2004 Audi S4 V8?

[ShrinerMonkey]

Used to work at a VW/Audi shop, and was a beta tester for APR.

 

the S4's are stout cars with no glaring issues. Fixing them is much cheaper when compared to BMW or Mercedes....

Much larger statistical analysis (CR, True Delta, etc...) disagrees strongly with your experience. True Delta has some of the worst numbers I have seen for the 2004-5 A4/S4. CR has mostly solid black dots on their A4/S4 reliabilty charts.

 

The OP can choose which holds more credence.

[hadvw]

 

Tire technology has come a long way since then - now, it's practically jumping every couple of years.

 

The winter-tire segment is no different.

 

Current technology has tires such as the various "performance winter" offerings performing and wearing nearly as well as "all seasons," even when it's clear and warm out.

 

Totally agree. See my comments about the Michelin Pilot Alpins - drove like cheap Z-rated tires (i.e. decent handling - have driven much worse), and worked VERY well in the snow and got INCREDIBLE wear. And were driveable in an Ontario winter near the wear bars.

 

I'm just as happy (so far) with my Michelin Pilot A/S in 225-45/17. 18k miles on them now, and seem to have a TON of tread left on them (mixed city/highway driving). I was and still am hoping for 30k, but at this rate, I just might get a bit more.

 

At 22k miles, the Eagle GS-D3s or whatever (the funny tread tire that was sold super cheap a few years ago) were totally worn AT THE EDGES. Lots of tread left in the center. Then again, I paid around $320 + install for those, and around $500 + install for the Michelins (bing cashback + buying from discount tire on ebay, local installation).

 

I like the Michelins so much I went with MVX4s for our Grand Caravan, even though they were the most expensive of all the "common" tires out there.

[KurtP]

Much larger statistical analysis (CR, True Delta, etc...) disagrees strongly with your experience. True Delta has some of the worst numbers I have seen for the 2004-5 A4/S4. CR has mostly solid black dots on their A4/S4 reliabilty charts.

 

The OP can choose which holds more credence.

 

Shrug. And for all the blown motors subaru has, they still get shining reviews in the reliability department from all of the magazines, so I take what they say with a grain of salt.

 

I never worked on a S4, of any year, that had a serious mechanical failure that wasnt directly related to extreme abuse. On top of that, I billed general repairs for those cars very rarely, despite seeing them for all of their modification and general servicing work.

 

I would buy a S4 if I could afford it without hesitation.

[TSiWRX]

I like the Michelins so much I went with MVX4s for our Grand Caravan, even though they were the most expensive of all the "common" tires out there.

 

That the "common" Michelin MVX4s performed so well, in wintry conditions, in the C&D quick Michelin winter tires self-comparo this past winter really took me by surprise. It's no wonder that so many of us who live in areas that can see even truly pretty hefty amounts of snow can still fare decently well - if not exactly have much headroom for safety, sadly - with such good all-seasons, provided that tread-depth and inflation pressures are also monitored.

 

Indeed, I see things as you do, bruddah. That while all-seasons may truly be no-seasons for those of us who either like to drive with a bit more enthusiasm or have other special needs, for at least much of the general population, they truly actually work decently well enough.

[TurboWill]

Thanks for all the info guys.

[TPLGT]

I am currently in the mkt for another to use as a DD. An 07 or 08 A4 S Line is at the top of the list (along with an 05-06 G35)....I plan on having it throughly checked by a dealer. I have heard horrible stories about the earlier S4s but not on the second generation...

[ShrinerMonkey]

It's so funny how I always warn people about Audis and VWs but they still go out and buy them anyway. A co-worker of mine just bought a 2006 A3 against mine and several others recommendations. His starter failed 2 days after he bought it. Luckily the dealer agreed to replace it for free. Some people have to learn the hard way. I certainly did with my last VW ownership experience.

[TSiWRX]

Hey, someone's gotta wanna skate uphill.

[TPLGT]

It's so funny how I always warn people about Audis and VWs but they still go out and buy them anyway. A co-worker of mine just bought a 2006 A3 against mine and several others recommendations. His starter failed 2 days after he bought it. Luckily the dealer agreed to replace it for free. Some people have to learn the hard way. I certainly did with my last VW ownership experience.

 

So go with the Infiniti that is 5k less...haha...I may just do that.

[MikeNH]

Guy at work has a 2006 S4 that he bought used sometime last year. It went through like 3 coil packs before they recalled the car for that but he had been getting the runaround because he bought the coil packs and swapped them himself so they were never "diagnosed" properly. It also had some issues with the airbag light coming on every now and then. Overall though he loves it; the car is quick, has a sweet shifter, sounds amazing and has all the gadgets. He has all the maintenance done at the Audi dealer which costs a ton of money, so be prepared to shell out some cash if you want dealer service.

[psi365]

I am currently in the mkt for another to use as a DD. An 07 or 08 A4 S Line is at the top of the list (along with an 05-06 G35)....I plan on having it throughly checked by a dealer. I have heard horrible stories about the earlier S4s but not on the second generation...

S line is different then an S4. Basically all an S line is an appearnace package. You can get an S line with either the 2.0T or the 3.2L. On top of the basic S line package you could opt for the titanium package which got you a different set of wheels, and darked out trim. If you wanted the 4.2L you had to get an S4 which is a big price difference.

 

MikeNH:

If he had the problem last year and depending on his mileage and in service date he would have still been under warranty ( Audi's basic warranty is 4 years or 50k miles). The recall in question was also released in stages. We were only allowed to do certain cars with certain engines after a certain date. However there was a TSB which essentially allowed us to perform the campaign IF the car had a coil failure AND those coils were not of a "known good" batch and the car had a check engine light on for misfires. If the car met all those criteria then we were allowed to replace all the coils (which btw are about $35 ea) under warranty. When that happened Audi's records would be updated and that customer would not recieve a recall/campaign notice since it would have already been performed.

[TPLGT]

S line is different then an S4. Basically all an S line is an appearnace package. You can get an S line with either the 2.0T or the 3.2L. On top of the basic S line package you could opt for the titanium package which got you a different set of wheels, and darked out trim. If you wanted the 4.2L you had to get an S4 which is a big price difference.

 

 

Yes, I know the difference between the S4 and A4 S line...an S4 would be a little too rich for my blood as a second car. I am concerned about reliability. I like the A4 but am leaning towards the infiniti...

[psi365]

Yes, I know the difference between the S4 and A4 S line...an S4 would be a little too rich for my blood as a second car. I am concerned about reliability. I like the A4 but am leaning towards the infiniti...

 

If it's a second "fun" car then I'd pass on the A4 S line myself. They are not the most sporty of cars. You'd probably have more fun in the G35. Then again if it's a secondary car you'd probably have more fun in a BMW or something rwd.

[ShrinerMonkey]

I also had the coil packs on my VW replaced with a recall and one STILL failed 10k miles later and I had to replace it out of pocket. Yeah, no VW/Audi products for me, probably ever again.

[TPLGT]

If it's a second "fun" car then I'd pass on the A4 S line myself. They are not the most sporty of cars. You'd probably have more fun in the G35. Then again if it's a secondary car you'd probably have more fun in a BMW or something rwd.

 

The new car will be a DD and an AT...the Subaru will be my fun car...I kninda want something nice and sporty....both the A4 and G35 are in that category.

[Rudiger]

Shrug. And for all the blown motors subaru has, they still get shining reviews in the reliability department from all of the magazines, so I take what they say with a grain of salt.

Actually Consumer Reports isn't that fond of the 2005 Legacy GT that's quite popular around these forums...