2006 Audi S4 consumer reviews

If you're reading this, you've probably already seen all the good things about this car - power, handling, fun to drive, etc. - so I'm going to tell you about the bad and the ugly. First of all, you will love driving this car, but you need to prepare to maintain the car too. Either you need a lot of money, or a lot of time and know-how. As with any sporty car, assume the guy before you abused it and didn't maintain it well. Be ready to catch up on all the maintenance they neglected, plus some. Now, into the nitty-gritty: The most notorious issue for this car and others with the 4.2 is with the plastic timing chain guides. Audi did a lot of things right, but this is something they cheaped out on and it's a huge PITA for pretty much every owner of a high-mileage (70k+) S4. These guides, like lots of plastic things on this car, don't hold up very well over the years and fall apart. Most of the time it's not a spectacular failure and the car runs well enough despite chunks of plastic rattling around in the motor. Sometimes the timing system falls apart and the motor becomes a paperweight. Of course, to fix these guides (which are inconveniently located at the back of the engine) you need to take the whole engine out of the car. Luckily, there are kits for this job (which run about $1k at ECS), and a few tutorials on YouTube for anyone brave enough to do the work themselves. Semi-related, these engines have poorly designed oil check valves designed to keep oil pressure in the chain tensioners while the car isn't running. When these wear out, you get an ugly rumbling noise on cold startups. AFAIK, this doesn't cause that much extra wear or anything, but it's a little embarrassing. Sellers like to get the car warmed up before you arrive so you don't hear it. Luckily the fix for this is pretty easy and can be done with the motor in the car. You just need to get to the valley pan under the intake manifold. Another issue I've run into is wiring. On some wires, the apparently biodegradable insulation falls apart if you even look at it too hard. So far, I've found this stuff in the headlights and in the wiring to the secondary air pump from the ECU. You pretty much need to replace the wiring when you stumble across it. Smaller issues include: Vacuum lines are fragile at this age and crumble in your hands. Lots of hose clamps are one-time use and will need to be replaced if you take them off. Changing the serpentine belt requires pulling the whole front of the car forward to get access. Headlight bulbs require taking off the bumper cover (not really hard, just annoying). Also, one of the bolts is terrible to get to. As with most aging vehicles, anything rubber or plastic that you touch on your way to something else will probably need to be replaced. The parking brake hits the center console. One of the positives about this car that you may not have seen is that they actually are very easy to work on. A task like taking the engine out can be done by anyone with a hoist (or more advisable, a lift table) and a shop that can evacuate the A/C system. Mind the torque specs when you put things back together.

Loved it. Very clean car personable salesman. My son and I picked the car apart and everything we pointed out the dealer repaired or replaced and the negotiated price was reasonable and fair. Good value

Everything is good some issue with the light of front I try to contact the company that I purchase from but they didn’t help but everything is fine.

My 1st was a 2001 A6 2.8L quattro avanti it now has 200,000 miles still runs like a champ uses a little oil. I've been on all maintenance couldn't ask for a better car. Oops yes I can I just bought a used 2006 s4 wagon ( quattro 4.2L engine 6 speed auto) sooo in love with this one

This car is simply a joy to drive. The only negative about this car is that it is not cheap to maintain. It drinks a lot of gas and requires pricey parts/lubricants. However if you are reasonably mechanically inclined and are willing to put a few more dollars into a car to get a great big smile everytime you turn it on this is the car. I loved it so much I bought another one. Also if you have the need to drive no matter what the weather is this car is a great option. Quattro is the most reliable and stable AWD system I have ever driven (I have driven BMW, Mercedes, and drove Subaru regularly). I have literally driven through blizzards when they are trying to close the road in this car and been able to maneuver around jeeps that were slipping and sliding.

These cars are like bullets and are really fun to drive. Manual trans is a must if you're an enthusiast. Consumption is a bit high but that's what you'd expect from a high-power V8 engine. It sounds great and interior Recaro seats cradle you just right. Very well-designed and well-engineered vehicle.

Excellent daily driver/sports car and fun to drive around. Find one in manual and it will not disappoint you. Not much room in back but you don't buy this car for your passengers!

Expensive maintenance. Great performance. Very easy to loose it out of control and crash it. Very powerfull. Not great in winter.

Great response engine. Good throttle and suspension. Expensive to fixing and maintaining Great response engine. Good throttle and suspension. Expensive to fixing and maintaining

an amazing car that's performance can match it's stylish exterior. just find one thats been properly maintained