B8 S4 Ownership
Discussion
Dr G said:
Still very likely the best all-rounder Audi ever built.
I've come to that conclusion as well. Just put a deposit down on a B8 S4 avant, trying to get the balance right on performance versus running cost, this will be my 1st B8, but 3rd S4 and I keep coming back to them as this, the best all rounder.
Ive got a weekend car for driving dynamics, so that is covered, but this is to give the day to day drive a bit of interest.
I think ive managed to get my perfect spec, and popped up less than 30 miles away so seemed fated!
Looks great! Although I do prefer the facelift, the original was great too.
I would have loved adaptive cruise but it seems hard to find. I like the wheels - better than the S-Line wheels that so many have in my opinion. Pano-sunroof looks fantastic but as I and my family are so tall, we couldnt have one as we need the headroom.
I would have loved adaptive cruise but it seems hard to find. I like the wheels - better than the S-Line wheels that so many have in my opinion. Pano-sunroof looks fantastic but as I and my family are so tall, we couldnt have one as we need the headroom.
LocoBlade said:
Also ask to supply your own oil. Some dealerships allow it and given they charge over £20 per litre and it needs 7 litres (I think?), you'll save a good £70-80 if you buy the correct spec oil from somewhere like Opie Oils.
The last fixed annual oil change service at Portsmouth Audi with me supplying the oil was only £130, plus about £50 for 7 litres of Mobil 1 ESP 5w30 from Opie
Just to update on my first service which was carried out yesterday - went with my local main dealer in Aylesbury for convenience, which quoted £409, however, supplied my own oil (£58) and total bill from Audi came to only £226, so saving of around £125 from supplying my own oil (from Opie as LocoBlade suggested).The last fixed annual oil change service at Portsmouth Audi with me supplying the oil was only £130, plus about £50 for 7 litres of Mobil 1 ESP 5w30 from Opie
Edited by LocoBlade on Monday 7th November 20:12
No complaints with the service - really liked the 'under-the-car' video they supplied which gave an overview of the state of the brakes/tyres/suspension etc, and quite enjoyed the A1 courtesy car, much more chuckable than the S4!
Anyone else looking to get their own oil, you could get Quantum Longlife 3, which is apparently what Audi use, at £18.99 for 5 litres here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Quantum-Longlife-5W-30-F...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Quantum-Longlife-5W-30-F...
apreading said:
Pano-sunroof looks fantastic but as I and my family are so tall, we couldnt have one as we need the headroom.
How tall are you? My car has the sunroof and at 6' I'm nowhere near touching it with my head & neither is my Son who's 6'2".Unless you also have the seat on it's highest position with the backrest vertical, you'd have to be mighty long in the body to be touching the roof...
Wow thats a good saving, glad it worked out 
DTB77 said:
Just to update on my first service which was carried out yesterday - went with my local main dealer in Aylesbury for convenience, which quoted £409, however, supplied my own oil (£58) and total bill from Audi came to only £226, so saving of around £125 from supplying my own oil (from Opie as LocoBlade suggested).
mattb46 said:
Whats the general consensus on the reliability of the gearbox on these cars? I have provisionally bought a 2012 S4 avant with super low miles (less than 5k) but find the stories of £8-12k gearbox bills are making me lose sleep over the decision
Main dealer, private or trade seller? I'd check that the service book is up to date for the time-based services. If the Stronic goes bang there's still a chance of goodwill from Audi if the history is good.STronic oil doesn't seem have a time-based change interval, but a precautionary oil change wouldn't go amiss.
mattb46 said:
The car has been stored for approx 2 years and the mileage is so low (less than 2k) that its never been serviced. It was first regd Sept 12. Its a trade sale.
You'll have little chance of Audi goodwill in the event of a problem. It should have been serviced at least twice by now. I'd factor that into the price. Thanks very much for the responses and advice, much appreciated
The reason I ask re the gearbox was that I noticed when I test drove it that from cold, it was initially slightly reluctant to reverse: it didn't want to start to reverse with just a tickle of the throttle and I had to dial in 2-3k to get it going. It didn't suddenly leap back with that throttle input and thereafter didn't need as much throttle. In every other respect the gearbox worked perfectly on my test drive with no clunks, noises, shifting problems or anything else that I noticed. Im told that this symptom could be nothing and is not consistent with a mechatronic unit problem by Unit 20. However Ive also been told the opposite by a forum member. The cost to sort using ecutesting.com to repair the existing mechatronic unit and then re-fit would I suspect be approx £1500-2000 I think. I can live that provided thats the end of its troubles. Its the gearbox Im nervous about though as what is currently a bargain, could quickly cease to be one....
