VW/Audi Exorcism Thread

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SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

I have a couple of questions on my 2010 S4. Is carbon buildup also known to be a problem on the 3.0TFSI? Also, the shifts on the S-Tronic transmission seem to be more rough than when I first got the car (~2k miles right now); what could be causing this?

# ¿ May 3, 2010 19:33

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 15:22

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

I'm retarded and scraped the hell out of one of the stone guards on my B8 S4. I was planning to just get the rock guards off this package: Aluminum Optic Trim Kit S4 09+ Item Number: 8K0071685A 3Q7, but the dealership wants $350 to install. It can't be that hard, right? Is there some special trick to taking the stone guards off or putting them on?

# ¿ Aug 13, 2010 21:36

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

my1999gsr posted:

After looking on the Audi accessories page, it doesn't look like a difficult install - certainly do-able as a DIY if you take your time. As an alternative, try calling around for quotes from your local bodyshops to install the kit - it's usually a tedious job so it might be worth your while to get it done by a pro.

According to my shop manual, you won't need any tools besides a heat gun to soften the adhesive but I can tell you from experience that the adhesive is nasty to remove, especially since your car is so new.

Bottom line, I'd have a look at the instructions that come with the kit and see if it looks like something you feel comfortable doing. If it is, great but if not you have other options.

P.S. Please get that trim kit - I hate that Audi used badges that say "V6T" and that kit replaces those badges with ones that say "Supercharged".

Thanks for the help. And I've been thinking of putting the supercharged badges on since before I got the car; there's no turbo so why is there a V6T badge :argh:

# ¿ Aug 16, 2010 13:36

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

kimbo305 posted:

Audi customers can't be arsed to know about their cars, I guess.

# ¿ Aug 17, 2010 15:42

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

This may not be the right place, but does anyone happen to have a VAGCOM cable and SW for a B8 Audi in MA? Apparently all it takes is 10 minutes and changing one bit to make my passenger side mirror move down when in reverse. My last car had that feature and it makes parallel parking so much easier.

# ¿ Sep 9, 2010 19:40

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

Pipkin posted:

I had to look it up and mine doesn't work on can-bus cars like yours but if anyone needs VAG-COM in northern CT for non-can cars your welcome to come use it as long as your not really crazy or anything. One of the coolest things I did with it was to make my windows roll up and down with the remote on my B5 Audi (when they weren't doing it on their own) plus checking codes, ect.

Thanks anyways, Pipkin. I may end up just scraping the cash together to buy my own since it looks like there are a ridiculous number of things you can tweak (ruin) with it.

# ¿ Sep 10, 2010 18:25

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

McDeth posted:

So I find myself the proud new owner of a B8 Audi S4. To say that I am excited is an understatement! Since I'm a first time Audi owner (but a long time admirer), what forums should I frequent and what issues should I be aware of?

One thing right off the bat that is sort of annoying (and I am going to take the car in to the dealership this Thursday to have them take a look at it) is that for FM Stations that also have an HD signal, the MMI system switches back and forth between the FM and HD sources and causes an annoying echo every 10-20 seconds. It doesn't happen for any other audio sources and I can see the signal switch from 89.9 to 89.9 HD every time it echos.

I imagine that this isn't specifically an S4 issue since the MMI system is relatively similar across different cars that have it. Have any other Audi owners experienced this?

Congrats! I've got a 2010 S4 and I absolutely love it. The only issue I had with mine was a faulty oil pressure gauge in the Sports Rear Diff that required replacement of the whole assembly, but that's not common at all from what I've read. The major thing that goes wrong is the water pump, but if you have a 2011 you should be all set. I've never noticed any echo on the radio, but I usually listen to Sirius or my ipod so that could be why.

As far as forums to check out, Audizine and Audiworld seem to be the two biggest ones, but there's a lot of overlap between them. I think Audiworld is the larger of the two.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2011 20:54

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

PoopinClumpin posted:

Quattroworld is another forum that has a fair amount of S4 related bad posting.

