S4 B8 Reliability (modded)

[VIPER86]

Hey,

my name is Kamil, i'm from Germany and 26 years old. I have my '11 S4 6MT for about a year now and very happy with it but ist time to get a tune.

I'm active in this forum since 2010 especially in the B8 S4 section and its very interesting that almost all of you have mods, push the car on the track and I heard nothing about reliability issues yet.

Anyway i'm still not sure to pull the trigger or not but maybe you can help me a bit to make the right decision ;)


Please excuse my poor english.

Thanks

[BirdmanQ5]

Bilder, bitte.

Courtesy of Free Translation.

[xmikegx]

No reliability issues here. I get my oil changed every 5k using oem filters and oil. I push the car most of the time I'm driving it. No oil burning issues, limp mode, CELs, or overheating at all.

[ghst868]

Indem dein S4 Schaltgetriebe hat muss du dir eigentlich keine Sorgen machen wenn du das Auto tunest. Normalerweise sind es die S4s mit der Doppelkupplung die Probleme entwickeln wenn die getunt werden. Also ich wuerde mir keine Sorgen machen den S4 zu tunen.

[VIPER86]

war ich jetzt so unglaubwürdig ?


http://abload.de/image.php?img=audizinew9an5.jpg

[afig367]

I don't have a tune, but like you and others, I follow the boards closely. There appear to be far more issues that Audi *says* are the result of the tune (and, therefore, not covered by warranty) than what are actually caused by the tune itself. Known and/or common issues (excessive oil consumption, carbon buildup in the engine, etc.) as well as completely unrelated things (air conditioning problems) have been denied because of TD1.

Here in the U.S., only STaSIS offers a factory-matching warranty, but my understanding is that the European tuners (ABT and MTM) also match the warranty. Your best bet may be going with one of them.

[ghst868]

Ich wuerde dir das Chip tuning von APR empfehlen. ABT und MTM habe keine gute Bewertungen.

Hier auf dem Forum, Leute wollen gerne ein Bild von deinen Auto sehen, um zu sehen wie du dein Auto modifierziest hast. Z.B was fuer Felgen, Fahrwerk, Auspuss, etc. Es ist nicht so das du jemand beweisen musst das du einen S4 besitzt.

[schirm]

English Please this post has English people interested as well.

[VIPER86]

Sorry schirm

If I decide to get the tune, then i'll go APR, MTM and Abt are way too expensive and make much less power than APR.

[schirm]

No big deal, This just has been on my mind also, because my warranty date is almost up. I have been looking into tunes as well, I am most likely going with APR or GIAC once warranty ends.

[VIPER86]

I only uploaded the picture due to the fact that in german forums, people often want to see pictures of the car to prove that you really own it. Thats because of faked threads like "I'm 18 years old, have a drivers-licence since 3 days and have a problem with my aventador"

[MrFunk]

The tunes avail for the 3.0t are actually pretty tame. None of the tunes put the engine in danger of exceeding limits. Even the stage 2 pulley kits are well within parameters. Some would even consider a tuned S4 to as "stock"... especially compared to the sorts of mods you see on the 1.8t's or mods put on American muscle vehicles or Japanese vehicles...

You should expect virtually the same reliability with a tune that you get with a 100% stock vehicle.

[apexit1]

**Most** of the tunes. But i agree aside from the one shop who may dyno tune the cars we only have off the shelf options, nothing custom yet.

[Pgr1990]

I had a lot of issued with my APR stage 2 car. Not sure if the car was just cursed or if the tune caused the problems. Here are links to the threads.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=490675

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=524868

[VIPER86]

I logged my car with vcds yesterday and got this error-code:


6489 - Geberrad für Motordrehzahl
P1397 00 [096] - Adaptionsgrenze erreicht
Sporadisch - unbestätigt - geprüft seit letzter Löschung
Freeze Frame:
Fehlerstatus: 00000001
Fehlerpriorität: 2
Fehlerhäufigkeit: 1
Kilometerstand: 28873 km
Datum: 2013.07.06
Zeit: 16:24:03

Readiness: 0000 0000

In english:

P1397 Engine speed wheel Adaptation limit reached

I think my car dont want a tune! :(

[PitchS4]

From what I have seen it seems most of the issues people have are with the warranty and NOT with an actual problem relating to a tune. There are some folks that have gone through clutches but I relate that to driving style. If you don't drop the clutch and are reasonable with your shifts it should be fine.

[MrFunk]

From what I have seen it seems most of the issues people have are with the warranty and NOT with an actual problem relating to a tune. There are some folks that have gone through clutches but I relate that to driving style. If you don't drop the clutch and are reasonable with your shifts it should be fine.

+1 = completely agree...

[westwest888]

Hey,

my name is Kamil, i'm from Germany and 26 years old. I have my '11 S4 6MT for about a year now and very happy with it but ist time to get a tune.

