prestonian

I currently have a 93 s4 and it is getting a little long in the tooth with 140K. It runs and looks great but it is time for an upgrade.
I really like the way the 2004 s-lines look and the hp looks ok but I would most likely chip. Anyone have the APR chip or other mods that boost HP.
Can someone tell me what issues I would be looking at from a maintenance standpoint with this model year. I hear the turbos and tranny can be an issue but not sure if this is a few or many.
Ani info appreciated.


Thanks,
Mike

Audifan1

They are great cars. I have over 100k on mine and still have the original KO3's. If you take care of it, it will last you. Don't chip it.

04/A6/2.7t/S-line

I don't have an APR chip mine was done custom and I am loving it!!! Don't go any lower than 93 octane tuning, the best gains are at 93 and up.... got mine chipped to 94 octane and gained around 70 hp and 100 lbs of torque..
now she's a beast


also if you are getting the S-line be prepared for a tiptronic tranny cuz they didn't make them manual. I got a tip chip to quicken up the shifting. These two mods alone really improve the performance without having to modify the car.... You can still roll around looking stock and not be stock

prestonian

Why no chip, Tranny or other?

A6contem

Another '04 S-line here. Previous owner was also on here and said it had been a fairly trouble-free car. We've had a brake light switch, rear defroster and EGR/temp sensor replaced in 10K+ miles of ownership.

I really enjoy driving the car. There was a long weekend where we left NYC Saturday am and the only constraint was that we needed to reach Boston on Sunday night. I planned the trip to include as much backroad travel as possible (this definition includes roads such as the Sawmill and Merritt parkways) and we intentionally detoured thru rural New England. I think we did 400+ miles of non-interstate driving over that weekend. I drove to and from Niagara Falls 2 weeks back - 7 hrs each way - it was a breeze. In comparison, driving from LA to Palm Springs in a rental Dodge Charger was one third the length but felt longer.

It's my fiance's daily driver. TBH she initially hated the 3 (thankfully warrantied) visits to the dealership. And she had been eyeing Lexuses when it had come time to replace her Infiniti but ultimately bought the A6. By the 2 month mark, I had assumed she would buy one the next time (and I had no real objection as long as it's not the ES). But one day she discovered how she leaves most people behind at the toll plaza on her way to work. And just yesterday she said, "I don't know what's wrong with Lexus. I don't know if it's the cars or the drivers who are slow. I can't tell you how many I blast past every single day."

ZCD2.7T

My '04 S-line is our 3rd C5 2.7T, and definitely the best of the bunch. The way I saw it when I purchased it, since '04 was the final year of the 8-year C5 platform, most of the kinks should have long since been worked out. That's turned out to be true in general. I've put 89K miles on it in 4 years, and it's been a great car. I've added only H-Sport anti-roll bars front and rear, aftermarket wheels (RS4 replicas) and HP2 front brake calipers with SS lines and Mintex red pads. No chip.

I track my car a few times a year, and the '02+ front brake calipers are woefully inadequate for track work, plus even on the street they don't have the good feel than my '00, with its HP2 (read: B5 S4) calipers had, so that's why I made that switch. Cheap upgrade (like $200 for a used set) and they bolt right on.

Same thing with the anti-roll bars. On the street, the stock suspension strikes a nice compromise, but it rolls too much on the track.

As for reliability, I've needed a coil pack, an 02 sensor, a front lower control arm, and a sunroof switch/dial, all covered under my CPO warranty. I've also replaced the timing belt (at 90K - and at my cost) and changed the trans fluid as a result of an accident that cracked the trans oil pan.

I'm just about to exit CPO (in 300 miles, as a matter of fact) and I'm a little concerned about maintenance costs, but the car's paid for and runs great, so I'm going to take that chance.

If you can still find one that's CPO, that's what I'd go for.

I still love my car - it has looks, performance and comfort in spades.

HTH.