Q: I saw an advertiser mention that their supercharger would be out in two weeks. Why haven't we seen it yet?
A: Did you apply the TWM?... the Two Week Multiplier? Multiply the two week estimate by the advertiser's UID and then divided by the hour of the day. This will give you a rough estimate of how many days it will actually be till the promised mod will be released.
A: Because you bought a car built prior to 10/03. Take it to the dealer.
A: For the same reason it's bad with a sport utility truck, V8 engine, permanent all-wheel drive, nearly 4,000 lbs, stiff gearing and no reasonable overdrive.
Q: My car makes a weird noise for about a second or two when I start it up, kind of like a shuttering sound coming from the engine bay as if something is loose?
A: This seeming abnormality is "normal" for 4.2L S4. Learn to live with it and think of it as a subtle nuance rather than a nuisance. If you take it to the dealer, they won't find anything wrong.
Q: If I don't have navigation now, can I get it?
A: Absolutely. You can install RNS-E yourself in about 20 minutes and for as little as $1200 used and $2000 new. See the navplus.com website for more info.
Q: Is it possible to add Bluetooth connectivity to my navigation?
A: With the RNS-E, yes. Bluetooth can be added and installed under the drivers seat if replacing On-star or stuck behind the glovebox for about $600-$700. Or you can buy an aftermarket Bluetooth kit and rig up something for half that.
http://www.audiworld.com/tech/elec133.shtml. Also, see the navplus.com website for more info.
Q: Is it possible to make the fog lights come on without the headlights being on?
A: Yes, but you need to do a little cut/splicing.
http://forums.audiworld.com/s4b6/msgs/333541.phtml
Q: Is it ok to drive with tires that have uneven tread height?
A: The word from Audi regarding uneven tread depth on a Quattro car is, "the rolling radius of all 4 tires must remain the same" or within 4/32-inch of each other in remaining tread depth. Another line of thought says that all tires should be within 3% of each others circumference. General recommendation is to replace at least 2 tires at a time and keep them on the same axle.
Q: How much is your car worth?
A: Good grief! Stop being lazy! Check Autotrader or something. Oh, and btw, yes, you should remove all your mods. They will not help and may even hurt your resale value.
Q: Is it normal to use a qt. or more of oil during the first 5000 miles?
A: Yes, according to Audi. In fact, they'll tell you that as much as 1qt./1000 miles is "normal". Many members have reported oil consumption in the first 5K miles. Others have not. It appears to be pot luck. Most owners, who have experienced oil consumption, have found that diminishes with time. See
http://forums.audiworld.com/s4b6/msgs/376908.phtml
Q: Should I change the oil between 1000 - 2000 miles and should I use a synthetic?
A: Yes.
Q Why?
A: Oil analysis shows that oil that comes in the car originally thins out sheers considerably in a short amount of time as well as containing large amounts of silica from the cylinder walls in as little as 1800 miles.
Q: How often should you change your oil.
A: Every 5k.
Q: Why?
A: The oil drain intervals given by most vehicle manufacturers (10K in our case) are for what is called "normal service" using dino juice. Normal service is defined as the engine at normal operating temperature, at highway speeds, and in a dust free environment. Stop and go, city driving, trips of less than 10 miles, or extreme heat or cold puts the oil change interval into the "severe service" category, which is 3000 miles for most vehicles. Synthetics can be run two to three times the mileage of petroleum oils with no problems. They do not react to combustion and combustion by-products to the extent that the dead dinosaur juice does. So, technically, it would be good to do an oil change between 6 and 9k using synthetic in "severe service" situations. So, 10k is not a stretch, but I'd rather be good to my engine and do it on the low side of that theoretical mileage span and do it at an even 5k.
Q: What oil should I use?
A: AoA now recommends a VW502 certified 5w-40, 0w-40, and 5w-30. Either way, use a good synthetic.
Q: Is an ester based synthetic like Motul or Amsoil better?
A: Absolutely. The question is, What affect will it have over the life of my engine vs a PAO synthetic (Mobil 1, Castrol, etc.) if I change my oil every 5k? I say, very little. If you used a quality dino oil but changed it every 3k your engine would look new, internally, at 150k. Get a good, quality synthetic and call it a day.
Q: What 1/4 mile ET can I expect from my car?
A: Well, how good of a driver are you? How strong is your particular car? We've seen times all over the place. A very strong car and exceptional driver can get a stock MT6 car into the 13.30's (In fact, Motor Trend ran 13.4x on one run but when all runs were averaged it came out to 13.5). The average, though, for most is somewhere in the 13.7-13.8 area.
Q: How do you launch this thing?
A: Some like it hard. Some like it soft.
http://forums.audiworld.com/s4b6/msgs/51361.phtml,
http://forums.audiworld.com/s4b6/msgs/62530.phtml,
http://forums.audiworld.com/s4b6/msgs/182131.phtmlQ: What mods are available?
A: Downpipes, cat-back, chip (both soldered in and flash), cold air intake. Superchargers are in the works from at least three companies. If you're really daring you can get headers fabricated, port the heads, install aftermarket cams and nitrous. Also available are big brake kits, lowering springs, coilover kits, sway bars and limited slip differentials.
