MP4.2+6.0

Took my 2015 S8 in for its final 4/50 warranty check in, plus the AudiCare service and the 20AV fuel line recall. My S8 only has 21,000 on it in reality, so I am trying to space out the AudiCare service intervals. I still have the CPO tail for two more years. Current CPO is now only 5 years; not 6 that I have grandfathered.

On my final go, I reported following items. Some one offs, but maybe some as FYI's for others in case you perceive anything similar on yours.

1. Leak in wiper fluid hose going to front camera. This developed last winter after a mountain trip, even though I personally put the antifreeze type solution in well before the trip. Inexpensive hose was the fix, though not clear how hard it is to get in there behind the grill.
2. Grinding noise behind the steering wheel. There since I bought it CPO at under 4K miles; mostly heard only when very quiet and first use. Like a fresh start inside a garage with no tunes on and you turn the steering. I figured it was the clock spring unit--which eventually I have had to replace on most Audis I have owned going back decades, some under warranty. Critical part with how it ties all the steering wheel switches in and the driver's airbag. Also typically includes the angle sensor now used for all kinds of safety systems. There was no code though, so mine was working, but just mechanically a bit subpar. On this one, they finally confirmed the noise on second attempt. They agreed it was clock spring, but also replaced intermediate shaft. $850 list in parts, plus what was probably a fair amount of work by the time they were working on the shaft itself.
3. Trunk flakiness. Mine would often stall halfway up or down, but not consistently. I wondered if it was detecting something blocking the opening or movement, yet nothing was there. I also reported the kick to open feature was just not working in any reliable way, and had long given up on it. Fix was a new trunk motor, which any of us from D3's know had become a "when not if," and a part Audi tried several revs on and a bunch of other fixes. $428 list on the trunk motor, and some labor.

As usual, before this final pre-warranty expiration date service visit, I did take off all the covers underneath, and the motor decorative cover that hides the intake and turbo's. Unlike prior Audis, this time I really did not find anything as far as leaks or broken parts or mounts. I also scan the whole car with VCDS before any warranty period expires.

Sure enough, a VCDS scan is what picked up the trunk issue definitively. I did get the classic "could not replicate" from the dealer on the foot feature--which didn't surprise me. But I have little doubt they found the code and that was the cue for the motor replace. I was careful not to clear the code after seeing it ahead of time. Thus, what now sells for $200 gave me the needed diagnostic pointer to push on the trunk stuff. Similar to my D3 experience where I would pick up things in a scan that were actionable warranty items, yet could not reliably replicate the issue on the service lane.

Will be doing the same before CPO clocks out in the future. More generally, I try to scan Audi's any time they go in for maintenance service anyway. Also know that Audi has long stopped pretending they routinely scan the car comprehensively. They once used to say that in their maintenance procedures, but have not for some years. That translates in the real world to, if you don't have a CEL for the drivetrain type stuff or otherwise don't report something that ultimately ties to an observable code, they are unlikely to even check proactively. Here I felt good about the final result and that my still young car remains up to snuff including deeper underneath.