The tip is stronger than you think (as 2k says). The only reason the Tip gets looked down on so much is because of this macho "6-speed is for real men, tip is for weaklings" attitude. It seems that many "enthusiasts" have this problem. There is no documented evidence that shows that tips fail more often than 6-speeds do. 6-speeds have their fair share of problems too.
Tiptronic does not equal "bad."

And once again, the practical aspect of the tip can not be devalued.1 drive in bumper to bumper traffic for over an hour can really change your mind.

/back on topic.

 

if you plan on getting upgraded tip transsmission check out..ibleive it's .. levelten or heres the link http://www.levelten.com/they got good ones... as for maitneace ...your s4 should have had it's 60,000 mile timing blet maintance done...not sure if the owner before you did it!!! i don't know any other fixesas of now...i'm still at 40,100 on a 2002 b5 s4.. don't worry i'm tip too!...every thing you do to the 6 spd you can do to the tip(ecept the obvious: clutch,short sihifter. and make sure you specify it's for a tip causeChips, exhausts have different size connections/programingsect).. just make sure you get an upgraded trannny if you decide to go with bigger turbos(K04's) most of the time all you hear is ...ahhh tip's are for girls....you know things that immature people would say...not that i hate 6 spds..it's just i didn't have a choice...famliy driving it, freeway traffic is hell(i can't deal with theshifting dwn shifting, coming back from work tired as hell, grinding that clutch$$$)

to me an s4 is an s4.....6 / tip
let me know if you need some websites ..for tuning you car up..

 

The timing belt thing isn't a crisis issue. If the belt hasn't been changed, and you're at 70k, I would suggest doing it *relatively* soon, but you don't have to go running to the nearest shop to do it the same day. You could easily get away with hitting 80k without changing the timing belt, it's just recommended to change it because it's something you don't want failing. The cost of a service kit with belt is about $350. If your belt goes, you'll be spending thousands on engine repairs, so the belt/water pump replacement is one of those replacements that you want to do, even if just for the peace of mind.

LevelTen does offer options (like torque converters, valve body kits) and packages for the tip, as well as a completely strengthened transmission, but I have heard *some* people say that IPT Performance does a better job and stands behind their product more than LevelTen. So just keep that in mind. LevelTen is by far the most talked about, as it seems they are the most well known for strengthening many transmissions. I have heard good things about IPT, though, so don't think that your only option is LevelTen or bust.
http://www.importperformancetrans.co...agonauto.shtml