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Whatever else you do or get concerned about, please make sure you insure this car on an agreed value basis, otherwise you certainly will lose money.

I didn't realise the charges involved, unfortunately it's a bit of a minefield if you go down the import route. You mention worrying about the car's depreciation if you opt for this car which is currently on 82k miles. Even if you stay within a modest 4k miles per year, then you're going to get to around 100k miles in 4½ years, but by then the car will be over 23 years old. At the end of the day - you're over-thinking this. You're buying a performance car, and it will require servicing and spare parts while you own it, plus insurance, road tax, etc. It is what it is. I don't think you can realistically guarantee a future value, short of sealing it in an air conditioned garage on axle stands. If you were thinking of a physical investment, you could potentially go down the B5 RS4 Avant route. That said - there's a mint example on Autotrader under 20k miles finished in Avus Silver. That's never going to be realistically driven and will probably spend the rest of it's life trailered to car shows, plus it's £70k. Best of luck of luck though whatever you do.

Hi its overdue for a change as the sensible rule adhered to by most independent garages is 80,000 or four years whichever comes first, did that with my daughters Q3 and that made 247,000 before she sold it, good aftermarket kits are GATES OR DAYCO. Steve.

Hello again Luke, It is evident you have returned to the forum a couple of times ( last about 20 hrs ago), but seem intent on not updating the forum on your current situation. Could you please have a read of ‘New members please read’ which you would have had access to when you joined, and then come back with the latest update. Thanks, Gareth.

Welcome Steven, Interesting! If I’ve got this correct, you are considering paying c£42k for a 2007 RS4 with a reasonable mileage of 82K on it over its 19 years, and you are more concerned about the depreciation during your ownership, than you are about the inevitable attention and costs incurred when purchasing any 19 year old. If RS4s are thin on the ground in ROI, then there are plenty of people trying to sell examples here on the mainland, and it seems £30K would give you a fair choice. I think we’ve all come across potential buyers who are prepared to spend many tens of thousands of £ s buying the vehicle of their choice, but get concerned about how many miles it does to the gallon! We try to be helpful on here, but if buying one of these is your dream then I would advise - just do it - you have the mechanical experience to take a chance. The economics are a different consideration, and a financial adviser would be your best choice on that. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Regards, Gareth.

Hello Karl, Really sorry to hear of your plight, but am I too surprised? Regrettably, no. You said Audi claim it has full service history, and their claim cannot be refuted, but extending oil and filter changes to every 18k miles is asking for trouble. My stab at why, leads me to believe that cars are sold new, and Audi - like many other marques - want to keep the servicing cost down during warranty, to make the sale of service plans seem value of month to rental companies and private individuals alike. After the warranty has expired, and leased cars are returned, they are sold with FSH, and manufacturers couldn’t give a toss about how long they last under this service schedule - as you have found to your cost. They now want you to part with tens of thousands of pounds to start again! How many services have you had done during your ownership Karl. Re. another engine, paying out £20k would be bonkers on this 10 year old car, and respecting Cliff’s views on secondhand ones, this would still be my chosen route - if you are not prepared to scrap it. Car are frequently deemed to be beyond economical repair - body damage wise, and engines from these may well be worth investigating. Regards, Gareth. Just realise this post has overlapped Stevey Y’s - with similar comments.

Hi this is what happens when you stick to 18000 mile service intervals which don't take in to account driving style or ambient temperature, its a selling gimmick, in thirty odd years of of involvement with various makes and models I can categorically state NO ENGINE OIL lasts 18,000 miles, there is a mountain of information on line to support this, the oil thins and loses its lubricity which is why internal components fail, when you get a new engine 9000 miles between services is as far as you can reasonably stretch. Steve.

Alan. Did this behaviour coincide with the fitting of the dashcams described in your other topic? If so, try unplugging them. https://www.audiownersclub.com/forums/topic/31745-dashcam-fitted-now-losing-radio-stations/#comment-133331

I’ll keep you all posted once I’ve found someone who can do an electrical test. Appreciate all the responses, thank you 😀

Hello Luke, As you say - not a good start - so you don’t know how long he has owned it - if he did have any claim to its ownership. Can we take it you have now received a ‘clean’ V5 in your name? I would treat the 3 month ago service as if it never existed, and as a minimum, I would run an on-line VCheck on the car (cost £9.99) to see what else you don’t know about it, before spending anything on it. Please come back to us when you have more details, and I’m sure we can advise on future servicing. Regards, Gareth. last service