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

[scotty76]

'North' Oxford . It snows here in winter, knee deep .

Was waiting for that. A34 can be nasty northbound in winter though. Fine in Newbury but icy as hell by East Isley.

 

[V6_Man]

Was waiting for that. A34 can be nasty northbound in winter though. Fine in Newbury but icy as hell by East Isley.

. I had couple of meetings in Netley earlier in the year when it snowed and it made me think I should try 'em this year. We'll see how it goes.

I am also planning on changing PS4s on Mrs' A3 to winters as well. I take my daughter to Slough every Friday for her 11+ tution, son starts from January as well and we use both the cars for theee trips as well. And given the commute in the next few months I'd rather take the hit and be safe than sorry.


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[arad85]

Allegedly, winter wheels are better for grip below 7 deg C over summer wheels. I've seen varying videos where that's proved to be the case and not to be the case... So the jury is out on that one IMHO. Winter wheels are not just for snow... Although when you have it, it is too late to get some....

 

[Meemo]

in fairness.. when driving past basingstoke it has been thick blizzard snow on a few occasions.. then get to winchester.. and nothing... weird micro climate stuff going on in this neck of the woods lol

 

[Dippy]

For the record it was a genuine question!

Last Christmas there was a bit of snow "down south" and I had a long journey to visit my parents. After a warning about the M4 I decided to go cross-country but damned if I was going to do it at 30mph just because everyone else was. So where there was plenty of space I overtook, having to cross the pile of snow and slush between the lanes. I admit I was a bit nervous, although I had done a skid pan course at Thruxton the year before. However my car was completely stable, not even a twitch.

I guess if I had to drive a lot in the winter then I'd get a set of winter wheels. But I'd actually not care to much about their appearance because winter is when those potholes start developing isn't it?

 

[NevMan]

Allegedly, winter wheels are better for grip below 7 deg C over summer wheels. I've seen varying videos where that's proved to be the case and not to be the case... So the jury is out on that one IMHO. Winter wheels are not just for snow... Although when you have it, it is too late to get some....

I too used to be dubious about winters, especially “down south” but after having survived the beast from the east with a front wheel drive A6 I was sold, and now have them on Q5.

For me:

A) better grip and made for below 7deg
B) nice summer alloys saved from horrible salt and grit etc

 

[NevMan]

For the record it was a genuine question!

Last Christmas there was a bit of snow "down south" and I had a long journey to visit my parents. After a warning about the M4 I decided to go cross-country but damned if I was going to do it at 30mph just because everyone else was. So where there was plenty of space I overtook, having to cross the pile of snow and slush between the lanes. I admit I was a bit nervous, although I had done a skid pan course at Thruxton the year before. However my car was completely stable, not even a twitch.

I guess if I had to drive a lot in the winter then I'd get a set of winter wheels. But I'd actually not care to much about their appearance because winter is when those potholes start developing isn't it?

And a fair enough question dippy. You have a 4 wheel drive though don’t you? I have heard the phrase before...two whee drive with winters much better than 4x4 on summers. As above, with A6 last winter, never saw the traction light even flicker, astounding.

 

[arad85]

You might find this interesting: Tests using a Racelogic 20Hz GPS (I have one and it is accurate as...) This video is why I feel the jury is still out on this (and I have two sets of wheels/tyres in the garage for our 2 cars). Would like the same in wet and cold conditions.

 

[V6_Man]

For the record it was a genuine question!

Last Christmas there was a bit of snow "down south" and I had a long journey to visit my parents. After a warning about the M4 I decided to go cross-country but damned if I was going to do it at 30mph just because everyone else was. So where there was plenty of space I overtook, having to cross the pile of snow and slush between the lanes. I admit I was a bit nervous, although I had done a skid pan course at Thruxton the year before. However my car was completely stable, not even a twitch.

I guess if I had to drive a lot in the winter then I'd get a set of winter wheels. But I'd actually not care to much about their appearance because winter is when those potholes start developing isn't it?

