superswiss

What kind of tires do you have? On-center vagueness and wandering is not something I've experienced. In fact the dynamic steering is superior for straight line tracking in 'comfort' and 'auto' mode as it dials in a fairly indirect steering ratio, so that minor distractions don't cause it to move off the straight line. I've had 4 sets of P Zeros and now I have the PSS. I've had tracking issues due to alignment being off. Some of my canyon carving knocked out the toe in the rear and front. Since I've got it re-aligned it drives like a charm again. Make sure you get the steering reset properly after aligning. I've had several failed attempts by my indy to align the car properly. It drove like crap every time and they are otherwise a great shop, but they struggled to get the car properly aligned and I'm guessing they didn't do the reset procedure properly. All they had was vagcom. Took the car to the dealer and it was like night and day afterwards. Not sure exactly what is involved, but the dynamic steering may require a different procedure after the mechanical alignment. I got a feeling that the torque vectoring was confused after the indy alignments.

kudlajz

Guys, what about some common problems that might occur with the RS5? I've read a lot about carbon buildup and engine misfiring, but I've experienced something similar in my old Civic. Solution I've used was to start fueling with 100-octane fuel (which contains additives) and also going for the redline from time to time (more often than not).
I have also read about problems with catalytic converters and that they are expensive and difficult to switch ..
I have also read about brakes pads/rotors, but those can be changed for a good price..

Anything else?

superswiss

Carbon buildup is a universal issue that affects any modern direct injection engine one way or the other. I do have occasional cold start misfires. Only happens during the winter when the crappy winter gas formula is in effect, though, so I blame the fuel for now. Audi has added several mitigation to the RS5 engine to minimize carbon buildup. What you want to avoid first and foremost are short trips where the engine barely reaches operating temperature. Other than that I live by the moto "a redline a day keeps the mechanic away" or also known as the good ol' Italian tuneup. In your case I would make a trip to Germany regularly to blow that engine through on some high-speed runs on the Autobahn. Get the engine nice and hot regularly and it should run fine.

The brake issue is probably the biggest one affecting some RS5s. I never had an issue with my brakes. Neither when I had the OEM pads and rotors, nor with the current aftermarket setup.

Here in the USA we have a 50k miles/4 year warranty, so all issues I had were taken car of free of charge. So far nothing major since my warrany ran out.

At one point there was a bad batch of fuel pumps. I was affected by it and the fuel pump was replaced under warranty. The other issue is the gear position sensor seems to be a common transmission issue. Mine might be on the way out as I got a transmission failure on my last canyon run, but it went away a couple of hours later and hasn't come back. May have just been a fluke.

A common Audi issue are worn front bushings given all the weight towards the front. Mine started to crack at around 40k miles and my dealer replaced them under goodwill and I had creaking lower front control arms, which supposedly is an issue on earlier model years like mine. They were redesigned later on and I now have the redesigned ones.

Ape Factory

Crappy tires! I have two issues...one is the Summitomo HTRZ III tires. Second, I'm running about 4 degrees of caster and need to be closer to 5 as best I can tell. Toe and camber are at factory specs and I have adjustable front upper arms. I have experience with the PSS and I'll have those or PS4's installed come late spring. Tires came with the car and they were brand new so I kept them for the winter months. Trying desperately to wear them out as quickly as possible. They're actually ok tires for the most part but lack in the braking and initial turn-in vs. something like the PSS. And we have really bad roads here with lots of ongoing construction.

Good to know on the alignment. I may have the dealer check it out then. I have a service the end of March and will look into having it done. Alignment was originally done at a performance shop that specializes in this sort of stuff. They have a shop R8, GTR's etc...but I don't think they see many RS5's. Mine was probably the first. You had me thinking about the dynamic software update, did a bit of reading. There is a definite difference in feel between dynamic and comfort. Night and day. I'm guessing I do not have the update. I'll pull out the VCDS and look up the software version.

superswiss

Those comments regarding a lack of difference between comfort and dynamic after the update is for the standard steering. Doesn't apply to the dynamic steering. There is a very noticeable difference between comfort and dynamic with the dynamic steering even after the software update. That's actually a big reason why I don't like the standard steering very much. I find the adjustability on the standard steering almost pointless. Not much difference between the modes and putting it into dynamic mode gives a false sense of a more agile steering, when in fact the added weight just makes it more numb. The dynamic steering is very distinct in dynamic mode. It actually changes the dynamics of the steering by the fact that the ratio no longer adjusts and it's meant for sporty driving where the speed changes frequently and the changing ratio of the comfort and auto mode would make it unpredictable. Then when you are back to daily driving or hitting up the highway for a long road trip you put it back to comfort and auto and it's a very different steering optimized for casual driving.

OlyS5

I purchased (from a dealer) a loaded 2015 S5 in pristine shape and with 24K miles for just under $37K -- with just about half of it's factory warranty AND a transferable (from 1st owner) pre-paid AudiCare maintenance package. If you're looking to save a few sheckles, explore some low-or-medium mileage S5s. The '15 has the SC 6 cylinder and in Dynamic/Sport mode it is a beast!! And it handles extremely well while at the same time comfortable for a long drive.

kudlajz

I totally forgot about this thread!

In the end I bought an S5 2015 3.0T with only around 8700 miles on it for $39k. It's almost fully loaded, I think only thing missing is the sports diff. Unfortunately I couldn't find a single S5 with sports differential anywhere. It's also "slightly" tuned, so it has around 400 HP.. drives like a beast! And the fuel consumption is not bad at all, I usually get around 23 MPG, more on highways.
I was in Belgium last week, so I was finally able to try out the famous Autobahn and it's definitely obvious these cars are built for this stuff.. :-)

Now I'm thinking about swapping the exhaust for AWE Track Exhaust with resonated downpipes.. but I'm not sure about it yet, as the exhaust is quite expensive and I couldn't hear one in person, only via Youtube..

40Roller

Not so fast partner. I am very late the party but you are wrong to say that the R is just a Golf with a more potent engine and a Haldex. Try upgraded dampers on a sports-tuned suspension that can easily roll with an S5 on the twistes and highways. I have kept up with an S5 twice in my stock DSG R so guess I could say the S5 is an upgraded A5 made by VOLKSWAGEN! With power to weight differential the S5 is not enough of an upgrade for me. Better make it an RS3!