I'm active in this forum since 2010 especially in the B8 S4 section and its very interesting that almost all of you have mods, push the car on the track and I heard nothing about reliability issues yet.

Anyway i'm still not sure to pull the trigger or not but maybe you can help me a bit to make the right decision ;)


Please excuse my poor english.

Thanks

Whenever you mod the car, you're backing out the 2-3 years of testing Audi did on the car and replacing it with a product that has had a maximum of 1 year of R&D and has been tested on fewer cars. For the most part it works great. Sometimes it leaves something lacking and you mod it again. That's more about fit, than about reliability. The new part will be more aggressive and has to fit you as an owner. Most people on the resale market will not want your mod. It's about personalizing your vehicle to your needs. Track is one of those needs.

Reliability is masked because this is an excessively reliable car. Most people will own them for 3-5 years and only have to get them serviced about once a year. A better question to ask yourself is, "would I mod the car if it had 120,000 miles on it already?" That is when reliability problems would be surfacing, and some mods could aggravate those.

Germany is kind of a shitty place to mod because of the strict laws about cars/licenses/driving and strict law enforcement. You guys can't even tint your windows or omit a front license plate. Exhausts are supposed to meet the EU standard.

Most Americans on this board think the Autobahn is some kind of fast and furious street race, when in fact most of their driving would get them a ticket quickly. Passing on the right? Ticket. Autobahns are as clogged up as any US interstate, but all of the cars have about 100-200 less horsepower. Even if your car is fast enough to go 125 MPH and the road is clear, you burn gasoline at about the rate of 1 euro a minute at that speed. So you also need to be rich, which is hard in Germany because of labor laws.

Notable exception for the US soldiers in Germany, who work at bases in the middle of nowhere, work odd hours to support deployments in countries we're at war with or otherwise occupying, and don't get taxed on the first $85k of their money earned abroad so they spend like wild.

[littleredwagen]

Whenever you mod the car, you're backing out the 2-3 years of testing Audi did on the car and replacing it with a product that has had a maximum of 1 year of R&D and has been tested on fewer cars. For the most part it works great. Sometimes it leaves something lacking and you mod it again. That's more about fit, than about reliability. The new part will be more aggressive and has to fit you as an owner. Most people on the resale market will not want your mod. It's about personalizing your vehicle to your needs. Track is one of those needs.

Reliability is masked because this is an excessively reliable car. Most people will own them for 3-5 years and only have to get them serviced about once a year. A better question to ask yourself is, "would I mod the car if it had 120,000 miles on it already?" That is when reliability problems would be surfacing, and some mods could aggravate those.

Germany is kind of a shitty place to mod because of the strict laws about cars/licenses/driving and strict law enforcement. You guys can't even tint your windows or omit a front license plate. Exhausts are supposed to meet the EU standard.

Most Americans on this board think the Autobahn is some kind of fast and furious street race, when in fact most of their driving would get them a ticket quickly. Passing on the right? Ticket. Autobahns are as clogged up as any US interstate, but all of the cars have about 100-200 less horsepower. Even if your car is fast enough to go 125 MPH and the road is clear, you burn gasoline at about the rate of 1 euro a minute at that speed. So you also need to be rich, which is hard in Germany because of labor laws.

Notable exception for the US soldiers in Germany, who work at bases in the middle of nowhere, work odd hours to support deployments in countries we're at war with or otherwise occupying, and don't get taxed on the first $85k of their money earned abroad so they spend like wild.

Many of things you indicate are issues are not, and I prefer it that way. I drove quite a few miles around Germany a few years ago (some of those miles in a V10 R8) adn I have to say, it was the most relaxing and fast driving I have done. Their driving laws work, and people are taught to drive correct. There are still a few sections on the autobahns where there are no speed limits, but the national speed limit is 130kph (which means any accident above that is partially your fault). Interestingly most of the fuel tax (at least then) went into the roads, and it shows. Finally the congestion and traffic is nothing like the NYC tristate area. Any mods to cars over there need to be TUV approved and they enforce it as opposed to being DOT approved and no one giving a damn. They still have plenty of modded cars, went to a few shows when I was there.

[richib86]

Many of things you indicate are issues are not, and I prefer it that way. I drove quite a few miles around Germany a few years ago (some of those miles in a V10 R8) adn I have to say, it was the most relaxing and fast driving I have done. Their driving laws work, and people are taught to drive correct. There are still a few sections on the autobahns where there are no speed limits, but the national speed limit is 130kph (which means any accident above that is partially your fault). Interestingly most of the fuel tax (at least then) went into the roads, and it shows. Finally the congestion and traffic is nothing like the NYC tristate area. Any mods to cars over there need to be TUV approved and they enforce it as opposed to being DOT approved and no one giving a damn. They still have plenty of modded cars, went to a few shows when I was there.
whoa whats up matt, when did you get into a b8? dont waste time with westwest you'll have an easier time getting directions from a blind mute than you will getting through to him..

