TMU's Glacier White B8.5 S4 - MRC Stage 2

[V6_Man]

Very expensive. Very heavy. Even if Audi has been conservative with the 4.9s 0-60 it's not going to feel as quick as your S4, and as for handling...

I actually wanted an RS6 to test drive but Oxford Audi didn't have one so, I thought why not an SQ7. They did have an RS7 though and I should've tried that.

I completely agree with you on the 'quick' side of things. I was expecting a lot more from the quoted 900Nm of torque. S4 feels a lot quicker compared to SQ7. And it does feel heavy well, actually it is heavy!

I also had a test drive as well as on the way back home and I was slightly surprised by the handling. I need to take it out tonight on some country roads to get a real feel.


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[jdp1962]

Very expensive. Very heavy. Even if Audi has been conservative with the 4.9s 0-60 it's not going to feel as quick as your S4, and as for handling...

Agree totally, plus it's ugly as sin.

 

[DieselJake]

I'd probably have a Range Rover SVR for the looks/noise over a SQ7, not sure on the price difference but I think they're both out of my budget... where are you guys getting all this cash from as Jake would like SQ7 money

 

[scotty76]

SQ7
Starting from £74,385

How much?!

 

[V6_Man]

Agree totally, plus it's ugly as sin.

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[V6_Man]

SQ7
Starting from £74,385

How much?!

Definitely not that much. It is about £12k cheaper than that but still expensive! Oxford Audi has a 'loyalty event' going on at the moment and I have been assured that they will be 'able to offer a little bit more'. However, for that price or even lower than that I can get an RS6 - no 4s as I don't like the B8s or even B9s.


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[NevMan]

So, the car had its second MoT today, which it passed with flying colours .

Oh, and there is another update - see below. An option that I am considering. I have it for next 24 hours to test and make a decision. Would be interested in your thoughts

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Lovely mate, that is a seriously quick wagon, and once you have tried you won't want to go back....JFDI!!!

 

[RS5 JON]

That's a bus, you thinking of starting a LARGE family @Tashfeen

by the way, nice colour.

JG

 

[V6_Man]

They do look nice parked side-by-side, don't they


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[NevMan]

I'd probably have a Range Rover SVR for the looks/noise over a SQ7, not sure on the price difference but I think they're both out of my budget... where are you guys getting all this cash from as Jake would like SQ7 money

are you joking? Will spend more time with Range Rover than being driven

 

[NevMan]

I actually wanted an RS6 to test drive but Oxford Audi didn't have one so, I thought why not an SQ7. They did have an RS7 though and I should've tried that.

I completely agree with you on the 'quick' side of things. I was expecting a lot more from the quoted 900Nm of torque. S4 feels a lot quicker compared to SQ7. And it does feel heavy well, actually it is heavy!

I also had a test drive as well as on the way back home and I was slightly surprised by the handling. I need to take it out tonight on some country roads to get a real feel.


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Now if you are talking RS that is a different story. ONE day I will scratch that itch

 

[scotty76]

RS6 FTW 2 tonne rocket!

 

[arad85]

Good lord... NO!

 

[scotty76]

Newbury Audi just rang me. VIP event. Something about a factory shutdown sale. Big discounts etc. I passed.

 

[V6_Man]

Agree totally, plus it's ugly as sin.

And my missus agrees with @jdp1962 . She quite likes the old shape but not the new one. She also doesn't like the all leather seats, it has to be leather + Alcantara and the interior trim either piano black or CF. Sepang was fine-ish she would rather it was a Black (first priority) or Scuba. And if none of these then Glacier White would do. Oh, and she 'hated' them alloys . Them ones

Oh, and she thinks it is not fast enough compared to the S4

This side of her I have seen for the frist time since we got married


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[NevMan]

Newbury Audi just rang me. VIP event. Something about a factory shutdown sale. Big discounts etc. I passed.

Well done

 

[NevMan]

And my missus agrees with @jdp1962 . She quite likes the old shape but not the new one. She also doesn't like the all leather seats, it has to be leather + Alcantara and the interior trim either piano black or CF. Sepang was fine-ish she would rather it was a Black (first priority) or Scuba. And if none of these then Glacier White would do. Oh, and she 'hated' them alloys . Them ones

Oh, and she thinks it is not fast enough compared to the S4

This side of her I have seen for the frist time since we got married


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I feel your pain, black! I am still cursing that stipulation my Mrs q5man. Love it when it is clean
That said with ceramic, SO much easier/quicker to clean.

