Help Please Newbie looking to purchase S4 b8.5

[Andy_G_P]

Hi All,

Just joined the forum as I am looking to swap cars, currently own a bmw e82 2008 135i, which has been tinkered with its a fantastic car, but with 2 small kids, its time to get a "sensible" 4 door car.

I've looked at the 335i (previously had a 330d) but I wouldn't mind changing brands to see what I am missing on the other side, my other main reason for choosing audi over bmw is the 4 wheel drive system, tbf, I've not driven an x-drive variant so won't be able to compare but I imagine its like comparing apples with pears.....

Anyway - ideally looking to spend under £20k so looking at an early b8.5 2012 /13 model, ideally with under 75k miles, (my 08 bmw only has 60k on it).

What do I need to look out for from a maintenance perspective? which options are a must or a nice to have? I've read I need to keep away from the b8 if budget allows ... do you agree ?

Looking forward to any feedback and hopefully joining the S4 club !!

Andy

 

[Dippy]

I don't know enough about x-drive to know, but if BMW has a fully mechanical one then it should be similar to that in the B8 S4. The smaller Audis (S3, TTS, S1) use the Haldex version which is part-time 4WD with a clutch to engage the rear. It is worth noting that the base S4 has a normal rear diff so can suffer from slip. An active diff ("sports diff") was an option and greatly improves handling on the edge and on slippy roads, but it was a cost option and hard to find in the used market.

Any comments about avoiding the B8 are slightly misleading but for genuine reasons. On the whole the B8 was great and choosing the B8.5 instead would be mostly for preference for the facelift. However if you want a manual gearbox then it has to be a B8 because the B8.5 was DCT ("s-tronic") only. And it is the DCT which prompted the warning: It turns out that the early version of the 0B5 DL501 s-tronic gearbox was not as reliable as Audi (or we) wanted it to be. Not all are bad but some have definitely failed, from needing a new sensor or PCB, through new mechatronics to complete replacement. None of this is cheap. They are also sensitive to not being service properly and unfortunately the s-tronic oil change at 38K was something that many owners decided to miss. The DL501 was revised sometime in 2011 (AFAIK) and this was better but not totally, because it was revised again in early 2013. It appears (touch wood) that the latest one is OK. But that means that the early B8.5s have the 2nd version. You need one built from mid-2013 onwards in order to ensure you get the latest version.

So to be totally safe, you need to choose from a B8 manual, a B8.5 s-tronic built from mid-2013, or an earlier B8 or B8.5 s-tronic and get a solid extended warranty.

The V6T engine is generally good apart from timing chains which can lose tension and in the worst case need repair. The engine was revised in 2014 and this included revision of the timing chains so hopefully that problem was fixed. The engine also includes extra fuel injectors to meet EU6 but with the bonus of (again hopefully) reducing the carbon problem that FSI engines tend to suffer from (although to be fair there are no reported issues of bad valve coking of the V6T - it was more a problem for the previous V8 - which was available for the B8 S5).

 

[Mike B]

I suggest you look at the Avant version or consider the S5 in 5 door form .Both are more roomy for a family

 

[forty3]

And check the road tax bracket on a manual as most (not all for some strange reason) are in the top tax bracket.

Published mpg figures were obviously plucked out the air by Audi - expect 18mpg round town and low thirties on a run.

Standard cars are quick but don't feel super fast due to the supercharger giving very linear power delivery - much like a normally aspirated engine. Revo, mrc etc offer proven tuning packages which make a huge difference to a heavily restrained engine from the factory.

Love my s4 avant. Its very quick when I want it to be and has loads of space for tools or kayaking gear. I'll be keeping it for a long time.

Options really push up prices so take some time to figure out what is really important to you

 

[Revo Steve-W]

Cracking cars, very reliable too -

I'd opt for Stage 1+, as only slightly more expense for the pulley upgrade and truly takes the car into super cars territory.

Figures I saw on our own 3.0TFSi -
0-60 3.71
0-100 8.86
0-150 22.62
Top Speed 179.6MPH

 

[Andy_G_P]

Thanks for your responses so far -

So to be totally safe, you need to choose from a B8 manual, a B8.5 s-tronic built from mid-2013, or an earlier B8 or B8.5 s-tronic and get a solid extended warranty.

Great response, and makes absolute sense with what you are saying - is there anyway I can look at the car and know which DSG it had if it has a 2013 build date.