[s4buckeye]

Haha LWR - voice from the past in the B6/B7 forums! Congrats on the new S4.

What happened to the LRW itself? My buddy swore he saw my Avant driving in SF with gold rims, but he wasn't sure.

[littleredwagen]

whoa whats up matt, when did you get into a b8? dont waste time with westwest you'll have an easier time getting directions from a blind mute than you will getting through to him..

hahahahaha, Picked the B8 not quite a month ago.

[richib86]

hahahahaha, Picked the B8 not quite a month ago.

congrats man, lemmie know if ur going to edgewater ever and we can meet up

[littleredwagen]

Haha LWR - voice from the past in the B6/B7 forums! Congrats on the new S4.

What happened to the LRW itself? My buddy swore he saw my Avant driving in SF with gold rims, but he wasn't sure.

Thanks, yeah the B6 was turned in, in January of 2012 and auctioned off. Last I heard it was spotted on good friday at a used car dealer's lot with the motor out again. Just sold my Stage 3 B5 S4 so I have been in the S4 game still



congrats man, lemmie know if ur going to edgewater ever and we can meet up

cool, does edge still happen haven't been in forever

[s4buckeye]

Thanks, yeah the B6 was turned in, in January of 2012 and auctioned off. Last I heard it was spotted on good friday at a used car dealer's lot with the motor out again. Just sold my Stage 3 B5 S4 so I have been in the S4 game still

nice. your wagon was always sweet: 6mt and the fastest color.

[The_Transporter]

Whenever you mod the car, you're backing out the 2-3 years of testing Audi did on the car and replacing it with a product that has had a maximum of 1 year of R&D and has been tested on fewer cars. For the most part it works great. Sometimes it leaves something lacking and you mod it again. That's more about fit, than about reliability. The new part will be more aggressive and has to fit you as an owner. Most people on the resale market will not want your mod. It's about personalizing your vehicle to your needs. Track is one of those needs.

Reliability is masked because this is an excessively reliable car. Most people will own them for 3-5 years and only have to get them serviced about once a year. A better question to ask yourself is, "would I mod the car if it had 120,000 miles on it already?" That is when reliability problems would be surfacing, and some mods could aggravate those.

Germany is kind of a shitty place to mod because of the strict laws about cars/licenses/driving and strict law enforcement. You guys can't even tint your windows or omit a front license plate. Exhausts are supposed to meet the EU standard.

Most Americans on this board think the Autobahn is some kind of fast and furious street race, when in fact most of their driving would get them a ticket quickly. Passing on the right? Ticket. Autobahns are as clogged up as any US interstate, but all of the cars have about 100-200 less horsepower. Even if your car is fast enough to go 125 MPH and the road is clear, you burn gasoline at about the rate of 1 euro a minute at that speed. So you also need to be rich, which is hard in Germany because of labor laws.

Notable exception for the US soldiers in Germany, who work at bases in the middle of nowhere, work odd hours to support deployments in countries we're at war with or otherwise occupying, and don't get taxed on the first $85k of their money earned abroad so they spend like wild.

You are wrong on so many levels that it hurts my face. Your synopsis of Deutschland is hearsay, speculation and Internet-derived old wives tales..

On the pretext of tuning, the B8's have been running 'modded' for uhhh... Almost 4years....? Lots of people who can attest to thrashing the 3.0T for many many miles

Also, just a side-note: Germany is one of the most powerful economies in the world right now...
Enjoy
http://m.thelocal.de/national/20130619-50405.html

[Buckeye_S4]

English Please this post has English people interested as well.


http://translate.google.com/

[adbender]

I have had the vehicle for 4 years now and tuned for 2.5.

Yet to have a reliability issue attributed to a mod or tune that wasn't beyond an adjustment.

The powerplant and drive train have been super solid. All the other stuff has been sensors or plastic stock parts that malfunctioned.

Overall, my B6 was more reliable but way less of an engineering feat.

[westwest888]

Bunch of Germany experts. How many of you have done european delivery on a car? And then stayed at your family's house in Germany? All I know is when I was there in 2005 picking up my BMW I was the only person with an e90, much less a gasoline version, much less any car with over 1999cc, much less any car with over 150 HP. It looked like a fairly modest place to me. Everyone tooling around in 4 speed Ford Fiestas with 155/60 15" wheels. When I cranked up the car to 155 MPH I used 30 euros of gas in 30 minutes of triple digit driving. That was at like 7 AM on a Sunday way out in the middle of nowhere. Everywhere else you could only go 80 MPH, same as California.

Any manufacturing economy is doing well with the US, China and Russia buying crap like it's going out of style. That doesn't mean it's easy for a young person to get a job there.

