Hoppy

Why won't my Audi S4 Tiptronic V8 rev to peak power? It's supposed to deliver 340bhp at 7,000rpm, but it changes up at 6,750rpm no matter what, whereas the manual cars will rev right to the limiter at 7,200rpm (as will my car in neutral). Audi confirms that this is 100% correct function. The gearbox is basically a slushmatic auto, not the dual-clutch jobbie.

Why has Audi clipped its wings? I have established that it is a rev problem, not a torque issue. No other Audi Tip box revs as high as this one in the S4. And what are the potential problems if I have the gearbox remapped to rev as it should? The Audi mechanics I've spoken to are mystified, but when I suggested overheating one tech guy said that the oil in Tips runs "like chip fat"

I've also heard horror stories of other slushmatics (not Audis) overheating, blowing seals and gaskets, and dumping their guts. Another rumour is that they have a heat sensor which will lock the car in third and switch the engine to limp mode Is this true?

What's the score guys? I know it's a small problem in practise, and I will not be revving the motor to death no matter what, but it really annoys me that I can never get the power I was promised. Getting hard info out of Audi, for a problem they don't acknowledge exists, is nigh on impossible.

Very many thanks

(I'm posting here as the various VAG sites just don't get any traffic! Last question I posted got one reply after a week )

DaveMiddleton

Can't answer your question but suggest you post on rs246.com . It gets a lot of "traffic" in it's section on S4's.

Hoppy

Thanks Dave, but I posted a related question over six weeks ago on RS246 and the only replies I got were one guy saying his car is the same as mine, and another from a tuning company offering to fix it for me. There are other folks on there with questions posted for several days with no replies at all. I've had the same experience on other VAG forums.

That site, and most others for that matter, has low traffic compared to SN and is broken up in to far too many small model-specific forums. And, if I'm honest, the level of knowledge is generally nowhere near that of the peeps on here, even for Audis!

I think my question is a general one about reliablity issues for torque-converter automatics, so I reckoned somebody on here might know about it. Since Audi has mapped its way around potential failures, there don't appear to be any Tiptronic disasters to report on, hence the low level of specific knowledge.

But before I get my Tiptronic remapped, I would like to know what I may be letting myself in for

Thanks,

Richard.