VW/Audi Exorcism Thread

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Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

Hello Thread,

I have an unmodified 2013 Audi A4 (B8.5 generation) with 98k on the odometer. I really dig the car and would like to keep it for a while longer. To keep me satisfied and lessen the urge to upgrade vehicles, I am researching the pros and cons of APR tunes, being most interested in APR Stage 1 Tune at this point. I think I found a shop that could do it nearby. As a preface, I know little about car mods. Not going to do my own work, don't have the tools or space right now.

Of the many questions I'll eventually have, anybody have reliability concerns for this sort of mod? 2013 is riiiiiiight exactly at that point where the A4 started being a non-dumpster-fire for overall reliability. I have had a variety of non-severe maintenance issues, maybe slightly above average for what I would expect, but nothing catastrophic that totaled the car (yet) which is a relief. I can write up the litany at some point. Obviously it's impossible to know for sure but I wanted to gauge / SWAG the % chance an APR Stage 1 (or other stages) could conceivably cause a catastrophic or expensive engine failure. I would guess having spent no time researching it, maybe 5%? 3%? I wouldn't be a moron with it, wouldn't WOT below operating temp, etc. Probably not going to track it, maybe a couple track days?

BTW I have owned the car since a few years ago, it had ~68k when I acquired it.

It is a daily driver, and I only have 1 assigned spot in my garage.

Any thoughts? Let me know any other context I can add. Thanks!

e: Completely off topic, but I spent a bunch of time trying to find used cars I could buy that could conceivably be driven lightly over a year, then sold for only a little less than what you paid. I thought it might be easier to find a sporty model of any make to do this with that didn't cost a fortune. But, it doesn't seem to be feasible, and everything is so expensive. I would be willing to pay an obnoxious high monthly note payment (60 months preferred) if I thought I had a reasonably high chance of selling at a good price after a year or so. Any suggestions welcome! This is of course even more infeasible (I think) when buying new vs. buying used, but I would be willing to do both.

I love A4s/A5s and their more expensive counterparts but I feel they depreciate very very hard until they are just a husk no one wants. (I hate to have to sell a car private party, acknowledging this will cost me)

Inner Light fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Dec 17, 2022

# ¿ Dec 17, 2022 01:45

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# ¿ May 9, 2024 17:22

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

Potentially both? My post is not very good, it�s like a bad diary entry, wanted to get some thoughts out that I�ve been considering for a while. It�s more than likely I do neither and stick with my A4 without mods, but wanted to see what ideas were out there.

I have considered wheels but decided to stick to stock for now, I generally prefer stock and it confers no performance benefit :shrug:

it�s a good suggestion though for sure

# ¿ Dec 17, 2022 15:35

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

Any cool ideas to do with a B8.5 2013 Audi A4 if I�m scared to APR stage it for reliability reasons? I don�t want to shell out many thousands or whatever for a new engine if it grenades, and I like the car. I like stock wheels so not really looking for those. Very loud exhausts are annoying in a city and I like the sleeper look. I don�t know what I�m doing! Any ideas welcome if any.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2023 20:35

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

Deviant posted:

I don't suppose there's any easy fix for the leather on my mk7 r seats starting to seperate?

VW Part is $550. Or I could just embrace the stupid and get some seat covers. It's not a big deal i guess, but it has me bummed.

Context that may help is how good you want the repair or replacement to look. Don�t care much? A sowing kit might do you. Care more? See if you can google �car interior upholstery� or car leather / accessory shops in your metro area. They may have a fix they can offer which would look better than a sowing kit.

You could try superglue on the fold there, but your (really anybody�s) butt motions are going to put substantial force per millimeter of glue so it may not hold in that application.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2023 22:21

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

I�ll be darned, another inexpensive but well regarded 3M product to keep in my back pocket of knowledge. What can�t that company do?

# ¿ Mar 19, 2023 07:57

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

Sounds like maybe a setting got jiggered along the way. P sure CarPlay from factory defaults would allow notifications for maps but may have prompted for opt-in previously. My guess anyway. Then again maybe I�m imagining it wrong, since this is a retrofit maybe those don�t behave the same way as factory CarPlay.

# ¿ Mar 21, 2023 04:05

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

You can usually be straight with them before you say anything on the phone. I have literally called GEICO or State Farm and said the following -- if this theoretically happened to me, would I be covered, what would my deductible be, and what is the rough likelihood under the terms of my contract with you in my state, that my premium would change as a result of this incident type (sometimes for certain claims it will not impact premiums). It's been a helpful couple minute phone call to help me decide whether or not to make a claim for auto weird things.