[The_Transporter]

Bunch of Germany experts. How many of you have done european delivery on a car? And then stayed at your family's house in Germany? All I know is when I was there in 2005 picking up my BMW I was the only person with an e90, much less a gasoline version, much less any car with over 1999cc, much less any car with over 150 HP. It looked like a fairly modest place to me. Everyone tooling around in 4 speed Ford Fiestas with 155/60 15" wheels. When I cranked up the car to 155 MPH I used 30 euros of gas in 30 minutes of triple digit driving. That was at like 7 AM on a Sunday way out in the middle of nowhere. Everywhere else you could only go 80 MPH, same as California.

Any manufacturing economy is doing well with the US, China and Russia buying crap like it's going out of style. That doesn't mean it's easy for a young person to get a job there.

So.... Your ENTIRE 'German experience' is based on ONE town?? LOL
Well... Where shall i start? Picking up my SLK55 in Affalterbach? Which i received a 7% off MSRP discount, Mercedes payed for the flight, a 'loyalty' discount, (as i owned a prior SLK32 AMG) and Mercedes PAID for shipment of the car back! (Why not? It would have to go there anyways if I ordered it)
Also, since my whole extended family lives throughout Germany, and I've spent an accumulated time of a few years in at least 5 major cities there probably not a good idea to go head-to-head with me on this.

Your slights to my family's homeland are very offensive and your narrow view of Europe is pathetic.

I obviously don't know your patient history, but have you ever suffered any major head-trauma in your life? Just curious...Many of your prior posts are very strange and convoluted.

[schirm]

I have been to Germany a shit ton of times. (Manchester)(London) I go there for work, and have family there. There is so many nice expensive ass cars there its insane, I am tempted to go find my old phone, I took so many pictures of nice cars last time I went.

[ghst868]

Bunch of Germany experts. How many of you have done european delivery on a car? And then stayed at your family's house in Germany? All I know is when I was there in 2005 picking up my BMW I was the only person with an e90, much less a gasoline version, much less any car with over 1999cc, much less any car with over 150 HP. It looked like a fairly modest place to me. Everyone tooling around in 4 speed Ford Fiestas with 155/60 15" wheels. When I cranked up the car to 155 MPH I used 30 euros of gas in 30 minutes of triple digit driving. That was at like 7 AM on a Sunday way out in the middle of nowhere. Everywhere else you could only go 80 MPH, same as California.

Any manufacturing economy is doing well with the US, China and Russia buying crap like it's going out of style. That doesn't mean it's easy for a young person to get a job there.

You seem pretty ignorant about Germany. Thats like me going to Detroit and saying everybody in the US is broke,drives a POS and lives in rundown houses.

Since you said, you were the only one with a "nice" car while you were and everybody else had fiestas. Just to put in perspective,there are more Porsche 911 GT3, GT3RS, GT2 , Audis R8, RS4, RS6, BMW M3,M5 sold in Germany than in the US.

FYI I'm German and lived 13 years in Germany.

[mcoomer]

English Please this post has English people interested as well.


http://translate.google.com/

I don't speak German either and can't help with the reliability question because my car's only a couple months old. What I can say, definitively, is that I love German cars, German beer maidens, German food, and German beer, in no particular order. When they were typing in German I just imagined that every other word was beer or schnitzel and was OK with that. Belch!

[westwest888]

I see Europe as stodgy, old, an innovation killer, completely dependent on the US for economic activity (5+ military bases), with oppressive labor laws that make it impossible for young people to get started. My cousin is about my age and couldn't hope to ever afford a car in Germany. He had to go to like 30 years of school to get a diploma when I had mine at 21. There would be no Mark Zuckerburg or Facebook if he was German. End of story. I'm about income equality and opportunity. I don't care about a few people who are real life versions of that one rich family in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm not into royalty, a ruling class, or a the 1000 rich people in Munich driving gas guzzling 6.2L.

Let's be honest. California and Tesla are killing Germany in industrial innovation. Audi copying BMW copying Mercedes is a 3 way circle jerk. They don't innovate. Their nav systems are like using 10 year old computers. They're basically beating Detroit most of the time, and having a touch more class than the Japanese cars. But Elon Musk is taking the game to a new level. He's challenging DOT rules. He's appealing NTSB standards. He's remaking the automobile.

You can't compare the value of cars in California to the value of cars in Germany. We are the biggest auto market in the world. We are the 5th biggest economy in the world in just one state. Germany is living on a budget. Tiny hotel rooms. No AC. New cars with no AC. It's not the same first world.

I've seen the whole country. Munich and the rest of Bayern. Frankfurt. Berlin. A few of the military towns. The whole country goes on vacation for about 53 weeks a year so it's hard to, for instance, tour a factory when you pick up your car because it's not operating.

Meanwhile, everyone at Tesla is working 80 hours a week 51 weeks a year.

[xmikegx]

Well this thread went straight to the shitter. Thanks west for your generalizations on modern civilization.

[Wusty]

I had a lot of issued with my APR stage 2 car. Not sure if the car was just cursed or if the tune caused the problems. Here are links to the threads.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=490675

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=524868

I just read through all of these 2 threads.........what a nightmare. Do you still have your car? Or did you sell it?

