FinalWish7

Hello all,

A few days ago,I bought my first Audi and I love it so far. It's a 2012 A5 Coupe Quattro. About 38k miles.

No problems so far, but if the car has been resting for a few hours, when I start the engine, there is a VERY minor shake. It is hardly noticeable and after about 15 or 20 secs, the engine sort of "kicks in" and it runs very smooth from then on.

Getting the car fully inspected next weekend as routine maintenance. Am I being paranoid about the very minor shake that lasts for a short time if the engine is cold? Anything I should make sure is checked at the mechanic?

Thanks so much

blinsc

I am not a mechanic, but all that sounds normal to me. Basically, the car will idle a little higher than normal on start to warm up the catalytic converters or other systems more quickly. This is common on modern ULEV cars to reduce emissions, as emissions are worst right on startup. A cold catalytic converter can't do anything.

Since you are in park or neutral (eg, not in gear), you are feeling a little extra vibration because of the slightly increased engine speed. When you are in gear, the rest of the drivetrain (transmission, drive shaft, etc.) act as a dampener. The car is optimized/balanced for normal conditions, such as regular idle speed and in-gear driving.

As long as the shaking isn't too violent, goes away when the car reaches normal idle speed, and doesn't occur when you are driving, you should be okay. If it were misfiring, you would get a CEL. If it were a motor mount (or something like that), I'd expect you'd be able to "feel" it while driving.

Again, I am not a mechanic, and if you are taking the car in for service, then by all means get them to analyze it for you.

lyleswk

I think if there was something wrong, you would get a CEL. As the previous post notes, this is probably just normal start up.

FinalWish7

Awesome guys, thanks for the replies!

PhilNotHill

Could be engine mounts need replacing ...if Audis even have them.

UltimateBlack

My 2011 has this too and I was worried same as you. Glad to know its not just mine... Although I do find it unacceptable. I have been completely disappointed in my purchase.

irenesbob

FinalWish7-
Is this the 2.0 engine? If so, bear in mind that it is a 4-cylinder, likelly not as smooth idling as the 6's and V8's you might be used to.

FinalWish7

Yes it is the 2.0. It's very subtle and I don't even notice the slight shake anymore. Plus, once the engine gets warmed up after 30 secs or so, it is smooth as silk. Overall, I am very, very happy with my Audi. The car I had before this was a clunker Pontiac Grand AM that I had for 12 years. This car was a much needed upgrade.

Either way, I'm gonna get a thorough inspection just to see if there are any small things I should address now in order to prevent problems down the road.

Return For Deposit

Perfectly normal.

JGA5Cab

My car idles rough at first start. I back out of my garage, accelerate with a slight hesitation and then it runs great. It is one of the smoothest four cylinder engines I've ever experienced. No explanation why but it's the same for all three of my cars I've had.