490 HP B9 Audi S4! One Year of Ownership Review

[@DidiPort]

I drove an S4 B9 2019 model from new to 40000km over 2 1/2 years. I had a Race Chip installed. Daytona Grey with black badging, wheel spacers, custom shift paddles it was an excellent car, I would buy another in a heart beat. No maintenance issues outside of standard servicing. The reserving cross traffic assist did give a few mild heart attacks, yep “what have I hit?”. I did get a random proximity sensor go off for no reason, wasn’t a real concern. They are a sleeper standard, you tune them, yep “I’m alive”. I did have one major driving holiday, 5500 kilometres in 10 days, it was fantastic, mine wasn’t lowered, so the suspension settings were still as per the factory, as you say in Individual on the drive select you choose you suspension ride setting’s. Put your foot down and the numbers climb rapidly, I didn’t go silly but in didn’t drive sedately either. Overall the trip 7.3 litres per 100 kms, on the highway 6.7 litres per 100 kms. I think that is pretty good. I did top up the oil about 1/2 litre in approximately the middle of the trip. I was comfortable, felt extremely safe Quattro, sports diff, excellent seats, the steering is light but still very good, excellent sound system, yep carbon everywhere, pull the gear selector into sport and drop the hammer and Grey Nomads goodbye, thank you to the oncoming traffic, in Country Australia they still flash you if there are Police around. Don’t think just buy one, they are that good! Thank you for your video, sounded very familiar for sure.

[@briani5711]

Certified Audi mechanic here, the locking up issue is the cross traffic assist, the car senses or thinks it senses something like a pedestrian or bicyclist going past and it will automatically slap on the brakes to prevent a collision. I have had this happen personally and on other models such as a Q7 and its happened 1 or 2 times in the past 2 years. Lowering the car can mess with all the sensors as they take in the vehicles height when calibrated. I would recommend calibrating all the safety systems if you haven't already. They will be expensive to calibrate so be aware. I recommend calibrating, the front and rear radar, lane change assist, adaptive cruise control if equipped, and the front camera.

[@KevG]

Good to know! Appreciate the input 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@jimtraugermd]

KevG with regard to your winter tires bottoming out, the radius of your winter tire or the distance it is off the ground is probably not that different from your summer tire. My all weather “winter “ tire is 245/40/18 for a diameter of 653.2 mm or radius of 326.6 mm. My summer performance tires are 265/35/19 for a diameter of 668.1 mm or radius of 334.05 mm. The difference is 7.45 mm or 0.293 inches, just slightly more than a quarter of an inch. I am on 034 lowering springs and there is no appreciable difference with regard to the rough ride or bottoming out. To figure out the diameter of your tire, multiply the section width of your tire given in millimeters (245) by the aspect ratio (40 percent) and this gives you the height that the tire sits off the rim of the wheel. Since the tire extends from the wheel in both directions, this height has to be multiplied by 2 and then added to the height of the wheel converted to millimeters. The aspect ratio tells you that the height the tire extends off the wheel is X percent of the width of the tire. For my all weather tires, diameter = [(245 X 0.4) X 2] + 18 inches x 25.4 mm/inch = 653.2 mm. If your Audi came equipped with all weather tires the computer limited speed of those cars is 130 MPH not 155 MPH. The reason is that Audi puts H rated tires on these vehicles and the tires themselves are not meant to exceed 130 MPH. Therefore if your car is tuned and the top speed limiter has been removed, make sure not to exceed the speed your tires are rated for.

[@KevG]

@@jimtraugermd I appreciate the explanation 🤘🏼🤘🏼good to know!!

[@DreaminRides]

@briani5711 What do you think of the new 2024 S4 sedan? Reliability wise, is it a good car to daily and to not have to worry about issues such as the technology not working or the engine leaking oil? I just hear stories about people owning Audis in general and they don't have the best reputation. I really like the look of the new S4 and want it to be a car I feel good about buying and living with.

[@lits5984]

@@DreaminRidesJust bought a 2023 S4. Came with 4 years and 80k km warranty left. First expensive car I’ve owned and like you I was worried so with the warranty I’m comfortable taking the leap! Might sell it as soon as the warranty is over 😂 We will see, four years is a long time away. Only thing I’d say to you don’t buy new, buy one year old. It will save you 15-20k and will still have a good warranty left. Good luck!