I suggest you look at the Avant version or consider the S5 in 5 door form .Both are more roomy for a family

Cheers Mike - I have a family car (new x-trail) so this is mainly for me and doing the school run a couple of times a week, I need to try and find the S5 in the 5 door, so I can compare as its hard to see from online pics - also not decided if I like the shape of the S5 5 door, (I did look at the bmw 4 series gran coupe), but quickly realised that it wasn't very roomy in the back.

top tax bracket.
expect 18mpg round town and low thirties on a run.
Revo, mrc etc offer proven tuning packages which make a huge difference to a heavily restrained engine from the factory.
Options really push up prices so take some time to figure out what is really important to you

lots to think about, I average about 21 mpg now, so its something I am us to, I've seen lots for sale saying they are stage 1, so It looks like the engines are similar to what I am in now - which with a quick map takes the bmw from 300 to 370, and quickly over 400bhp with a charge pipe and inter-cooler,
The options seem to be;
that most have front and rear sensors, (not sure if this is standard)
two thirds have the MMI nav and BandO sound system, which I think was part of the high tech pack,
about a third have the super sport seats, and hardly any have the sports diff -

I'd opt for Stage 1+, as only slightly more expense for the pulley upgrade and truly takes the car into super cars territory.

Figures I saw on our own 3.0TFSi -
0-60 3.71
0-100 8.86
0-150 22.62
Top Speed 179.6MPH

Cheers Steve, some very impressive numbers, I managed to get mine 0-60 in 4.4 I took it to santapod this year, but struggled, (first time), time was 13.1

Keep the suggestions coming ! - I looked at one on Wednesday night, unfortunately it was badly scratched in places, the DSG was only serviced at 47k and the offside door was not smooth on the edge (poor repair job), it didn't feel right and the dealership wouldn't move an inch on £18k price, so I walked away....

 

[NikNefedov]

Hi Andy, Welcome to the forum. I had a 135i E82 N54 as well before getting the S4 B8.5. Had a JB4 and lots of other mods on it. The car was a lot of fun. One of the reasons i changed to the S4 B8.5 was due to having a kid. The cars are perfect for one but i would advise maybe getting a avant as you have two. They are very different to the 135i. I do miss the turbo spool but in the S4 supercharger keeps it constant. I really wasn't a fan of auto/dsg boxes until i drove one of these and it made me buy one. I live in Lincoln and travelled to aberdeen to buy it (420 miles). I don't regret the decision at all.
The mpg is actually better in the S4 compared to the 135i.

 

[Dippy]

Great response, and makes absolute sense with what you are saying - is there anyway I can look at the car and know which DSG it had if it has a 2013 build date.

If you connect a suitable tool to the diagnostic port then you can read the gearbox data and find out which part number it is. Even then it might take a bit more research because VAG part numbers are not always easy to relate to dates. It would be easier to find out the build date from the documentation.

 

[MuPPeT_ON_TouR]

If it helps, I have 2 kids and had an A4 before moving to the S5 sportback.

Best move I made and not just for the grin factor. Didn't think the hatch would make too much difference as the space is near identical between A4 and A5 , but it does. I like the look of a saloon more but I would still take A5/S5 sportback over it.

 

[Dippy]

I came from a B5 S4 avant to my S5 sportback. I didn't "need" an estate any more, and I simply liked the look of the S5 so much more than the S4 that I simply had to have one. So far I have not regretted it, and have managed to get 4 suitcases (including a large one) in the boot. The thing to remember about the S5 sportback (the B8.5 at least) is that it is only a 4-seater.

 

[Andy_G_P]

Hi All,

It didn't take long to sell my 135i (1 day), I've just put a deposit down on this S4.

Not sure if anyone recognises it , number plate ends with CTV, would be fantastic if the owner was on here, especially with it having the APR map and pulley.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...ertising-location=at_cars&year-to=2015&page=1

let me know what you think - and what I need to look out for when I got for the test drive on Sunday,

 

[MuPPeT_ON_TouR]

Service history, service history, service history.

**Gearbox service should have been done at 36k** at a possible 12k+ over that's not good. Tuned and 12k+ over I might walk away. But that is a personal choice.

Find out what the launch control counter is at. They all should have done a few, everybody shows it off to friends and family. 40+ count when tuned and no gearbox service definitely walk away.

Just try and keep your head, the final choice is up to you though.

Good luck.

 

[Andy_G_P]

Service history, service history, service history.

