The S4 build wait thread

scotty76

Registered User
Joined
Nov 9, 2011
Messages
3,826
Reaction score
2,829
Points
113
Location
Berkshire
Inspired by warren_S3's thread on the S5 forum, this is a consolation thread while we wait. :)

Dealer called today to say provisional build week of 9th June. Delivery should be 4-5 weeks after that.

I've been in touch with my local detailer to discuss what protection the new car should get, having politely declined the dealer's offer of Autoglym Lifeshine. If they knew me, they wouldn't even have asked. :) So I'm probably going to go with CQuartz Finest. The only downside is that the coating needs 24 hours in the dry to cure properly. I've also asked him to do the interior. So all in all the detailer has asked for the car for 2.5 days to complete everything. Still, I'm confident this will give it the best possible start in life.

Still mulling over GAP insurance. Quotes online via Autotrader (underwritten by Lloyds) are a much more realistic £240 vs. the £800 the dealer quoted.

So that's me for now. Noughts and crosses anyone?
 
  • Like
Reactions: DAYTONA 500, Rich M, dpaz and 2 others
I'll Play!
I'm in the same predicament - so fed-up of waiting now!
Dealer said mine had provisionally moved foward from BW 20 to 18, but I called Audi CS yesterday (now that I've got my order number) and they said the system still shows BW 20!
I've not had a new car detail before but been doing some research and also want to go with the CQuartz - unfortunately there is no one local to me who can do this.
Can I ask which detailer you're talking to? I would really like 'beau technique' to do mine, but as you say need the car for a couple of days and they are about 50 miles from me.

In my experience, the dealer will try again with GAP insurance when you collect (at a greatly reduced price) last time they even called me a few days later reducing it even further! I still didn't bother.
 
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
Can I ask which detailer you're talking to? I would really like 'beau technique' to do mine, but as you say need the car for a couple of days and they are about 50 miles from me.

In my experience, the dealer will try again with GAP insurance when you collect (at a greatly reduced price) last time they even called me a few days later reducing it even further! I still didn't bother.

Sure but it'll be too far for you unless you fancy a weekend away at Newbury Races! :)
DMC Home

Usual disclaimer applies, I have no connection with them other than as a satisfied customer.

The dealer already said "I can do the GAP for £515". Still no Mr Dealer.
 
Sure but it'll be too far for you unless you fancy a weekend away at Newbury Races! :)
DMC Home

Usual disclaimer applies, I have no connection with them other than as a satisfied customer.

The dealer already said "I can do the GAP for £515". Still no Mr Dealer.

My dealer threw GAP and paint/fabric protection in for free, so I would keep pushing for it
 
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
I'm going with DMC and the C-Quartz UK product. The thought of having to give up me car for 3 days isn't filling me with joy but it's a way better quote than I was given by the guy at Wokingham who just asked how much can you spend.... I said as little as possible to which he suggested I come up with a figure and then he'll do the best he could for that number. At that point he lost me and DMC secured a customer. As they are fairly local it means I don't have to drive the car far from the dealers and suffer much damage pre-detail.
 
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
That amazing, exactly how I want my car to look (except in Grey!)
I'm yet to have the debate with my dealer but I will be telling him if they wash my car I will reject it!
Its scary how much damage they can inflict.

Looks like I might have to spent a few nights in Newbury then :s4addict:
 
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
I spoke to the dealership local about DMC the other day and I said to him about how people are getting obsessive about car cleanliness.

He said there are people who are just happy with a clean car, then there are enthusiasts who want something completely different (e.g. a service they are really not set up to provide). There isn't enough margin for them to offer this kind of detailing service as it's all about margins. I bet the AG Lifeshine product gives an amazing return for the dealer, whereas a £400 detail would cost £800+ if it was managed via the dealer.

It's amazing how good that S4 looked. I'm having my car handed over unwashed as I don't want to have to pay someone hundreds of pounds to remove the swirling from a brand new car.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
I spoke to the dealership local to DMC the other day and I said to him about how people are getting obsessive about car cleanliness.

He said there are people who are just happy with a clean car, then there are enthusiasts who want something completely different (e.g. a service they are really not set up to provide). There isn't enough margin for them to offer this kind of detailing service as it's all about margins. I bet the AG Lifeshine product gives an amazing return for the dealer, whereas a £400 detail would cost £800+ if it was managed via the dealer.

It's amazing how good that S4 looked. I'm having my car handed over unwashed as I don't want to have to pay someone hundreds of pounds to remove the swirling from a brand new car.


