Lightershadeofblue

Hi All,
I have a 2012 Q5 3.2L Quattro Premium Plus S-line blah blah blah. Not really sure what the S-line means other than the plastic emblem on the side of the body. I bought the SUV new. While under factory warranty, I never thought about repair costs and if they were needed because the warranty covered it. During those blissful 4 years, other than routine maintenance, it performed perfect. Not one issue. Nothing went wrong, nothing broke. Now it seems something goes wrong all the time. The dealership repair prices are really steep, so I have tried a few private service centers that say they specialize in Audi repair and maintenance. I feel like every time I take it in because something sounds funny, or it's feels different when I drive it...that they just see me coming and know they can 1. Fix the problem and 2. Convince me the car needs other repairs that it most likely doesn't need. When I was young and really really poor, I could work on my own car. It was a Chevy. I could actually climb in the engine compartment and work on it there was so much space. I pop the hood on my Q5 and look at the engine compartment and just think "No way...I'm touching this" and close the hood. Had to get the Manual out just to find the battery under the spare tire in the cargo area. How do you trust who to work on your Audi and fix it correctly and not rip you off? I feel like the old joke that they could tell me my car needs blinker fluid and I would believe them.

gk1

Sorry to hear that. Audis in general are expensive to maintain. There is the old joke never to own any German car out of warranty.
If the shop is able to fix the problem that you gave them when it went in then that is a good start. It shows at least they are competent. It is up to you to either build that trust or understand what is needed to decide if you want to do the other suggested repairs. If they show you a wheel is loose, then it is fairly obvious it should be fixed. If it has misfires they should demonstrate how it affects the driveability of the car and the fault codes generated. They should always be able to demonstrate what issue needs to be addressed. Example: Worn tires... they should show you the tread depth with either a gauge or tread depth indicators. If you don't know what depth it should be then you have to educate yourself and if you discover they are taking you for a ride then do not patronize that shop any more and move on. Many shops have to be ethical otherwise they would not stay in business for long. The flip side is you don't have to educate yourself and take it on faith that they are trustworthy or use more knowledgeable friends & family recommendations.

Out of curiosity what have you been doing for the past 5 years since your warranty expired? or is that the issue and you just are asking now?

FWIW for 2012 the S-Line package included...
20" 5-segment-spoke-design wheels with 255/45 summer tires
S line shift ****
S line three-spoke multifunction steering wheel w/ shift paddles
Black headliner
Brushed aluminum decorative inlays

There was also an S-Line Plus package which included in addition to and/or as alternatives...(It would likely be called Black Optics package today)
20" Titanium 5-segment-spoke-design wheels with 255/45 summer tires
Black roof rails
Fog lamp rings in black
Matte black window surrounds
Gloss black grille surround

Lightershadeofblue

It's actually been great until 2 years ago. I've always kept up with the normal maintenance issues...oil changes and such. Tires thread has never been issue, because once one of them suffer a puncture from a nail, screw, or cactus thorn, the tire store will not patch/repair, only replace and if there is too much thread discrepancy between new tire and the other 3....then all have to be replaced. Which is always the case...something about damaging the transmission if tires are slightly off in size. Audi has 93K miles on it and I think I'm on my fifth set of tires. A lot cacti in Arizona.

Part of the problem is I've never owned a single car this long. Always traded in before warranty was up. 2 years ago shocks and struts...$4500. Then half a dozen trips to fix AC. Battery lasted 7 years which is incredibly surprising in Arizona which usually kills batteries in 2 years or less. However $750 to replace. Apparently Audi batteries are not plug and play. They require some kind of "coding" stuff done. Over last two years repair costs have accumulated to about $10K. That's not counting tires, fluid changes, brakes and normal maintenance. 6 weeks ago took it in for maintenance stuff, oil, engine coolant flush, air filters, alignment that was suggested to be done every 2 years, transmission service/flush, and "decarb" and to fix the AC again. $3400. There was nothing wrong with it when I took it in for service other than AC. But when I drove it home. Something was off, it made a rattling sound when AC was off that went away when AC was turned on. Not only could I hear it, I could feel the vibration in the steering wheel. Immediately drove it back to service center. Their suggestion was it was all in my head. I had suffered a significant head injury the prior month and was actually off work for 3 months. I thought maybe it is in my head. Called my neurologist. They did another MRI of my brain to make sure I was ok since people think I'm hallucinating.