To be honest @Dippy this will be my first ever winter with the 'appropriate' tyres on. I have always driven my cars on Summers no matter what the temps or the forecast. I have driven in heavy snow without any issues even when others had parked on the sides because they couldn't. My B5 A4 (1.6tfsi) never saw decent tyres, it used to run on budgets (£100 for 4) from our local tyre shop - couldn't afford decent tyres at that time.

I had a B8 A4 (1.8tfsi) that I bought December last year for my Mrs as a daily and it just didn't want to move in the snow. I had real problems with it (not toemtion the other engine related issues). I had my B7 A4 at the time as well but it didn't miss a beat in the same weather and on Michelins PS3s. So, I decided to put winters (again budget) on B8 just to see and it worked. S4 was on summers at the time. So, I went ahead and bought a used set of 19s for it as well again, just to check. And to be honest, on S4 I couldn't tell a difference. On B7 A4, which was on summers it was fine as well.

This year the whole reason for going winters on S4 and on A3 is because of the mileage. If I didn't have to take kids to tutions on Fridays and Saturdays I wouldn't have bothered but I think I am getting a bit paranoid, it's not me bit all the muppets driving on the roads that force me to take precautions...


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[V6_Man]

You might find this interesting: Tests using a Racelogic 20Hz GPS (I have one and it is accurate as...) This video is why I feel the jury is still out on this (and I have two sets of wheels/tyres in the garage for our 2 cars). Would like the same in wet and cold conditions.

I am well surprised about the stopping distance on the winters as manufacturers claim it to be one of the key selling point. But then wasn't he using brand new winters on his Honda? If so, it would increase the stopping distance ...

I have Draggy, do you reckon I can check 60-0 on it. I haven't tried it yet so, don't know if it does or doesn't? Will be a good test to find out on A3 before I put winters on.


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[arad85]

I am well surprised about the stopping distance on the winters as manufacturers claim it to be one of the key selling point. But then wasn't he using brand new winters on his Honda? If so, it would increase the stopping distance ...

I have Draggy, do you reckon I can check 60-0 on it. I haven't tried it yet so, don't know if it does or doesn't? Will be a good test to find out on A3 before I put winters on.

Yup... interesting video. No idea on your app as to whether it can measure these things. Just waiting to see my daughter so she can donate her old iPhone 5 to me to use as a head end for my Racelogic...

 

[V6_Man]

Yup... interesting video. No idea on your app as to whether it can measure these things. Just waiting to see my daughter so she can donate her old iPhone 5 to me to use as a head end for my Racelogic...

Dragy is a 10Hz GPS based performance meter same as Vbox (not exactly the same) but at a fraction of the price.




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[arad85]

Ahh... Didn't realise it was a hardware box...

 

[V6_Man]

Haven't been able to update the thread so, I thought I will give an update on the oil consumption issue as well as two other things that have happened since the update last year.

Oil Consumption Update
I have been monitoring the oil situation and the levels are sat where they were, which means happy days so far. Since the service in July I have done 3k miles and I have not topped up the oil which is looking promising so, fingers crossed.

False Alarm
Not sure why but I decided to scan the car last weekend and after looking at the scan my heart sank as there was only one error - the dreaded Transmission. It caused panic and the next thing I did was to logon to my bank account and see how much savings I had ... . So, after settling down I did what I should've done in the first place, which was to start the search process and find out exactly what it meant including if others had experienced the same thing. The google search gave me some ideas and the next line of action was to contact @Dippy and @bobby singh , clear the DTCs and take the car for a spin. I drove the car for nearly 50 miles in both M and D, the up/downshifts in both modes were absolutely fine. I hit the redline on multiple occasions after warming up the engine and there was no loss in power etc. As the error highlighted Gear selector 2 - engagement not successful I ensured that I was doing multiple upshifts and downshifts from 3-->2-->1 and vice versa and again there were no issues. I came back home and ran another scan and guess what; nothing there - phew!!! I would also like to mention that there were no errors on the DIS either before or after the scan ...