Here, I posted a pic of when I took the badges off the sides of mine
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3145227&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=65#post386861548

I took mine off too. I ended up getting whatever the trim package was that included the SC badges when I messed up one of the rock guards on a curb (because I am retarded)

# ¿ Jan 19, 2011 18:47

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

my1999gsr posted:

Tranny and engine are out and separated so I could get a look at the timing array. Bank 2's intake cam hydraulic adjuster bolt was less than hand-tight so that explains why the int. and exhaust cams are out of phase. The next mystery is why bank 1's cams are out of phase since their bolts are at spec torque. I'd like to pull the head on bank 2 to determine if there's been valve contact with the piston. I can't see any with the boroscope but I can't rule it out. A leakdown or compression test are inconclusive because I can't get the int and exh valves closed at the same time. Warranty is calling the shots so I'm at their mercy. Also, I've had a couple of broken timing chains on the new VR6 Passats and there's a tech tip about stretched chains on a couple of the V6 Audis.

Stretched chains on V6 Audis? Is this on the newer 3.0TFSI or one of the older motors?

# ¿ Feb 7, 2011 16:26

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

my1999gsr posted:

According to the tech support guys I've been talking to while diagnosing this A6, it's the newer V6 FSI/TFSI-engined cars that have been showing up with stretched chains. From what I can tell, it's not a widespread problem but the tech-line guys are all familiar with it now so that means there's been a few of them at least.

Even though one of the intake cams was totally out of phase with it's exhaust cam AND the crank, no valve to piston contact occurred in the V6 I'm working on BUT there's so much coking/carbon buildup on the intake valves that they're all leaking so we're putting 2 new heads on the engine. The car's been apart for 12 days now so I'm really not looking forward to trying to remember where everything goes.

Is there anything I should be looking out for or am I going to be alerted to the problem by the engine dying a violent death on the highway?

# ¿ Feb 8, 2011 21:19

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

PoopinClumpin posted:

I think you would be more crazy to not consider a used (new?) B8 S4 instead.

The handling is easily better than my old MKV GTI, which I think had excellent handling.
For mileage, this S4's 3.0T will get a whopping 2 mpg less than the 2.0T on the A4. I get about 19mpg city/27 hwy - it turns off the supercharger when not accelerating to get A4-like fuel economy while outperforming the B7 RS4 in hp and torque up to 5000rpm.

It is about 2 years into the life cycle of the B8 and the only significant reliability problems so far seem to be defective water pump housings. I think there have been no reports of the intake carbon buildup problems that exist on the B7's 4.2T FSI motors. I have not had to spend much so far maintaining it, so I can't speak for long term costs; but even very early B8's will still be under warranty.

If you do test drive one, try to make sure it has the sport rear differential. It is the most important gimmick (that is too expensive to add aftermarket) because it makes the S4 handle like it weighs a thousand pounds less than it does. It can move almost all available rear wheel power to the outside rear wheel in tight turns. Felt weird at first, like the car is steering from behind; now I wouldn't ever want to drive without it.

Add the APR ecu tune for +70hp (~410hp) without significantly affecting fuel economy.

Have you gotten the tune yet? I've been thinking about it but the car's pretty fast as is and I can think of other ways to drop $1500

# ¿ Mar 7, 2011 18:27

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

meatpotato posted:

I just bought a B5 Passat with the 1.8T and a 5-speed. It's a 1999 with an AEB engine. It's currently at 82,750 miles.

It has several problems.

It came with only a basic key, no remote, though I know it has keyless entry. Somewhere along the line a previous owner must have lost or broken it. The local VW dealer wants $210 for a new key/remote and the labor involved to program it --pretty ridiculous. What other options do I have to affordably get a key/remote? Like I said, I have only 1 key, so some of the programming procedures involving 2 keys won't work for me.

It has a problem with the locks where if I use the key to lock the car from the outside (arming the alarm), the alarm goes off. There's no way to lock the car using the key without arming the alarm, from what I can tell. My current work-around is to lock the car from the passenger door's inside switch. I think this has to do with a faulty part that detects the position of the door locks. The CCM thinks the door is unlocked when it isn't and sets off the alarm. Does this sound right, and how can I find out which door has the problem so I can take it apart and either replace or repair (I'm pretty good with electronics) the module?

