2013 Audi S4

STARTING AROUND FEBRUARY 2, 2013 MY VEHICLE STARTED DISPLAYING INTERMITTENT BIZARRE STEERING BEHAVIOR. THE ISSUES WERE TWO FOLD. FIRST, WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED BUT MOST COMMONLY OVER 50 MPH THE STEERING EXHIBITED A "SLIP AND CONNECT FEELING" WHERE THE STEERING WOULD FEEL DISCONNECTED (OR VERY LOOSELY CONNECTED) TO THE WHEELS. LARGE DRIVER STEERING INPUTS RESULTED IN ONLY MINOR CORRECTIONS. ONLY WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL ABOUT TWO INCHES IN EITHER DIRECTION WOULD THE STEERING GRAB AND FEEL NORMAL AGAIN. THIS PHENOMENON HAS RESULTED IN SEVERAL NEAR MISS ACCIDENTS WHERE THE CAR SWERVES INTO THE ADJACENT LANE. THE SECOND ISSUE IS A STEERING NOTCHINESS WHICH OCCURS AT ANY SPEED AND MOST APPARENT DURING TURNS. I CAN BEST DESCRIBE THIS AS IF THE STEERING, WHICH IS ELECTRONIC, CHANGES FROM HIGH TO LOW TO HIGH BOOST WHILE TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. ALTHOUGH NOT AS MUCH A SAFETY CONCERN AS THE FIRST ISSUE, IT REQUIRES VIGILANT ATTENTION TO ENSURE CAR CONTROL. BOTH OF THESE ISSUES HAVE BEEN REPORTED BY MANY AUDI DRIVERS ON SEVERAL ONLINE FORUMS. THE FOLLOWING THREAD HAS OVER 850 POSTS FROM CONCERNED AUDI DRIVERS, MANY WITH THESE SAME ISSUES. HTTP://WWW.AUDIZINE.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/513862-STEERING-ISSUES-2013. *TR

MY 2013 AUDI S4 EXHIBITS AN ALARMING TENDENCY TO WEAVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE WITHOUT A STEERING INPUT. THIS OCCURS WITHOUT A CHANGE IN STEERING WHEEL POSITION, VEHICLE SPEED, OR CHANGE IN ROAD SURFACE OR PREVAILING WIND DIRECTION. IT IS MORE PRONOUNCED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WHEN WHEEL IS CENTERED AT 12 O'CLOCK BUT DOES OCCUR AT ALL SPEEDS AND STEERING VECTORS. AUDI DEALERSHIP NOTES THE PROBLEM AND BLAMES THE NEW ELECTRIC STEERING SYSTEM BUT STATES IT IS A "CHARACTERISTIC" OF THE SYSTEM AND IS NOT A DEFECT. I DISAGREE AND FEEL ANY DIRECTION CHANGE IN A VEHICLE WITHOUT A DRIVER INPUT OR A EXPLAINABLE EXTERNAL FACTOR CONSTITUTES A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

LOST ALL COOLANT DUE TO RADIATOR LEAK FROM ROAD HAZARD DAMAGE CAUSED BY BAD DESIGN OF FRONT LOWER GRILL. IT HAS NO PROTECTIVE MESH AND CLEAR OPENINGS FOR ROCKS TO PROTRUDE. I FOUND THIS ON AUDI FORUM TWO PEOPLE NOW ON THE VAIRIOUS BOARDS HAVE THOUGHT THEY LOST THEIR WATER PUMP, BUT IN FACT HAVE HAD HOLES PUNCHED IN THEIR INTERCOOLING RADIATORS BY ERRANT ROAD DEBRIS WHICH STRIKES THE RADIATOR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND PERFORATES IT. SINCE THE ENGINE AND SUPERCHARGER COOLING SYSTEMS SHARE THE SAME OVERFLOW CONTAINER, BUT ARE SEPERATE LOOPS, IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE BOTH SYSTEMS HAVE LOST ALL COOLANT LIQUID, DUE TO THE ONE WAY VALVE SYSTEM, THE HEATING AND COOLING OF THE COOLANT AND THE SHARED OVERFLOW TANK. THIS IS NOT COVERED BY AUDI WARRANTY, AND IS CONSIDERED WEAR AND TEAR. IT ALSO REMOVES THE CAR FROM SERVICE UNTIL IT PARTS ARE OBTAINED AND IT CAN BE REPAIRED, NOT TO MENTION THE COST AND FRUSTRATION. HTTP://FORUMS.AUDIWORLD.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=2784308&HIGHLIGHT=NWS4GUY+MESH&PAGE=22. *TR