Below is the scan showing the error in case anyone is interested:

1 Fault Found:
18011 - Gear Selector 2
P187B 00 [096] - Engagement not successful
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 0
Reset counter: 0
Mileage: 0 km
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 00:00:00

Engine speed: 0 /min
Transmission input speed: 0 /min
Transmission output speed: 0 /min
Engine torque: -100 Nm
Transmission fluid temperature: -40 °C
Accelerator position: 0.0 %
Clutch status: Beide Kupplungen offen
Unlearning counter according OBD: 0

I am really really thankful to @Dippy for taking the time over the course of 2-3 days and giving me the peace of mind that; just because there is a DTC doesn't mean there is an issue. If you look at the above error there is no freeze frame data and therefore it is safe to assume that it was just a glitch. While searching the internet I also came across a member on A5OC and contacted them as they had exactly the same error come up on their S5 almost 4-5 years ago. Luckily they still own the S5 and the issue has not returned ever since. So, I am hoping that it will be the same with mine as well.

I then also took the kids to London on Saturday last week for their 11+ tuition and the car drove fine throughout the journey. I scanned it after I arrived and nothing is there...

 

[V6_Man]

Mileage issue
So that car was MoT'd in July last year at 28,895, serviced in August at 29,978 and had the DSG servicedat 30,734 in October. And like I mentioned above the car is currently sat at 33,120 miles. The indie that I used for servicing the car entered the mileage on Audi Systems as 40,978 instead of 29,978. I have been trying to resolve it but they are now saying they can't change it on the Audi system and are happy to provide to evidence of the correct mileage.

My question to you lot is, is it possible to change the mileage now, is it something that the Stealership would be able to do for me if I produce the receipts etc. The last thing I want when I am selling the car is for the potential buyer to think I have tempered with the mileage. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Meemo]

Mileage issue
So that car was MoT'd in July last year at 28,895, serviced in August at 29,978 and had the DSG servicedat 30,734 in October. And like I mentioned above the car is currently sat at 33,120 miles. The indie that I used for servicing the car entered the mileage on Audi Systems as 40,978 instead of 29,978. I have been trying to resolve it but they are now saying they can't change it on the Audi system and are happy to provide to evidence of the correct mileage.

My question to you lot is, is it possible to change the mileage now, is it something that the Stealership would be able to do for me if I produce the receipts etc. The last thing I want when I am selling the car is for the potential buyer to think I have tempered with the mileage. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Ah what a nightmare! are you able to contact DVLA on the gov website? you know where you request MOT details on their page, maybe there is a 'report a problem' link?

 

[V6_Man]

Ah what a nightmare! are you able to contact DVLA on the gov website? you know where you request MOT details on their page, maybe there is a 'report a problem' link?

Cheers @Meemo . The mileage reported on MoT is fine, it is the mileage at Service, which I don't think DVLA will hold any information on . And in the grand scheme of things it is not a big issue/problem as I have receipts to prove it however, for a potential buyer it might be... I don't know

 

[V6_Man]

O/S Xenon failure
The o/s xenon needs replacing as it started playing up since yesterday. Would come on for a few minutes and then off.

I know @scotty76 got his replaced under warranty but has anyone else as well? I can't decide whether I should go OE or if there is a better alternative available. I was reading up here that a few people have done D3S to D1S conversion but I don't have the time as I have a long drive coming up this weekend.

I was also thinking of replacing both sides rather than just one as I think the difference in the old and new would be too noticeable. Also, if one has gone I'd like to think the other will follow shortly.

Any suggestions?

 

[scotty76]

Hey @Tashfeen. The symptoms you described are exactly what I had when the bulb was on the way out. I only went to Audi as I had warranty and thought I'd try the "wait until they say no" approach. Can't help with the upgrade. What I can say is the remaining original bulb and the replacement are still going fine.

