B8 S4 Ownership
Discussion
JuanCarlosFandango said:
Unfortunately it seems the 3.2 V6 isn't the answer. First of all they are rare as hens teeth and I think they were discontinued in the UK in 2011, so even the newest ones are getting a bit long in the tooth now.
If you can find a good one they're not a trouble free engine - timing chains and oil consumption seem to be common themes.
Even then the fuel saving seems pretty marginal and most of them are in the higher tax bracket.
As far as I understand it, all B8 3.2 V6s are low tax - both manual and automatic, Avant and saloon. A petrol Quattro car that can do 30mpg and 6.2-6.6 secs to 62mph sounds good to me. On paper, it’s a really good combo performance/economy/equipment/value-wise.If you can find a good one they're not a trouble free engine - timing chains and oil consumption seem to be common themes.
Even then the fuel saving seems pretty marginal and most of them are in the higher tax bracket.
I’ve seen a lot of reports of timing chain issues, and I think this is both for the older A6 C6 engine and the A4 B8 one as the comments here suggest, sadly.
Maybe the A6 3.0 TFSI with Tiptronic is a safer engine/transmission option - giving the torque and tuneability of the supercharged S4 engine, with low tax, a lower risk gearbox and more interior/boot space.
Adrian E said:
Mate of mine at work had an A6 3.2 - it was meticulously maintained, but once it got to 100k miles the cam chains started throwing faults and required replacement. It wasn't a cheap job and it started to throw more big bills not long after, so he offloaded it. I suspect the issue now is the age and mileage these engines are stacking up, even for average use.
I'm still looking out for a nice S6, but also B9 S4. The latter seem to be nearly all poverty spec apart from many people liking the red interior (which I hate!)
Amazingly, the S6 V10 is starting to look the reliable option here, with a Tiptronic box and no chain issues (could be wrong, but I don’t think this is a thing). [Or were you talking C7 S6 with the 4.0 V8…?]I'm still looking out for a nice S6, but also B9 S4. The latter seem to be nearly all poverty spec apart from many people liking the red interior (which I hate!)
RoVoFob said:
Dr G said:
I prefer the later setup 
The early ones seem to go all sludgy and gummy with age, and dynamic steering makes an annoying noise.
The EPAS in later cars I always thought felt better and more responsive than earlier ones. They seem to wear their miles better too.
I even like the augmented engines noises
‘Sludgy and gummy’ - is that an S4 trait or a general hydraulic steering thing?The early ones seem to go all sludgy and gummy with age, and dynamic steering makes an annoying noise.
The EPAS in later cars I always thought felt better and more responsive than earlier ones. They seem to wear their miles better too.
I even like the augmented engines noises
Having driven several electric cars with augmented/completely synthetic ‘engine’ noises today, I’m starting to come around to the world of made up noises. The BMW i4 worked quite well. Didn’t sound like a petrol but you felt like the noise it produced matched how hard you were driving it. The Mustang Mach E, meanwhile, just sounded like one of the speakers was making a random noise…
Maybe in some electric car but why in a V6 with a decent engine note?
Needless to say, I've removed mine. RoVoFob said:
Amazingly, the S6 V10 is starting to look the reliable option here, with a Tiptronic box and no chain issues (could be wrong, but I don’t think this is a thing). [Or were you talking C7 S6 with the 4.0 V8…?]
Yeah, I'm looking at C7 - the C6 S6 doesn't carry the same appeal and there's plenty of carried over age related issues from the C6 RS6 that put me off (oil pump drive, power steering and coolant hoses etc etc)RoVoFob said:
Maybe the A6 3.0 TFSI with Tiptronic is a safer engine/transmission option - giving the torque and tuneability of the supercharged S4 engine, with low tax, a lower risk gearbox and more interior/boot space.
I had one of these before my S4. Great car. I essentially bought it because it was a cheaper way to get the 3.0tfsi engine than an S4. I'm not sure it's the case any more.Unfortunately it got written off when someone turned right across the road in front of me :-(
I find the S4 boot a little small for some of the things i need to carry and will be looking to an A6 avant or Allroad next.
catso said:
Adrian E said:
ninjag said:
If you get the DSG version then get a Billet Aluminium Transmission Mount installed. It's only about £15 and is a 10 minute job. Eliminates the downshift to 1st gear clunk.
Not heard of this - any more details/links with info?Mine doesn’t clunk going into 1st but suspect that’s me driving around it to avoid it. Having said that the mechatronics repair recently seems to have changed when and under what circumstances the box shifts down from 2nd to 1st, which it previously tended not to want to do unless at a virtual standstill
Is it actually a worthwhile add-on? Can't say I've noticed any clunk/slop but any improvement is worth having, especially at just £15.
Got round to fitting it on Monday, easy enough to do - took me longer to get the car high enough off the ground than to change the part which basically consists of removing the original bracket and bolting on the new - only 2 bolts to worry about.