My wife thinks the same because I like to keep the cars clean. People don't understand why I do a pre-wash (snow foam is my favorite part) and have expensive cleaning gear. As enthusiasts this is the way we are and we like to have an awesome looking car - actually looking awesome and not a run down shed.

I have seen plenty of great cars but are un-kept by their owners, especially ones I have seen when originally looking at used S4's
 
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
Nice one Scotty76! Hope you managed to get a decent deal out of the dealers.

What spec did you go for in the end?
 
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
Yes, happy with the deal. Went for:

Phantom black with black interior
Black styling package
Audi hill-hold assist
Audi drive select
Audi quattro Sports differential
3-spoke multi-function flat-bottomed steering wheel with gear-shift paddles
Audi Parking System Plus
 
  • Like
Reactions: ScottishA4B9, DAYTONA 500 and warren_S5
Glad you got there in the end, Imo you've made the right decision and i'm sure you will enjoy the new car.
 
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
Now you need an interior light kit ;-)
 
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
I'm also in the waiting game, build late May for a late June delivery, Glacier white, sports diff, sports seats, MMI etc - now getting really impatient and about 10 weeks to go!!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
Hey Scotty, I'm just heading off the meet DMC, so thanks for the recommendation. Going to have a chat about which product and dates etc as I am going to go with them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
Have fun! Say hello! He's a busy boy, I saw this on his FB page:

Something of a rush meaning we're now booked up until mid May so if you want your car doing before Summer please get in touch soon! List of cars coming up are: Mercedes SLK, BMW 3-Series, TVR Tuscan, Porsche 911 x2, VW Golf R, new Ford Focus & Fiesta ST in Panther black, Mercedes A45 AMG, Audi Q5, VW Golf R32, Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster & Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rich M and warren_S5
Hopefully there's room for a small one!
 
Bored. I guess always having bought second hand you get them almost immediately. This is like Christmas Eve as a kid extended out over 14 weeks. I've invented a mythical delivery date of 9th July and got Wolfram Alpha to tell me "are we nearly there yet?" :)

https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=9th+July+2014

So to keep me busy... has anyone any previous experience with the Start/Stop and an S-tronic? I found a few threads on it but opinion was pretty divided on whether it was good or bad. I'm sure it will be handy for the M4 in the mornings and its car park like status.

Also, is there a short cut to put the S-tronic box back in auto? I saw mention on the TT that you can press and hold the "+" paddle. So if you knock it down using the "-" for a quick getaway you just press and hold "+" to put it back.
 
Thought the video in this thread was an interesting one for new S-Tronic owners. Whilst it's predominantly 'auto' / takes care of itself, like anything there are ways and means to get the best from it. I'm also looking to get mine mapped to remove some of the launch lag, raise the change point.

Think you're right on holding '+" to go back to Auto mode, it took me ages to realise I had to click the stick to the right to get manual mode, I just assumed I could intervene with the paddles when I wanted to take over (****** idiot!)
 
Thought the video in this thread was an interesting one for new S-Tronic owners. Whilst it's predominantly 'auto' / takes care of itself, like anything there are ways and means to get the best from it. I'm also looking to get mine mapped to remove some of the launch lag, raise the change point.

Think you're right on holding '+" to go back to Auto mode, it took me ages to realise I had to click the stick to the right to get manual mode, I just assumed I could intervene with the paddles when I wanted to take over (****** idiot!)

What video (sure I'm being dense)??

I didn't know you had to knock the stick to the right so thanks for sharing. Save me being an idiot. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: scotty76
Beer, if only, banned from alcohol, tea, coffee, fruit juice, chocolate, anything with high sugar content, anything spicy, MSG, ibuprofen, asprin....

Don't know if it would be useful to you, but I've just purchased 4 litres of Castrol 5w30 from EuroCarParts online. If you used promo code SPRING30 you get 30% off the price of the oil. The V6T is known to use a bit of oil. With discount it's £20.89 instead of £32 at Halfrauds. I'm going to keep one in the garage just in case.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rich M, scotty76 and Keef
PS: If you think you're bored now, wait till your at week 9 of bored.com. It's positively driving me (and as a result the missus) out of our minds, and it's costing me a fortune just 'distracting' myself from the wait. I've just tipped over the half way point with 8 weeks left to wait. By then I won't have the remainder of the money for the deposit, or the presence of mind to drive it properly :nyah:
 
  • Like
Reactions: elpeterol, Snake Pliskin, scotty76 and 1 other person
Beer, if only, banned from alcohol, tea, coffee, fruit juice, chocolate, anything with high sugar content, anything spicy, MSG, ibuprofen, asprin....

