B8 S4 Ownership
Discussion
t and it needed a new cam-chain... Depends who you're asking and what you're using it for, but if you are looking for an all round package you need to be looking for ADS, sports diff and adjustable dampers. If driven and enjoyed, it won't do much more than 20mpg. Mine averaged (according to the dis) 19.8mpg over 11200 miles. Also got through a set of tyres. One of the best cars over ever owned though. I got rid of mine to save some money and because the kids were starting to trash the interior but I'd have another in a flash.
geeks said:
Oh great and powerful (company directors 
) S4 owners, I have been toying with the idea of pickin up the new S4. However while having a poke around Audis used car section I have noticed that the B8.5 can be picked up in a decent spec as a bit of a bargain! I am a bit early I wont be looking to change out my A4 for another 6 months or so but if the right one came up I would swap out early.
With that in mind, whats the B8.5 S4 like on.. Fuel? Tyres? General Maintenance? Anything to avoid? Any must have options?
There is an appeal to a S/C whine, having never owned a car with that type of forced induction it seems like an ideal time to tick that one off the list
) S4 owners, I have been toying with the idea of pickin up the new S4. However while having a poke around Audis used car section I have noticed that the B8.5 can be picked up in a decent spec as a bit of a bargain! I am a bit early I wont be looking to change out my A4 for another 6 months or so but if the right one came up I would swap out early. With that in mind, whats the B8.5 S4 like on.. Fuel? Tyres? General Maintenance? Anything to avoid? Any must have options?
There is an appeal to a S/C whine, having never owned a car with that type of forced induction it seems like an ideal time to tick that one off the list
JonV8V said:
Is there an easy way to check for sports diff?
Edit - answering my own question it looks like it should be an option in ADS when configuring induvidual
ADS doesn't necessarily mean it has the diff. Unfortunately most garages are clueless too. Mine is up for sale as a used approved main dealer at the moment and they don't mention any of the options on their website. Idiots. It has ADS, dampers and sports diff, folding mirrors etc but no mention of them. Edit - answering my own question it looks like it should be an option in ADS when configuring induvidual
Edited by JonV8V on Saturday 4th March 08:01
Chiefbadger said:
JonV8V said:
Is there an easy way to check for sports diff?
Edit - answering my own question it looks like it should be an option in ADS when configuring induvidual
ADS doesn't necessarily mean it has the diff. Unfortunately most garages are clueless too. Mine is up for sale as a used approved main dealer at the moment and they don't mention any of the options on their website. Idiots. It has ADS, dampers and sports diff, folding mirrors etc but no mention of them. Edit - answering my own question it looks like it should be an option in ADS when configuring induvidual
Edited by JonV8V on Saturday 4th March 08:01
Agree dealers are rubbish on spec. Selling dealer didn't know mine had sports diff, for example. And said it had DAB and it didn't.
Chiefbadger said:
Depends who you're asking and what you're using it for, but if you are looking for an all round package you need to be looking for ADS, sports diff and adjustable dampers. If driven and enjoyed, it won't do much more than 20mpg. Mine averaged (according to the dis) 19.8mpg over 11200 miles. Also got through a set of tyres.
On mine the fronts lasted 12K, rears (then swapped to front) 17K. 25.9 mpg over 18K miles since new. That's been mostly rural A/B roads - motorway MPG is closer to 30. That's certainly driven and enjoyed, but I prefer to stay away from license-losing speeds these days Sports Diff (and hence ADS) - agreed. I opted for standard suspension and 18" wheels due to the poor state of roads around here, and have no regrets on that score.
Ever since the Harris video nearly 4 years ago Ive hankered on owning my very own one day......
Well 4 weeks ago I secured this little beauty.....
Im over the moon with it has all the extras I wanted apart from a sports Diff and also had £6k of S-tronic work carried out last year so that's a worry off my mind!
No real plans apart from I really do fancy some Rotors
Well 4 weeks ago I secured this little beauty.....
Im over the moon with it has all the extras I wanted apart from a sports Diff and also had £6k of S-tronic work carried out last year so that's a worry off my mind!
No real plans apart from I really do fancy some Rotors
Edited by evo97 on Sunday 5th March 10:34
Edited by evo97 on Sunday 5th March 12:20
I thought it was worth a post about my experience and thoughts transferring from BM to Audi. I found this thread very useful when deciding whether or not an S 4 would make a good replacement car.
Background - we've had BMWs for the last 10 years, M3, E39 540, E46 330 coupe, then pre S4, B10 V8 and E92 B3S turbo as dailys.
Both the Alpinas are great cars, the combination of performance, refinement and "normal" running costs make these great road cars. Not as hyper as an m car, but nicer imo for 90% of the time.
I wanted a replacement for the B10 and my criteria were, must be estate, must be quite quick, must ride well and be fairly economical.