The reason I ask re the gearbox was that I noticed when I test drove it that from cold, it was initially slightly reluctant to reverse: it didn't want to start to reverse with just a tickle of the throttle and I had to dial in 2-3k to get it going. It didn't suddenly leap back with that throttle input and thereafter didn't need as much throttle. In every other respect the gearbox worked perfectly on my test drive with no clunks, noises, shifting problems or anything else that I noticed. Im told that this symptom could be nothing and is not consistent with a mechatronic unit problem by Unit 20. However Ive also been told the opposite by a forum member. The cost to sort using ecutesting.com to repair the existing mechatronic unit and then re-fit would I suspect be approx £1500-2000 I think. I can live that provided thats the end of its troubles. Its the gearbox Im nervous about though as what is currently a bargain, could quickly cease to be one....
Hi All,
Started using my S4 again recently (2015 Black Edition Avant), its a great car and very different to the S5 (early 4.2 V8). One thing I had forgotten is how much the car pulls you around on uneven roads. Does anyone else get this? I haven't ticked the dynamic steering option so just standard, whatever that is.
On a plus side, it really does shift! It feels a fair bit quicker than the S5 but could be down to the torque and double clutch auto box.
I hear the new S4 is a single clutch slush box again?
Started using my S4 again recently (2015 Black Edition Avant), its a great car and very different to the S5 (early 4.2 V8). One thing I had forgotten is how much the car pulls you around on uneven roads. Does anyone else get this? I haven't ticked the dynamic steering option so just standard, whatever that is.
On a plus side, it really does shift! It feels a fair bit quicker than the S5 but could be down to the torque and double clutch auto box.
I hear the new S4 is a single clutch slush box again?
mattb46 said:
Thanks very much for the responses and advice, much appreciated
The reason I ask re the gearbox was that I noticed when I test drove it that from cold, it was initially slightly reluctant to reverse: it didn't want to start to reverse with just a tickle of the throttle and I had to dial in 2-3k to get it going. It didn't suddenly leap back with that throttle input and thereafter didn't need as much throttle. In every other respect the gearbox worked perfectly on my test drive with no clunks, noises, shifting problems or anything else that I noticed. Im told that this symptom could be nothing and is not consistent with a mechatronic unit problem by Unit 20. However Ive also been told the opposite by a forum member. The cost to sort using ecutesting.com to repair the existing mechatronic unit and then re-fit would I suspect be approx £1500-2000 I think. I can live that provided thats the end of its troubles. Its the gearbox Im nervous about though as what is currently a bargain, could quickly cease to be one....
Assuming it doesn't have hill hold assist, putting it into R and releasing the brake with the steering straight should result in the car moving of its own accord on level ground. If you're having to dial in revs well above idle then there's something very wrong.The reason I ask re the gearbox was that I noticed when I test drove it that from cold, it was initially slightly reluctant to reverse: it didn't want to start to reverse with just a tickle of the throttle and I had to dial in 2-3k to get it going. It didn't suddenly leap back with that throttle input and thereafter didn't need as much throttle. In every other respect the gearbox worked perfectly on my test drive with no clunks, noises, shifting problems or anything else that I noticed. Im told that this symptom could be nothing and is not consistent with a mechatronic unit problem by Unit 20. However Ive also been told the opposite by a forum member. The cost to sort using ecutesting.com to repair the existing mechatronic unit and then re-fit would I suspect be approx £1500-2000 I think. I can live that provided thats the end of its troubles. Its the gearbox Im nervous about though as what is currently a bargain, could quickly cease to be one....
If that was my money I think I'd run away and find another
fastgerman said:
Hi All,
Started using my S4 again recently (2015 Black Edition Avant), its a great car and very different to the S5 (early 4.2 V8). One thing I had forgotten is how much the car pulls you around on uneven roads. Does anyone else get this? I haven't ticked the dynamic steering option so just standard, whatever that is.
On a plus side, it really does shift! It feels a fair bit quicker than the S5 but could be down to the torque and double clutch auto box.
I hear the new S4 is a single clutch slush box again?
Dynamic steering just varies the weight at the steering wheel - nothing fancy and personally not a fan (we have it on the S5) Pull on uneven roads will almost certainly be tyre related. If you're below 3-4mm of tread it'll be more noticeableStarted using my S4 again recently (2015 Black Edition Avant), its a great car and very different to the S5 (early 4.2 V8). One thing I had forgotten is how much the car pulls you around on uneven roads. Does anyone else get this? I haven't ticked the dynamic steering option so just standard, whatever that is.
On a plus side, it really does shift! It feels a fair bit quicker than the S5 but could be down to the torque and double clutch auto box.
I hear the new S4 is a single clutch slush box again?
New S4/5 is indeed a ZF torque converter auto - it's a much more robust box and generally a match for the s-tronic. I've tried it in a C7 RS6 and it worked well. It is a LOT more modern than the 6 speed auto you may have on your S5 V8
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