 

[V6_Man]

Hey @Tashfeen. The symptoms you described are exactly what I had when the bulb was on the way out. I only went to Audi as I had warranty and thought I'd try the "wait until they say no" approach. Can't help with the upgrade. What I can say is the remaining original bulb and the replacement are still going fine.

Cheers mate. Unfortunately warranty is not an option for me so, I will have to pay from my pocket. I went in to Halfrauds earlier today just to check the options and they only do D3S Philips D2302 priced at £77 a bulb . I will probably drop a part request here as well as check it with Trups to find out the options.

I'd like to upgrade slightly to maybe 5000k bulbs instead of OE 4100k but don't want it to look OTT and not match the DRLs.


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[V6_Man]

It looks like the thread now gets updated only when there is an "issue" on the car rather than anything else - aging and all that

So, since the last service the aircon had been making grinding noise every time I'd turn it on or even if I increased the fan speed. It was only in the "heat wave" last week that it stopped blowing cold air. So, ran a scan and it came up with faulty AC Pressure/Temp Sensor - scan below for info:

Address 08: Auto HVAC (J255) Labels: Redir Fail!
Part No SW: 8K2 820 043 AQ HW: 8K2 820 043 AQ
Component: KLIMA 3 ZONEN H04 0122
Revision: D1000000 Serial number: 01160420140145
Coding: 6624028000
Shop #: WSC 06325 000 00000
VCID: 78F99851CBE20A8AE5-802C

2 Faults Found:
00457 - Control Module for Network (J519)
013 - Check DTC Memory
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01101101
Fault Priority: 6
Fault Frequency: 5
Reset counter: 249
Mileage: 54631 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2019.03.09
Time: 10:50:02

00256 - A/C Pressure/Temperature Sensor (G395)
008 - Implausible Signal
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01101000
Fault Priority: 7
Fault Frequency: 6
Reset counter: 0
Mileage: 54631 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2019.03.09
Time: 10:50:02

Freeze Frame:
Temperature: 10.0°C

On @scotty76 's recommendation, I booked in the car with APS Brackley who ran the tests and gladly no leaks were found in the system. Their investigation also confirmed faulty A/C Pressure sensor. I had already bought the sensor along with an O-ring from TPS and it cost me £64 in total. Both these were replaced and aircon re-gassed and it seems to have fixed the issue. Part numbers below for info:

AC Pressure / Temp Sensor - 4H0959126 - £63
O-ring - 7H0820896 - £1.

Also created a thread on this issue - see link below in case anyone else comes across this issue (hope not )

https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/b8-5-s4-aircon-not-blowing-cold-air-emoji51.387674/

 

[Meemo]

thankfully only air con failure!
How long you been running the MRC stage 2 now and how have you found it overall?
I cannot get over what a bargain the software and hardware package they do is!

 

[V6_Man]

thankfully only air con failure!
How long you been running the MRC stage 2 now and how have you found it overall?
I cannot get over what a bargain the software and hardware package they do is!

I was expecting it to be blower motor as well as it is a weak point but glad it was just the sensor and re-gass and cost me £112 in total.

Been running MRC stage 2 for little over 2 years now (nearly 20k miles) and it still brings smile everytime I drive the damn thing . For what it offers and the difference in power delivery it really is a bargain.

 

[Robbiet123]

I concur. I got the MRC stage 2 done about 4 months ago. It’s now a different beast. Unfortunately I’ve not yet come up against any unsuspecting RS4’s. Highly recommend it!

 

[Meemo]

very envious of you guys
I enjoy mine in sport mode when bombing around under 50, but as soon as I hit the motorway, other than a nice DSG fart, I find it just lacking.. it really needs the MRC stage 2 by the sounds of it!

