s4affectionado

So I would have expected this as well. I need to check the next time I go to the dealer whether I've got the 48K8 update or not. To be fair, I think what I noticed was comparatively minor. It's possible that I have the update and that the issue is mostly fixed, but occasionally still occurs in a more subdued manner or something. Have to get some more miles on and see if it's a pretty frequent occurrence or more rare or what.

I'd be curious to hear what other 2014 owners experience.

snagitseven

Just to clarify things a bit, tramlining is when certain tires react to the road surface, i.e. crowning, by drifting one way or the other. The issues experienced by some with the electric steering that the 46K8 resolved are:

1. General wandering or vagueness at highway speeds regardless of road crown or other conditions
2. "Notchiness" - a slight delay in response that is felt as the steering wheel is turned slightly at highway speeds
3. Sudden pulling of the steering at highway speed with no interaction by the driver

Not all or any of the above have been experienced by all drivers. #3 seems to be the rarest but also the most potentially hazardous - a few people reported they were terrified when it happened. Virtually all reports I've read of those with any of the above issues claim they were all but eliminated with the electric steering update. The update was sent to dealers in August, 2013. Presumably, 2014 models would have had the new software parameters applied at the factory around that time.

In my case I experienced a significant amount of the first issue (none of the other two) and I'd say that it's 90+% better than before. While I appreciate the merits and believe they've come a long way, I feel that electric steering system technology still has a some distance to go to fully replicate the feel and characteristics of hydraulic systems.

Bobby Kinstle

I haven't had any of those issues on my MY'13 B8.5 S4.

snagitseven

As I wrote, not everyone has experienced these problems. Apparently though, enough complaints were made to dealers as Audi felt compelled to provide the 48K8 update to 168K+ electric steering vehicles worldwide. There is some anecdotal evidence that an issue is more likely to be observed in colder temperatures.

gismo

The dealer checked for the update in my car (2013 B8 S4) and found that despite the fact the update was "performed" by a different dealer in the past (this is a CPO car) the power steering software was indeed out of date. My dealer then did the update and now the steering "notchiness" problem is gone.