated, and how long the turbo's will last. It might be a week, it might be 10 years.
WE DON'T KNOW! Again we are not clairvoyant.

The best thing you can do it make sure the car was cared for, regular oil, regular maintenance, and no boost leaks.

He has a APR chip, it's nice, most of us with switchers leave it in "chipped" mode, unless some one else is driving the car, then it's back to stock

 

see my edit: the three mods I'm talking about are the TBB, BPV and F-hose, per this site: http://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/1407640.phtml

"Turbo failure: clearly this is a big problem, as the repair will run you >$6000 if you are not under warranty (not a typo!), but it is usually attributable to one of a few weak points in the system."

 

No F hose on the 2001, or any TIP car.
People either get the Samco silicone one, or make a metal one from pipe parts at Home Depo.

TBB is a problem on all of them, just get a APR bi-pipe & your done.
Inspecting & changing the TBB is super easy & if you have the stock one should be checked on a regular basis.
It's right under the DV's again a 15 min change.

DV aka bypass valves. Will not really kill the turbo's, it just affects drivability, and can create a internal boost leak.
Bosh 710n, there $40 a piece & work well, or get any quality aftermarket ones. If they are going it will throw a CEL,
the car will just not feel right when getting off throttle with boost. It's also 15 min to change them out.

It goes to the fact that boost leaks should be fixed ASAP, and never push the car with a boost leak, it can over spin the turbo's.

From all I've seen the Turbo's tend to last long when taken care of. From what I've seen it looks like the 6-speed has had more failures
then turbo's. It's common but not every car has had a early failure. There are some 150,000 mile stock turbo cars out there.

$6000 gets you K04's, so it's also a nice upgrade.

 

Hey meat like 2k S4 said B5 S4 is alot more solid than everbody thinks, this turbo failure that u talking bout is moreso in u Jap cars

And to answer u question: 'How long is a piece of string'[sm=icon_ladiesman.gif]