[afig367]

All politics aside (and yes, this thread has gone to the shitter), I agree with the comments on Tesla. I drove the Model S P85kw a few weeks ago and was in awe. 458 Italia power with Lexus-like comfort. The interior left a little to be desired, but the dash and center console were straight out of a spaceship. Elon Musk really is changing the game.

[steve0827]

33k miles since I was tuned at 5k and I'm fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dparm]

My car had a Stasis tune and their exhaust. I had one problem after getting the revised ("v2.0") tune, but it was minor and Stasis corrected it quickly. Other than that, the car was fine for 20k+ miles.

[junchen]

I see Europe as stodgy, old, an innovation killer, completely dependent on the US for economic activity (5+ military bases), with oppressive labor laws that make it impossible for young people to get started. My cousin is about my age and couldn't hope to ever afford a car in Germany. He had to go to like 30 years of school to get a diploma when I had mine at 21. There would be no Mark Zuckerburg or Facebook if he was German. End of story. I'm about income equality and opportunity. I don't care about a few people who are real life versions of that one rich family in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm not into royalty, a ruling class, or a the 1000 rich people in Munich driving gas guzzling 6.2L.

Let's be honest. California and Tesla are killing Germany in industrial innovation. Audi copying BMW copying Mercedes is a 3 way circle jerk. They don't innovate. Their nav systems are like using 10 year old computers. They're basically beating Detroit most of the time, and having a touch more class than the Japanese cars. But Elon Musk is taking the game to a new level. He's challenging DOT rules. He's appealing NTSB standards. He's remaking the automobile.

You can't compare the value of cars in California to the value of cars in Germany. We are the biggest auto market in the world. We are the 5th biggest economy in the world in just one state. Germany is living on a budget. Tiny hotel rooms. No AC. New cars with no AC. It's not the same first world.

I've seen the whole country. Munich and the rest of Bayern. Frankfurt. Berlin. A few of the military towns. The whole country goes on vacation for about 53 weeks a year so it's hard to, for instance, tour a factory when you pick up your car because it's not operating.

Meanwhile, everyone at Tesla is working 80 hours a week 51 weeks a year.

You talking first world? Man, your reasoning is pretty convoluted. From where I am (Singapore), the top 5 selling marques are BMW, merc, Toyota, vw and Audi. More porsches and maseratis are sold here yearly compared to mazdas and suzukis. For every Toyota corolla which you see on the roads, it costs like usd 80k. Just imagine every corolla you see on the roads as the dollar equivalent of a Porsche (maybe, as I don't know the prices in USA), and every beemer (usd 140k for brand new f30 320) the dollar equivalent of a maserati. Does that makes us Singaporeans rich or first world ? NO! We are still far away from that.

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w394/junchen81/Screenshot_2013-07-26-22-30-53.png

My pt is, In every argument it depends on how you want to frame your argument and cut out the statistics you want.

Ok end of ot.

The s4 b8 is pretty reliable even after mods. However if you are on the 7spd wet stronic, I have seen a few cases of transmission issues due to the mechatronics.

I like the Tesla. Musk is doing a good job there.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

[MailmanOdd]

Why is this westwest guy not banned for being a troll and never being on-topic?

As for the original topic, I am interested as well. I have no tune yet and I had to have my mechatronics replaced at around 15K miles. I'm more concerned about DSG issues with the tune as it sounds like the engine handles it well. Thanks for all of the input everyone.

[junchen]

@ mailman guess most of the s4s are on mt here.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

[The_Transporter]

Why is this westwest guy not banned for being a troll and never being on-topic?

Agreed. Please ban this offensive troll.

On topic, several C6 A6 3.0T's have been running stage 2 for awhile now as well. Plenty of S4's, A6's and probably some Q5's with 3.0T running a tune with no problems. (C6 A6 has the V10 S6's tiptronic transmission, so I'm not concerned about those issues :) )

[VeryBadman]

I have been debating about getting a tune for a while now but still can't make a decision. I don't track my car so the stock power is already more than enough to do anything under the limitation of laws but still I like it push me harder just for fun which probably not worth the spending for a couple second enjoyment.

[schirm]

I have been debating about getting a tune for a while now but still can't make a decision. I don't track my car so the stock power is already more than enough to do anything under the limitation of laws but still I like it push me harder just for fun which probably not worth the spending for a couple second enjoyment.

Kinda in the same boat, but I talked myself into it. I have 7k more miles until warranty is up. Can't decide on APR or GIAC, decisions decisions... I really am liking that APR can do it through OBD2 port now.

[gendry]

Schrim, speaking of reliability and tuning.... how did you blow up your A4?

[schirm]

A rocker arm broke off, dropped into the Cams. Bent 21 valves. It was ugly, but I am pretty sure when the B7 A4 people build their motors they upgrade them because of this.