Have a go in RS4

 

[Dippy]

I also had a test drive as well as on the way back home and I was slightly surprised by the handling. I need to take it out tonight on some country roads to get a real feel.

I test drove a Q7 a while back and I too was surprised by the handling. However I soon realised that it was just first impressions - Audi did a good job to make you feel like it is not a 2.5 tonne monster. However when I pushed it hard around corners the high centre of gravity on that suspension soon became obvious. However that was a few years ago and it wasn't the SQ7 so I'll be interested to read your opinion.

 

[V6_Man]

I test drove a Q7 a while back and I too was surprised by the handling. However I soon realised that it was just first impressions - Audi did a good job to make you feel like it is not a 2.5 tonne monster. However when I pushed it hard around corners the high centre of gravity on that suspension soon became obvious. However that was a few years ago and it wasn't the SQ7 so I'll be interested to read your opinion.

I drove the car in pretty much all the settings except Off Road, and like you said I too was surprised with the handling. I pushed it hard around the corners on quite a few of occasions and it was only once that I felt I needed to slow down however, I have always felt the same on my S4 on exactly the same corner so, my view is that it handles really well. It was quite comfortable even in Dynamic mode.

I have driven a friend's X5 (17 plate) and a family member's GLE 350d (66 plate) as well as a Q7 (14 plate) and if I was to compare SQ7 with the three I'd say it outperforms all three, is much more refined and does not give you that feeling of you driving an SUV. I believe Audi have done a really good job with Adaptive Air Suspension and Active Roll Control System.

I think most of the people who think the handling is poor or are unhappy are usually trying to compare an SUV with a saloon/Avant. These can never be the same. I think SUVs are meant to be slightly poor in handling due to weight, size and aerodynamics - for me personally I found SQ7 to be better than the B8 A4 that I had for a short period of time.

I didn't get the time to check the 0-60 figures however, on occasions where I did put my foot down it didn't feel like 'in your face' quick. The power delivery wasn't as instant as you expect from B8-8.5 S4 (a wrong comparison though) however it wasn't different to any turbocharged cars either - it's actually better! The progressiveness of the accelerator pedal actually makes the whole experience really enjoyable. The 8-speed gearbox seems just perfect to handle the speed as well. The gear changes are smooth and hardly noticeable even in Dynamic mode.

Apart from the trip to Mark the other day and Most to Audi I hadn't driven the S4 in 2-3 weeks. I had been driving my missus' A3 locally as well as even on the long trips here and I believe it helped me set the expectations right. I would've had a completely different view if it wasn't the case.

Personally, if missus didn't have any or shall we say too many dislikes about it I probably would've gone for it. I was actually sold within a second of hearing the V8 come to life anyway


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[V6_Man]

Brake bed-in
Drove the car for around 80-ish miles last night; between 11:45 and 12:45 and then between 5:30-6:00 am this morning to bed-in the brakes. It is my first time ever to do so and I followed the instructions to the tee and really pleased with myself.

Instructions from EBC website as below:

1- Use brakes with minimal pressure for first 100 miles from urban speeds of 30-50 mph only. Brakes will feel very sharp and responsive but this is ONLY the brake in coating working which gives an abnormally high friction level feeling - CHECK

2- Drive a further 250 miles using slightly increased brake pressure and load UNLESS in an emergency in which case apply brake as hard as required - CHECK

3- Clean wheels off as there will be residue from the brake-in coating after bed in - CHECK

The below was done between last night:

4- Look for a full width contact across the pad depth( rotor braking band) from the outer edge of the disc to the inner and if not achieved allow a further 100-200 miles steady driving. You will see a blue-ish band evidencing contact across the rotor face. Until this band goes from the outer to the inner edges of the brake disc/rotor the pads have NOT yet fully seated. When installing new rotors, reduced width banding is quite possible due to various tolerances and slight misalignments in the vehicle chassis and is NOT a warranty defect or a reason to remove and inspect brakes. Many European cars have SINGLE PISTON CALIPERS and these tend to “Flair” open and cause the contact band described above only to be seen at the outer edge of the disc/rotor and work its way inwards taking up to 1000 miles to do so.

