B8 S4 Ownership

Author
Discussion

lemonslap

960 posts

154 months

Sunday 29th June 2014
quotequote all
Thanks Gizlaroc and Scuffers,

I also put the oil into a clear container just incase the green container was making it look worse but it was still black.

Anyway I will be driving about 500 miles this week and will drop the oil at the weekend, will interesting to see the difference in this and the oil filter. I have some of this to put in instead of the Castrol Edge: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-73732-millers-oils-nan...

lemonslap

960 posts

154 months

Sunday 29th June 2014
quotequote all
gizlaroc said:
From Amsoil....



Oil Color vs. Lubrication Ability

We just wanted to give you some information on the color of oil once the engine starts getting mileage on it. It is a common misconception that an oil’s color is an indication of how “dirty” it is. This is not true. It is often a common tactic used at quick lubes and service centers; the technician pulls the dipstick and wipes it on a white shop cloth and shows the customer how “black and dirty” it is. Any oil will turn black after a short period of use. Some oils may stay “clean” looking longer than others, but eventually they all will turn black. This is perfectly normal.

When someone tells us how “clean” their oil is because they have pulled the dipstick and it looks clean we always tell them that it will eventually turn black. They also tell us when they pull the dipstick and it has becomes black and “dirty” it will require changing. That’s about the time we will pull our dipstick in one of our trucks and show them how black and “dirty” the oil is. We will then produce our latest oil analysis test report that provides laboratory chemical and spectrographic test data confirming that the oil perfectly suitable for continued service.

In general, the color of an oil does not have any bearing on its lubrication ability or whether or not the oil is suitable for continued use*. Most oil and especially diesel engine oil will turn black in the first few hours of operation due to contaminates generated by the combustion process and soot particles. It is the job of the filtration system to filter out the larger sized soot particles that can cause engine wear and the additive package of the oil to neutralize and hold in suspension the soot particles that are too small for the filter to trap and hold.

  • Under certain conditions such fuel dilution, water contamination or glycol contamination, for example, the color can provide insight that something is mechanically wrong and in need of repair and/or additional analysis, however under normal operating conditions without mechanical problems present the black color which is commonly referred to as “dirty oil” in the vehicle servicing industry does not have any bearing on its lubrication ability.
The only way to accurately determine an oils lubricating value or contamination level is through (spectrographic) oil analysis. Oil analysis is common practice used regularly in commercial, industrial and fleet operations and can also be used for passenger cars, light trucks or any other application.

The useful life of an engine oil is dependent on several factors such as the quality of the oil, additive package blended in the oil and the TBN level of the oil (the ability of an oil to neutralize acidic by-products of combustion), type of fuel, equipment condition, type and operating environment of the equipment and the type of filtration.

The filtration system and the oil are vital tools for preserving engine life. A highly efficient oil filter is essential to protect an engine by removing both liquid abrasive contaminants held in suspension by the oil. It must be stated and understood with critical importance that there are wide variances in the quality of motor oils. Certain lower quality oils do not have quality base stock oils and additive packages to support long drain intervals while other higher quality oils can have significantly longer drain intervals. There are two oil manufacturers that I am aware of that make a premium quality synthetic motor oil that has standard recommended drain interval of 25,000 miles/1-year and one oil manufacturer (AMSOIL) has a 35,000 mile/1-year premium quality severe service synthetic oil with standard filtration or no oil changes with by-pass filtration and oil analysis monitoring.

Also keep in mind that the micron rating of an engine oil filter means absolutely nothing unless the efficiency (particle capture percentage) of the filter is stated also. If a filter is stated to be a “10 micron filter” but the efficiency graph shows it only traps 5% of the 10 micron particles then it isn’t doing much good at filtering out 10 micron particles.


To order Amsoil motor oil and filters, be sure to call:

1-800-956-5695 between 7 AM and 5 PM CST.
Good information, however I covered 40 miles yesterday and the oil colour is still like new not how it was after the dealership change. All I am saying is that I am used to oil turning colour at about 3k and this being a brown tint not black on the dipstick.

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Sunday 29th June 2014
quotequote all
Maybe they didn't drain it all out?

They probably suck it out and and leave 2 litres in the bottom which just contaminates the new stuff straight away?

I have been buying the Triple QX stuff from Euro, £13.99 for 5 litres with a free filter.
I used to to give it a good cleaning out so I have changed the oil twice on my ML in 5000 miles and about to swap again using Castrol Edge.

Having said that, the Triple QX stuff has been great, seems very quiet compared with the 5w30 Castrol and my MPG seems up from about 28-30, so maybe I will just stick with it, but I just feel I should be using Castrol or similar, but £60 for 3 changes including filters means I can do it every 5000 miles and still cheaper.

bungle

1,874 posts

239 months

Sunday 29th June 2014
quotequote all
jimmyjimjim said:
It should be 06E115611H
yes

£9.14 from the dealers.