[@imanny99]

I've been watching your videos since I picked up my 18 S4 in May and I just only just realized your in my area. Love mine too as a daily driver and i added extended warranty from the dealership, so no performance mods for me yet. Definitely planning some visual mods for once it get's warm next spring

[@KevG]

Aye!! That’s awesome to hear. Best of luck with the build! Hope to see you around

[@dlee4she]

Kev the rear cross traffic assit can be defeated by leaving your foot on the brake while in reverse. It locks up because it doesnt know you have total control vecause you either have your foot on or off the gas. Also for the sensors going off in those scenarios, you can turn off "automatic activation".

[@KevG]

This right here may be the most helpful comment I’ve ever read😂😂I’ll try this immediately thank you dude

[@dlee4she]

@KevG No worries bro, I work for them. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@KevG]

@@dlee4she awesome I appreciate it man!!

[@SeanTheVlog]

Love finding fellow Audi content creators like my self… subbed

[@KevG]

Let’s gooooooooo🤘🏼

[@AutoAndrew]

Thanks for the video. I daily my B9 S5 coupe as well. Agree with most of your comments but for me, one of the biggest cons of these cars has been the awful creaks and rattles on the interior. I’m not sure if it’s platform-wide (seems like it is, there’s threads on Audizine on it) but it ruins a lot of the otherwise great qualities of these cars. I’ve had previous Audis and BMW’s, and both were rock solid. Curious to hear your thoughts.

[@KevG]

A bit of the same experience, especially with the lowered driving on Michigan roads. Feel every bump and movement in the interior so it makes some noises for sure

[@imanny99]

Here I thought it was just me. I honestly thought maybe the previous owner didn't take good care of it. I think I figured out the worst of the rattle - the controls for the passenger side seat massager

[@S5NDit]

Stage 2 B9 S5 with 50k miles here, I just got my car back from the shop from a leaky water pump. It pulled coolant into the vacuum lines destroying several solenoids along the way. $4k. This is very common failure on these cars.

[@santostuner]

7:52 not true man The supercharged ones by this time most of them have lots of miles and everything leaks on them. The upper timing covers is like 12 hours to reseal them. The supercharger has intercoolers inside that eventually leak. And if the leak it's too heavy it'll lock the engine up. So far I haven't seen many issues with the new 3.0 turbo engine except for oil filter housing and oil cooler leaking oil, but other than that they are pretty good

[@DeadlyBrianX]

Currently own a Lexus IS200T, had an Acura TL 2006 and loved that car. Idk the Lexus is great but man I miss a good V6 so I am going to look for a good 2022 S4, it also just looks better to me than the sportbacks. Reliability wise it seems to be the same and I imagine even better if you can do it yourself. Appreciate what might be the video that solidified my dumb purchase 😂

[@KevG]

Awesome to hear! You’ll love it

[@voidthespacecreator6010]

Hey man just looking into getting a 2020 A4/S4 just tryna understand more about the car itself. Thanks for putting this out here!

[@dcttn4068]

Nice video bro.. you spoke to yo audience like a human lol unlike alot of other content posters lol thought about getting one

[@KevG]

Appreciate that!!

[@dcttn4068]

@@KevG question for you.. are there any flags I should look for upon purchasing an S4. Ik I can search for vids which I have but I just thought to ask you for your input.

[@KevG]

@@dcttn4068 honestly not really. Get a pre purchase inspection and keep up with normal maintenance!

[@Kaneato25]

make sure you check the the rocker arms on the car to see if they have the skinny rollers. if they have the thick upgraded ones u good.

[@KevG]

🫡🫡

[@Bob-ww7ot]

Love your car and channel

[@DigitalCowboy87]

Hearing your insurance rates makes me think you have higher deductibles & state minimums for coverage. Not an insurance guy here but coming from someone who just recently had a pretty bad accident (not my fault) you might want to do a once over with your insurance agent. I'm paying a little more now but I basically 10x'd my coverage so that if I'm ever in another accident I basically have zero worries for myself, my car, the other party, etc. Something else my insurance (StateFarm) allows me to do is I can insure the car for what it's worth WITH all the mods, just had to provide invoice receipts. This was also well worth it because now I'm not worried about someone hitting me, totaling my car, and being stuck eating the cost of the mods. Anyways, just some stuff to consider that definitely gave me some peace of mind!

[@KevG]

I just took a look in July! 1k deductible, full coverage. Always good to revisit though. I’ll have to take another look before January 🤘🏼 cheers

[@jimtraugermd]

Do you tell your insurance about mods that make your car illegal to drive on the road, e.g. high flow or catless downpipe?