[gendry]

Any idea what caused the issue? I realize it may be a combination of a ton of mods + hard driving, but maybe one mod really pushed things into the red zone?

[schirm]

I do not know the answer to that, but I can say it blew up a month after installing Meth. I know the rocker arms get weaker when redlining the car a lot, I did that every time I drove lol.

[gendry]

Wow, thanks for sharing. And you got a near stock S4. Surprised you aren't going mod crazy again. Maybe a bit spooked. . .

[SlickMachine]

I see Europe as stodgy, old, an innovation killer, completely dependent on the US for economic activity (5+ military bases), with oppressive labor laws that make it impossible for young people to get started. My cousin is about my age and couldn't hope to ever afford a car in Germany. He had to go to like 30 years of school to get a diploma when I had mine at 21. There would be no Mark Zuckerburg or Facebook if he was German. End of story. I'm about income equality and opportunity. I don't care about a few people who are real life versions of that one rich family in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm not into royalty, a ruling class, or a the 1000 rich people in Munich driving gas guzzling 6.2L.

Let's be honest. California and Tesla are killing Germany in industrial innovation. Audi copying BMW copying Mercedes is a 3 way circle jerk. They don't innovate. Their nav systems are like using 10 year old computers. They're basically beating Detroit most of the time, and having a touch more class than the Japanese cars. But Elon Musk is taking the game to a new level. He's challenging DOT rules. He's appealing NTSB standards. He's remaking the automobile.

You can't compare the value of cars in California to the value of cars in Germany. We are the biggest auto market in the world. We are the 5th biggest economy in the world in just one state. Germany is living on a budget. Tiny hotel rooms. No AC. New cars with no AC. It's not the same first world.

I've seen the whole country. Munich and the rest of Bayern. Frankfurt. Berlin. A few of the military towns. The whole country goes on vacation for about 53 weeks a year so it's hard to, for instance, tour a factory when you pick up your car because it's not operating.

Meanwhile, everyone at Tesla is working 80 hours a week 51 weeks a year.

California is broke. You are broken.

[schirm]

Wow, thanks for sharing. And you got a near stock S4. Surprised you aren't going mod crazy again. Maybe a bit spooked. . .

No, not scared those were just my younger days where I did not care... My A4 is my second car where I blew the motor. I had a Subaru Legacy GT that decided to take a shit after 4 years. I have a good carrier job now where I need a reliable/professional car, but wanted to keep it fun. I plan on tuning this car once warranty is up, I have only had it for 3 months now... I'll do some suspension stuff and stage 2 tune eventually, but nothing crazy.

[b6onboost]

A 2.0T only has 16 valves.


A rocker arm broke off, dropped into the Cams. Bent 21 valves. It was ugly, but I am pretty sure when the B7 A4 people build their motors they upgrade them because of this.

[schirm]

A 2.0T only has 16 valves.
Dyslexic or whatever its called it was 12 Oppps

[PitchS4]

No, not scared those were just my younger days where I did not care... My A4 is my second car where I blew the motor. I had a Subaru Legacy GT that decided to take a shit after 4 years. I have a good carrier job now where I need a reliable/professional car, but wanted to keep it fun. I plan on tuning this car once warranty is up, I have only had it for 3 months now... I'll do some suspension stuff and stage 2 tune eventually, but nothing crazy.

I am with you man. I had 2 heavily modded S4s in my younger days before this one when I had the time/desire to constantly tinker. It is nice to be somewhat stockish (in comparison) at this point.

[gendry]

So PitchS4 and schrim, having a history of modding + not being a representative of a product here, why don't you chime in on thoughts on what tuning will do to reliability?

I am thinking of adding a stage 2 to my EC intake + handling goodies. Don't want to significantly increase engine wear or cause other issues. (no DSG here). Its a daily driver for me too, so I don't want to cause trouble.

[schirm]

So PitchS4 and schrim, having a history of modding + not being a representative of a product here, why don't you chime in on thoughts on what tuning will do to reliability?

I am thinking of adding a stage 2 to my EC intake + handling goodies. Don't want to significantly increase engine wear or cause other issues. (no DSG here). Its a daily driver for me too, so I don't want to cause trouble.

As far as tune wise I do not think that is the worst thing for our cars. Its when you add stuff to push the timing and fueling to its limits. With my 2.0t everything on that car was maxed out for what I had, the turbo, fuel pump, valves, Rods, everything, meth Injection, 24LBS of boost on a K03 The next step was building the motor. To me that is unsafe. But when you get to our cars 3.0t with a Stage 2 tune its no where near pushing the limits of the motor. The fuel pump, SC and everything that goes with is is not maxed out, and it is still "safe".

[b6onboost]

I had my previous Audi tuned at 20k and drove it til 120k.