Two weeks ago that dreaded light came on the dashboard. MIL. Took it back to service center. They said everything appeared okay. Cleared out the code P2181. Which suggested the engine thermostat. They said if warning light comes on again bring it back and they will replace thermostat, $1K. But they said they felt it was just a computer glitch. 3 days ago light came on again. Took it to different Audi service center. They said they found the cause and yes the source of the rattle and vibration. They sent me pictures and I just wanted to cry. Apparently some critter had been living in the engine compartment for quite some time and had built quite the nest with orange peels, nuts, leaves, and parts of electrical wiring, heater hoses, and electrical components from my car's engine. So by this critter chewing through a "heater" hose caused the thermostat to overheat and go bad, destroyed a PCV valve. They said they were shocked the car lasted this long without the MIL coming on. The engine decarb was clearly not done when they showed me photos of the intake valves severely caked with what looked like hardened lava. The cost to repair this rodent mess is currently at $4800.

gk1

It certainly seems you've had a run of bad luck..sorry... and it also sounds like the first shop you took it to did certainly do you a disservice by not finding and fixing your issue nor performing the carbon cleaning.
Although $4500 for shocks and struts is not outside the realm of reality for an Audi...high, but I assume dealer parts and rates, and I don't know labor rates in your area. OE parts alone would be over $1500.
The $750 battery is a bit much but they do charge labor to code it. Again battery is about $200-300 and it should not be 2 hours+ to code it.
I think the key here for you is "Took it to different Audi service center." They at least found the issue and repaired it...understandably it was very expensive, but again... Audi.
The question I have is at what point do you cut your losses?
From what you are saying in the past 2 years you have spent over $18k on a car that is at best worth maybe $10k if it is immaculate, but more likely $8k. And again we are back to "never to own any German car out of warranty." with the caveat of perhaps, "unless you can do some of the work yourself."
I sounds like maybe you need to try shopping it around and getting multiple quotes from different shops before settling on one to do any repairs.
Personally I'd never spend another dime on it again..once you have it working sell it/trade it in or drive it into the ground...when it breaks just walk away since it look like you have found yourself a money pit.

FWIW here is what I paid a couple years ago on my 2014 SQ5 ($25k value at the time) out of warranty:

Replace water pump $237.47-parts $639.80-labor $877.27-Total
Replace coolant pump serpentine belt (no additional labor) $124.85
Replace PCV shut off valve N548 (Fault in ECM for crankcase shut off valve performance) $271.25-parts $479.85-labor $751.10-total
Replace thermostat (reduced labor since supercharger was already off) $78.68-parts $399.88-labor $478.56-total (Normally $1150)
Perform four wheel alignment $179.95
Transmission fluid and filter $742.71-parts $639.80-labor $1,382.51
Front and rear and transfer case diff fluid $447.12-parts $191.94-labor $639.06-total
~$4500

Could I have done some of it myself? Sure, but I know how difficult some of it is plus there is a repair warranty, and if they break anything (pipes/bolts etc.) while trying to make the repair they have to fix it on their dime whereas DIY it is on me.
It's a bitch owning an expensive to maintain German Audi, but it is sadly the cost of ownership. It is also why so many lease and when the lease is up so is the warranty and no worries.
GL

