Buying Audi A5 Help

[l-murcielago]

Hi everyone,

After having seen the Audi A5 3.0 TDI and the Audi A5 2.0 TFSI both 177bhp and 208bhp... I have singled out the Audi A5 2.0 TFSI 208BHP with Quattro.

Reasons: Had to exclude the TDI since I couldn't find any at the moment which are ULEZ compliant... I live in London.

This leaves me with the petrol. I am choosing the higher bhp one and with quattro since i feel the power is too much for fwd.

My budget is £5k.

The car I am going to see tomorrow will likely be the one. Here is the link:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

I've done a background check on car and there are 2 owners in total, not stolen/finance/written off etc. Full service history with last one done in 2018 by Audi. MOT was done in march this year and the only advisories were that both rear tyres are wearing out. Since then the trade seller has replaced both rear tyres. The car comes with 3 months warranty with autozone I think the trade seller said. This is engine and gearbox mainly I think.

Let me know your opinion and any advice for me when I go to see the car tomorrow. Will be eternally grateful!

[ensignia]

What's the question here?

[l-murcielago]

ensignia said:

What's the question here?

1. Is there anything I should be aware of when I view this Audi A5 tomorrow?

2. Based on the advertisement link I shared, do you think it's a good deal and worth buying?

[RSTurboPaul]

Check if the new rear tyres are LingLong ditchfinders (likely) or Continental/Michelin (unlikely).

Get the warranty T&Cs (preferably emailed to you) in writing and read them CAREFULLY.

[l-murcielago]

RSTurboPaul said:

Check if the new rear tyres are LingLong ditchfinders (likely) or Continental/Michelin (unlikely).

Get the warranty T&Cs (preferably emailed to you) in writing and read them CAREFULLY.

Okay will do thanks

[Wilmslowboy]

The last service was done 25 months ago (19k miles ago), and therefore overdue or due very soon.

I’d want it to be serviced by a good Audi indie before collection - even if it means paying a bit more for it.

There is a long list of consumables that may or may not need doing - cam belt, water pump, discs, pads, clutch etc

Time the service wrong and you could be looking at a bill will into four figures.

[Jamescrs]

My main thought would be that the warranty is not likely to be worth a great deal at all in this circumstance, the car is around 12 years old with over 100k on the clock so the warranty company will play on the wear and tear angle for most claims, also in the first month if any faults occur the warranty company will likely say the issue was there at sale and say go back to the dealer and the dealer will say you have a warranty claim on that and you get stuck between the two.

Can you tell I have had similar experiences in the past?

[Joe5y]

l-murcielago said:

ensignia said:

What's the question here?

1. Is there anything I should be aware of when I view this Audi A5 tomorrow?

2. Based on the advertisement link I shared, do you think it's a good deal and worth buying?

Yes

No

[cmyj]

Many early 2.0 TFSI in these consumed a lot of oil, often 1 litre in 1000 miles, and it wasn’t fully resolved until around 2011. Check to ensure the work has been done though this was significant and expensive.

https://www.driving.co.uk/news/british-audi-driver...

I specifically bought a later model to try to avoid this issue after viewing a couple where the oil level was almost empty.

[Jakarta]

Going for the Quattro because 208HP is too much for FWD seems a little extreme.
I rented a 240HP 3.0 TDI A5 a few years ago, very difficult to cause wheelspin unless you do it on purpose.
I now have a 320hp FWD Golf that has no issues getting the power down.

[Trevor555]

2008 with full Audi history for £4100

It's got to be worth going to have a look

Just take an expert with you (as with any car you buy)

I can't tell from the advert if it's a proper car, but it might be, the pic of the history with all the invoices is promising.

I agree the warranty might not be a lot of good, but your consumer rights are still there, and pretty powerful for the first 30 days at least.

But if you get there and they start insisting on cash, or start saying they're selling for a friend, just walk.

Edited by Trevor555 on Wednesday 15th July 09:18

Edited by Trevor555 on Wednesday 15th July 09:19

[l-murcielago]

Thanks a lot for your help guys.

My younger brother is currently viewing the car right now. He just sent a picture of the temperature gauge on the dashboard at 80°C. Is that normal?

Edited by l-murcielago on Wednesday 15th July 14:26

[RSTurboPaul]

l-murcielago said:

Thanks a lot for your help guys.

My younger brother is currently viewing the car right now. He just sent a picture of the temperature gauge on the dashboard at 80°C. Is that normal?

Edited by l-murcielago on Wednesday 15th July 14:26

Temperature of what?


The air con temperature display?

The air temperature outside the car?

The setting for the heated seats?

The water temperature?

The oil temperature?


Some of those would be concerning, some not.

[l-murcielago]

RSTurboPaul said:

Temperature of what?


The air con temperature display?

The air temperature outside the car?

The setting for the heated seats?

The water temperature?

The oil temperature?


Some of those would be concerning, some not.

Sorry meant to say oil temperature

[PSRG]

Jakarta said:

Going for the Quattro because 208HP is too much for FWD seems a little extreme.
I rented a 240HP 3.0 TDI A5 a few years ago, very difficult to cause wheelspin unless you do it on purpose.
I now have a 320hp FWD Golf that has no issues getting the power down.

I’d agree...back in ‘07 I had an A4 convertible with a 200 PS version of what I presume is the same engine. Mine was fwd, and you could tell that, but I wouldn’t say it had too much power it did have an annoying habit of always needing a top up of oil just before a service mind you. And from memory mine was on fixed interval servicing - oil change at 10k, service at 20k then repeat. Kept that car for over 4 years - nothing went wrong, though it was reasonably heavy on tyres as I recall, and not just fronts.

[RSTurboPaul]

l-murcielago said:

RSTurboPaul said:

Temperature of what?


The air con temperature display?

The air temperature outside the car?

The setting for the heated seats?

The water temperature?

The oil temperature?


Some of those would be concerning, some not.

Sorry meant to say oil temperature

Different cars, different engines, answers much the same:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=67...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=70...

[l-murcielago]

RSTurboPaul said:

Different cars, different engines, answers much the same:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=67...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=70...

Thanks mate. Decided to not buy the A5 today due to clutch issues.

[dry664]

I had a front drive A5 with the 208bhp engine for 3 years. I did wish that I’d spent a bit more for Quattro because in slightly greasy conditions it’s quite easy to spin the tyres (this engine makes 260lbft of torque).
Also, it’s a chain driven engine, so doesn’t need a cambelt, but the chains are known to fail so it’s worth seeing if it’s been done.
As above, the car should have had cylinder liners replaced under a recall to fix the oil consumption issues. Mine had, I had it on a yearly service schedule doing ca.12k mile per year and the oil level was around min when going to service.

Based on your budget, I’m going to assume you don’t want a big bill so I’d suggest you find a car based on condition and service history, as opposed to spec/Quattro.

[l-murcielago]

Hi everyone. Thanks for your replies.

I viewed the car yesterday. I have a question and need some help!

The steering wheel has a momentary judder when turning the wheel at stationary or very slow speed. The seller has agreed to replace the steering wheel pump for no additional cost. If that fixes the problem then that's fine.

But the clutch felt a bit stiff when pressing down. A tiny bit of noise too. Didn't feel smooth. However the clutch wasn't slipping, biting point wasn't really high, no burning smell etc. Also the gearstick was squeaky between 1&2 and 5&6.

Do you guys think the clutch is gone? I looked at the paperwork and couldn't see clutch replacement.

Timing chain was replaced, as were fuel injectors. The seller told me he contacted audi and found out that the car was sent for recall and the oil consumption issue was solved. It's a 2008 car btw.

I said to the guy if the steering wheel problem is sorted and I can take the car to a mechanic and get his approval that the clutch is fine then I will buy the car.

Btw the engine oil temperature if fine and in the middle.

What do you guys think?

[gman88667733]

Sounds like a potential headache to me. Plenty of other cars around at that price range.
If you have doubts about it before you have purchased it, just walk away, it won't get any better without time or money in it. Good luck.