I changed the oil the first week I got it. While under the car I noticed tons of crystallized coolant covering the oil pan. It seems to have been coming from the water pump and the coolant hose connections for the oil cooler. I found a jug of Dex-Cool in the trunk and wanted to really thank the P.O. I bought a timing belt kit that includes a waterpump from Blauparts that I plan on installing soon, but I want to replace the coolant hoses while I'm at it. Since I don't have EKTA, I don't know which parts I need (Autohaus has many hoses listed and it's quite confusing as they're all for different engine codes).

Then there's some more minor stuff, like the mirror switch's joystick being missing and the cruise control not working. The left sideview mirror glass also vibrates at cruising speeds --it's kind of annoying. The car feels like it has a lot more "slop" in the drivetrain when starting out or shifting than other cars I've had. I think it's just motor mounts. Should I definitely buy OEM mounts, or are cheaper alternatives of decent quality?

I'm definitely due to replace my front control arms, there's a lot of slop in the ball joints, making staying straight on a highway more of a challenge than it needs to be. Is this a job I should do at the same time as my timing belt/waterpump replacement? Which brands are suitable replacements? I've heard Febi parts are good, Meyle are ok, but not as great, and then don't know whether to trust OEM or not. I've also seen kits by Ocap, which I've heard nothing about.

Between these kits, which is the best choice?:
Blauparts Ocap with improved tie-rod ends
Any of these ECS complete kits.

My VIN is WVWMA63B2XE163194, how do I know which kits I can get for my car, in the case of ECS? I can't figure out the significance of the leading "3-" in their product descriptions.

Not VW-related, but what happened to your BMW? I remember reading your thread about a year ago but I haven't seen it pop up recently.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2011 16:00

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

Christobevii3 posted:

What are the repair costs of an audi s5 like? There are a couple 2010's near me with 16k miles. I'm going to assume out of my pay grade.

Audi is in the same league as BMW and Mercedes. The parts are expensive, maintenance is expensive, and labor is really expensive. Unless Audi does something similar to the BMW certified pre-owned warranty on repairs and maintenance, it's going to be pricey. I don't know what your pay grade is, but you can have surprise $1000+ repair bills once you get up in miles.

# ¿ Jun 13, 2011 13:12

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

meatpimp posted:

The S5 is gorgeous enough to justify extra maintenance costs.

Oh definitely. I just don't want to sugarcoat the costs and lead him into financial ruin.

# ¿ Jun 13, 2011 14:38

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

my1999gsr posted:

The cost of upkeep for an A5/S5 is pretty much the same as any other German "luxury" marque - higher than a Civic or Camry. Parts can be expensive but the shop labor rates vary on location - our shop is less than $100/hr which is on par with many of the chain shops in our area. The S5 is a really fun car to drive and looks amazing so you have to decide if you're willing to spend some extra cash to get one and keep it. The V8 isn't as bad on fuel as you might expect - if you're not hooning around in it all the time and it sounds badass - much meaner than the supercharged S4 does.

Speaking of the exhaust note, have you ever heard of a warranty claim being denied for an aftermarket exhaust? I'm not a fan of the stock S4 exhaust and I want to get an APR exhaust, but I don't want to lose the warranty (or Audicare) over it.

# ¿ Jun 14, 2011 15:17

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

Jymmybob posted:

But seriously they don't look so much like Dodge Charger knockoffs in person and there's a very limited choice of black with silver accent wheels that don't have the generic machined lip. I agree they're polarizing but I'm happy with the result considering that every other person puts on wheels with as many tiny spokes as they can find. I'm more from the school of thought that AMG Monoblocks are the pinnacle of wheel design.

No one knows why they put the V6T badges on S4s yet puts supercharged badges on new A6s with the same engine. The worst part is how lazy the V6T badge itself looks compared to the supercharged badge which looks almost exactly like a modified S4 badge.