After looking at the alternatives, it really only left me with a choice of a 335 or S4, and after the Alpinas the 335 just left me cold, plus I'm not a fan of the current interiors with their bolt on screens.
So I read all the posts here, including those who stated the S4s are not involving enough, read reviews and started a search. The "not involving enough" comments btw didn't concern me as if I want something involving I can take one of the other cars.
I found what I thought was my perfect spec - facelift black pack with sports diff, adaptive dampers, dynamic steering, pano, heated super sports seats, hi tech, , plus other stuff I wasn't fussed about like reversing camera, adaptive lights, advanced key, hill hold, side assist, high beam assist, power tailgate etc - he first owner obviously didn't care about depreciation. Went and drove it, felt it was exactly what I wanted from a road car so bought it.
So, 2 months and 3k later I thought it was worth looking at what I like and don't like compared to the BMWs in case anyone else is looking to switch.
Let's get the elephant out the room first - ride, handling and how involving is it..
It's not as involving as any of the BMWs I've owned when driving at low or town speeds. The steering in particular is just way too light and is imo, by far the worst aspect of the car, no real feel or feedback. However, as the speed rises it becomes more fun, the sports diff makes it feel incredibly nimble for what is actually a pretty heavy car. The cross country pace of these things is pretty amazing and I think you'd struggle to stay in touch in most comparable BMWs. Would you have more fun in the BM tho? Probably, if you can drive them. I expect the vast majority would be quicker a-b in an S4 than a 335 though. Ride, I can only comment on this with adaptive dampers, but in comfort mode, for normal or motorway driving, the ride is very good. Body control suffers a little but for pottering about its great, much much better than modern BMs on their awful runflats. Better thanks those not in runflats also tbh. Quick button press into dynamic and it feels more composed and pretty decent for a cross country blast. Ride was one of the main info concerning me coming from Alpinas, but it was a pleasant surprise to feel how good these are.
Performance and character.This is a difficult one. I think it is faster than it feels, the engine and gearbox combo are great and you can feel the engine has way more to give than it does as standard. I'd say it's a little quiet, but plenty of options to change that if wanted, however in dynamic mode it sounds pretty decent. Overall, for an 1800kg car with 330hp, its decent.
Interior and stuff. This era of A4 reminds me of the e39/e46 BMW era from a dash solidity point of view. It feels much more solid than the e9x BMs. General interior design of the Audi is much better and a nicer place to be than most 3 series BMs too. Only downside really is the mmi flap which has the tactile quality of a cheap DVD player. I find the MMI interface more intuitive than idrive, I find the BM sat nav more aesthetically pleasing, switchgear quality is better in the Audi. Only other thing I think looks cheap is the leather, not got used to the slightly hard, smooth finish. Overall tho, it's a lovely place to be.
Fuel economy. F**k me how Audi get to legally quote 34ish combined mpg is beyond me. Am averaging 25 which is about the same as the 400hp Alpina.
A bit waffle above, but I'll try and summarise.
If you want a road car which is comfortable, quick, can go from a to b very quickly, isn't ruinously expensive to run and doesn't shout look at me, these things are a great choice. I'm certainly very happy with it, and although I miss the Alpina, I feel this S4 is very close to being a perfect everyday car.
If you want something that is very tactile and provides great feedback, then you may prefer a BM.
Couple of pics.
Background - we've had BMWs for the last 10 years, M3, E39 540, E46 330 coupe, then pre S4, B10 V8 and E92 B3S turbo as dailys.
Both the Alpinas are great cars, the combination of performance, refinement and "normal" running costs make these great road cars. Not as hyper as an m car, but nicer imo for 90% of the time.
I wanted a replacement for the B10 and my criteria were, must be estate, must be quite quick, must ride well and be fairly economical.
After looking at the alternatives, it really only left me with a choice of a 335 or S4, and after the Alpinas the 335 just left me cold, plus I'm not a fan of the current interiors with their bolt on screens.
So I read all the posts here, including those who stated the S4s are not involving enough, read reviews and started a search. The "not involving enough" comments btw didn't concern me as if I want something involving I can take one of the other cars.
I found what I thought was my perfect spec - facelift black pack with sports diff, adaptive dampers, dynamic steering, pano, heated super sports seats, hi tech, , plus other stuff I wasn't fussed about like reversing camera, adaptive lights, advanced key, hill hold, side assist, high beam assist, power tailgate etc - he first owner obviously didn't care about depreciation. Went and drove it, felt it was exactly what I wanted from a road car so bought it.
So, 2 months and 3k later I thought it was worth looking at what I like and don't like compared to the BMWs in case anyone else is looking to switch.
Let's get the elephant out the room first - ride, handling and how involving is it..