As for any difference, well I can't say I can notice anything from 2nd to 1st as mine was smooth enough anyway but (and it might be my imagination?) it does seem to slip into reverse a little quicker?
Either way, I can't see there being any downside?
As for the installation - Before;
After;
Meant to say I fixed my keyless entry using the sensors Adrian posted a few pages back. £20 for a pair of sensors and about 15 minutes to change each sensor, great win! Lots of good guides on YouTube of how to do it. After changing all the sensors it still didn't work until I started the car, then seemed fine.
Has anyone done the Q5 front brake upgrade?
Also has anyone had an issue with where the rear wiper parks? Mine seems to sit in an odd position:
When turning the wiper on it completes its sweep, but seems to stop there
Has anyone done the Q5 front brake upgrade?
Also has anyone had an issue with where the rear wiper parks? Mine seems to sit in an odd position:
When turning the wiper on it completes its sweep, but seems to stop there
Edited by DemonDriverDan on Wednesday 11th May 16:11
If you’re fairly technical it’s doable, I did mine last week after ages of putting it off. Loads of info on the A5OC forums.
https://www.a5oc.com/threads/mmi-3g-3gp-navigation...
https://www.a5oc.com/threads/mmi-3g-3gp-navigation...
GroundZero said:
Quick question from me, how easy is it to update the maps on the MMI 3G-High unit?
DIY job or send it in to a specialist?
I updated the maps/software in mine a few years back. Was easy enough to do, the update was supplied to me on 3 SD cards. DIY job or send it in to a specialist?
The only complication being that you need to keep the system powered during the installation as it goes into standby after around 10 minutes after powered down.
I left the engine running which, in hindsight was probably not the best way as it took a few hours - I believe you can connect a battery charger and trick the car into staying powered up?
IIRC paid around £80 which, I'm certain is less than Audi would have charged but I see various ebay sellers offering similar at less now, 'caveat emptor' and all that.
Mine is out of date again but it's probably good enough for most of what I need plus, I've since fitted a carplay system so can use Google/Waze etc. for the latest.
It's dead easy to update - make sure your MMI firmware is up to date before doing the maps - it's a much smaller update than the maps and you'll only need to do it once as Audi won't release any more updates. Activating the maps is the only bit that can sometimes be a bit tricky - make sure the MMI has been up and running for a few minutes before trying to insert the activation file on SD card.
The advice above about using a battery charger is highly advisable - you can use the jump points in the engine bay to connect it. Will save your battery from running flat and the update does take about 2 hours to run. You can drive the car whilst its running, so if you don't mind no music/access to the MMI while the update runs you can always set it going before a long-ish journey
The advice above about using a battery charger is highly advisable - you can use the jump points in the engine bay to connect it. Will save your battery from running flat and the update does take about 2 hours to run. You can drive the car whilst its running, so if you don't mind no music/access to the MMI while the update runs you can always set it going before a long-ish journey
Adrian E said:
The advice above about using a battery charger is highly advisable - you can use the jump points in the engine bay to connect it. Will save your battery from running flat and the update does take about 2 hours to run. You can drive the car whilst its running, so if you don't mind no music/access to the MMI while the update runs you can always set it going before a long-ish journey
Wish I'd thought about that properly before running the update with the car idling in the garage - can probably add a tenner to the cost for the fuel used... 
Apologies in advance as I can see it's been discussed but can't find the original link...
I'm after the SatNav update details as Audi want £260 for the job. I have a 2015 car, Black Edition with the Bose.
Much appreciated if I can have the link :-)
Perhaps the owner of the 1st post on this thread can put a content page it will help with searching as so much good info here.
FYI - I'm approaching my 7th year, so far so good (bought new)
I'm after the SatNav update details as Audi want £260 for the job. I have a 2015 car, Black Edition with the Bose.
Much appreciated if I can have the link :-)
Perhaps the owner of the 1st post on this thread can put a content page it will help with searching as so much good info here.
FYI - I'm approaching my 7th year, so far so good (bought new)
fastgerman said:
Apologies in advance as I can see it's been discussed but can't find the original link...
I'm after the SatNav update details as Audi want 260 for the job. I have a 2015 car, Black Edition with the Bose.
Much appreciated if I can have the link :-)
Perhaps the owner of the 1st post on this thread can put a content page it will help with searching as so much good info here.
FYI - I'm approaching my 7th year, so far so good (bought new)
Its literally 5 posts above yours I'm after the SatNav update details as Audi want 260 for the job. I have a 2015 car, Black Edition with the Bose.
Much appreciated if I can have the link :-)
Perhaps the owner of the 1st post on this thread can put a content page it will help with searching as so much good info here.
FYI - I'm approaching my 7th year, so far so good (bought new)
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