Lightershadeofblue

My plan is once this repair is done just drive it pray another expensive issue doesn't pop up. I have trust issues with first shop as clearly they charged for things they did not do. How do I verify if oil was really changed or even the right type. The second shop said additionally wrong coolant fluid was used. I asked him how does he know and he said because it's the wrong color. Audi has a special coolant and what was currently in the car had multiple colors. So makes me wonder if they did any of the maintenance and just fixed the AC again. How do you miss a rodent nest that has been there 2-3 months or more per the second shops guess? How do you miss chewed up wiring, chewed through hoses and electrical components? So, that's my fear. When I pay for expensive maintenance items and they are not performed, and then something breaks down the line due to maintenance issue that was paid for but not done. I contacted first shop and sent them photos of all the damage and they just said "so sorry that happened to your Audi we know how much you love that car and we occasional see rodent damage time to time....sucks". They didn't even comment on the photo of the badly caked up intake valves that I paid them hundreds of dollars to "decarb". It was their suggestion to have it done. The audi wasn't running rough or anything.

The Audi looks brand new. People are shocked when I tell them it's 9 years old. Not having that $800 monthly car payment the last 4 years has been great. Plus it has a lot of sentimental value to me. It was the last car my son drove and the last car he sat in the passenger seat 2 days before he died (he was my only child). He was 6'3" so he always had to put the seat way back to sit in it. I wouldn't let anyone move the passenger seat from the last position he had it in for 3 years. Weird, I know.

rjammo

My heart is heavy, condolences on the loss of your only child.

I hear you and feel your pain. I work on my car when I can, outsource to a trusted independent shop when I can't (time and/or skill), and set mouse traps in my garage after reading other's posts on the rodent challenges.

On the bright side you've saved $38,500 in the four years without payments.

gk1

My condolences as well.

It sounds like the second shop you took it to is better, just expensive.

FWIW you can always ask here or dm people (myself) when you get a quote for some work to see if it is in line with what might be considered reasonable.

TeQ

Let me chime in, as this topic hit home last week.
My Niece was driving the Q5 to her Mom's a couple Sundays ago. She called to tell me the CEL and EPC were on and the car was shaking. She was unable to locate her regular mechanic, so took it to a shop near her Mom's.
On the Monday, she called me and said I should talk to the guy, as she thought he was taking advantage because of her gender. I called and he said "there's a bad cylinder and oil got into the muffler, and it needs a new engine". My heart sank.
He started talking about looking for a used Q5 via Carfax to source it...blah blah...
I told him I'd get back to him. I visited a trusted German Auto Repair shop just up the block from me, and he said let's give you a second opinion. I won't go into detail about the circus acts by the towing companies.
They got the Q and he called me the next day. All it was was #1 cylinder injector stuck and flooded the plug. We went ahead and replaced all four injectors and plugs, plus de-carbonized the intake. < $1600.00.

m1964

Well, I understand your pain, but the prices you paid are not just high, they are something else...$750 for a battery is crazy, IMO.
Regarding this last problem: did the shop tell you what they are going to do?

You need to do a search for a knowledgeable and honest mechanic, not necessary Audi specialist. Not easy where I live- NYC, probably more difficult in a rural area.
Maybe post here or on Audizine forum, in A6 (C7 platform) and/or A4 sections, question for a mechanic recommendation in your area.

***A lot of times you can save money by bringing your own parts to a shop, but you need to be careful what brand you order, because some aftermarket brands are equal to OEM, and some not. Most mechanics make good money on parts too, not only on labor.
There is a lot of info on internet about repairs, and you can get a lot of help on this forums: Audi A6 C7 platform used same/similar engine, I got a lot of help there.

Good luck!
If you decide to sell the car, let me know- my wife loves our 2010, I could consider anothe one in the family.

Norskie

I wouldn't recommend bringing your own parts to a shop to install. Let's say you do anyway, and that part breaks a week later, or it's the wrong part etc. Then you're paying the shop for the labor all over again. On the other hand, a reputable shop will stand behind the parts they order and should cover the labor to replace the pre-maturely failed part. Sometimes that labor is paid for by where the shop gets their parts (and one reason that parts costs the shop more than it costs you) or the shop will eat the labor themselves.