YMMV though.

# ¿ May 9, 2023 02:34

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

If it�s an insurance claim, can you specify OEM parts for no additional cost or if you pay the price difference?

# ¿ May 9, 2023 17:46

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

movax posted:

e: ugh, lost my post -- will retype it real quick.

Filled up to full today and had trouble starting afterwards (first time in a year or so that I've had trouble starting) -- pretty clear indication of some kind of N80 / purge valve fault? Fumes did not get recovered correctly to the nozzle / if the valve is stuck open, it dumped it right into the engine and resulting lambda was way off resulting in the hard crank condition? (I went WOT during cranking and it fired up, so guessing that dumped more air into the chamber).

Is there a diagram of the EVAP / fuel system in erWin? Have found some SSP PDFs that explain it at a high level, but I wouldn't mind having a more detailed walkthrough + procedures to following in diagnosing this. I have been meaning to get the 3-day erWin subscription for awhile anyways.

I have a 2013 A4. It had some weird starting issues but after cranking and sparking properly everything worked fine. It threw a couple codes. One of my issues was the HPFP, I paid to replace at the dealer. I�ve had a few expensive premature failures / repairs and the HPFP along with a fuel injector have not been good parts of the ownership. Maybe the pump is one culprit here. My car is fine after pump and fuel injector were replaced.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2023 17:39

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

movax posted:

HPFP is on my list to replace, but given the relative rarity of the "won't start" issue, I'm still suspicious I have some kind of other EVAP system issue going on as full tanks cause new weird things (fuel smell, this most recent thing). I'd have guessed at more consistent issues / fuel demand issues at high RPM if the HPFP was more hosed up, since the low-pressure pump appears to be working correctly...

I also had a fuel smell, didn�t mention it in my post. From what I recall it was very faint and hard to distinguish from background under hood smell, but after they told me they diagnosed the HPFP as bad I did remember smelling it when looking myself beforehand. They don�t diagnose what actually failed in the HPFP but would imagine seals of some sort that had a leak which was either a cause or symptom of its failure to work.

My exact symptom which I felt was an unacceptable risk to strand me far from home, was a very infrequent inconsistent no-start condition.

I was more worried about the bad injector lol because I didn�t know til the dealer diagnosed it. All it caused was a horrible painful sounding limping misfire (the engine controlled it and I think said I could drive to dealer in the dash). I thought it could be piston rings and I�d be out dollars deep into the 4 figures. The misfiring exhaust echoed loud into the service bay when I limped in at idle and the jerk porter opened the door grinned and said �problem eh?� lmao

Inner Light fucked around with this message at 00:27 on Jun 8, 2023

# ¿ Jun 8, 2023 00:16

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

rally posted:

New to me 2011 A4 Avant, 124k miles. After wrecking my S4 awhile back I�ve been eyeballing these. This one is original owner, serviced it�s entire life at the dealership at every interval. Had the pistons done at 73k miles and the timing chain, tensioner, etc done at 95k miles. Otherwise random documented services for typical Audi poo poo.

I got PPI at an Audi dealership and all they really turned up was what was obvious from the service history (needs brake flush and an oil change basically) but I found a couple things during my own inspection that the dealership missed:

First, the passenger rear door lock actuator seems to be problematic. If I lock the car then unlock it, the door won�t open from the outside. If I open the door from the inside, then close it, it will then continue opening from the outside no problem. Sometimes it just unlocks and works, too. The lady selling me the car was adamant that she had never seen that happen before and I probably believe her. Either way I have to remedy it since I have a baby on the way in a few months and will be putting the car seat in that position I bet. I am torn between throwing in a $50 actuator and definitely swapping it every year or two, or getting OEM part for $350+ and � probably swapping it in a year or two?

Second: The HVAC blower motor/fan is a bit noisy at higher settings. There is droning or vibrating noise from the fan. I�m familiar with the noise as a bad blower motor/fan and it looks like an easy swap behind the glovebox so I already have the new blower on the way.

I�m pretty excited to own this car and it has already captured me with a type of charm that the B9.5 S4 just didn�t have. I�ve got an appointment after Labor Day with a recommended local Audi shop so hopefully this thing can be free of its dealership service life.

Nice ride man. I have a B8.5 A4 and while it is the inferior sedan body style, I love those style lines and think it has aged pretty god drat perfectly.

With EVs on the way, designs won�t be as timeless anymore I think. Im enjoying the car while I can.