I had a GIAC stage 2 tune, which on that car was software + injectors. I also had an intake, upgraded hoses, basic bolt on mods. My boost doubled, from about 10psi to 20psi. I drove it everyday, hitting full boost everyday, for 100k miles. I had ZERO issues related to the tune or performance mods. The car did not require ANY additional maintenance or tinkering. It was a dead reliable and consistent tune.

I have full confidence that if you go with any of the 'big 3', APR-GIAC-REVO, you will get a perfectly reliable tune that will not harm your engine or cause you any headaches. This comes with the assumption that Audi has designed a solid motor and the tuners have stayed within the safe operating parameters of the motor. If history is any assurance, almost every forced induction Audi/VW motor of the past has been perfectly capable of safely handling increased boost. Plus you have to consider that most of the time, you aren't pushing the motor, so as long as those few seconds of WOT are still within what is safe...the additional wear will be negligible.

HOWEVER...what you have to consider is the possibility that there is a flaw in the motor, something that may break regardelss of tune, and that Audi is going to quickly blame your aftermarket tune for the failure. That is really the worse case scenario and does not happen to a vast majority of people. So that's the gamble.

[PitchS4]

As far as tune wise I do not think that is the worst thing for our cars. Its when you add stuff to push the timing and fueling to its limits. With my 2.0t everything on that car was maxed out for what I had, the turbo, fuel pump, valves, Rods, everything, meth Injection, 24LBS of boost on a K03 The next step was building the motor. To me that is unsafe. But when you get to our cars 3.0t with a Stage 2 tune its no where near pushing the limits of the motor. The fuel pump, SC and everything that goes with is is not maxed out, and it is still "safe".

I responded on the first page I don't think a tune for these cars, or even stage 2 is an issue for the engine or reliability of it. BUT that doesn't mean Audi agrees and will let you keep your warranty.

Where I have had issues in the past with related to HP upgrades is clutches, motor/trans mounts. And by issues I mean I had to replace them too with high performance parts. This is just the name of the game. Are you going to throw a rod? No.

I have also replaced countless control arms and C/V boots, but I think that is just an Audi thing and not really related to the high HP upgrades to my other S4s :)

[VIPER86]

I have the Stage 1 tune since a week now, and I am very impressed.

The car feels stronger in every aspect, has an improved throttle response and pulls very hard. In my opinion you feel an improvement all over the rev range not only in the higher rpms >4000.

I ordered all available programs Stock, 95 ROZ, 98 ROZ, 102 ROZ and choose the 102 Octane Map.

APR ftw :)

[NWS4Guy]

APR tune since 17,000 miles (the tune was not out until then, I had my car in December, 2009). I went APR exhaust first, then stage 1, now I am stage 2 and also have the Strat (Roc Euro now) intake. Zero problems related to tune or parts, and have 43,000 miles now.

[rick b]

Apr stg 2 since 6k and now have 27k. No problems here. The car is almost too fast for town roads.

Rick b.

[VIPER86]

Hello,

i noticed a squeaking noise when the steering wheel ist almost turned all the way, but only at very low speeds.

Any ideas ?

[VIPER86]

Can I hurt my engine by using 100 Octane fuel on the 98 Octane map ?

[NWS4Guy]

Can I hurt my engine by using 100 Octane fuel on the 98 Octane map ?

Technically it could, but be sure you are talking about 98 Octane (AKI) and not 98RON, which are not the same thing at all - most European countries use RON. Under low speed and slow accel it would be ok, it's when you get the engine hot, EGT's up and are hitting redline that enough timing might not pull and cause knocks to happen.

98 RON is 94-95 Octane (AKI) fuel.

[VIPER86]

I am sure its ROZ in Germany.

[Gweezil]

I have 15K miles and have been tuned since 100. I have not had any issues at all. My question is to whether this 3.0T platform with a tune, if otherwise cared for properly, has what it takes to last 8 years/125K mi without any major issues.

[bergaler]

^^ this guy. i was kind of wondering the same thing since i've got the mod bug and really want to just skip stage 1 and go straight to 2. I've only put 1k on my 13' since i got it CPO w/ 10k on it.. Im afraid to even take it into my dealership w/ a Roc Euro on it.

Do you all that have stage2 even take your cars into the dealership? If so, what for?

Also, not to get this off topic again, but that BS West was saying about Germany was offensive and i'm American. It's sad to hear from Americans so disconnected from the real world, makes the rest of us look bad to foreigners. I spent some time in Munich last summer and had a blast, so much fun. Went to the Olympic park but the M-series showcase was under construction :( I didnt get to do any driving but I just dont see how he can think everyone drives beaters when you all are the homeland for Audi, BMW, MB, Porsche.. Between all the multinational corporation buildings and upscale shopping i saw i know there are plunty of affluent individuals in the area.

