Potential new S4 owner...

[ROBS3]

Evening all,

I currently have an 8L S3, which I have had for a few years now and I'm looking for a B7 S4 saloon (manual). I have been looking for about 7 months now and the 'right' one just hasn't come up!

I was advised to come to this forum as I was told there are a lot of S4 owners on here that may be able to help with any questions or queries I may have - so here I am!

Before I take the plunge is there anything I should be wary about when looking? or anything I should know when the right one comes up? I know the fuel bill will be higher but then again it is a 4.2 V8! Are general running costs ok, servicing etc?

I have had a look through quite a few posts and there are some great topics on here.

Any advice you guys could give would be much appreciated.

Cheers
Rob

[BlingBling]

In the main:

- Aux rads
- The initial start up rattle is "normal"
- High oil consumption
- Use the search function

[ROBS3]

Thanks for your input BlingBling.

In my search for an S4 I have noticed that a lot of S4s for sale are autos - what are peoples opinion - auto or manual?
I prefer the idea of a manual as I have always driven manual, but if the auto box is better suited to the S4 I could start including those in my search?

Once thanks in advance.

[cobraBLACK]

I went for a manual - it's a not easy to get a smooth change but that's usually the case with large engines.

I don't know how they compare to S3s but they're no rougher than any other performance gearbox I've used.

I've driven a couple of autos and they're great in traffic but a little uninvolving on fast roads.

[boulevard]

My S4 cab is an auto. Had SMG on a previous M3 and I prefer the auto box for long dulldrives/stuck in traffic but paddles for a spirited drive every now & then...

[BlingBling]

The autos tend to give slightly better mpg. But they are slightly less powerful than manuals due to V8's peak power coming at a higher rpm than the autobox can achieve. MRC can fix this. Although not not too sure if the lower bhp is noticeable.

[thesyn]

Basicaly this is not a jap car, things do go wrong!
I have had my auto or 18 months and have replaced an aux rad and a coil pack, am thinking about sorting out a parking sensor.
If you are used to a turbo kick perhaps it will not feel quick but it is, just watch cars diminish in the mirror.
The V8 is the best part of the car and seems to suit an auto box, the brakes are actually pretty good. The whole audi and poor steering feel is rubbish, in my opinion. MPG is truly piss poor though.
Budget for servicing then consumables on top.
The real plus is that very few people know what an S4 is, a real Q car

[thesyn]

Basicaly this is not a jap car, things do go wrong!
I have had my auto or 18 months and have replaced an aux rad and a coil pack, am thinking about sorting out a parking sensor.
If you are used to a turbo kick perhaps it will not feel quick but it is, just watch cars diminish in the mirror.
The V8 is the best part of the car and seems to suit an auto box, the brakes are actually pretty good. The whole audi and poor steering feel is rubbish, in my opinion. MPG is truly piss poor though.
Budget for servicing then consumables on top.
The real plus is that very few people know what an S4 is, a real Q car

[ROBS3]

Cheers for all your input.

I know what you mean thesyn regarding the lack of turbo kick, I test drove an S4 about 6 months ago, and kind of felt it 'lacking' but when I saw the speedo it painted a different picture!

Are servicing costs particularly poor on S4s? I know RS' demand a pretty high price when servicing, not sure about the S4. My S3 is pretty cheap to service but that may be down to it only being 1.8l engine!

One last question - were there many changes in the post 2007 facelift? From what I can tell mainly aesthetic?

Thanks again.

[MattS5]

I went from an S3 (Revo'd) to my S4, and you will notice the difference. For sure you'll miss the boost rush, but the real power difference is in 3rd gear onwards. Get it in 3rd, hanging at 3,500 rpm and floor it, you then realise just how quick the S4 is, by the time you change up to 4th and and are thinking of grabbing 5th, you are very well over the speed limit, and the car is still pulling.
Fuel wise, yes, expect to average 21-22mpg, in my S3 I used to see 27mpg, so not a massive difference. Servicing is very reasonable, the oil being a big chunk of the cost due to needing near on 9 litres of the stuff.
Bearing in mind you have cambelt service on an S3, overall real world costs of servicing are remarkbly close over a 3-4 year period.
I only ever kept cars for 18 months to 2 years in the past, i've had this for 3 and half years now, and have no plans to change it anytime soon, I love it.

[ROBS3]

Cheers MattS3, really appreciate your comments, especially as you changed from an S3 too!
How does the cambelt service differ from the S3?
Is your S4 a manual? Any preference on auto or manual?

[MattS5]

There is no cambelt on the S4, just cam chains, so no need to replace. (thus you save the £400 odd quid it costs every 4 yearks or 80k miles on the S3)
I went for a manual, purely because I just love to change gear, it's all part of the driving experience for me.
The auto box is good apparently, but I just didn't feel "old" enough for it!

Mine is also a saloon, again thats just what I wanted, I like the Avant's but didn't want to look to "family". I have 2 young kids though, and thats what prompted the change from the S3, more boot space and 4 doors, just feels safer and and all that.

[ROBS3]

Suppose the saving on the cambelt will help offset the cost of the fuel ha ha - thanks for clearing that up mate

[nihc]

Hi,

I've had my S4 cab for 5 years and the only things to go wrong were a rear parking sensor and a couple of Lambda sensors - all easy to fix.

I chose a manual, but have driven an auto for a weekend. Both are great. I would probably choose the auto if I was doing a lot of town driving.

The cold start chain rattle is normal and should last a second or so, but watch out for any chains that rattle all of the time - it's easy to notice. The only sound you should hear with the bonnet up is the tick, tick of the injectors.

An great mod is replacing the rear anti-roll bar with the RS4 one - it really sharpens up the steering and gets rid of a lot of the understeer when booting it.

[sushisushi]

The fuel consumtion is terrible. I'm a new owner and the s4 uses more than double the fuel of my previous car. I averaged 13mpg on my way to work today.

I also have no idea why the gearing is setuP like it is . It's at 3000 revs doing 75mph in 6th!?! Meaning you only get 22mpg on the motorway too. I expect this was to make it hit 0-60 somewhere near as quick as the m3. But if they had separated the gears better it would be a much better car to live with day to day.