Pictures after the above process. These were taken this morning before doing the second round of bed-in process:

Rears

Fronts:

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[V6_Man]

Below are the picture after the 2nd run this morning.

5- After full width contact band is attained make a further 10 stops from 60 mph to 10 mph in succession with a deliberate attempt to get the brakes hot. Some smells may occur even slight smoke during this final heat up stage of the pads in early life. Then coast the vehicle for a mile to allow discs to cool. Do not pull up and park vehicle with brake excessively hot. You must try to get the discs down to below 60-80 degrees C temperature before parking the vehicle - CHECK

As you can see the blue-ish band has either disappeared (fronts) and has moved from.outer to inner edge or in case of rear it is still there. The rears I was told by Mark and John (@45bvtc) can take longer to bed in. Pics fyi:

Fronts:

Rears:

I just came back home after a short run to local supermarket and I quite like the pedal feel - I'd say it is a lot improved, it is linear and I quite like it tbh.

Oh, and the brake dust. There is some but compared to stock pads it is nothing. I am sure it will improve after the brakes are fully bedded-in.


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[V6_Man]

Should I be concerned... The car had its major service done on 3rd Jan and the low engine oil light came up tonight soon after I left Oxford and hit M40. The last major service was done almost 5k miles ago (8 months to date). 2.5-ish of these 8 months was where the car was not driven especially during the snow time for nearly 4 weeks. I didn't do tooany local miles and it was mainly motorway journeys.

I didn't have any issues last year where I had double the miles before we did the service. Do you guys think it was because the car wasnt driven enough or is it the beginning of the dreaded oil consumption issue. Can we test to find out? Oh, and I did top-up the oil though from Tesco just after Banbury exit.


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[xpoweruk]

Did you check the oil level after service ?

 

[V6_Man]

Did you check the oil level after service ?

No, I didn't. Neither on MMI or via dipstick. Shouldn't have trusted the stealership


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[GarethS4]

Mine would use approx 500ml every 1500 miles or so .

 

[V6_Man]

Mine would use approx 500ml every 1500 miles/

So, we reckon I shouldn't be concerned then?

 

[xpoweruk]

No, I didn't. Neither on MMI or via dipstick. Shouldn't have trusted the stealership


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I'd check again from a known amount & take it from there

 

[V6_Man]

I'd check again from a known amount & take it from there

I topped up the oil last night with Mobil 1 5W-30 as it was the only available option. I do not have a dipstick to check the levels. MMI showed it full after the top-up.

I had it booked for health check and quattro alignment with MRC on 24th and trying to add oil change at the same time. Will start monitoring from there.


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[Dippy]

A relatively sudden increase in oil consumption should be a cause for concern, because the "normal" oil consumption from those small "leaks" within the engine should only increase gradually. This engine does seem to be susceptible to PCV problems.

 

[V6_Man]

A relatively sudden increase in oil consumption should be a cause for concern, because the "normal" oil consumption from those small "leaks" within the engine should only increase gradually. This engine does seem to be susceptible to PCV problems.

That is my concern as well. Do you reckon car sat for longer periods could be a cause (might be a dumb thing to ask but ...) I checked the engine including the bay this morning but couldn't see any visible leaks. I am very much of the view that it is Ox Audi - don't know why but I am happy to associate every problem on the car with them.

Since I bought the car it has had two services done: one at 19.5k and second one at 24.5k. The first one was done after nearly 9k miles and there was no oil light that came up.

I am about to touch 30k and was planning on getting it done next month by asking Mark who would also be doing the Gearbox but decided to ask MRC.

Are there any tests I can do myself and check?




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[scotty76]

I'm hoping they just didn't fill it up full at service (crossing fingers). Hope it's nothing serious. Not had to top mine up between annual services.

 

[V6_Man]

I'm hoping they just didn't fill it up full at service (crossing fingers). Hope it's nothing serious. Not had to top mine up between annual services.

Let's hope so mate. I am tempted to believe this is the case.

