S7 Known Issues / Problems?

[minman26]

I tried searching, but couldn't find anything on this topic... although I'm sure there are several threads on this. Considering upgrading from S4 to S7. Any known issues that I would need to look out for or is the 4.0TT pretty solid? Any years to avoid?

[Audibot]

From what i was reading about before in the C7 forum, 2013s tend to blow up turbos. So I think 2014 onwards is fine.

[OlyS6]

The primary issues with the C7 and C7.5 platforms tend to be the motor mounts and the oil separators. A few folks have blown their turbos as well, but uncertain how much oil change intervals/driving habits&tunes/ or a bad oil separator or bad return lines to the turbos have contributed to those. Given that MY13 cars tend to have more mileage, the reported problems have been more common with them, but there really haven't been much of any design changes over the model years, other than the cosmetic changes in MY2016 and beyond. The engines and drivetrains are essentially the same, with some slightly upgraded transmission clutch packs in MY2016 and later.

All that said, plenty of folks have driven these cars for years without issue. It's quite a powerful and stable platform.

[WhiteWhiteS7]

Oly is right. Oil separators, turbo coolant o-rings, and motor mounts are the main issues, with turbos and thermostats being less common. I'm at 58k and have only had the thermostat and oil separator replaced, but my motor mounts are now bad and waiting for warmer weather to replace.

[minman26]

Great info guys. Appreciate the feedback. I assume S6/S7 are mechanically (engine/drivetrain) the same so any info on the S6 would be applicable for this platform?

[gimpgutter]

Oly is right. Oil separators, turbo coolant o-rings, and motor mounts are the main issues, with turbos and thermostats being less common. I'm at 58k and have only had the thermostat and oil separator replaced, but my motor mounts are now bad and waiting for warmer weather to replace.

I had my turbo coolant o-rings and thermostat replaced under warranty at about 45-50K miles. Is there any other indicator that the motor mounts are bad, other than a check engine light?

[OlyS6]

Great info guys. Appreciate the feedback. I assume S6/S7 are mechanically (engine/drivetrain) the same so any info on the S6 would be applicable for this platform?

Correct.

[OlyS6]

I had my turbo coolant o-rings and thermostat replaced under warranty at about 45-50K miles. Is there any other indicator that the motor mounts are bad, other than a check engine light?

I've seen a bunch of folks report lots of vibration of the car at idle, with no warning indicator or error codes on VCDS. Otherwise, if you do have a VAGCOM cable, some folks report that they've found errors that tend to be triggered when the fluid leaks out of the motor mounts.

I'd become suspicious if you experience a 'rough' idle with vibrations of the car that weren't there before.

[WhiteWhiteS7]

Random engine vibrations at idle on cold starts. Never hooked up the VagCom to look for codes, but when I did the last oil change, the leaking fluid down the motor mount confirmed it for me.

[elptxjc]

Even my new 2018 vibrates some when cold. Hope the mounts are not defective, but doubt it. Almost all engines can vibrate noticeably when cold, with the possible exception of naturally balanced engines in both primary and secondary order, like inline-6s and 60º V-12s.

[audi_nightrider]

Wish I created a similar thread before I jumped on my 3rd Audi. I was fooled by "CPO warranty" and a carfax "serviced" history when I purchased my car and now dealing with a hefty repair bill. Motor mounts and upper left/right control arms needs to be replace at 49k miles a $4,000 repair bill. This is less than 4 months of ownership and less than 2,000 miles of driving. Missed my warranty by less than 2 months!!! If only the VW dealership I purchased the car from were honest enough to tell me the right factory warranty end date

/end rant

sorry to thread jack but they pretty much listed everything you need to look out for.

Oly is right. Oil separators, turbo coolant o-rings, and motor mounts are the main issues, with turbos and thermostats being less common. I'm at 58k and have only had the thermostat and oil separator replaced, but my motor mounts are now bad and waiting for warmer weather to replace.

are you planning to tackle the replacement yourself? Are you following any DIY/reference? I'm pretty handy but always want to see a step by step DIY list. Worked on everything in my tiny B6 1.8T engine lol. Someone needs to start a DIY for the motor mounts.

