B9 S4 & S5 reliability and servicing advice

[saj.3]

Hi,

I’m looking to change my car and considering a 2/3 yrs old S4 or S5 Sportback. I have been told that the B9 S4 and S5 have alot of issues. I know people mainly post on forums and stuff only if they have issues with a car so it’s not a true representation of a cars reliability because for each problematic car there could be thousands out there who have no issues or problems. I’m just looking for some good advice and guidance.

i have read about minor issues with rattling door cards, crackling speakers and malfunctioning electric windows but I’m more concerned with bigger issues such as the gearbox. I’ve read a lot of negative feedback on the Tiptronic gearbox. Some people have said it’s actually dangerous due to the amount of lag you get from a standstill. The disconnect between putting your foot down on the accelerator and the car actually responding and moving has been mentioned a lot in other forums. Some people have deemed it dangerous especially at a busy junction or roundabout. Has anyone on here experienced this?

My last 3 cars have been A4s but they were all manual and front wheel drive so I don’t have much knowledge of the Tiptronic box or the Quattro AWD system. I have read conflicting views on these, some people say they need to be serviced and maintained regularly whereas others say that these are sealed units and don’t need servicing. Would be nice to know if the Tiptronic box and the Quattro AWD system need servicing on the S4/S5 and if so how often? If there’s anything else anyone would like to add or advise me on then please feel free to do so. I normally tend to keep my cars for about 5 years so ideally I want something that’s reliable.

Any help and advice would be much appreciated.

[Jinxit]

The new A6 50 TDI has the tiptronic box and there were lots of reports on it the same as you have said, however, there is a software update that supposedly fixes it.

[A8Cruiser]

My mate has a 2/3 yr old S5.
no issues at all with the gearbox. The speed of change is phenomenal. He previously had the S-tronic box which was also fast, but I never had confidence that it would last. (It did in his ownership), but I much prefer normal slushmatic/tip boxes.
it does say alot in That they have gone back to the Tip box.

He has had some rattles, which the dealer has tried to resolve and they did a few. His phone charging pad, did and then didn’t, but is now fixed.

Goes rather well, sounds nice, but not as nice as it could as I think the exhaust note has been messed with too much. Much prefer the sound of the original V8 S5.

Other than that... enjoy, take your time looking and finding the right one.
oh, don’t worry about miles. More the better, but make sure the owner numbers are really low.

Good luck.

[Scott K]

The ZF 8 speed tiptronic is very good and used by a large number of car makers. ZF recommend an oil change at between 80-130k kilometres. Try and find a ZF gearbox specialist who can flush it when they do the oil change or some oil is left in the torque convertor. The gear changes can be slightly slower and at junctions it helps if it is in Sport mode.
There should be a rear differential fluid to change too.

[saj.3]

Thanks for the reply and feedback. You’re probably right about the exhaust note, seems to be the case with all new cars due to regulations about noise pollution and efficiency. I’ve got a few weeks off work so will start looking from next week.

[saj.3]

From what I’ve read the issue isn’t the gearbox itself. As you said the same ZF gearbox is used by other manufacturers, BMW use it and their autos are supposedly some of the best in the business. In Audi’s case I think it’s more of a software issue, it’s about how it’s been setup and programmed that makes it very jerky and the response very slow when setting off at normal speeds in comfort mode. I’ve been told there was a software update which did improve it slightly. I guess the only way to find out is to test drive it for myself.

I’m guessing the rear differential fluid change you mentioned is for the Quattro 4 wheel drive system.

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated ��