S7 reliability/expensive repairs?

[ned3000]

Hello,

I'm thinking of getting a used S7, probably a 2013 w/ ~40000 miles. I'm wondering if there's anything I'd need to worry about for major maintenance issues up to 100000 (or possible beyond that) miles. I understand that parts won't likely be cheap and some things will go, but I'm concerned about big stuff, like "your transmission needs to be replaced and it's $12,000". I remember reading about people paying hugs sums when the rear sport differential died on the model I have now (2012 S5). For one thing, I imagine that the turbos might need to replaced at some point. Anyone have an idea what that might cost?

[AjaxGT]

I'm in a similar situation to you, except with an A6 that just went out of warranty. I decided to just self insure it and have money aside in case something breaks (fingers crossed!). I'd imagine with an S6/7 there are probably much higher costs associated with it so I would be more leery. I'm sure a lot of it comes down to how it's being driven. You could always get an extended warranty on it, but my reasoning was that at the end of the day, the insurance company is a business too, so their average total payout most likely ends up being significantly less than the cost of the warranty itself.

[Qweklain]

I find the general "rule of thumb" on turbo reliability is generally having them rebuilt/replaced somewhere in the 75-100k mile range. Some turbos last longer than others, blah blah, I am just saying that seems to be the average for most factory turbos. I have no idea what the cost would be on a rebuild/replacement on these turbos.

Assuming there is nothing wrong already, the motor and trans should be stout, especially if the car has not been tuned. The only transmission concern will be maybe the clutches, but unless it is driven on the track constantly or tons of hard launches, I really do not see this being a concern until a good chunk into 100k+. I think upgraded clutches are a little under $2k.

The biggest concern mechanically I would say is going to be turbo piping. I had all the piping replaced on my 13' S8 replaced due to a hairline crack under warranty and my dealership told me that it is not that uncommon for that to happen. Could have just been "growing pains" with the new Hot-V setup of the early-gen 4.0TFSi.

The most likely scenario of things going wrong are going to be electronics.

[MadAboutCars]

Qweklain, S8 to S6, same year. What was your reason for that and how did they compare?

[Qweklain]

Qweklain, S8 to S6, same year. What was your reason for that and how did they compare?

Oops, that was a typo! I actually got a 2016 S6.

To answer your question of S8 to S6 though, the S8 was too big for me as a single guy with no children. The interior was better in the S8 (I had the Boloa Brown Audi Design package and brown is my favorite interior color), had a more ergonomic layout for the center MMI controls and buttons, and it was fully loaded minus the rear entertainment package. However, the S6 is far more enjoyable to drive and I never used the massage function of the seats and the seats, even when they were as tight as you could set them, were a bit too large for me for aggressive driving. The sport seats in my 16' S6 are more fitting and have a bit better lateral support.

If you do a lot of traveling like I did when I bought the S8, that thing is a cruising dream with plenty of punch and CAN handle a corner as well or better than cars half its size. However, if you want a car that is much better for the driving experience and/or you plan on tracking, S6 or S7 is the much better route. I tracked the S8 (autocross), I beat people in cars that I had no business beating (driver mods needed on their part probably, but meh) and it was fun not only for people telling me they have never seen something so large at an autocross event, but being surprised by the times it was putting down.

One really disappointing feature of the S8 was no bottle "slot" in the door pockets like the B8/C7 chassis (even though the S8 is bigger? WTF), NO FUCKING USB PORTS, and it was only 2G which is useless in my opinion. Also the fact that the rear seats could not be folded down was aggravating at times. When I transported the tires in it, I had to put one in the trunk and three on the back seats. In the S6, I can fold the rear seats down and all four tires fit no problem without all that weight sitting on the leather seats.

The 2016 S6 has all the missing features the S8 should have had and more. Also the new Nvidia Tegra chip for the MMI is night and day in response and visuals for the display. On startup, sometimes the MMI would take up to 15-20 seconds for the S8 to be capable of interacting with. In the S6 it is five seconds or less and some of the visuals are a little nicer/fancier. The DSG in the S6 is also snappier/faster and responds instantly to the paddle actions where-as the S8 would need like half a second or so sometimes to downshift with the paddles. Believe it or not, the DSG is also smoother in the lower gears, but I mainly attribute this to the fact that the 8-Tip wanted to short shift out of first WAY too quick and cause it to shift slowly.

The DSG, being basically a manual that is computer controlled, holds first longer and allows it to shift smoothly into second with no fuss or short-shift BS. The only time Ireally "feel" the shifts in the S6 is on the 2-1 downshift either manually or when it does it in S.

My S6 is pretty much fully loaded except for night vision and the alcantara headliner. It is Daytona Grey Pearl with the Arras Red Audi Design interior.