BTW, I expensively had the blower motor replaced due to buzzing noise also. I live with a buzzing / vibrating at very high fan speeds that probably was not there from factory, but I�m not gonna replace the motor again.

Inner Light fucked around with this message at 17:45 on Aug 27, 2023

# ¿ Aug 27, 2023 17:43

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

Well Played Mauer posted:

Yeah, I got a cover on the car but got caught in some hard rain on the drive home. I didn�t see any leaks while I was actually driving so hopefully I got lucky. The rain a couple days ago was torrential.

My appointment with the dealer is only a couple weeks away. I�ve heard it can take up to a few weeks to get everything fixed. I got a bit of water spotting on the roof just near the sun visor. It�d be cool if they clean that too.

I also got one of those drying packs in there now. Obviously won�t fix anything but I�m hoping it�ll keep mildew and mold at bay before it gets fixed.

Car has been awesome outside of the leak.

The headliner spots is one of my fears of roof leaks. They can clean it with like Fantastik spray and try to lighten the spot, but sometimes water makes permanent marks in headliners and it�d have to be replaced. Most people don�t notice that type of condition issue though if it passes a 5 foot test I�d say.

# ¿ Sep 17, 2023 20:54

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

I have a B8.5 A4 (2013) and it has the ZF selectable 8 speed auto. It's quite nice, a lot of what I'm doing lately is city driving and we have traffic lights every couple blocks in my city.

I downshift to slow down to the lights, even in medium traffic, and I think I figured out I can pretty much do one pedal driving a decent amount of the time. I would only start hitting the brake pedal when close to the light and at a way lower speed. Also the transmission appears to be able to go from 3 to 1 or 2 to 1 when you hit 0 MPH with no issues, the behavior is really cool.

Anyone else do this? Probably works OK with any selectable auto or DCT, not sure if 3 pedal people do this also? The one thing I dislike is it doesn't turn on brake lights of course (neither does the electronic e-brake which per the owner's manual doubles as an excellent brake hold for stoplight which you disengage by hitting the accelerator). So I'm careful to check my rear mirror and not be annoying to close followers.

Inner Light fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Sep 22, 2023

# ¿ Sep 22, 2023 23:11

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

minivanmegafun posted:

it�s kinda silly and a lot of wear on your transmission to do it on flat pavement.

This is probably the most correct answer. I imagine it�s a bit of a gamble if any wear ther results from doing a bit of downshifting at higher RPMs would cause anything over lifetime of the trans. If the gamble pans out for you, you would save a tiny bit on brakes I guess! But it�s mostly fun to change gears on the auto so that�s why I do it.

Won�t allow money shifts in a traditional sense, although it will allow you to hold RPMs close to redline or downshift when the lower gear will put RPM at close to redline. Never above it. Idk if any modern autos will physically allow a money shift in any way barring mechanical failure.

If you request a downshift when switching to the lower gear at that speed will put RPM into redline, it will deny the downshift and do nothing or put you in the next gear up.

Sadly, I reside in the Midwest USA and all we have is 100% flat pavement lmao, it�s one of the flattest places on the earth :smith:

Inner Light fucked around with this message at 20:49 on Sep 24, 2023

# ¿ Sep 24, 2023 20:46

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

Rusty posted:

I think one pedal driving is actually a lot different than engine braking (and a term used for EVs) . One pedal driving literally stops the car, engine braking is just a small assist on a car.

I actually didn't know that a torque convertor could engine brake for some reason, but my DCT likes to do a tiny bit if engine braking in sport mode, but not even close to stopping the car. Even on a manual you won't be stopping a car with down shifting. I can get pretty close on a motorcycle though.

Engine braking isn�t a small assist with what I was saying. I can be going 35MPH in 4th, downshift to 3rd without touching brake, it slows down more then I downshift to 2nd, etc. Depending on the intersection I�ll start floating down the brake pedal when it�s at like 7MPH. Instead of 35MPH. So not a small assist. Or I do it while braking also usually.

Or with the Audi A4 version of this you can be in 2nd or 3rd gear in the manual mode and get all the way down to 0 MPH before it changes to 1st gear for you. It�s just how the mode works so I don�t think it harms much, I just thought it was quite unique and wondered if others do that in manual mode. And I think 3pedal driving isn�t much different, each time you downshift the engine is helping to brake a little at higher RPMs no?

You give it gas to lessen the downshift jerk I thought, and you can give it gas to do the same thing in the tiptronic or it does a little for you if you aren�t hitting the gas pedal. I think all selectable auto trans will operate in this similar way from vids I�ve seen, maybe. Even economy box cars seem to offer selectable autos these days. In the waning days before those are replaced by EVs perhaps.