**Gearbox service should have been done at 36k** at a possible 12k+ over that's not good. Tuned and 12k+ over I might walk away.

Good luck.

Cheers I checked all that out including contacting the APR centre and the audi specialist who have done the last 3 services - all looks good

It's had the gearbox service at 39k,

Full service history
Audi jan 2014 @ 10k
Audi feb 2015 @ 20k
July 2016@ 23k
Jan 2017@ 32k
Jan 2018 @39k gearbox
Jan 2019 @ 48k

APR was done in May 2016

Car was registered in May 2013, so not sure if it would have the latest gearbox version or not ?

Also how do I find out how many launches it has done ?

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[MuPPeT_ON_TouR]

VCDS or my personal Favourite is OBDeleven. Almost a must considering how cheap it is when owning an S4 or 5.

 

[MuPPeT_ON_TouR]

Service history looks spot on. 3k over is nothing to really worry about.

 

[MuPPeT_ON_TouR]

I think 2013 is right on the might be/might not be V3 box.

Dippy is the/my go to guy for gearbox.

 

[Andy_G_P]

I think 2013 is right on the might be/might not be V3 box.

Dippy is the/my go to guy for gearbox.

Cheers, it sounds like I'm not going to be able to see which version it is, or how many launches it has, as I don't have the right equipment

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[Dippy]

To my best knowledge the 3rd and final version of the DL501 gearbox went into production in May 2013.

I believe that the correct service interval is 38K? However my advice is to service a tuned car more regularly, and also change the oils which are normally non-service (in the case of the gearbox this is the hypoid gear oil).

Personally I wouldn't be without VCDS - I like to scan my car regularly to check for faults.

 

[MuPPeT_ON_TouR]

To my best knowledge the 3rd and final version of the DL501 gearbox went into production in May 2013.

I believe that the correct service interval is 38K? However my advice is to service a tuned car more regularly, and also change the oils which are normally non-service (in the case of the gearbox this is the hypoid gear oil).

Personally I wouldn't be without VCDS - I like to scan my car regularly to check for faults.

I would believe you more than me. 38k it is.

I would say that for a casual user OBDeleven for the price is better than VCDS.

 

[Andy_G_P]

Hi all,
I went for it and the car was purchased last weekend, cruised back down from Harrogate to shropshire, averaged 27mpg, but since getting almost addicted to S rather than D, I've been seeing around 20 mpg around town with short commutes to work, which is similar to what I was seeing with my bmw 135i

I've managed to get 2 years warranty as part of the deal with the garage, it's a 3rd party warranty company who have been made aware of the stage 2 map and pulley, it cost me £1,200 which is what I was paying for my bmw, so don't think it's that bad, apart from the dsg box which has been serviced, I'm not fully aware of what common issues these have ?

Not sure what I've got planned with the car, it's had a fair bit of modification by the previous owner, who was active on here.

The only thing which causes me an issue is the blacked out rear windscreen, as visibility when reversing out of my drive is poor enough without it being any darker, and when I washed it today I noticed a few bubbles on the film,
I see alot of people do the rs grille and change the badges form v6T to supercharged, which hopefully I'll get around to doing

It's going to be having car seats in, so need to find a good seat leather protector for the rears, rather than using a white towel ha

A few newbie audi questions...

Am I right in thinking that the drive select menu which has been retrospectively activated, does absolutely nothing (does not have button on dash) .. it does have an apr stage 2 map, but wouldn't have thought this menu would be associated to this in anyway ?

Does flooring it in D vs S make any difference from a standing position?

The car was sold as not having a locking nut, I haven't removed the caps yet, but assuming there probably is ? And therefore will need to pick one up from audi

With bmw I was putting my own maps on, if this ever gets taken in to audi are they able to remove the apr map for a 'software update' if so where do I stand with apr on this? Have any of you guys had this issue?

I've just purchased a ami usb cable, can't believe it doesn't come with a usb port, I was looking in the centre console for 10 mins as the car has a tech pack high on it, so I assumed it would have this as part of the pack, rather than the ami cable located in the glove box, I did notice that there was a little square cut out in the centre console storage which looked like it might be for some sort of connection?

We had our first snow flurry yesterday and it was so nice not to have to worry how to get to work / home like i did with the bmw,

I'll look to start a build thread, and see what you guys are up to, my next thing to look at is protecting the white paint as much as possible.... on that note I do have a couple of stone chips, last product I used was chipex but didn't rate it, what to you guys use?

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