[Djpeaksd]

Oops, that was a typo! I actually got a 2016 S6.

To answer your question of S8 to S6 though, the S8 was too big for me as a single guy with no children. The interior was better in the S8 (I had the Boloa Brown Audi Design package and brown is my favorite interior color), had a more ergonomic layout for the center MMI controls and buttons, and it was fully loaded minus the rear entertainment package. However, the S6 is far more enjoyable to drive and I never used the massage function of the seats and the seats, even when they were as tight as you could set them, were a bit too large for me for aggressive driving. The sport seats in my 16' S6 are more fitting and have a bit better lateral support.

If you do a lot of traveling like I did when I bought the S8, that thing is a cruising dream with plenty of punch and CAN handle a corner as well or better than cars half its size. However, if you want a car that is much better for the driving experience and/or you plan on tracking, S6 or S7 is the much better route. I tracked the S8 (autocross), I beat people in cars that I had no business beating (driver mods needed on their part probably, but meh) and it was fun not only for people telling me they have never seen something so large at an autocross event, but being surprised by the times it was putting down.

One really disappointing feature of the S8 was no bottle "slot" in the door pockets like the B8/C7 chassis (even though the S8 is bigger? WTF), NO FUCKING USB PORTS, and it was only 2G which is useless in my opinion. Also the fact that the rear seats could not be folded down was aggravating at times. When I transported the tires in it, I had to put one in the trunk and three on the back seats. In the S6, I can fold the rear seats down and all four tires fit no problem without all that weight sitting on the leather seats.

The 2016 S6 has all the missing features the S8 should have had and more. Also the new Nvidia Tegra chip for the MMI is night and day in response and visuals for the display. On startup, sometimes the MMI would take up to 15-20 seconds for the S8 to be capable of interacting with. In the S6 it is five seconds or less and some of the visuals are a little nicer/fancier. The DSG in the S6 is also snappier/faster and responds instantly to the paddle actions where-as the S8 would need like half a second or so sometimes to downshift with the paddles. Believe it or not, the DSG is also smoother in the lower gears, but I mainly attribute this to the fact that the 8-Tip wanted to short shift out of first WAY too quick and cause it to shift slowly.

The DSG, being basically a manual that is computer controlled, holds first longer and allows it to shift smoothly into second with no fuss or short-shift BS. The only time Ireally "feel" the shifts in the S6 is on the 2-1 downshift either manually or when it does it in S.

My S6 is pretty much fully loaded except for night vision and the alcantara headliner. It is Daytona Grey Pearl with the Arras Red Audi Design interior.

Thanks for that write up! Im shopping for a fully loaded 2016 S6 right now! I haven't seen the Arras red interior in person. Is it more of a bright red or more of brick red? Also did you happen to listen to the Bose and the Bang & Olufsen side by side? Cause personally I am not a fan of Bose at all but that B&O comes at a hefty price. I am an audio guy big time and enjoy music a lot. In my wifes 2016 Volvo xc90 I opted for the Bowers and Wilkens 19 speaker system and it is amazing but I think it was only $3,000. Any feedback would be great.

Thanks,
Jesse

[Qweklain]

Thanks for that write up! Im shopping for a fully loaded 2016 S6 right now! I haven't seen the Arras red interior in person. Is it more of a bright red or more of brick red? Also did you happen to listen to the Bose and the Bang & Olufsen side by side? Cause personally I am not a fan of Bose at all but that B&O comes at a hefty price. I am an audio guy big time and enjoy music a lot. In my wifes 2016 Volvo xc90 I opted for the Bowers and Wilkens 19 speaker system and it is amazing but I think it was only $3,000. Any feedback would be great.

Thanks,
Jesse

The Arras Red is much more of a dark ruby-like red. Look up a C6 Corvette in Magnetic Red and imagine it without the gloss of a clear-coat (matte if you will). In videos it looks bright red/red-orange, but in person it is dark red and looks AMAZING.

I am a Hi-Fi audio guy and the B&O is night and day difference in sound quality. Not only for lows, mids, and highs, but also for dispersion. The surround effect is real and it works great. It did in the S8 and it works just as well in the S6. It is an expensive option, but it will be on of those options you will forever regret not getting if you pass on it and always think "Man, I should of sprung for the B&O" whenever you listen to music. Obviously it will never sound as good as a $50k+ home hi-fi setup, but for a car it is going to be about as good as it will get.

[Djpeaksd]

The Arras Red is much more of a dark ruby-like red. Look up a C6 Corvette in Magnetic Red and imagine it without the gloss of a clear-coat (matte if you will). In videos it looks bright red/red-orange, but in person it is dark red and looks AMAZING.

