Steering Issues - 2013

[afig367]

I spoke to a lemon lawyer this morning (purely out of curiosity.... I'm not considering doing anything with the car), and he suggested that the biggest problem with Audis (i.e., the one they care about most re: a fix) is excessive oil consumption. His point was that manufacturers have to look at all of their model lines, engines, etc., and they prioritize what to fix based on how pervasive the issue is, it's likelihood to cause expensive damage, etc., and that they probably care more about the oil issue than they do steering.

Anyway, that was just one guy's opinion, and he was in no way discounting the steering problems we're having.

I did get the impression, though, that the "We're working on it" TSB is little more than an effort to keep cars out of the service bays. Per the law, if you're car is in more than 3x for the same problem, or 30 days, you have a strong case that your car is a lemon. So now when you call up and say you have a steering problem and you get a response like, "No need to come in. They're working on a problem," that really only serves to protect AoA. That said, you can force the appointment.

[R&R72]

I am (or was) thinking about buying a new 2013 S4 but this whole steering thing has me a little freaked. The sales guys at two different dealerships both claim ignorance by saying that they never heard of any of the steering issues until I recently bought them up. Is it somehow possible that at this point after hundreds if not thousands of posts about this all over the internet and the release of the March 18 TSB that any Audi dealer in the US could possibly claim with a straight face to not know about these issues??

[handruin]

I am (or was) thinking about buying a new 2013 S4 but this whole steering thing has me a little freaked. The sales guys at two different dealerships both claim ignorance by saying that they never heard of any of the steering issues until I recently bought them up. Is it somehow possible that at this point after hundreds if not thousands of posts about this all over the internet and the release of the March 18 TSB that any Audi dealer in the US could possibly claim with a straight face to not know about these issues??

The sales people may not know all the technical issues and it's in their favor to not discuss them and plead ignorance. If you're aware of the issue from this forum then what are you to gain from getting the sales person to acknowledge it? It's a strange tactic if you're trying to use it as leverage for reducing the purchase price. You could go talk to the service department to get more information than the sales people if you want more/less information than you'll find here.

[ThemisN]

Pardon me if I havent caught on to this yet, but does the issue present itself from the beginning of ownership, or after several thousand miles? I havent felt it yet with my S4 that I picked up this weekend, so Im surious.

[handruin]

Pardon me if I havent caught on to this yet, but does the issue present itself from the beginning of ownership, or after several thousand miles? I havent felt it yet with my S4 that I picked up this weekend, so Im surious.

It can take several thousand miles. I didn't see my first real notch issue until near 9K miles but had a feeling of a loose issue much earlier on. Mine was a bit atypical from the other people reporting their issues in this thread. Perhaps now that it has been warmer out I'm not noticing the notch issue much any more.

[R&R72]

Thanks. Nope - not trying to use it as leverage at all. Just on a fact finding mission to help determine whether to plunk down $50k+ on a new car with apparently known issues. Now knowing about the issues I think it would be strange for anyone to NOT ask a dealer about the issues before making the decision to buy.

[handruin]

Thanks. Nope - not trying to use it as leverage at all. Just on a fact finding mission to help determine whether to plunk down $50k+ on a new car with apparently known issues. Now knowing about the issues I think it would be strange for anyone to NOT ask a dealer about the issues before making the decision to buy.

This forum thread is about the best you'll find for info on the issue unless you find someone on the inside of Audi that can share more details. I wasn't meaning to fault you for getting more info before purchasing the car. I was just surprised that you seemed bothered by the sales people not knowing so I was suggesting you talk to the service people. Even there you'll find one dealerships aren't as much in the know about the issue as others.

As for wether or not to buy the S4 because of this possible issue...that's a tough call. Some forum members have had the issue far worse than others. Mine is annoying but it wouldn't keep me from buying the vehicle.

[R&R72]

Everything you say makes sense and is very much appreciated. To clarify, I really wasn't bothered that the sales guys claimed not to know but I just felt it seemed kind of unusual.

In any event does it make a difference, at least with respect to the rack issue and not necessarily with the software issue, when the car was built? For example, if there is an S4 on the lot built 4-5 months ago vs. one built 1-2 months ago? Apologies in advance if this has already been discussed. Thanks.

[handruin]

Everything you say makes sense and is very much appreciated. To clarify, I really wasn't bothered that the sales guys claimed not to know but I just felt it seemed kind of unusual.

In any event does it make a difference, at least with respect to the rack issue and not necessarily with the software issue, when the car was built? For example, if there is an S4 on the lot built 4-5 months ago vs. one built 1-2 months ago? Apologies in advance if this has already been discussed. Thanks.

I unfortunately don't have enough information to answer your question regarding the build dates correlated with the issue or even specific parts. Maybe someone else can answer you better on that topic. I know this was discussed several times throughout this thread but I wasn't able to get a clear answer myself. I do know that the few people who have had their rack replaced showed that there was a different part number for the new rack replaced. Now the question I don't have an answer for is if the S4s that are built more recently have the newer part or not. My 2013 S4 was one of the early ones built for 2013. I picked it up early July 2012. I haven't verified but I suspect I would have the original steering rack produced.