Monkey_boy

126 posts

183 months

Sunday 29th June 2014
quotequote all
Hi there, I wondered if anyone here has moved to a B8 S4 from an E92 335i?

I've had by manual 335i for about three years and love it, but with a baby on the way I wonder if I should be getting an estate and the S4 Avant DSG is the obvious choice for me. I'd be looking at a 59 or 10 plate car. Ideally sprint blue, but there doesn't seem to be any. Does the B8 S4 give similar enjoyment as the 335i? Previously I've owned a yellow B6 S4 so know what the quattro feels like. I'd imagine MPG would be slightly worse having a supercharger, but hope it's not as bad as the V8 S4 was! Currently get around 26-27 average in 335. What's playing in my mind is that i'd probably loose more money waiting another year (which I probably could as wife has an A3) rather than changing now, as the 335i is £490 tax and a 56 plate and not sure what the demand is really.

Cheers in advance

Matt

lemonslap

960 posts

154 months

Sunday 29th June 2014
quotequote all
gizlaroc said:
Maybe they didn't drain it all out?

They probably suck it out and and leave 2 litres in the bottom which just contaminates the new stuff straight away?

I have been buying the Triple QX stuff from Euro, £13.99 for 5 litres with a free filter.
I used to to give it a good cleaning out so I have changed the oil twice on my ML in 5000 miles and about to swap again using Castrol Edge.

Having said that, the Triple QX stuff has been great, seems very quiet compared with the 5w30 Castrol and my MPG seems up from about 28-30, so maybe I will just stick with it, but I just feel I should be using Castrol or similar, but £60 for 3 changes including filters means I can do it every 5000 miles and still cheaper.
I asked before the service was carried out if they suck the oil out or drain and they confirmed it would be drained. I suspect you're right and they have somehow left some in. I did check my invoice and only 6.2 litres of oil was used, I used nearly 7 litres when I changed it.

This is probably a good question for oilman, but I'm not convinced by Castrol Edge. My Focus ST170 has always used Fuch Titan Race Pro S, I then changed it over to Castrol Edge and it is noticeably noisier and will be changing it back next service.

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Sunday 29th June 2014
quotequote all
I really like Fuchs oils too, used to use that in my M3, but never know how to pronounce it when buying it in store!! wink

evilscooby

57 posts

161 months

Sunday 29th June 2014
quotequote all
Monkey_boy said:
Hi there, I wondered if anyone here has moved to a B8 S4 from an E92 335i?

I've had by manual 335i for about three years and love it, but with a baby on the way I wonder if I should be getting an estate and the S4 Avant DSG is the obvious choice for me. I'd be looking at a 59 or 10 plate car. Ideally sprint blue, but there doesn't seem to be any. Does the B8 S4 give similar enjoyment as the 335i? Previously I've owned a yellow B6 S4 so know what the quattro feels like. I'd imagine MPG would be slightly worse having a supercharger, but hope it's not as bad as the V8 S4 was! Currently get around 26-27 average in 335. What's playing in my mind is that i'd probably loose more money waiting another year (which I probably could as wife has an A3) rather than changing now, as the 335i is £490 tax and a 56 plate and not sure what the demand is really.

Cheers in advance

Matt
I moved from a remapped e92 335d if that helps. 340bhp

I have found the s4 better than my e92 in every way :-)
roadtax on the s4 is about 280 a year
mpg was I was getting 35 in the 335, and now getting about 28 in the s4 with a mix of driving

lemonslap

960 posts

154 months

Sunday 29th June 2014
quotequote all
gizlaroc said:
I really like Fuchs oils too, used to use that in my M3, but never know how to pronounce it when buying it in store!! wink
laughI tend to pronounce it "foosh", better than "can I have your best 5w-30 fk oil please" to the gorilla behind the counter wink

Monkey_boy

126 posts

183 months

Monday 30th June 2014
quotequote all
evilscooby said:
I moved from a remapped e92 335d if that helps. 340bhp

I have found the s4 better than my e92 in every way :-)
roadtax on the s4 is about 280 a year
mpg was I was getting 35 in the 335, and now getting about 28 in the s4 with a mix of driving
thanks for that! My 335i is also remapped. MPG sounds about the same on the S4 which is good.

lemonslap

960 posts

154 months

Tuesday 1st July 2014
quotequote all
gizlaroc said:
Maybe they didn't drain it all out?

They probably suck it out and and leave 2 litres in the bottom which just contaminates the new stuff straight away?

I have been buying the Triple QX stuff from Euro, £13.99 for 5 litres with a free filter.
I used to to give it a good cleaning out so I have changed the oil twice on my ML in 5000 miles and about to swap again using Castrol Edge.