On topic:
I've used Dunlop Wintersport M3 and 3Ds and have been very happy with them. This time I went for Michelin Alpin PA3s for the S4 and I really like them so far. It's only been cold and occasionally rainy here so far but they've been more comfortable riding (18" vs 19" though) and every bit as grippy as Pilot Sport 3s they replaced.

Didn't they fix this on 2011+ model years? In any case one of the first things I did was take of the V6T badge and put on the Supercharged one.

# ¿ Nov 9, 2011 22:50

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

DerDestroyer posted:

How good of a deal is Audi's prepaid maintenance plan?

IF you're going to follow the required service schedule and IF you're going to have the dealership do it, then it's a good deal (IIRC ~$750 for ~$2000 of required maintenance, more than that if you have to replace DSG tranny fluid on your car). If you plan on doing it yourself or going to an independent shop it might not be a good deal. They used to have an itemized list of what was covered and what it would cost to have the dealership do the maintenance right on the service desk, but I'm not sure if they still have that.

# ¿ Dec 16, 2011 17:50

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

GnarlyCharlie4u posted:

Oh god damnit... I think I'm buying an audi. Even worse, it's not a quattro.
gently caress.

I went and checked it out. It seemed alright. Nothing exploded when it started. No bad smells, the injectors worked (loudly). It is in fact missing the front facia.

Basically I have no loving clue what I'm looking for. Tires and brakes are new, so that's a plus.
But, I'm worried about other stuff like the water pump (esp since there's a leak) and CV joints, etc... How prone are those to failure and how many miles can you reasonably expect out of them?

The other thing that jumps out at me is she bought the car with a blown head gasket and replaced it and the timing belts (yes, herself), but didn't replace the serp belt or water pump or anything while she was at it. Should this concern me?

I guess what I'm saying is, I really want an 80's BMW. So I'm basically looking for any reason not to buy this awesomely good deal solely because it's FWD.
Can any of you scare me off or help me know what to look for?

It's a 16 year old Audi with a known coolant leak. You already know what you're getting into. Finding parts at a pick and pull might be hard depending on where you live, but for $950 I don't think you have much to lose. As far as replacing the other items, yes she should have done it while she was in there. Even if the serp belt looks good it's of unknown age, so I would replace that as a matter of course. The water pump is less of an immediate issue, but it could be a culprit for the missing coolant if it's leaking from the seals.

If you can deal with having to hunt for parts and can get over the FWD, it seems like a good buy. It's drastically cheaper than an 80's BMW out of the gate, the only unknown I'd be concerned with is the cost of replacement parts if you can find them.

Edit: Wait, did you check the oil and coolant to see if they were mixing (i.e. headgasket repair wasn't properly done)? If that looks good and it doesn't smell like it's burning coolant then your leak has to be somewhere else. Probably a cracked hose, leaking radiator, or leaking water pump.

# ¿ Dec 16, 2011 18:15

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

Nuts and Gum posted:

Thanks for the feedback. After further research (read: staring intently at online ads and fantasizing) I might actually prefer the 2-door, but I'll have to drive both to be sure. I'm gonna check out a a 2010 2dr Autobahn today, but it has 40k miles. I really want that leather, but is it worth an extra 25k miles over all the other cars?

Also, who the gently caress is ordering thousands of automatic GTI's? That's all the used market is full of...

Edit: As far as new GTI's go, they start at 23k, but by the time I add a few accessories to get it close to a used GTI load-out it's upwards of 27k, but then like smax said, you can actually haggle on a new car's price, although I've never done that before. Oh decisions, decisions...

The GTI auto is actually a dual clutch that doesn't suck. Super expensive to maintain, but pretty fun.

# ¿ Aug 12, 2012 23:04

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

coffeeshopgoth posted:

I am looking at picking up an Audi and was wondering if anyone on here switched from BMW to Audi. Pros/Cons between the two in your opinion? Does anyone drive an S5? If so, how has it treated you and have you picked up any Stasis stuff for it? Thanks all!

I switched from an E46 330i to an S4 a few years back. I liked the interior of the Audi better than the 335i, but the BMW cornered better. Steering felt heavier in the BMW as well. I ended up getting the sports rear differential on the S4 which allows you to push into corners with the throttle, but it still doesn't bring it up to the level of the BMW. I think the Audi was a few thousand cheaper too. I've had no reliability complaints from either (1 recall for each in the time I owned them).

