96ce

After a lengthy search, I am now the proud new owner of a 2004 S4. It is black on black, 17K miles, certified, and it is a Tiptronic. I sold my C5 corvette to get the S4 and am very pleased with the change. My other car is a 2001 BMW X5 4.4, and I have to say that I am really pleased with these 2 vehicles. I have owned the S4 for about a month and love the styling (always look back after parking it), the seats are great, and the performance and handling are really wonderful. All in all, the S4 just seems to be a great combination of speed, handling, and sport all in a very civilized package. As all noobs, I do have a few questions for those that have owned their S4s for a while, so here goes:

1) My S4 came with Mich pilot sports. The ride seems a bit firm, but I am not sure if its the tires or just the S4 suspension. Also, I do get a bit more road noise from the tires at high speeds than I would have expected. Is there a quieter more comfortable tire than the pilot sports?

2) I am already eyeing the Velocity Motorsports RS4 repro wheels. If I do want to get these, will the 19s fit without any issues or consequences to the ride, or is it best to stay with the 18s? I will not be lowering the car. Also, if I get a wheel / tire package from Velocity, do I need to worry about tire sensors?

3) There were a number of annoying rubbing noises coming from the passenger side rear seat area. I checked that the rear fold down seat was locked in position (it was). It turned out the rear cushion was not locked, and when I did lock it into place, a lot of the noise went away (thankfully). However, there still seems to be a rubbing noise coming from the rear passenger seat or door area when I ride over bumps. Any clues on where to look?

4) The FM radio reception is surprisingly weak, stations fade that come in strong in my other vehicles? Anything I should check or adjust?

5) Tiptroninc: Sometimes from a dead stop, it feels like there is a very slight slip or hesitation when accelerating in a normal fashion (every day driving). If I stomp on it, no problems. Is this normal, or should I take it to the dealer?

6) The glove box door (large one on passenger side dash) opens (drops down) very slowly. And closes slowly as well. Is this normal?

7) I want to keep the car as stock as possible but wouldn't mind some easy performance gains. Is there a chip or flash that will maintain the every day driveablity but also offer some performance gain?

8) The first time I drove the car as the sun was setting, I noticed what I thought was a very dirty windshiled. After a lot of cleaning, I now see that there are a number of very small chips in the windshield. None of my other cars had this. Are the audi windshileds softer that others? Does it make sense to change the windshield out?

9) Last question. My car does not have NAV. How big a job is it to put one in.

Again, I am very happy with the S4, and hope to be an active member of the S4 forum.

Thanks so much.

Bruce

quench_dsm

hehe, just kidin' ya man

i can help with a few of those questions, ok two of them anyway:

6) mine does the same, or at did least until the door hinge tore apart. I had it replaced under warranty and it now shuts faster for whatever reason.

9) you want the factory RNS-E navi system. basically it's a plug-n-play install, pretty easy with the correct harness adapter. I have one and love it, it works and looks great.

a great site for WAY more info on RNS-E:<ul><li><a href="http://www.navplus.us/forum/viewtopic.php?t=462">RNS-E faq topic at www.navplus.us</a></li></ul>

quench_dsm

some nice pics of an b6S4 install....

althought he used the roof gps antenna, which is way more work. i just purchased a gps antenna and installed it in the front dash, above the instrument cluster. thankfully the wife has small hands ( hehe ) and could reach up there and place the antenna<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/s4b6/msgs/255474.phtml">clicky clicky</a></li></ul>

96ce

Thanks for the posts and links. Very useful information. Thanks again.

Dacowieson

Not much for a non-turbo car with a chip but I just bought the APR chip and they have a deal at the moment that if you buy you get five programs in the one price - Stock, valet, kill, 91, and 93. It means that with a passcode you can lock it in any one of these. The claim is only about 12 bhp and a similar increase in torque, In 93 mode my son and I both found it made a difference at the top end. I like it and would recommend it. But check with others first - maybe call APR and see how long their five for one deal is going to be on offer.

The APR link is below<ul><li><a href="http://www.goapr.com/Audi/products/ecu_upgrade_b6s4.html">http://www.goapr.com/Audi/products/ecu_upgrade_b6s4.html</a</li></ul>

banana s4

hartmannwheels.com for your reps.

hly

to replace yours. They did it for me when I complained it opened too slowly. No need to wait for it to break.

Tgr_Clw

8) OEM B6 windshields suck. Normal.

quattrothatcould

Just get a new one. They're cheap (relatively speaking)

thsu02

5) Try an ECU reset: Put key in ignition and turn to "on" position (the notch before starting car). Hold down gas pedal to floor for 10 seconds. Turn key to off. Now start car. This will reset the ECU and give you some oomph back. Post impressions.