[@KevG]

@@jimtraugermd no

[@hschick]

Hey Kev, what is your mindset on owning heavily modified expensive cars like this without a warranty? Do you just set money aside for possible repairs and hope for the best?

[@KevG]

Short answer is yes. Save and hope lol😂

[@hschick]

gotcha, haha. I'm also considering buying a used S5 ~50k mi and I plan to mod it to stage 2 034 but unsure of how to prepare for repairs.@@KevG

[@joshuatorres4762]

Did you get the rocker arm issue yet??? Usually happens between 40k-60k I replaced mine myself for under $700 oem parts genuine

[@UsmanDar92]

This generatuon is known to have the r9cker arm issue, which is a £10k plus repair job

[@st33d57]

just 2018 they fixed that with the 2019

[@milli2x383]

How do you feel about these cars over 150k in miles

[@voidthespacecreator6010]

Hey question for all in here: is a used S4/A4 from 2020 a decent deal if it’s at roughly 35,000km?

[@franciscoGarcia-hb4nx]

Hey bro i really appreciate the vid because im looking into getting one as my next car but im 20 yrs old and idk if getting a audi is going to be good for me do you think is expensive to maintain them ? Maintenance, issues, reliability i really like this b9 s4 so i dont want to make a bad choice i can regret after

[@liammartin]

Hey, what’s your opinion on the dsg on the b8.5 vs the b9 8 speed? Does the b9 have dsg farts or a similar noise?(thought I heard in some launch videos And what’s your general thoughts on the difference between the two and what do you like better overall? Thanks!

[@B9Cheesy]

In my 18 sportback that same thing your talking about how the car has locked up has happend to me too once or twice since I have bought it and it makes me shit my pants

[@KevG]

@@B9Cheesy right! It’ll wake you right up😂

[@xamnoser]

what insurance do you have? im 25 with no tickets or accidents and im paying $350 a month on my 2019 s4 prestige :(

[@StolenPixel]

Thata fucked. Try geico

[@manualmafia6015]

Algorithm 🤘🏻

[@KevG]

Thank you brotha😁😁

[@DreaminRides]

Any interior rattles?

[@bogdanmacavei4548]

I had to ask , what do you think about the Audi A4 2.0 Diesel

[@KevG]

Don’t have much experience or exposure to diesel Audis at all! I don’t think I’d be any help with advice for those, haha sorry

[@stock__s4]

I heard the rocker arms fail on b9 platforms. Did the facelift get rid of that issue or is we there a recall Ima b8.5 owner and just for the future incase I end up getting one of these want to know the main issues

[@idkwhojack]

Yes the facelift fixed that issue

[@H2oNoxious]

Possibly most likely stupid question here but is it possible to install a turbo into your s5?

[@KevG]

What year?

[@H2oNoxious]

@@KevG any 2013-17 b8.5 with supercharger

[@KevG]

@@H2oNoxious I would say even if it is, don’t mess with that and build the supercharged platform instead

[@hschick]

I've seen a 600+ WHP turbo b8.5 build on eBay it looked rlly well done

[@darrinscoilsclouds1498]

change oil at most every 5k with modded engine that gets driven hard. im doing every 4k on my b9.5 and trans every 20k

[@KevG]

Sounds about right!👍🏼

[@sweetandsour6521]

I have a 2011 Audi a4 do I have to worry abt transmission fluid?

[@darrinscoilsclouds1498]

i do 3-4k on my b9.5. i grew up at a time when oil changes were recommended every 3000 miles. so over 4k on a car i beat on seems wrong.

[@briantran8703]

Hello kevg what year is your Audi

[@KevG]

2019

[@scottyewing9578]

Lol yeah bro I HATE when the car loccs up like that in reverse it always freaks me out and if anyone’s is in the passenger side it’s embarrassing lol they always think I hit soemthing

[@KevG]

Glad I’m not the only one😂😂

[@Beyoorslf]

I thought it was just me !

[@rnartin_]

115 a month? I get charged 300 for a salvage Infiniti ,I need a new car

[@tristianluna3311]

speeding tickets dont effect your insurance rates lmao

[@jigedoutkid]

it for sure does. driving record has a huge impact on your insurance rate. there is dmv record and their is insurance record and the insurance cross references your dmv record. my insurance dropped once my last ticket fell off my dmv record and also after taking the defensive driver course. ( its the points on your license that affects the insurance which is gained by moving violations) . its all a scam