I am a Hi-Fi audio guy and the B&O is night and day difference in sound quality. Not only for lows, mids, and highs, but also for dispersion. The surround effect is real and it works great. It did in the S8 and it works just as well in the S6. It is an expensive option, but it will be on of those options you will forever regret not getting if you pass on it and always think "Man, I should of sprung for the B&O" whenever you listen to music.

Yeah, i knew you were gonna say that about the B&O, hahaha! Maybe the Arras red is like my current interior in my Lexus GS? I have Cabernet interior. Picture looks more brown then actual but I guess I will just have to find a local S6 with the arras and see for myself.

[tonymission]

My S6 had the Arras red interior and everyone commented on it. Here's before I had all my stuff hard wired... little embarrassed by that cable there :X

[MadAboutCars]

Oops, that was a typo! I actually got a 2016 S6.

To answer your question of S8 to S6 though, the S8 was too big for me as a single guy with no children. The interior was better in the S8 (I had the Boloa Brown Audi Design package and brown is my favorite interior color), had a more ergonomic layout for the center MMI controls and buttons, and it was fully loaded minus the rear entertainment package. However, the S6 is far more enjoyable to drive and I never used the massage function of the seats and the seats, even when they were as tight as you could set them, were a bit too large for me for aggressive driving. The sport seats in my 16' S6 are more fitting and have a bit better lateral support.

If you do a lot of traveling like I did when I bought the S8, that thing is a cruising dream with plenty of punch and CAN handle a corner as well or better than cars half its size. However, if you want a car that is much better for the driving experience and/or you plan on tracking, S6 or S7 is the much better route. I tracked the S8 (autocross), I beat people in cars that I had no business beating (driver mods needed on their part probably, but meh) and it was fun not only for people telling me they have never seen something so large at an autocross event, but being surprised by the times it was putting down.

One really disappointing feature of the S8 was no bottle "slot" in the door pockets like the B8/C7 chassis (even though the S8 is bigger? WTF), NO FUCKING USB PORTS, and it was only 2G which is useless in my opinion. Also the fact that the rear seats could not be folded down was aggravating at times. When I transported the tires in it, I had to put one in the trunk and three on the back seats. In the S6, I can fold the rear seats down and all four tires fit no problem without all that weight sitting on the leather seats.

The 2016 S6 has all the missing features the S8 should have had and more. Also the new Nvidia Tegra chip for the MMI is night and day in response and visuals for the display. On startup, sometimes the MMI would take up to 15-20 seconds for the S8 to be capable of interacting with. In the S6 it is five seconds or less and some of the visuals are a little nicer/fancier. The DSG in the S6 is also snappier/faster and responds instantly to the paddle actions where-as the S8 would need like half a second or so sometimes to downshift with the paddles. Believe it or not, the DSG is also smoother in the lower gears, but I mainly attribute this to the fact that the 8-Tip wanted to short shift out of first WAY too quick and cause it to shift slowly.

The DSG, being basically a manual that is computer controlled, holds first longer and allows it to shift smoothly into second with no fuss or short-shift BS. The only time Ireally "feel" the shifts in the S6 is on the 2-1 downshift either manually or when it does it in S.

My S6 is pretty much fully loaded except for night vision and the alcantara headliner. It is Daytona Grey Pearl with the Arras Red Audi Design interior.

Ah, *2016* S6. That makes more sense. Agree about the S8 rear seats being a negative and interesting about the other things, especially the transmission. I guess there is good reason why Audi puts the DSG is everything sporty, that will not overload it, even the new V10 R8.

[Qweklain]

My S6 had the Arras red interior and everyone commented on it. Here's before I had all my stuff hard wired... little embarrassed by that cable there :X

This is a good photo that closely shows how it really looks. Tonymission, I think my car is essentially a clone of yours! I think I remember coming across your "new car" post and it had all the same options too while I was waiting for mine to be delivered.

Ah, *2016* S6. That makes more sense. Agree about the S8 rear seats being a negative and interesting about the other things, especially the transmission. I guess there is good reason why Audi puts the DSG is everything sporty, that will not overload it, even the new V10 R8.

I imagine that the transmission oddity was an early model "growing pain feature." I know the DSGs that I had driven in earlier model S4s and S6s were jerky and not-exactly-smooth in lower gears, but my S6 is smooth as glass almost all the time, regardless of driving behavior. So I imagine that the newer/updated TCU for the 8-Tip is probably smooth too and eliminated that small annoyance I had with it. If you got into the throttle a bit aggressively off the line to get it past at least 2100RPMs before the 1-2 shift, it was smooth. If you just gently accelerated from a stop, it would shift at about 1700-1800 and shift real slow and ugly like the B5/B6 Tips.