[s-cars] UrS4 info

[Wayne Dohnal]

<snip>
> I am looking for information on the S4's.  For instance, is this car
reliable enough to be
> driven daily, in gridlock, with 100degree heat?  Is this car easy for
DIYer's?
<snip>

Lee,

Here's one opinion for you.  I got my '94 s-car about 11 months ago.  I do
all of the lighter maintenance, but I don't want to do any of the heaver
stuff, like engine/transmission rebuild, clutch replacement, etc.  I've
lucked out because my car needed a lot of fixing, but the big stuff has all
been OK.  My feeling is that if you're a good DIYer and willing to spend a
fair amount of time on the car it's a good choice.  Otherwise be prepared to
shell out a lot of $$$ to keep it going.  An example could be a burned-out
light in a seat heater switch.  You can fix it for almost nothing and a few
hours work, or take it in and they will replace the whole controller for a
hundred bucks or whatever they cost.  My car has been very reliable, but I
think if you don't keep up on the preventative maintenance and stay
pro-active looking for possible problems you will have failures.  It's
definitely not a Japanese car, reliability-wise.  But it's a real jewel:
big, comfortable, fast, and solid. I began my search with the intent of
getting a new A4 or recent A6.  Either way there were too many compromises.
With the urS4 I got almost everything I wanted at less than half the price.

The PO did not keep on top of the maintenance.  I put in a load of time the
first few months doing the following:  oil change, air filter, fuel filter,
trans oil, rear end oil, timing belt, water pump, seat heater element
(somewhat horrible job), seat heater switch lights, 4 window switch lights,
mirror control lights, instrument lights, OAT display light, new headlight
lenses, new windshield (didn't do this one myself), cleared cowling drain to
stop interior flooding, tightened various coolant hose clamps to stop
dripping, fixed driver door lock linkage, aux coolant pump, thermostat,
front crank seal, plugs, valve cover gasket, brake fluid flush, hydraulic
fluid flush, new front grille, 2 new tail lenses, and one new horn. I also
had extra work cleaning up after a poorly-completed fender-bender repair.  I
spent maybe $1500 for all of this, and I shudder to think what it would have
cost had I taken it in.  I also replaced the missing belly pan for just
short of $200.  I currently have absolutely no oil or coolant leaks.  I was
lucky that the PO had recently had a new clutch and flywheel put in (for $3K
at the dealer).  If the car you're getting has close to 100K miles of the
clutch, plan on forking out at least $2K for a replacement pretty soon.

Since I got the S4 I've put on about 11,000 trouble-free miles, and I just
love driving it.  I use it all the time, but I do use another car for a lot
of short trips to keep the wear and tear off the Audi.  With a light foot I
get between 22 and 27 mpg and it's great in the snow.  Never a hint of
overheating.  This list and the urS4 website have made all the difference to
me.  The solution to almost every problem I've had is either on the website
or was answered quickly on the list.  Without these 2 resources I think the
car would have been a bummer instead of a joy for me.  It definitely has a
few quirky weak points like the clogged cowling drain and spark plugs that
like to unscrew themselves, but with all the help you have available here
these potential crises are transformed to mere annoyances.

Wayne Dohnal
1994 S4