Inner Light fucked around with this message at 21:02 on Sep 24, 2023

# ¿ Sep 24, 2023 20:58

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

Charles Leclerc posted:

Perhaps it's just paranoia on my part. The DSG boxes are pretty sophisticated and allegedly record a whole bunch of parameters so dealers can excuse themselves from warranty claims.

But more simply than that a set of pads and discs is still cheaper than a replacement transmission and I really don't see what is to be gained from one pedal driving if you're driving with enough hazard perception and awareness for the conditions. Plus once those DSGs wear they become worse than a dim-witted slushbox transmission and you should absolutely run a mile from buying a car with a DSG that has early onset dementia.

Yes I was careful to mention this is a traditional auto and I am treating it the way it seems to work in that manual mode from factory. If it was DSG or DCT wizard magic instead of the 8speed auto I would read or ask more carefully on those specifics since I wouldn�t want to see those repair prices.

I think Tiptronic is what they called it but VAG used different names for things. It�s a torque converter rather than dual clutch which DSG uses from what I understand. https://wikicars.org/en/Tiptronic

Inner Light fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Sep 24, 2023

# ¿ Sep 24, 2023 21:04

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

Has its own wiki article, thanks for posting so I could read about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_currywurst

# ¿ Dec 17, 2023 18:59

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

bij posted:

After waffling on a new car for years I just got a 2024 A3 Premium Plus and I'm loving it. I wrote it off for a while because I thought I wanted something sportier and didn't care about creature comforts - I was wrong. It's more than enough power to get going and the handling is super tight. Maybe I'll change my tune when something breaks but the rose colored glasses are 100% on right now.

I didn't imagine I'd get a black car but Mythos Black with the black optic package is HOT.

Audi and VAG has come a long way in reliability. I won�t count your chickens but I don�t think you�ll have to worry about much beyond scheduled maintenance for a long time. Enjoy the whip.

As an owner of an older A4, black Audis are the right color.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2024 23:03

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

trilobite terror posted:

IDK, I lived through �first model year B8 ownership� and it was rough. Like �two transmissions, two turbochargers� rough.

Yeah sorry I qualified what I said in my head but didn't clarify in my post. I was referring to strictly very new Audi / VAG products. B9 and onwards is when it started hitting par for rest of the industry, IMHO as a nonexpert.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2024 00:08

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

Nitr0 posted:

My 2019 Q8 with 57000km is in the dealer for the next month because apparently there was metal shavings in the oil and it needs a new engine.

No charge, but the ol reliability may not be what she used to be.

That is pretty crappy, at least it hit within the warranty period so the fast death vs. slow death with only relatively few failures in between, may be an improvement for Audi.

My 2013 B8.5 A4 has had many issues, and the superior German adhesive on the chromed grille is bubbling, which is not repairable without a new or aftermarket grille out of warranty. It also eats about 1qt of oil in less than a couple thousand miles. May she continue to run for a while.

Inner Light fucked around with this message at 21:30 on Feb 25, 2024

# ¿ Feb 25, 2024 21:28

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

movax posted:

What oil are you running? I have the 2.0T FSI (2005.5) and Liqui-Moly Leichtlauf has been great, oil consumption is effectively not a thing for me anymore.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007IBSDJY/

I have so far used this: Valvoline European Vehicle Full Synthetic SAE 5W-40 Motor Oil 1 QT. I think I saw the dealer using these Valvoline 1qt bottles when they were out of the Audi branded schmoo from I'm sure a similar refinery.

I might pick up this fancy Liqui-Moly if I stop by a parts place sometime, thanks for the recommend.

VVV :cheers:

Inner Light fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Mar 2, 2024

# ¿ Mar 2, 2024 01:30

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# ¿ May 9, 2024 17:22

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020; Can't post for 19 minutes!

obi_ant posted:

Do dealerships offer extended warranties on vehicles not purchased from that particular dealership? I'm sure they're glad to have my money?

Differs by dealership policy. Usually dealers don't sell warranties, they resell warranties, and oftentimes you can purchase direct from the seller of the warranty since the dealer is just a middleman that takes a cut.

As always, it is unlikely that your expected incurred repair costs during the period of the warranty will outweigh the cost of the warranty, but the value of that peace of mind can only be decided by you. Be advised that all warranty marketing materials will tell you exactly the opposite.

Inner Light fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Mar 19, 2024

# ¿ Mar 19, 2024 22:38

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