Oh, and on a separate note, Oxford Audi are paying for the correction but haven't agreed to the boot paint yet. I am now going to escalate it to Head of Oxford Audi, it was his SQ7 that I test drove on the day. If they don't fix it, they ain't getting any business from me, at all!


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[DieselJake]

Might be worth checking the sump plug has been done up tight.

 

[V6_Man]

Might be worth checking the sump plug has been done up tight.

Cheers buddy. Will have a look on the morning


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[Dippy]

That is my concern as well. Do you reckon car sat for longer periods could be a cause (might be a dumb thing to ask but ...) I checked the engine including the bay this morning but couldn't see any visible leaks. I am very much of the view that it is Ox Audi - don't know why but I am happy to associate every problem on the car with them.

There's only two types of oil leak - into and out of the engine. The "into" is consumption because the oil is burned, and the "out of" usually ends up on the ground, although if its only a small leak it can pool in parts like the undertray and so might not be noticed if it then flows out when driving (but even then the chances of none getting on your drive etc. are minimal). Having the car sat for long periods cannot cause a leak except if it is so long that when the engine is started something ruptures because of lack of lubrication.

 

[V6_Man]

Oil Consumption update
So, I have not updated the thread for a long while after reporting Oil Consumption issue. The car was booked in with MRC on 25th for service as well as health check. Good news is that Doug did all the test and confirmed that there were no oil leaks that could be found on the car. Health check also didn't flag anything concerning and if anything we managed to squeeze a little more horses out of the engine including some torque. And although it is not enough, its feels "faster" than before.
At the same time, we did four-wheel alignment and I believe the rear camber might a slightly out, the car swerves or it appears to balance the rear end a bit in high-ish speeds. Back in on 2nd to re-adjust it.
Million dollar question
Now here is a million dollar question for those using dipsticks to monitor oil levels on their S4s, believe @jdp1962 has it along with @rum4mo and @GarethS4 and I believe @Dippy too.
Since the service in August I have done only 1300 miles and below is how much oil has been used. I checked the oil levels on MMI rather than dipstick and below is how much the car has consumed over 1300 miles and 2 months.

My question to the fellow forum members is if I was to try the dipstick, what kind of reading is "normal". If everything is working as it should be then what level is a healthy one. Also, should I monitor the oil when engine is cold or run-in a bit to warm it up and then measure it.

We did order the PCV just in case but never installed it as Doug wanted me to monitor for at least a 1000-ish miles.

I ask some of the basic questions as I am a bit nervous doing some of the very basic things when it comes to the S4, on A3 and all the previous cars I never had any issues.

Do these oil levels look OK, or we reckon we should go and change the PCV regardless ...

 

[jdp1962]

@Tashfeen , Mrs Grumpy and I were supposed to go to Brighton today but barely a mile into the journey, we had a flat which proved to be a nail. So we're back home, and my local fitters will have two new tyres (only one is punctured but I prefer to have a matched pair across the axle) in for about 2pm.

So as soon as the level as settled., I'll check it and let you know.

 

[V6_Man]

@Tashfeen , Mrs Grumpy and I were supposed to go to Brighton today but barely a mile into the journey, we had a flat which proved to be a nail. So we're back home, and my local fitters will have two new tyres (only one is punctured but I prefer to have a matched pair across the axle) in for about 2pm.

So as soon as the level as settled., I'll check it and let you know.

Cheers Jeff @jdp1962. Much appreciated buddy. I am going to get a 1ltr oil tonight just to be on the safe side as I am Southampton bound tomorrow and Thursday for few meetings. However, would like to monitor the dipstick levels tomorrow morning before I leave.


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[arad85]

@Tashfeen Thinking about it, my last two Audi's have needed 0.5-0.75l of oil mid way between oil changes (I go on the service life changes rather than at a particular number of miles, but I do 12k/year. From memory, my partner's car (3l diesel Touareg) also needs a topup of about the same midway between oil changes.

 

[jdp1962]

So here's my dipstick and MMI reading at 28,246 miles.

It had an oil change at 25,866 miles, so has used no oil in almost 2,500 miles

Oh, and while I'm at it, here's my coolant reservoir, about an hour after switching the engine off after about 90 minutes of running.