 

[MuPPeT_ON_TouR]

I will have no more talk of stage 2 thanks! No for my sake but I can hear the credit card sighing. It hasn't fully recovered from stage 1 yet.

 

[V6_Man]

You guys need to just try a Stage 2 or the max 'safe tune' on these cars and I am sure the rest will be history .

 

[Cerbera9]

What you really need is dual pulley to wake these cars up

 

[scotty76]

Supercharged S4 is a future classic in the making given the new one will be diesel and the current one is turbocharged.

 

[jdp1962]

Supercharged S4 is a future classic in the making given the new one will be diesel and the current one is turbocharged.

And my current plan is to keep mine as long as I can, even into retirement if my income will allow it.

 

[scotty76]

And my current plan is to keep mine as long as I can, even into retirement if my income will allow it.

Me too. I'm now getting the train to work and was considering selling up but inclined to keep it as I really like it.

 

[V6_Man]

What you really need is dual pulley to wake these cars up

... and extra cooling to support it. And I think it still keeps it within the safe limits (I'll ignore that cats don't exist on our cars)

 

[V6_Man]

And my current plan is to keep mine as long as I can, even into retirement if my income will allow it.

Me too. I'm now getting the train to work and was considering selling up but inclined to keep it as I really like it.

I am in the same boat as you two, wife on the otherhand has different plans though . Let's see how long before I am forced to sell it - hope not and fingers crossed!

 

[Dippy]

Mine's also a long-term car, especially because the regulations are going to change. In however many years from now when I'm ready to change cars, I expect to see a number of decent EVs available (and no, not the SUV ones). At a minimum there's the Tesla 3 performance edition, or maybe even the roadster if I want to splash the cash into my retirement. I definitely feel that (barring a surprise event) this S5 will be my last petrol car.

 

[NevMan]

I am in the same boat as you two, wife on the otherhand has different plans though . Let's see how long before I am forced to sell it - hope not and fingers crossed!

Now that ur missus has her V10 (dyson), you need a V8 (car)....only fair

 

[V6_Man]

Now that ur missus has her V10 (dyson), you need a V8 (car)....only fair

and

 

[V6_Man]

So, it finally happened on Sat this weekend. Low Oil light came up as I joined M40 from Oxford Junction. I have done precisely 6k miles since the service was done last July and now when I look at my time-stamps between the last two services and oil top-ups it seems to be consistent - I have topped up the engine oil at exactly 6k miles in the last two years.

(I know the car is filthy inside out, I am waiting for the weather to settle before giving it a thorough clean)

I pulled over on a hard shoulder, let the engine cool down for about 5 minutes and topped up with .75ltr of Castrol 5W-30 that I had in the boot. Level is back to normal now.

I have already booked in the car for its next service, it will be two year service so will be looking at changing a few bits including spark plugs as the car would've done nearly 38k miles by that time. I am also going to go for 5W-40 this time and see how it performs, i.e. if I get the same warning after next 6-7k miles.

 

[weekenny]

Get a dipstick mate the dash read out is iffy at best.

 

[NevMan]

Get a dipstick mate the dash read out is iffy at best.

Definitely agree with this, my Q5 seemed to vary between 3/4 and full quite regularly and that was similar temps

 

[MuPPeT_ON_TouR]

I moved to 5w40 it was recommended to me by Opie Oils after I told them I was stage one. I've just looked at my level after reading your post and after 2000 miles since my service my oil still reads full.

I know this isn't definitive proof as I don't have any measurement from before I moved to 5W 40.

The oil I used does seem to fit the bill or at least the marketing **** does and it suckered me right in.

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-115238...e-cfs-5w-40-nt-full-synthetic-engine-oil.aspx

• Performance Profile
  • Manufactured to far exceed the requirements of API SM/CF and ACEA A3/B4
  • Ideal for fast road or track day use, especially in engines where a 5w30 is normally specified
  • Suitable for operating at 125oC with peak temperatures up to 150oC