I ended up going with the S4 because it seemed like more bang for the buck, but the best advice is just to drive both and see what you prefer. I never thought I'd buy an Audi, but I gave it a shot on a whim and here we are.

# ¿ Sep 15, 2012 00:28

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

Virigoth posted:

I have a 2012 Jetta TDI(~2200 miles) that I've owned for a couple months and it seems to have a really hard shift between 2nd and 1st when I'm coasting to slow down or braking. It jerks enough that it is noticeable to passengers. Is this normal? I've never owned a diesel before and I'm wondering if it is some sort of engine braking or something? The 2nd to 1st shift is the only gear that noticeable has this problem, and the problem isn't present when accelerating.

Diesels almost always gave a higher compression ratio than gas engines so it would make sense that there would be more engine braking. I'm not familiar with your particular car though

# ¿ Dec 7, 2012 15:48

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

movax posted:

Different question: I'm not a shithead for throwing in Silverstar Ultras or zXes into my headlights right? They're still DOT-legal standard bulbs so it's not like I'm changing my aim or anything. Any reports of bulb-life differences vs. regular plain headlight bulbs?

Not personal experience, but what I've read on amazon reviews tell me they fail after a few years whereas regular bulbs last longer.

# ¿ Jan 11, 2013 18:25

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

Shifty Pony posted:

DOT-legal means nothing, there is no DOT standard for headlight color temperature. If you run those lights you are still a shithead to every single other driver on the road who gets blinded by your high-glare lights. The bluer light simply causes more glare and eye strain, both to you while driving and to oncoming drivers, than a standard bulb. The Silverstar Ultras and the like get their bluer light by filtering out red and yellow in the bulb glass, so they normally wouldn't even put out as much light as a standard bulb. To get around this they design the bulb so that at the 12V DOT test they read the right wattage but at the 13.5V of a running car the filament is being run at a significantly higher wattage, resulting in massively shorter bulb life.

Standard bulbs let you see better, let other drivers see better, and last much longer.

Thank you for finally explaining the :science:

of why those are crap.

# ¿ Jan 11, 2013 23:18

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 15:22

SwashedBuckles: Aug 10, 2007; Have at you!

OneSizeFitsAll posted:

You're not wrong about the RX8. It isn't an Audi dealer though - it's a prestige car showroom in the south of England. I've got the balance of the manufacturer's warranty; I don't know whether you can extend the warranty from Audi after the fact. If you can I may look into it, but it's not really weighing on my mind.

Got the car yesterday, and it's amazing; I absolutely love it, and regret seems very unlikely to factor in in any way. Really, it's an astonishing piece of machinery, and I intend to keep it for a good long while as our family car.

There are two annoyances, though. The automated parking assist feature (where it scans for spaces, turns the wheel etc) is supposed to be on the car. It is part of the standard technology pack, and my car has the advanced pack (which includes everything in the standard pack). Yet the button is simply not there. All the other features of the advanced pack appear to be present. Before I bought the car the dealer gave me a print-out of the original order with all the options listed; it states it has the advanced technology pack and then goes on to list the things that come with said pack, and the park assist is not on that list either.

I don't know whether Audi cocked up, or the park assist was not part of the technology pack at the time (though we're only talking September last year). It's really not the end of the world, as it's not a feature I would have used much at all, but it would have been fun to try out, and if it's supposed to be there it's annoying that it isn't.

The other thing is an imperfection on one of the seals. I mentioned this to the sales guy (only noticed it as we were about to depart with the car). He suggested trying to get Audi to replace it under the car's warranty, and to let him know how I got on. Here's a pic:

http://i.imgur.com/XqnEOqz.jpg

Again, not a huge deal, but with a car like this you wouldn't expect it. Wonder how responsive Audi will prove to be.

Please post pics of your new S6. I'm still a little angry that Audi chose not to offer an S4 Avant or I would have one in my garage instead of the sedan :emo:

# ¿ Mar 15, 2013 14:45

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