Having said that, the Triple QX stuff has been great, seems very quiet compared with the 5w30 Castrol and my MPG seems up from about 28-30, so maybe I will just stick with it, but I just feel I should be using Castrol or similar, but £60 for 3 changes including filters means I can do it every 5000 miles and still cheaper.
I'm embarrassed to admit, I drained the oil yesterday evening after 150 miles of driving and it was....black. Oil filter looked a lot cleaner though. Apologies all, PH membership at the door .... getmecoat

lemonslap

960 posts

154 months

Tuesday 1st July 2014
quotequote all
Monkey_boy said:
thanks for that! My 335i is also remapped. MPG sounds about the same on the S4 which is good.
Be aware that the avant is £485 per year road tax up until the B8.5 facelift, I would recommend you try one with the sports diff fitted as this should give you a bit more of a rear lead drive. It will however still feel nose heavy!

Mpg average on mine is school run 18mpg, motorway use 25-28mpg.

Maracus

4,227 posts

167 months

Tuesday 1st July 2014
quotequote all
lemonslap said:
Be aware that the avant is £485 per year road tax up until the B8.5 facelift
Only the manual version.

Dr G

15,159 posts

241 months

Tuesday 1st July 2014
quotequote all
...and later, manual saloons (early ones fall in to band K).

Anything S-Tronic is cheaper.

Monkey_boy

126 posts

183 months

Tuesday 1st July 2014
quotequote all
lemonslap said:
Be aware that the avant is £485 per year road tax up until the B8.5 facelift, I would recommend you try one with the sports diff fitted as this should give you a bit more of a rear lead drive. It will however still feel nose heavy!

Mpg average on mine is school run 18mpg, motorway use 25-28mpg.
Yeah as another said i believe the S-Tronic Avant is lower tax band. Yeah I've read up on the sports diff and it looks like an amazing bit of kit! whereas the BM brakes the spinning rear wheel (quite violently i might add) because of the open diff, the sports diff adds power rather than removing it.

By old B6 S4 was very noise heavy and understeered badly, I'd hope the B8 was less so with the diff and smaller engine.

Your MPG figures seem very much like the V8 for traffic conditions which is worrying. In my mind if I can get circa 300 miles out of a 60/65 litre tank I'd be happy. currently I get ~320 in the 335. The B6 S4 was anything from 220 - 290 miles.

The thing I'm grappling with is do I spend another 10k on an S4 to save £200 tax a year and a more practical car and arguably a better car, or wait a year or so by which time the 335 will have lost more money. Only I can answer that smile

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Tuesday 1st July 2014
quotequote all
I had the V8 S4 and hated it, I had the 335i and thought it was a different league, I got very close to puling the trigger on a B8 S4 Avant but in the end decided it was not offering anything the 335i offered so didn't bother.

Very, very good car though that I will own one day.

MPG in my 335i was 27 average when not doing long runs and over 30 doing longer runs, on days where I was doing 450 miles I was getting that on one tank, don't expect that from the S4, I had one for 3 days on loan from Peterborough Audi when my A6 Avant family wagon I had just bought from them had an issue, and it was more like 22mpg and 29 on a run.

rs4al

925 posts

164 months

Tuesday 1st July 2014
quotequote all
I'm currently averaging 24.7 on the dis and about 280-300 miles of mixed driving to the refuel light, hth.

Mine is an '09 manual and is the lower tax band.

JNW1

7,707 posts

193 months

Tuesday 1st July 2014
quotequote all
I’m also thinking about replacing my E92 335i with an S4 Avant (I really like the 335i but just need the additional doors and carrying capacity). My car has the later N55 engine and I think the combined figure (33.6mpg) is the same as that claimed for S4’s from around 2011 onwards; therefore, in my simple mind I was thinking I ought to get very similar fuel consumption from an S4 Avant as I get from the 335i (so just over 30mpg as an overall average, more on a long run but less on short journeys around town). However, the vibe I’m getting from this thread is that 30mpg is only likely on a run in the S4 and if that’s the case it’s at least 10% worse than the 335i?

Also, while I’m posting, what are the thoughts on the S4’s ride quality? I’ve taken my 335i off run-flats but even so I wouldn’t say the ride is especially good (still a bit crashy over poor roads for my taste). I see that damper control is available on the S4 so if the standard suspension settings are over-firm is it worth looking for a car that’s had that option fitted?

Hom

22 posts

137 months

Tuesday 1st July 2014
quotequote all
I had a 335i (N55) a while back and unfortunately the S4 was nowhere near it in terms of mpg. Regularly saw 30+ on the 335i but as mentioned could only achieve that in the S4 on a run - they are terrible on short journeys on fuel.


gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Tuesday 1st July 2014
quotequote all
335i on normal tyres rides slightly better then either option on the S4. I found the active dampers a bit crashy, but was told the regular set up is a bit more compliant, any S4 owners care to comment?