Don't know if it would be useful to you, but I've just purchased 4 litres of Castrol 5w30 from EuroCarParts online. If you used promo code SPRING30 you get 30% off the price of the oil. The V6T is known to use a bit of oil. With discount it's £20.89 instead of £32 at Halfrauds. I'm going to keep one in the garage just in case.

Handy, Costco has been pretty cheap recently...

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/audi-s4-a4-a4-cab-b7-chassis/212838-castrol-oils-offer-costco.html#post2116105
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rich M
How much oil does the V6T take?? My RS (2.5 - 5 cylinder) took about 6.5+ litres of oil so the Audi 6 cylinder roughly the same??
 
I didn't know about holding the + paddle to return to auto and will probably forget it again by the next time i drive the car.:shrug:
 
Seeing as it has gone quiet and everybody is waiting patiently I thought that I would go through some of my options. I went with the Drive Select as I wanted the option to adjust the dampers so I also have that damper control. Everyone seems to rave about the sports diff so I also went with it but decided against the adaptive steering. The car that I test drove did not have it and I am a bit dubious about a computer changing my steering ratio when I am not expecting it! My current car has adaptive headlights (they point around a corner!) and I reckon they are brilliant as I do a lot of driving on poorly lit country roads so I have chosen that option too. Then decided that I liked the idea of a built in sat nav, hence advanced tech pack; then big wheels and B&O so black edition. Finally (!) comfy supportive seats so super sports seats!!! I know lots of options but should be a great car which I intend to keep for a while - be interested in any thoughts.
 
Seeing as it has gone quiet and everybody is waiting patiently I thought that I would go through some of my options. I went with the Drive Select as I wanted the option to adjust the dampers so I also have that damper control. Everyone seems to rave about the sports diff so I also went with it but decided against the adaptive steering. The car that I test drove did not have it and I am a bit dubious about a computer changing my steering ratio when I am not expecting it! My current car has adaptive headlights (they point around a corner!) and I reckon they are brilliant as I do a lot of driving on poorly lit country roads so I have chosen that option too. Then decided that I liked the idea of a built in sat nav, hence advanced tech pack; then big wheels and B&O so black edition. Finally (!) comfy supportive seats so super sports seats!!! I know lots of options but should be a great car which I intend to keep for a while - be interested in any thoughts.

yes too quiet!


That's a nice spec, I've gone with:-

Super Sports seats (Black)
Through load (no choice!)
Technology package High
Door mirrors - electrically folding and auto dimming
Tyre pressure loss indicator
Storage package
Interior light pack
Heated front seats
Audi drive select
Damper control
Dynamic steering
quattro Sports diff
Parking System Advanced
Phone prep - High with Connect

My current car has convenience pack, but as I'm the only one who drives the car, never really benefited from it so didn't bother!
I like advance key but not for that money!
In terms of the sports diff, damper & Steering - the S5 sportback I had for a demo had them, but to be honest
I wasn't sure if I needed them - but as I'm keeping this one for a while, I wasn't going to risk not having them!
 
  • Like
Reactions: warren_S5
A very nice spec - similar to mine but I do not have the dynamic steering. I found the number of choices amazing and it was difficult not to go with everything until I looked at the bill!! The dealer wasn't that helpful but the forums have been really useful - take most with a pinch of salt but you can get a good feel for how useful some options are. I also found that Audi options seemed cheaper compared to the BMW/Merc equivalent.
 
I have a similar spec, like you I didn't order the adaptive steering.

- S4 Avant Black Edition, Ibis white
- Drive Select with Sports diff and dampers
- Technology pack high
- Parking System Advanced
- Convenience pack
- Front and rear heated seats
- Super Sport Seats
- Leather door arm rests
- Tyre pressure monitor (pfff £75 option)
- Reversible load mat
- Load through
- Storage pack
- A few accessories

Seen a lot of 14 plate Audi's out and about today so come on Audi get mine built already.
 
I've started to see a lot more Audi '14 plates around in the last couple of days, saw this yesterday which would have done me nicely
Image
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ash B, Rich M and elpeterol
A bit of light relief this evening. I don't think this dealer has quite got the idea of carwow. What's worse is they don't seem to be passing on all the Audi Finance deposit contribution!

carwow-nodiscount.png
 

Similar threads