Nails, nails, nails!
 

So, I've had a slow leak in my rear driver's side tire for months and I just fill it up every week since my lease is up in December. Well, Saturday I was heading out and it felt like I was riding on the rim so I stopped at the closest gas station and noticed my FRONT driver's side tire was flat. I filled it up and took the car to the closest Firestone store. They checked it out and told me I had sidewall damage to one tire (from potholes no doubt) and nails in two other tires. I ended up buying two Bridgestone Potenzas. The patching and the tires were $565 on a car I will be turning in in 4 months! As a side note, I will say that the Bridgestones seem much more hard and "bouncy" than the Pirellis that came on the car.

I travel a lot and there has been lots of construction at DFW. I must have picked up nails there because the tire was fine when I left the airport and flat when I left home the next day. The real reason for my post is to say that the wheel/tire package may be worth the price. I didn't think I would need it on a 24-month lease, but after a couple of wheel touch-ups and new tires it would have paid for itself.

Another side note... on May 1, a valet parking attendant pulled my S5 into a concrete bench, damaging the front driver side of the car. It has long since been fixed, but I've never had so much happen to a car in less than 2 years. Love my S5, but I feel like it is "cursed". :-(

Had to help a co-worker today with a flat. We have a plant beside the Texas Motor Speedway, and this area is super prone to construction debris. He had a 6in long piece of concrete sticking out of his rear tire. Yeesh!

Sorry about the nails...
 

… It is a curse here in LA. In 2016, two already - both on my wife's S4. Patched (plugged) on the road by me and then inside patch at Wise Tire in Inglewood. Last year, two as well with one on the sidewall so the tire had to be discarded :-(

I included a pic of the one that couldn't be repaired. The contractor in our neighborhood picked up that cost. The other pic is a sickening site of my collection of nails retrieved from our street when a house was being constructed last year. These are the nails picked up by me over a three month time frame. I had to do it each afternoon when I came home so I wouldn't run over any more nails

Yikes...

I buy my tires at Tirerack. They come with free road hazard protection. It's a reimbursement program that pays $20 per repair or if the tire can't be repaired, they reimburse the full price you paid for the damaged tire or the cost of a new tire, whichever is lower. I've repaired a few tires on their dime and got two tires replaced at no cost to me so far on my current car. I won't buy tires anywhere else. Their road hazard program used to be an extra cost, but two years ago or so they started to include it for free.

I suppose you don't care at this stage, but you are not supposed to mix different brand tires on a car with Quattro and the thread wear all around should be within 4/32" of each other. They may ding you at the end of the lease for turning in a car with mismatched tires.

Hi deseag2 - a bit off topic...just curious what you are going to do when your lease is up in December. I would have ordered a new S5 but the '17s are exactly the same as my '14 and the new model won't be available until Spring or early Summer 2017. Thanks.

I need a bit more room, so I'll just be turning it back in to Audi of Dallas. The field of sedans/SUVs is wide open. I probably won't be going back to Audi because they don't lease well. The car only has 12k miles on it.

Thanks for the heads up. Yes, it's a bit late at this point. I knew that cars had to be returned with the same TYPE of tire (ie. runflats) but wasn't aware the same brand was required. I asked the guy at Firestone and he said it wasn't an issue. (Of course he would say that.) This is the third car I've purchased/leased from Audi of Dallas so hopefully they will go easy on me.

Replacing tires on Quattro-equipped Audis
 

Just an update on this. Superswiss, you were right. Firestone replaced the two REAR tires on my S5. Not only did the car seem to need overcorrecting on the highway, I got the surprise of my life when I put it in Dynamic and the Stability Control came on repeatedly. It even came on in Auto mode when I tried to take a corner at my usual speed (fast). I had them replace the two front tires today. All are now Bridgestone Potenzas and she drives like a dream!

$1,100 later, someone will get a really nice 2015 S5 with 14k miles and almost new tires when I turn in the car in late December.

Yup, you don't want to cheap out on tires with Quattro. BTW, you gonna take a huge bath by just turning in your S5 with only 14k miles on it. Leasing in Texas is a bad idea to begin with, because you pay full sales tax. On top of that as you already figured out Audi leases are terrible. You most likely have a serious amount of equity in this car and since you will have paid the full sales tax at the end of the lease, buying the car and selling it instead of just turning it in seems like a nobrainer. Just something to consider.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.aud...52bf358c9f.gif

I might even take it to Carmax and see what they will give you for it. Free, and about 30 minutes of your time.

Not sure about your dealer...
 

… But at Audi Pacific, when I turned in my A6 with low mileage at the end of the lease, they gave me an extra $1700 back. I used it as the down payment for our current S4, which was already discounted with Audi Loyalty Incentives. I have been loyal and have gotten five Audi's from them. I feel as though my leases have worked out well. CA has a high sales tax and you only pay the tax on the value consumed each month.

You did a trade-in, which is one way to get the equity out at the end of the lease, but if you just turn in the car they won't give you any money back. It sounds like dseg2 is not planning on getting another car just yet. It would be silly to leave all that money on the table and just walking away from the car. The dealer may be willing to buy back the car, that's another possible avenue.

I'm seriously considering a '17 A4, so I will bring up the "cash back" deal when I talk to my salesman. It may either steer me toward another Audi or work as a bargaining tool on other brands. Great input, Eric Strauss. That's why I love this forum.

On another note, I drove my S5 with the four new tires today and it reminded me of why I fell in love with it in the beginning. The only two things I don't like about it are the black, non-ventilated seats in smoldering TX and the fairly limited trunk space since I travel frequently. It all fits, but it is not easy to get in or out of the trunk. One more minor thing... the trunk has grocery hooks but it is so shallow I have to wrap the straps around several times just to secure the bags. My Lexus trunk was so deep they hung upright with no problem. The little annoyances with an otherwise wonderful car. They all disappear when I drive it!

FYI-Audi dealer will fix/patch a nail in the tire for free if you're car is within warranty. at least that's what they told me when I picked one up a few months back, no charge.

Discount Tire has always repaired any tire for free, even if not purchased there.

Two of my tires were beyond patching, and I'm glad to have 4 new tires so I can enjoy my S5 to the fullest for the next 3 months.

Hey dseag2

Have you thought about the new S5 sport back?

dont get it...i had it for 2 weeks while they were repairing my s5. it was low on power, and absolutely no engine braking. I missed the growl of my s5 the s4 had nothing. I have my s5 back and i wouldnt trade it in for an a4 or s4. maybe for the 2018 s5 or rs5

I've been traveling so I just saw it posted today. Really handsome car with more usability but not sure when it will be available. My lease ends in January, but I know they will extend it.

I believe May 2017 is the target date.

Didn't someone post a pic of the Audi model release shedule for the next few years?

I traded for a '17 A4 today. Will be picking up the car tomorrow. Didn't notice any shortage of power and IMHO the interior is massively upgraded. The S5 interior is world class, but I've had S5's on and off for 7 years now and I'm ready for something different. I also needed more space. I would wait for the S4, but the A4 has plenty of power for everyday driving. The A4 I drove was fast and handled well. I will be getting the Sport Package, so even better. Sorry to say goodbye to my sexy S5, but I needed something more practical. I will miss the "second glances" at my S5, but the interior is where I spend most of my time.

Congrats! Enjoy the new car.

I appreciate the input. Not sure how your loaner was equipped but I did get the '17 A4 Premium Plus and couldn't be happier. I don't consider it low on power at all for a daily driver, and I don't have to fill it up every 3 days. Plus, the Nougat/Black interior with the Gray Ash wood is amazing in the A4. The S5 had an impeccable interior, but the A4 is light-years ahead in offering passenger space and advanced technology. Yes, I miss the raw speed of my S5 and the beautiful, sexy styling but the A4 checks all the other boxes. It is like a mini A6.