[NWS4Guy]

Yep, take my car in for AudiCare, they service it and hand back the keys complimenting me on the sounds from the intake and exhaust, saying they know I am "TD1" (aka powertrain warranty void) and can tell it's an APR tune and that it really wakes the car up. Hell I have had warranty work done on the car being tuned with aftermarket parts:
- Waterpump replacement campaign
- Thermostat replacement recall
- SAI carbon buildup cleaning

[rick b]

I took my stage II to the dealership for the 5k/15k/25k services (audicare). I wasn't stage II at 5k but went from stock to stage II right after that service. I actually tell the service associate no ecu flashes please as I'm chipped...I'm crazy.

Rick b.

[F40LM]

I joined this forum 7 days ago and have seen more misinformation from westwest than I have seen from a member of any other forum in which some I've been a member of for 5+ years.

[NWS4Guy]

I joined this forum 7 days ago and have seen more misinformation from westwest than I have seen from a member of any other forum in which some I've been a member of for 5+ years.

Damn, that is sig worthy.

[YelloJello]

Just wanting to check the status of who is running the most miles on Stage 1 or 2 for the B8 without any major problems.

[NWS4Guy]

Just wanting to check the status of who is running the most miles on Stage 1 or 2 for the B8 without any major problems.

46K now, 29K of those are tuned miles, no issues as a result of the tune (stage 1, or stage 2).

[riegeraudi]

Tune away as long as you don't have DSG. If you do a search there aren't many problems with these cars beside some lemons having electrical problems and the only major problem is DSG failures. I still have a modded 2000 1.8T A4 and it was tuned two weeks after delivery and I have had zero problems with it (APR). I also have a bunch of suspension and exhaust mods and 14years without problems.

[NWS4Guy]

Tune away as long as you don't have DSG. If you do a search there aren't many problems with these cars beside some lemons having electrical problems and the only major problem is DSG failures. I still have a modded 2000 1.8T A4 and it was tuned two weeks after delivery and I have had zero problems with it (APR). I also have a bunch of suspension and exhaust mods and 14years without problems.

Says the guy who posts immediately after someone who has had a DSG B8 S4 tuned for more miles than it was stock. Don't fear monger, I have not seen a single DSG failure linked to a tune, the DSG has better TQ specs than the 6MT, the only major issues people have had with DSG are either faulty mechatronics units, which are warranty replaced, the occasional lemon which was just that (some 6MT's have been found to be faulty from the factory as well) and the odd person who says it shifts hard/clunks going into 1st or coming to a stop.

[apexit1]

I'm somewhere around 40-45k tuned no issues aside from the cold start issue.

[s4seven]

Revo tuned at Waterfest since last summer, zero issues in fact the car feels like OEM on steroids!

[levigarrett]

I see Europe as stodgy, old, an innovation killer, completely dependent on the US for economic activity (5+ military bases), with oppressive labor laws that make it impossible for young people to get started. My cousin is about my age and couldn't hope to ever afford a car in Germany. He had to go to like 30 years of school to get a diploma when I had mine at 21. There would be no Mark Zuckerburg or Facebook if he was German. End of story. I'm about income equality and opportunity. I don't care about a few people who are real life versions of that one rich family in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm not into royalty, a ruling class, or a the 1000 rich people in Munich driving gas guzzling 6.2L.

Let's be honest. California and Tesla are killing Germany in industrial innovation. Audi copying BMW copying Mercedes is a 3 way circle jerk. They don't innovate. Their nav systems are like using 10 year old computers. They're basically beating Detroit most of the time, and having a touch more class than the Japanese cars. But Elon Musk is taking the game to a new level. He's challenging DOT rules. He's appealing NTSB standards. He's remaking the automobile.

You can't compare the value of cars in California to the value of cars in Germany. We are the biggest auto market in the world. We are the 5th biggest economy in the world in just one state. Germany is living on a budget. Tiny hotel rooms. No AC. New cars with no AC. It's not the same first world.

I've seen the whole country. Munich and the rest of Bayern. Frankfurt. Berlin. A few of the military towns. The whole country goes on vacation for about 53 weeks a year so it's hard to, for instance, tour a factory when you pick up your car because it's not operating.

Meanwhile, everyone at Tesla is working 80 hours a week 51 weeks a year.

Oh, shit, here we go again with this....

You're a strange dude, honesty.

[rnkjr]

I picked up my 2013 in June 2012. APR stage 1 at 5k, now at 34k (work commute). Zero drivetrain problems. As an aside, I went with APR because of my good experience with my 2002 A6 2.7t. Ran it to 250k with an APR stage 1 tune installed at 20k. Never had a problem (sold it with the original turbos and clutch too - highway miles). Since I typically keep my cars 10 years, I am more concerned about post-warranty durability than TD1.

[jazza08]

Ran it to 250k with an APR stage 1 tune installed at 20k. Never had a problem (sold it with the original turbos and clutch too - highway miles).

You ran a stock clutch for 250,000 miles? What?

[Sim S4]

You ran a stock clutch for 250,000 miles? What?

If it's highway, then it is doable , hence it is engaged 99% of the time so won't slip, won't wear