Hi...I recently bought a 2013 S6. I absolutely love the car. However it has one performance quirk that is very annoying.

Coming off idle ( or coasting) the car has serious hesitation problems. I called my dealer who said there were no recalls or known problems. However after a lifetime in the industry, I suspect that other S6 and S7 owners have these same issues.

Any help would be appreciated

Allen

 

Hi Allen:

I just bought the S6 as well... really enjoying it but just took it home and haven't had the opportunity to drive it hard yet. I've had three S4's, both turbo and supercharged engines, and the cars often had a bit of lag. Not sure if you've seen the ECU software upgrades from APR but they are absolutely amazing. APR - High Performance Development for Audi, VW and Porsche Vehicles. You will see for the S6 the estimated hp and torque gains are about 16% for the V8 turbo. I've had 2 of my S4's chipped with the software and the results felt much more substantial than advertised. Any lag in the stock power was completely eliminated and the increased torque and responsiveness made the stock car feel slow. I will get the upgrade for the S6 once I get settled with the car. Good luck.

Steve

 

I too have noticed the lag. I feel that it is more of a transmission quirk/stumble than anything. I really wonder the APR's reflash will polish this annoyance.

Another VERY annoying thing about the 2013 s6 is that even in Dynamic & Manual mode the tranny still upshifts for you. If you manually upshift with the flappy paddle it will double shift. Drives me crazy and really takes away from the cars sportiness imo. Turning TCS off doesnt make a difference btw.

 

I agree that the bulk of the hesitation and stumble seems to be in the transmission. Also, the transmission performs very poorly in Dynamic. The Dynamic downshifts (on my car) are very rough. I have been happy with the manual mode, however.

I now have 7,000 miles on the S6 and still rate it as the best car I have ever had. I am going to talk to the folks at APR again. That extra 100 + horsepower is very tempting.

Be sure to set your exhaust to Dynamic if you haven't.

Regards,

Allen

 

I've now had the car for a week and have noticed the hesitation, mainly when starting the car from a stop. Extremely annoying and can't say I've ever seen anything like it in any other vehicle. Otherwise I am very happy driving the car in manual mode.

Tough to say whether the APR reflash would help, but there is really only one way to find out. I will re-post in the event I buy the software after the break in period to let you know. As an aside, I spoke with Theo at Banchwerks, one of APR's installers, and he had spent some time in a chipped S7 at APR's headquarters - not sure if he actually drove the car. Banchwerk's number is (401) 335-3336.

 

Search for throttle tip-in issues (hesitation at low RPMs) and you will see an AutoWeek review and a few confirming comments. AutoWeek expressed hope that Audi would adjust its software to address this issue. So far, in my research, this issue is by far the most troubling for the S6 and S7 lines.

Could any S6 and S7 owners in this forum comment on how meaningful this issue is to them in relaxed driving circumstances?

Thank you.

 

It's a very personal issue and is meaningful, but for me it's not a reason not to buy the car since it performs extremely well for a mid size sedan in all other areas. I basically feel the need to add about a 1/4 of a second when starting from a dead stop - it's most meaningful when making a right or left turn from a stop in front of oncoming traffic since there is a lag before the car assumes normal acceleration. Hope this is helpful.

 

Anyone have any updates?

Ill be honest, my father and I are debating about selling the car. Thats how annoying this "lag" is. Its by no means HARSH but it is just a fine tuning detail I wish the car had covered.

For those with the APR reflash, did that help?

Joe

 

I had the apr reflash and unfortunately there was no change in lag. To make matters worse, the flash and a k40 radar system were incompatible with the adaptive cruise control sensors so the car would continuously emit visual and audio warnings that the system was unavailable. The dealer couldn't fix it and I ended up trading the car for a CLA 45 AMG. Although it has a lot less power, it is close to the S6 in acceleration to 60 at least and I find it a much more engaging car to drive. I would be very careful with ecu flashes in the future given the increasing complexity of the electronic systems, and I am told the audi dealer hookups now electronically void the warranty with a TD1 stamp if the program is not set back to stock.

 

Just to chime in with news from my dealer as I am experiencing the same issue with my 2011 A8L ( Major accelerator hesitation after coming to an almost stop then accelerating ) My dealer tells me that they noticed my dipstick cover ? was missing and or damaged causing a massive vacuum leak causing the car to hesitate at very low RPM's. I get my car back today to let you know if the issue has been resolved.