Another newbie saying 'Hello'

4.2 V8 40v Naturally Aspirated - 339bhp
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Mockenrue
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Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:17 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Another newbie saying 'Hello'

Post by Mockenrue » Tue Nov 21, 2006 10:48 pm

Hi all

I'm not technically a newbie as I've had my S4 since March, but I've never got around to posting on here despite lurking for quite a while. I thought it was about time I said Hello and joined in the fun (and I see there are a few familiar 'faces' on here too!)

My S4 is a November 2003 '53' plate saloon in Metallic Silver. It has the full silver silk Nappa leather interior, black headlining and aluminium trim inlays. In addition to the standard S4 spec it has the following:

Heated front seats
Centre armrest
Cruise control
Interior light pack (although I think this might be standard on S4s (?))
RNS-E Navigation Plus
BOSE
Rear park assist
Storage pack (again not sure if this is standard)
Cool box in glovebox
Ski through-load

In addition to the above it came with a Milltek cat-back exhaust, which was fitted by the previous owner and was an unexpected and very welcome bonus. I fitted the aluminium trim inlays myself, as when the car arrived it had 'Grey Birchwood' inserts which clashed with the silver Nappa IMO. The car originally had the CD based Navigation and Symphony II, but these have recently been replaced by the latest RNS-E DVD Navigation Plus. The only things it lacks which I wish it had are the auto-dimming and folding mirrors. Tyres are Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3s.

When I got the car it had just over 23k miles on the clock, and it's now covered about 28400. During every single one of those miles I have had a big silly grin on my face - what a machine! It's way faster than I am and I still marvel at the way it revs so eagerly and keeps pulling like a train all the way up to the redline in every gear - sublime. The sound from the V8 and Millteks is to die for, as I'm sure you all know. Yes, things like the RS4 are even more extreme, but as one magazine review put it "the performance potential of the S4 is so great that one can only nibble at the edges of it in this country..". After eight months of ownership I can wholeheartedly agree; I've had more than my fair share of 'oh sh1t' moments when I've found myself going A LOT faster than I thought I was! Its pace can be very deceptive as the power delivery is so smooth and linear.

I've been a passenger in it doing an indicated 153 (km/h of course, and on a private road...) and we ran out of road before the S4 showed any sign of reaching its limit.

The only problem I've had with the car was the infamous pulley tensioner whine, which was rectified under warranty without any hassle by Swindon Audi. I am keeping a watchful eye on the auxiliary rads, as my warranty is out next March.

Fuel consumption has averaged out at 21.9mpg on the DIS; I have seen as much as 28mpg on long steady runs, and it's been down into almost single figures during hard driving.

This car is not my daily driver as I also have a 1998 B5 A4 1.9TDi quattro Sport which is my workhorse, but when it does come out it gets enjoyed to the full. I'm also a bit of a detailing fanatic, and the car managed to bag the runner-up spot in the 'Standard' class at this year's Audi Driver International Concours.

Here are a few pics - I need to take some more recent ones of the interior, which I'll post up later.

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Cheers
John

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Pete.S
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Post by Pete.S » Wed Nov 22, 2006 1:58 am

Hi John

Looking sweet, couldn't you get it any cleaner though? :wink:

That's the first silver B6 I've seen on this forum - my B5 was in silver - gotta love the way it contrasts against the front grille & foglight grills.

Notice your exhausts are looking particularly "bling" - any cleaning tips? I find metallic T-Cut works well....

Your mpg seems quite high, I get exactly that but 70% of my driving is long m/way cruising at legal speeds, you doing the same?

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Mockenrue
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Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:17 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Post by Mockenrue » Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:31 am

Hi Pete

Thanks! The cleaning work never really stops; I've just bought a Porter Cable random orbital polisher and all the associated pads etc. to correct all the minor swirls and get that deep 'wet look' shine which is difficult to achieve with silver.

When I was looking for an S4 I had my heart set on Ebony Pearl or Nogaro, as my last car (B6 A4 1.8T quattro Sport) was silver. Dolphin Grey and Avus are also favourites. However, I love silver - particularly on Audis - and as soon as I saw this car I fell in love, especially as its spec was just about perfect.

I use Autosol on the exhausts, which is better than Auto Glym metal polish IMO. When it runs out I might try Meguiar's NXT metal polish as I've heard good things about that too.

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My driving is a mixture of everything really - motorway, A/B roads and town driving. Two thirds of my daily 42 mile commute is motorway but I use the A4 for that - as much as I would enjoy it, I don't fancy putting over 200 miles a week on the S4 just to go to work, and obviously my fuel costs would double!

IIRC the best I ever got from a tank was 328 miles, and the worst was 265.

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spikey
1st Gear
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Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:00 pm

Post by spikey » Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:19 pm

Welcome - nice car :)

I also use Autosol on the exaushts - but sadly dont have Milteks yet :(.

Must post some more recent pics of mine since i cleaned her :)

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ZeroK66
Top Gear
Posts: 2249
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:13 pm
Location: Devon, UK

Post by ZeroK66 » Wed Nov 22, 2006 5:04 pm

Looks gorgeous mate!! lovely.
Facelift Imola S4 | Cust K04's, Tubular Manifolds, 3" DPs->2.75" Catback | FMIC | PSS9 Coilovers + ARB's | Brembo 8-Pots | SS + DTS | 5??HP/475lbs/ft | 3.06S FATS on S4 Box

Sold: A4 (B5) 2.8 Quattro | Ivory Pearl
Melted: Corrado - IHI 1.8t: 343BHP

tuscy
Neutral
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Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2006 7:31 am

Post by tuscy » Thu Nov 23, 2006 9:14 am

How much did it cost you to replace the Symphony II with the RNS-E nav system?

Was it a DIY job?

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Mockenrue
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Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:17 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Post by Mockenrue » Sun Dec 17, 2006 2:09 am

Sorry for the late reply tuscy. :oops: You have a PM. :thumbs:

MarkB
Cruising
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Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2005 11:52 am

Post by MarkB » Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:46 am

Hi John.

Nice to see you over here on this site. Your car is looking far too clean as usual ;)
Mark

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Mockenrue
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Posts: 67
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:17 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Post by Mockenrue » Mon Dec 18, 2006 12:15 pm

Thanks Mark! Yes, I've been lurking for far too long so I thought I'd better say Hello and join in. I'd like to make it to a meet at some point too.

The car is filthy at the moment - it's a full time job trying to keep them clean with this crappy weather! :x

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