kaotiq

Hi Guys,

I'm in the market for another car and one of my top choices is the Audi S5, or A5 3.2L if available. I am just a bit hesitant on Audi because of their old reputation on reliability past 45,000 miles.

I wanted to know if current owners or friends of owners have any stories and/or experiences to share with me. Anything helps.

kaotiq

65 views? Nothing? Someone has got to have some sort of experience

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

I leased an Audi S5 back in 06. I had the car for 2 years and put close to 50k miles on it. Beat the **** out of the car and only had a brake relay switch go bad on the car. Took it in for the "free" services and they were great to deal with.

I just went back to Audi and got the wife a Q7.

What are you looking to get?

With any luxury car just make sure you have warranty on it.

GQD_GS4

I don't have an A5/S5, but here's my recent experience:

I have an 07 A4 Cabriolet 2.0T. Bought it CPO with 32k miles, and I currently have 45k on it. All I can say is: good thing I bought it with a warranty. The "low oil" light kept coming on every 1500 miles, which I found ridiculous. The dealership repeatedly said this "was normal." When I took my complaints to the general manager of the dealership, I argued that my 97 supra twin turbo burns NO oil and neither does my 87 GTA. He agreed to do an oil consumption test. My audi failed the test and spent the next 2 weeks at the dealership getting the piston rings replaced.

To rub things in, while I drove the loaner car, a 2011 A4 2.0T sedan, the "low oil" light turned on also! I couldn't believe it. I took the loaner back to the dealer and the service worker admitted to me that there was a larger problem at hand. They topped off the oil and I drove the loaner until my car was fixed.

Other than that, she's a great car. No other problems so far. Excessive oil consumption has been my only complaint.

I will drive the car for the remaining 2 years on the CPO warranty then trade it in, hopefully for CPO LS600hl. Audi's are beautifully designed, however I will never buy one ever again.

kaotiq

Thank you for the replies so far. This is helping me lean towards going back to Lexus.

I was seriously looking into getting a CPO 2007+ S5, but i've been hearing conflicting stories so far on their reliability issues. I was very close to pulling to trigger on buying one a month ago, but stopped myself in order to do further research. Other than my cousin's 2003 A4 taking a full dump on him with only 37,000 miles, I've haven't had much experience with Audis. My friend's 2010 A5 2.0T has a problem with the navigation screen. Apparently, in hot weather, the screen doesn't even turn on. His car barely has 15,000 miles.

I've tried looking online for some more info on their reliability ratings on JD Power Assoc and Edmunds, but nothing is reported at all. The only thing that i've heard from random people is this: "German luxury cars are mechanically great, but electrically horrible. Great for leasing, but horrible for long term ownership."

I'm hoping to get more info from first hand fellow Lexus owners.

GQD_GS4

I bought my Audi because I was growing bored with Lexus. I previously owned a GS400, and currently an RX400h, but I felt "disconnected" from the road. So I bought an Audi to get a taste of the other side.

Just buy one with a warranty. I'm glad I did.
Gotta learn the hard way, right? Needless to say, I'll take the "disconnected" feeling from now on...with an LS600hl in 2 years

kaotiq

Hahaha! No thanks. I think that I'll learn thru others and save the trouble. I do know that feeling of disconnection with the road.

dunnojack

hey, at least it will still run. and I heard audi interiors are the best of the best.

just ignore those electrical quirks. you don't HAVE to fix them.
see that oil light? pump another quart in. simple $3 fix.

nav don't work? hit it a few times.

As long as the gas and brakes still work, keep driving.

people are too fussy about german car "reliability". You can live without the electronics.


you wanna feel the road? take out the shocks. there's your road feel.

LeX2K

Audi makes you feel connected. To your service manager.

But seriously, every one I've known that has owned an Audi has told me the same thing, they love the car, but have grown tired of the problems. Most often it is little stuff, but stuff that is aggravating and ends up wasting their time as they wait for things to get fixed. And if you don't have a warranty, the costs can be outrageous.

Many people end up with a love/hate relationship with their Audi's.

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

My uncle had a Turbo A6 S-line a few years ago... it was fairly unreliable

2 of the major things I remember were

-Gauge cluster replaced 2 or 3 times (faulty - something in the electronics)
-At one point the oil would leak out if the car was stopped (didn't when it was moving)

Thing was a blast to drive though

Fizzboy7

I come from the Audi family and would still be in it if my A4 wasn't totaled. This brought me to Lexus, which has been a mixed thing so far. Through my own experiences, and what I've followed since the late 1990's, Audis are great cars. They are built to the highest standard inside, but the electronics are still fussy and can give problems later on. If you don't mind some dealer visits and you have a warranty, I think the trade-off is worth it. You DO feel the road, driving is exciting, and you are part of the sensory experience, rather than the isolation of the Lexus's. Some people prefer the isolation and luxury... which is fine. It's everyone's personal choice. But I personally miss what the Audi offered and would like to return to the brand eventually.

Also, checking out Consumer Reports, Audi has improved over the last 8 years. The A4 and A6 have been ranked at average for a few years now, which is pretty good for a German brand. I just wouldn't hold on to it after 4 years or higher miles or have one without a warranty. My A4 was 5 years old when it got totalled and was quite reliable overall- about on par with my IS250.

Good luck with your decision!

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I feel Audi,BMW,Benz are great vehicles to own but I wouldn't want one after the 4/50 warranty.
Leasing works well with those brands.

kaotiq

Thank you for the replies so far. Again, all great info. I am seeing a large trend of used cars sold here locally in LA. A lot of these A5/S5s on the market all seem to hover around the same mileage.

If I do get a S5, I definitely plan on modding it and I would assume that doing so would void my warranty in a heartbeat.

mmarshall

Then why mod it? Doesn't make sense to me.

Here's my full-length CL reviews of an S5/S4/A4, BTW:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...5-quattro.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...0-audi-s4.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...c-quattro.html

IS-SV

Feedback on Audi from my 2 friends/actual owners:

1. Previous-gen A4 has had a few problems including head gasket at 60K+ miles, she is not impressed with reliability.

2. A5 with 40K miles, no significant problems so far. Having driven this extensively, it's no more connected than a IS250/IS350/IS-F. It's no Porsche.