spartikus1975

Hey guys just wanted to see if i could get some questions answered. I have searched on this and other forums as well as just the internet in general.
I just bout a 2013 Audi A5 with approx 27900 miles on it. My first question is are there any specific problems with this model year of this car. Second question is regarding automotive warranties. I have read about good experiences as well as bad experiences with most of the 3rd part auto warranties. I guess i am just looking to see if someone can give me insight into a few of these companies. Namely Fidelity, Warranty Direct and CNA. It seems to me that most of the companies try to find a way out of paying for the repairs. So i am tempted to just put the money i would spend on a warranty for repairs in the future. My fear is something catastrophic would happen costing thousands of dollars in which case having a warranty would help. Please let me know what you guys think, thank you so much in advance. I am excited to finally own an Audi I have wanted on for quite some time.

lmariorod

Since no one has responded, I'll suggust a few things although I've never owned an A5 but did research them before going for an S5.

You have the facelift '13 A5 and the 2.0T, It should not have the oil consumption issue of prior years but I'd keep an eye on that. First and foremost, get an oil dipstick and check the oil regularly. Don't rely solely on the electronic reading in the MMI. The car appears driven 8K a year and thats is a good thing.

As for your question on a third party repair service contract. I personally stay far away from them. They stay in business by denying claims and hoping you never have a need for their service. I'd bank the money and use it, if and when needed for a repair. You could have a "catastrophic" repair involving the powertrain and they could still deny you. Leaving you 3k-4k out, and terribly frustrated.

Find yourself a good indy shop that specializes in german cars, usually VW/Audi, speak to the owner, (something almost impossible to do at an Audi dealership) and ask if they take any third party repair service. He would give you the low down on those services.

DJ 2.7T

Welcome and congrats on the car! I can't comment on the A5 reliability, but I bought a 2013 S5 Cab with 8k miles last June and it's been a pleasure to drive and enjoy.

For piece of mind I wanted an extended warranty and went to fd-warranty.com and spoke with Troy Dietrich. It was the exact same warranty that my local dealer was offering, but at a better price so I have the care covered until 2020 or 70k miles. You can search the forum for more info, but I'm very happy with my purchase (car + warranty).

Happy motoring!

spartikus1975

Hey guys thank you so much for the info. I am called local shops and spoken to some friends the general consensus is to not buy the warranty. I am still a little bit apprehensive to go without one. I did talk to Troy and he quoted me a pretty good price just alight above 3000 dollars for 5 years 60 k through fidelity. my concern is not paying for the warranty but rather not having anything done when i need it as i have heard a lot of people around the internet complain that most warranty companies will deny claims etc.

lmariorod

You have the fear of many first time Audi owners. And although Audi's and german cars, in general, are very expensive to maintain and repair. This is not the Audi of 20 years ago that many still have a bad reliability perception about.

Having said that, many long time owners still want the peace of mind of a CPO or factory warranty while driving a german car.

However, for me, IMO a third party repair service contract is not for me. Never considered it on our first year german SUV Q5 and we went 2.5 years with no warranty, except for the carbon build-up warranty extension by AoA.

Today's forums, Google searches and YouTube are powerful tools to help you troubleshoot and many times repair yourself with proper tools, location and basic know how. Yes, Audi's can be complicated beasts to repair, but its a lot easier nowadays with the internet tools.

BullDoggie68

Hi, I was looking into FD Warranty, wasn't sure if they were legit....I guess they are?

Thanks!

DJ 2.7T

I have owned Audis and Porsche and always bought the extended warranty early on for piece of mind. Fidelity is selling the same warranty since Troy is part of a group of dealerships that includes Audi while he works at a Toyota branch I recall. I have been pretty lucky with my cars, but have had some transmission and other items that the warranty has paid for itself. I keep my cars for 5-7+ years usually, so for the S5 Cab I did not want to worry down the line and given I bought a 2013 car with 8k miles the warranty cost was treated as a new car due to the low mileage.

For me this made sense and I talked to my local Audi dealer who walked me through the platinum plan I bought from Troy and confirmed all the coverage.

Good luck!
-DJ

Joseph RavensNation Burton

Hey bro i was the same way when i purchased my first Audi. Just from what people had said about german vehicles. (costly to fix) (break-down all the time) i had a 2008 A4 s-line like 3-4 years ago. Until it flooded it was the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. (3800 series buick..2000 honda civic manual. and a 08 lancer 2.0). from 85,000 to 135,000 i had two coil packs go bad ($18 each from Auto-part store) and 1 each PCV valve ($40 bucks took me 3 minutes to change). You got a awesome car and you did a great job not buying the warranty. Just think how many german vehicles have you seen broken down on the side of the road? not many I'm sure.

spartikus1975

Hey thanks again for the input you guys. I am enjoying the car I love driving it. Have put just under 1000 miles on her and she is running well lets hope that continues. thank you again for the input.