The reliability...
 

Hi all
I'm looking for a new family car, and was leaning towards the 2011 Q5 with the 2.0, I've driven it, and I really like almost all aspects of the vehicle.
There's just one problem.
I've always had concerns with Audi's reliability, I've constantly heard horror stories. So I've come to you guys. I was hoping a large number of owners could give me some sort of picture, as to how reliable the car is. How often is it in the shop? What's usually the trouble area? How many miles do you have on it? Any feedback is appreciated.
I also understand that the 2011 is supposed to be more reliable than previous models, could anybody give me insight as to why that is.

Thanks in advance

-Eric

Search this forum and read what has been said regarding many aspects of the Q5. I, personally love this car,probably the best I've owned in the last 40 years, bar none. No issues at all! A small minority may disagree but for the most part folks here really like the car. You will hear "concerns" with any car. Cheers and Happy Hunting!

Go here:

http://www.truedelta.com/

check it out for yourself. I am a participant in the Audi Q5 section with ZERO issues so far.

I have owned only Audi (3 A4 and my current Q5) over the past 12 years. So far I have been free of any major issues. Take a look around the Forum and I think you'll get a pretty good feel for the problems, if any people have had.

Only 1 real issue so far-tailgate switch was sticky. Replaced under warranty and it's fine now. Great car!

The only issue after 10000Km was the rear view mirror that stopped working during the first week. It got replaced quickly by the dealer.

I also had concerns before ordering my Q5. My only experience with German cars was with a VW Fox several years ago. This car was soooooooo bad! But now I can say that, to this date, my Q5 is the new car I had the least trouble with.

Martin

just remember, it is the vocal MINORITY that like to vent in public.

Had a 2009 Q5 (bought withing the first month of their debut) and had many problems. From the small issues to the larger, check engine issues. Was in the shop a lot, for days at a time. Steering, engine coil, seat issues, paint defect issue, the list goes on.

Got myself into a 2010 and have had zero issues so far. Going on 4 months and just over 4000 miles, and not a single thing, it's like a whole different animal, even in the way it drives. I think I just got that first batch that just had some issues. Couldn't be happier now.

My early 2009 has had almost no issues, never been in shop.
 

I also have a very early 2009 build, purchased a week or two earlier than Fitz. Fortunately, I've never had any of Fitz's problems, never any downtime in the shop.

My issues? None really worth mentioning, but in the interest of full disclosure, here are details:

In about the second month, audio had a random one time speaker glitch. This corrected itself on restart, and has never happened again.

First time I unpacked and put on the roof rack, I noticed one bracket was cracked, apparently damaged in transit. Dealer very quickly gave me a new rack, under warranty.

My Q5 does have a slight, but noticable, very low speed front wheel shudder. I understand this is common to most A4's and 2009 Q5's, although some owners never feel it. I usually notice it only when turning to enter or exit my garage, or a parking space. It's not much to complain about, I can easily live with it, but Audi has come up with a fix (new power steering hose/bracket design) suppose to be available soon.

Otherwise, nothing else at all, period! So far one of the best handling and reliable vehicles I've ever owned.

My steering issue was actually a much larger issue. When at highway speeds, even if I just tapped the brake, I would get a violent vibration in the steering wheel. They tried to fix and it never got resolved. But I have not heard of anyone else complain of that issue, so it may just be an isolated case rather than the norm.

Audi ranks more or less at the half-way mark on the reliability scale, however the relative reliability of vehicles today is way better that it was, say in the 70's. With that in mind it means there is a small difference in overall reliability between the best and where Audi ranks. I'd recommend Audi in a heartbeat. For safety, fun to drive and utility, the Q5 is amazing!

You seem to put reliability very high on your list when shopping for a new car, stick with the Japanese cars, they are more reliable but less fun to drive.

I had this issue on another car. The brake rotors had rust ridges in them when I bought the car new. They had to replace the rotors and pads, and they even put on new tires for good measure. Vibrations when braking at highway speeds usually means the rotors are warped and when they "try" to fix it, the usually just turn the rotor with an on-car lathe. Sometimes that doesn't give a very straight cut and it obviously wears your brakes down faster. Not sure what you had the dealer do, but if you still have low miles push for them to change the brakes out completely and I think you will see a difference.

They did replace all the rotars, which did not help.

I drive it for a year now, no problems whatsover..
The Q5 exceeded my expectations and I don't see myself replacing it, not until its gets really old... ;)

I have only had my Q5 for 2+ months but I had one problem (the phonebook microphone did not work). Come to find out it never worked! :) When we purchased and went over the car the salesman just thought it was not recognizing his voice -- but when the factory built it the microphone cable was put in a pinched position and thus did not work. Was fixed within hours.

I was very concerned about realibility but wanted a SUV-like fun to drive car that looked good. At the time (and possibly still) the Q5 was the only car available. I tried the Infiniti FX and EX but they were only partially fun to drive and not too high off the road. Acura RDX looked -- well not to my liking and the BMW I knew was harsh on the road and the look was not too great.

On the road I cringe a bit when I see a Q5 or Q7 because so often those LED lights are out and I wonder if this will happen to me. But so far so good.

You can turn the LED lights on or off. When I picked up my Q, they were turned off. Those people may not even know they have led lights!

I have exact same issue with voice recognition. Doesn't work at all. I've also had minor low speed steering shudder when parking. But very minor hasn't bothered me at all. I have 800 miles. Car drives beautifully. Gorgeous body styling and interior. Tons of compliments. Yes Japanese is more reliable but Q5 is badass. best 40-50k SUV on the market... Just don't tell too many people...

Your comment is rather unsettling.
Here's the thing
I'm not expecting the maintenance free reliability I've gotten from Japanese cars, I just want to know that if I take it in for scheduled maintenance, keep it in good condition. That it won't fail in a catastrophic manner on me.

I would say you have been very lucky with Japanese cars. I have owned Lexus and Toyota for the last 15 years. My last Lexus actually spend more time in the shop than my Audi. Its all in the luck of the draw. New cars now a day are overall more relaible. The gap between the most reliable car and the least relibale car have narrowed quite a bit in recent years. Also, I think European cars have make more progress recently in reliablity than the Japanese, but never the less, Japanese cars are generally more reliable. The question you need to ask yourself is, if it is worth your while to give up a little bit of reliabilty for better driving dynamic and better quality.

Dear The G Man,

Reliability is one of the quality attributes and the most important one provided the others are comparable. I've a long time experience with Japanese cars and only positive.

The best car ever is Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. It is a synonym to Lexus GX 10, but has an option to install diesel power plant. Americans will probably see diesel aggregates but in some very distant future. Beautiful vehicle. It's got TorSen and EDLs along with KDSS and everything else one may need for combined city and moderate off-roading. I say moderate off-roading meaning that the Prado is not a Jeep. Although Q5 is more like very mild off-roading - for rides to a beach or to a ski resort.

In the US there is Toyota 4Runner, but ESPECIALLY for American auto market neither KDSS is an option, nor the diesel engine is.


Audi:

what's going on?! :confused: BRING DIESEL!!! ... please :( ...

Odd about the voice recognition. Has the dealership fixed it yet?