It's not as involving as any of the BMWs I've owned when driving at low or town speeds. The steering in particular is just way too light and is imo, by far the worst aspect of the car, no real feel or feedback. However, as the speed rises it becomes more fun, the sports diff makes it feel incredibly nimble for what is actually a pretty heavy car. The cross country pace of these things is pretty amazing and I think you'd struggle to stay in touch in most comparable BMWs. Would you have more fun in the BM tho? Probably, if you can drive them. I expect the vast majority would be quicker a-b in an S4 than a 335 though. Ride, I can only comment on this with adaptive dampers, but in comfort mode, for normal or motorway driving, the ride is very good. Body control suffers a little but for pottering about its great, much much better than modern BMs on their awful runflats. Better thanks those not in runflats also tbh. Quick button press into dynamic and it feels more composed and pretty decent for a cross country blast. Ride was one of the main info concerning me coming from Alpinas, but it was a pleasant surprise to feel how good these are.
Performance and character.This is a difficult one. I think it is faster than it feels, the engine and gearbox combo are great and you can feel the engine has way more to give than it does as standard. I'd say it's a little quiet, but plenty of options to change that if wanted, however in dynamic mode it sounds pretty decent. Overall, for an 1800kg car with 330hp, its decent.
Interior and stuff. This era of A4 reminds me of the e39/e46 BMW era from a dash solidity point of view. It feels much more solid than the e9x BMs. General interior design of the Audi is much better and a nicer place to be than most 3 series BMs too. Only downside really is the mmi flap which has the tactile quality of a cheap DVD player. I find the MMI interface more intuitive than idrive, I find the BM sat nav more aesthetically pleasing, switchgear quality is better in the Audi. Only other thing I think looks cheap is the leather, not got used to the slightly hard, smooth finish. Overall tho, it's a lovely place to be.
Fuel economy. F**k me how Audi get to legally quote 34ish combined mpg is beyond me. Am averaging 25 which is about the same as the 400hp Alpina.
A bit waffle above, but I'll try and summarise.
If you want a road car which is comfortable, quick, can go from a to b very quickly, isn't ruinously expensive to run and doesn't shout look at me, these things are a great choice. I'm certainly very happy with it, and although I miss the Alpina, I feel this S4 is very close to being a perfect everyday car.
If you want something that is very tactile and provides great feedback, then you may prefer a BM.
Couple of pics.
Pretty good summary, I sold my 2012 S4 in January to be replaced by an M240i which arrived this week. Although I'm still running in and getting used to the 240 I'm pretty confident I'd be quicker cross country in the S4 especially at this time of year in anything other than warm dry conditions. Already though the 240 is feeling more like a natural drivers car than the S4 ever did and even though the steering feel and feedback isn't supposed to be a strong point of the M140/240 compared to the M's and BMWs of old, its still way better than the S4 was.
For the 1st time, I have actually read the extended warranty exclusions. And to my surprise, if locks fail, it is NOT covered, even under the comprehensive warranty (which, in my naivety, I assumed would cover pretty much all non-consumable parts).
So, I have an intermittent "drivers door not opening from the outside" issue. It opens fine if I reach in through the passenger door and open using the internal handle. Happened 4 times in last 3 months or so.
Car is due a service in 2 weeks, and Audi want £60 just for "diagnosis". I guess if they find something (which is not guaranteed as it's intermittent) they will want many ££ to repair it. Does anyone have any idea what might cause the fault, how much the likely repair is etc? If it's fairly cheap, for convenience I will just get them to do it anyway probably, but if it really is many many ££££££££ then I may just get an indy to look at it (probably going to take it out of warranty soon anyway… too many things excluded, and just not value for money).
So, I have an intermittent "drivers door not opening from the outside" issue. It opens fine if I reach in through the passenger door and open using the internal handle. Happened 4 times in last 3 months or so.
Car is due a service in 2 weeks, and Audi want £60 just for "diagnosis". I guess if they find something (which is not guaranteed as it's intermittent) they will want many ££ to repair it. Does anyone have any idea what might cause the fault, how much the likely repair is etc? If it's fairly cheap, for convenience I will just get them to do it anyway probably, but if it really is many many ££££££££ then I may just get an indy to look at it (probably going to take it out of warranty soon anyway… too many things excluded, and just not value for money).
It won't be the lock that's failing though so you'll be ok. Mine was covered under warranty when I had the same problem (unless they've changed it since then! ). It's something to do with the handle mechanism rather than the actual lock so warranty should be covering that.
bungle said:
For the 1st time, I have actually read the extended warranty exclusions. And to my surprise, if locks fail, it is NOT covered, even under the comprehensive warranty (which, in my naivety, I assumed would cover pretty much all non-consumable parts).
