[Biturbos4] scraping, squeeling noises

[Quincy Chiang]

Hi all,

On a similar note, I noticed that's a grove on my left front brake disc, deep enough to be seen and felt.  I suspect a small rock got stuck in there long enough to grind the disc down, but I don't recall hearing anything unusual such as squealing.

I don't think this is a big concern, or is it?  I'll be needing all the brakes I have when I road tripping next month from Calgary to San Francisco.

And speaking of Subaru STi, I managed to test drive a slightly used one last week, since it was on sort of my shopping list when I was looking for a S4.  Well it was fast, great brakes, neutral handling (very cool selectable center diff), awesome seats, very short throw shifter and clutch.  Pretty much everything I expected, but man is that thing ever loud!  Wind noise, road noise (from the near slick-like Bridgestone tires), engine noise (characteristic flat 4 sound, some love it, I'm not a fan yet) and gear whine.  I've heard of people complaining about Subaru's drivetrain being loud before, but this was excessive, I'd go nuts on any trip over an hour.  I suppose I see the reason for a louder exhaust, to cover up the other noises!!  And the hood scope, it's a lot bigger viewing from the driver's seat, I had to point that out to the salesman ;-)

Despite the loudness, this car truly delivers what it's supposed to, a visceral driving experience, you feel intense the moment you start the engine.  And it looks the part too.  It's not like the typical riced out Hondas, on this car somehow you feel all those scopes, holes and wings are justified.  

So I decided this is not the car for me, just too raw despite the awesome performance, wouldn't mind having one as a track car though.   But more importantly, I realized how special the B5-S4 really is, it'll probably do 8/10th of all the stuff a STi can, but it remains quiet and comfortable.  I know there's a large price gap when new, but right now I'd still get a used S4 over a new STi, or any other sport sedans out there for that matter (I've also driven the Volvo S60r, very good car, but not good enough).  And once I get Stasis coilovers on next month, I'll love my S4 even more ;-)

Just thought I'd share my test drive with you folks, cheers!

Quincy

PS: don't worry John, I think it's safe to say that most of us will not try what you did, LOL!!


----- Original Message -----
From: "John M. Harrison" <JohnMH at uwyo.edu>
Date: Sunday, March 28, 2004 9:54 pm
Subject: RE: [Biturbos4] scraping, squeeling noises

> Hi Bob,
> I drove it around town a little more today and apparently the 
> offendingdebris dislodged itself.  The noise has disappeared.  
> I'll ask the
> dealer to check it when I take it in for the 30k service.  There 
> is a
> cover over the inside of the disk that could probably trap the right
> size hunk of gravel.  I pulled it onto the Rhino ramps and pulled out
> more dried mud from up under the wheel well and elsewhere 
> underneath.  I
> suspect the right sized pebble dropped in there and just took a 
> while to
> break up and be ejected.  Braking seems fine as usual with no pulling,
> so I think its OK.
> 
> Are you in Colorado?  It would be fun to meet some of my fellow S4
> owners to the south.  Not a lot of Audis in WY, let alone S models.
> There's an S6 here in Laramie and a sprinkling of A models.  
> Thanks for
> the note.
> 
> The local Subaru dealer has one of the WRX STIs on the lot.  It looks
> like fun, but I don't care for the looks.  The exaggerated hood scoop
> and outrageous rear wing are a bit much.  Not nearly as classy as our
> S4s.
> 
> And I'm impressed with the toughness of the S4, especially after being
> towed out of the mud by the rear tow point by a big diesel Ford 
> F350.  I
> was very concerned that something would give as it took multiple 
> runs at
> it to finally jerk it up off the muddy side of the road.  So far there
> doesn't seem to be any significant damage, just a lot of muck
> everywhere.  I'm not sure the lighter Japanese models would stand up
> like the Audi.  Between this incident and hitting a couple deer I 
> wouldsay these Audis are substantial and well built machines.
> 
> Having said that, I don't recommend trying any of these things 
> yourself.I've been lucky to just scare the crap out of myself and 
> have to walk
> for help.  Be careful out there.  Cheers.      
> 
> John M. Harrison  johnmh at uwyo.edu  Laramie, WY
> 2001 S4 Avant 6 spd stock loaded nearing 30k miles
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stephenson [step88 at kc.rr.com] 
> Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 7:18 PM
> To: John M. Harrison
> Cc: 'Bi-Turbo Audi S4 List'
> Subject: RE: [Biturbos4] scraping, squeeling noises
> 
> I was on some snowy roads in Colorado a couple of weeks ago and 
> got the
> same
> noise.  I tried backing up and braking, which must have dislodged
> whatever
> piece of gravel was caught in there.  Also, after power-washing the
> wheel
> wells when I got home, I got the same awful noise until I cleared 
> it the
> same way.  Everything's fine since then.  When I took the snows off,
> everything looked OK.  The S4 brakes must be very susceptible to 
> pickingup
> gravel.
> 
> Bob Stephenson
> 2000 S4, Laser Red
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