Q: Can I use nitrous on this engine?
A: That's what I just said. Sure. Better be a well implemented system and keep it under a 100hp shot. Note: You're taking great risks doing this and your drivetrain warranty will evaporate as soon as you take it in for service.
Q: What's better, a soldered in chip or a flash?
A: IMHO, do the flash. With the soldered in unit you have to remove your ECU, send it to them, wait for it to return and reinstall. (removing ECU is a BIG no-no with Audi and immediately recognizable if they just look) With a flash, you take it to the shop, they plug into your ECU, download programming, and you're done. HP and torque results are about the same (whether a flash or not, each tuners programming will yield slightly different average and peak power depending on many variables).
Q: Which flash is better, Revo or GIAC?
A: Both are good.
Q: Is the flash worth it?
A: One way to think about it... Most of us have been willing to spend $2500-$3000 for a full exhaust system that, in the end, yields us about 20hp at the wheels. At $2500, that works out to be $125 per hp. With a flash that may cost you $600 you'd get, say, 15hp. That's $40 per hp. In the severely anemic world of B6 S4 modifying, it's great bang for the buck.
Q: Is it really true that silver is the fastest color?
A: No, that's a stupid question. Black is.
Q: What options do I have for exhaust systems?
A: This is not necessarily a complete list:
1. Fast Intentions
2. Labree
3. ASP
4. B&B (similar to APR)
5. APR
6. Milltek
7. Thermal
8. AWE (similar to Thermal)
7. Supersprint
8. Dahlbak(sp?)
9. Eisenmann
10. Neuspeed
11. Borla
12. Oettinger
Q: Which exhaust is best and WHY?
A: The one whose tone and decibel level you like the most. If you're just looking for sound, get a resonated or non-resonated cat-back (depending on if you like it loud or not) and call it a day.
Q: Are there any warranty issues with catbacks or downpipes?
A: You run a greater chance of having warranty issues if you add aftermarket downpipes than if you just do a cat-back. If you want more power, get the downpipes, but first make sure that your dealership will be cool with them. Some are. Some are not.
Q: Will my aftermarket DPs mate up to a different manufacturers CB?
A: They're all designed to mate up to a stock exhaust system, front or back, so, theoretically, yes. But many have seen this not be the case without some modification. Definitely not if you've gone with a Fast Intentions or Labree that had the custom option of continuous diameter through the DP to CB section. (very nice option indeed)
Q: What cold air induction options do we have?
A: You can install a K&N in the stock location or get a Hyperflow, Carbonio, EVOMS or GruppeM. (It appears that the Matrix is no longer being produced)
Q: Do CAIs help?
A: It's possible that at higher speeds they can provide some ram air effect but at lower speeds both the Hyperflow and Carbonio ingest hot engine bay air, negating much of the possible benefit. The drop in K&N is a better option for keeping out hot engine bay air but will not provide as much of a ram effect at high speeds as the previously mentioned CAIs.
Q: Should I use a K&N type (oiled) air filter at all?
A:The wisdom of putting in any oiled filter ahead of the MAF is debated. Some MAFs have been fouled but many who've used them have had no damage.
Q: Can I roll up all windows and unlock all doors using the key fob?
A: Yes. You have to get your dealer or someone with VAG-Com to program it for you.
Q: What oil or cabin filter should I use?
A: Our oil filters are made by Mahle, Mann, and Hengst. A Genuine Audi filter comes in an Audi box from the dealership. An OEM filter comes in a Mahle, Mann, or Hengst box from a number of parts suppliers. An aftermarket filter would come from Fram, Bosch, Napa, or a host of other lower tier venders.
Q: How about OEM air filters?
A: A genuine Audi air filter will come in an Audi box. An OEM Audi air filter can come from Mahle, Mann, and a couple other venders.
Sidepoint:: OEM can be an original equipment part manufacturer which isn't always Audi.
Q: What winter tires work well in the S4?
A: All of them. Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3, Bridgestone Blizzak LM25 seem to be most common here but feel free to use any reputable brand of performance winter tires. Quattro is so good that it makes all these winter tires look like stars. Even a good set of all season or M+S tires work well on this car.
Sidepoint:: Regarding rims, most have a set of aftermarket wheels with summer tires and have the snows mounted on the factory 18" rims. Some have a seperate set of 17" rims with snows mounted on those.
A: What speed is the S4 governed at?
Q: We don't know. Anywhere from 155mph to none. Some say they've hit a limiter at around 155, others at about 162. There was a video of a guy with an '04 showing the speedo at just over 170.
Q: How much do stock rims weigh?
A: About 29 lbs
Q: How do I repair scratches/scuffs on my rims?
A:
http://forums.audiworld.com/s4b6/msgs/288384.phtmlQ: What are the best summer tires for the B6 S4?
A: The ones that fit in your budget and get great ratings.
Q: How do I paint the brake calipers on my car?
A:
http://forums.audiworld.com/s4b6/msgs/79030.phtmlQ: What are the benefits of octane boosting?
A: Not much.
Q: Will my S4 get me laid?
A: Only if you're female.