So, I have an intermittent "drivers door not opening from the outside" issue. It opens fine if I reach in through the passenger door and open using the internal handle. Happened 4 times in last 3 months or so.
Car is due a service in 2 weeks, and Audi want £60 just for "diagnosis". I guess if they find something (which is not guaranteed as it's intermittent) they will want many ££ to repair it. Does anyone have any idea what might cause the fault, how much the likely repair is etc? If it's fairly cheap, for convenience I will just get them to do it anyway probably, but if it really is many many ££££££££ then I may just get an indy to look at it (probably going to take it out of warranty soon anyway… too many things excluded, and just not value for money).
So, I have an intermittent "drivers door not opening from the outside" issue. It opens fine if I reach in through the passenger door and open using the internal handle. Happened 4 times in last 3 months or so.
Car is due a service in 2 weeks, and Audi want £60 just for "diagnosis". I guess if they find something (which is not guaranteed as it's intermittent) they will want many ££ to repair it. Does anyone have any idea what might cause the fault, how much the likely repair is etc? If it's fairly cheap, for convenience I will just get them to do it anyway probably, but if it really is many many ££££££££ then I may just get an indy to look at it (probably going to take it out of warranty soon anyway… too many things excluded, and just not value for money).
Ive just provisionally bought a 2012 S4 with 30k. Probably a daft question but can you buy an Audi warranty when the original warranty has lapsed? Using the Audi warranty web-page it would appear you can but then it only asks you to input the Reg, mileage, anticipated mileage and then the level of cover you are after. Im thinking of a warranty mainly because of my gear-box paranoia.
Thanks
Thanks
daveydees said:
It won't be the lock that's failing though so you'll be ok. Mine was covered under warranty when I had the same problem (unless they've changed it since then! ). It's something to do with the handle mechanism rather than the actual lock so warranty should be covering that.
Ahh, thanks, good point, probably some switch or something. Maybe that sways me again as to whether a warranty is worthwhile!
Runs out in 3 weeks and got the numbers today. Ranges from £530 (named components, £250 excess) through to £1081 (comprehensive, no excess).
Guess it's luck of the draw really whether it is worth the gamble to not renew. My car's had a lot of stuff done under warranty, so on the one hand it looks like it's worth carrying on with it, but then I think well it's all sorted now, what else is there to go wrong??!!
mattb46 said:
Ive just provisionally bought a 2012 S4 with 30k. Probably a daft question but can you buy an Audi warranty when the original warranty has lapsed? Using the Audi warranty web-page it would appear you can but then it only asks you to input the Reg, mileage, anticipated mileage and then the level of cover you are after. Im thinking of a warranty mainly because of my gear-box paranoia.
Thanks
Yep, so long as it has full history (not necessarily main dealer, but you'd need to make sure any independent servicing was carried out using genuine parts by a VAT registered garage) then just input the reg number, mileage and warranty type required and the site will generate a premium for you. Thanks
If the Audi warranty price is a bit hard to swallow, it might be worth looking at ALA (normally known for their GAP insurance). They now do car warranty which seems to have far fewer caveats and exclusions than other 3rd party warranties (WarrantyWise / Warranty Direct etc) yet with the Pistonheads discount code it was only about £350 for annual cover up to the value of the car in claim cost with main dealer hourly rates and no excess on my S4. I ended up selling the car so didn't go for it in the end but it seems like a good alternative to the £8-900 that Audi wanted.
LocoBlade said:
If the Audi warranty price is a bit hard to swallow, it might be worth looking at ALA (normally known for their GAP insurance). They now do car warranty which seems to have far fewer caveats and exclusions than other 3rd party warranties (WarrantyWise / Warranty Direct etc) yet with the Pistonheads discount code it was only about £350 for annual cover up to the value of the car in claim cost with main dealer hourly rates and no excess on my S4. I ended up selling the car so didn't go for it in the end but it seems like a good alternative to the £8-900 that Audi wanted.
Trouble with ALA, if i remember correctly, is the limit per claim, which I think was £1000. The warranty for me is an insurance against the big ticket items, eg. gearbox, so the ALA wouldn't really be worth it for me as it won't cover those items. bungle said:
Trouble with ALA, if i remember correctly, is the limit per claim, which I think was £1000. The warranty for me is an insurance against the big ticket items, eg. gearbox, so the ALA wouldn't really be worth it for me as it won't cover those items.
Just had a look and they've completely changed the website and what they're offering since I got a quote late last year! It seems you can still roughly get the cover I mentioned (if under 60k miles) which covers claims up to the value of the car but there's now a (admittedly small) excess and it's about twice the price. Odd.They do an "Essentials" warranty on named parts that includes gearbox and engine etc up to the value of the car for about £250 though, might be worth considering to protect the big scary bits
Edited by LocoBlade on Monday 6th March 20:55
Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff