Three Years with my Audi S5

"Audi For Life" (audiforlife)
08/27/2013 at 12:15 • Filed to: Audi, Audi S5

Three years ago today, I finalized all of the paperwork on the 2011 Sprint Blue Audi S5 that I had ordered (and put down a deposit) a few months earlier, on my birthday, and got the keys to the car.

I have written up a (semi) long-winded blog post about the past three years with the S5 titled, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

DISCUSSION (17)

ddavidn > Audi For Life
08/27/2013 at 12:16

I've been jealous of you for three years and didn't even know it. 'Gratz.

Audi For Life > ddavidn
08/27/2013 at 12:22

Thanks! :)

Party-vi > Audi For Life
08/27/2013 at 12:24

It's not often that we get the cars we want. Congratulations on your success in doing so, and I hope your Audi brings you much joy into the future.

Audi For Life > Party-vi
08/27/2013 at 12:26

It took a few years to get to the point of deciding on the S5 and to the point that I was able to afford it. Patience and hard work really paid off. Thanks!

MauritiusMauritia > Audi For Life
08/27/2013 at 12:59

Are you a 27Aug baby too? Spoiler alert, your parents did it on Christmas / New Years.

Audi For Life > MauritiusMauritia
08/27/2013 at 13:23

Sorry, I munged up that sentence. I meant to say that I placed the order and deposit on the S5 a couple of months earlier. My birthday is towards the end of April :)

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Audi For Life
08/27/2013 at 14:00

Beautiful car. Beautiful color. Honestly think it's one of the best designs on the road today (I like yours better than the redesign). I think I'd have one if I lived in Oregon.

I chose a used E90 M3 instead; have had it just over a year, and loving it every single day.

Hope your S5 is a great companion for many years to come!

Props for choosing the manual, by the way! I love the PSS on mine as well.

MauritiusMauritia > Audi For Life
08/27/2013 at 14:01

Then you were made in the summer months!

Audi For Life > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
08/27/2013 at 14:23

I had considered an E92 M3 for a while, but the cost how I would order one was roughly $9K more than I could chew off (the same would have been true if the RS 5 had arrived before the facelift). The 335is and 335 xDrive were on the list too; but, I didn't quite feel comfortable with the seat nor position, considering my build. I think I would have had the same problem with the E92 M3 as well :)

I do want to test drive the new 4 Series to see how much has changed vs the E92, both in terms of ride and fitment.

Thanks!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Audi For Life
08/27/2013 at 14:34

I'm really interested to read and watch the first reviews of the new M3/4. Several big changes - hope the "magic" hasn't been lost at all. I hope they can hit their weight loss targets.

AW46M3 > Audi For Life
08/27/2013 at 17:57

I love Audi's styling as of late. One question for you, how reliable has it been? The one thing that scares me from an Audi is the reliability scores. I'd buy it under warranty, but I don't want to be going to the dealer every 2 months either.

Audi For Life > AW46M3
08/27/2013 at 19:23

It has been pretty darn reliable. The only major thing for me was that the front rotors were squealing like mad at the start of last winter and continued for a while. Thankfully, there was a TSB issued and were replaced at no charge.

Unlike my 2004 A4, neither window regulators have shown signs of acting up or failing outright. The first one that I had go out in my A4 was roughly at the 2.5 year mark (covered under warranty) and replaced two others post warranty.

There are some rattles and squeaks that still need to be sought out.

Saracen > Audi For Life
08/27/2013 at 20:37

The only issue my '05 B6 Avant had were the window regulators, both went out at around 50k miles.

IMO that was a damn reliable car. I didn't go easy on that engine either. After beating on it for 150 miles over 7 years (during which I never missed an oil change), the stock clutch and turbo were holding up just fine, and the engine was strong.

The only time it "broke down" was when the coolant flange cracked due to subzero overnight temperatures in Tahoe City and emptied itself of coolant (luckily there was a great Audi shop a half mile away). However, that was my fault as I failed to address the issue when my mechanic mentioned it would need to be replaced.

And that's there's that word "neglect". German cars are not "unreliable". They need more maintenance than Japanese cars, but as long as you keep them maintained as you should then they will run beautifully. Neglect them and they fall to pieces. I bet most of the people that consider them "unreliable" fall into the negligent category.

To me the extra cost is worth the driving pleasure and high degree of refinement and build quality that comes with German cars.

ybnormal07 > Audi For Life
02/02/2015 at 16:53

Just to be curious, do you still have the S5 and how has it been treating you? I've a 2008 (4.2) with all the bells and whistles. At 51K miles, not a single issue, and have done all of the maintenance myself.

Audi For Life > ybnormal07
02/02/2015 at 18:27

I still have the S5 and it has been treating me quite well. Had the EPC light come on a few times in the past month, but no persistent codes and it could have been fuel or intermittent coil pack wonkiness.

ybnormal07 > Audi For Life
03/08/2015 at 23:48

Thanks AFL. Every now and then I start perusing the used car adds, thinking "more power". Then I go for a ride and realize the S5 is really just fine. Great ride, telegraphic steering, amazing suspension for the weight of the car. The only thing I don't like is I'd rather have a manual trans (wanted to go with an SC but the auto can't handle the power), but the price was just too good to pass up. Monitoring for carbon buildup and considering a catch can. No CELs to date. Mine is an interesting factory option blackout...grill, taillights and rims. Real head turner:>)

Audi For Life > ybnormal07
03/09/2015 at 10:46

Glad to hear that! I'm probably looking at getting the intake cleaned out at the next scheduled maintenance just in case. Blacked out grille and rims are nice.

Do you have any friends that have the VAG-COM cable and VCDS, or have you considered picking the pair up? It's both a nice diagnostics tool to read codes, if you get any, and a great way to tweak the setup of your S5 (no LED DRL winking, etc.)