[audi_nightrider]

I've seen a bunch of folks report lots of vibration of the car at idle, with no warning indicator or error codes on VCDS. Otherwise, if you do have a VAGCOM cable, some folks report that they've found errors that tend to be triggered when the fluid leaks out of the motor mounts.

I'd become suspicious if you experience a 'rough' idle with vibrations of the car that weren't there before.

Surprisingly, my car doesn't have any rough vibration or anything at all. But when the mechanic showed me a video underneath my car, both motor mounts are leaking fluid and that some fluid already splashed all over some of the suspension parts. Only one side is throwing an error code though.

[OlyS6]

Surprisingly, my car doesn't have any rough vibration or anything at all. But when the mechanic showed me a video underneath my car, both motor mounts are leaking fluid and that some fluid already splashed all over some of the suspension parts. Only one side is throwing an error code though.

Good to know- I do recall seeing a DIY for motor mount replacement here on AZ.
It also is super valuable to buy a one day subscription on erwinaudi to download all of the shop manuals on pdf format that give you the step-by-step instructions for pretty much any repair you can think of. Best $35 you can spend on the car.


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[ericw.]

Don't forget about front wheel bearings.. Although reports of wheel bearing issues have died down lately.

[WhiteWhiteS7]

are you planning to tackle the replacement yourself? Are you following any DIY/reference? I'm pretty handy but always want to see a step by step DIY list. Worked on everything in my tiny B6 1.8T engine lol. Someone needs to start a DIY for the motor mounts.

I'll do the mounts myself. I subscribed to erWin for 36 hours and downloaded everything regarding the A7/S7/RS7, so I feel confident whenever I wrench on the car. I wrote a good DIY for the oil separator (https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...arator-R-amp-R) and will likely make a good one for the motor mounts.

I don't take any of my cars anywhere near a dealership.

[SleekS7]

Don't forget about front wheel bearings.. Although reports of wheel bearing issues have died down lately.

Funny you say that, I just had both front wheel bearings replaced last week.

[OlyS6]

I'll do the mounts myself. I subscribed to erWin for 36 hours and downloaded everything regarding the A7/S7/RS7, so I feel confident whenever I wrench on the car. I wrote a good DIY for the oil separator (https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...arator-R-amp-R) and will likely make a good one for the motor mounts.

I don't take any of my cars anywhere near a dealership.

Would love to see your write-up on a motor mount DIY! Your DIY on the oil separator swap was super helpful when I swapped out my turbos.

[audi_nightrider]

I'll do the mounts myself. I subscribed to erWin for 36 hours and downloaded everything regarding the A7/S7/RS7, so I feel confident whenever I wrench on the car. I wrote a good DIY for the oil separator (https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...arator-R-amp-R) and will likely make a good one for the motor mounts.

I don't take any of my cars anywhere near a dealership.

Can't wait to see the write up and do it myself as well. I'm not getting weird vibration as of yet so might last a little bit more longer.

The Audi dealership is covering 50% of the repair but still a lot of money out of my pocket. I guess i'll be subscribing to erWin as well to look up how extensive it is and if there are special tools needed.

Sorry for the thread jack OP but this is all helpful information!

[ericw.]

Funny you say that, I just had both front wheel bearings replaced last week.

lol scratch what i said then about less reports. I did mine a year ago and hoping they hold up.

[biehniac]

The primary issues with the C7 and C7.5 platforms tend to be the motor mounts and the oil separators. A few folks have blown their turbos as well, but uncertain how much oil change intervals/driving habits&tunes/ or a bad oil separator or bad return lines to the turbos have contributed to those.

I'm driving a 2013 S7 approaching 51k miles. Hope I don't jinx myself but I haven't had any of the large issues mentioned here. Turbo has been healthy. I had to replace an oil pressure sensor and oil pressure switch that were triggering false error messages, and my transmission locked up a few times in reverse with no apparent cause and has since stopped.

I'd say I drive conservatively, only opening it up on highways a few times a month. I definitely haven't skimped on maintenance and I strictly adhere to all the scheduled stuff.

It's an awesome, stand-out car, both in appearance and performance, and I would say it is 100% worth upgrading to.