I really love my 2016 SQ5 that I bought in 2018 with 10K miles on it, and after years of running through lots of different cars and SUVs, I was expecting to keep it long term as I still love its combination of performance/utility/style. I always do every service on time and get it regularly detailed. I figured I would continue to maintain it and it would continue to be an excellent, reliable car with a few more issues popping up every year because of the age but continue to be things that are relatively expected and not too expensive (I use an independent mechanic, not the dealer). I'm approaching 90K miles and was thinking if I keep the mileage down (6-8K miles per year), I might get another 7 good years out of it and look to move on around 135-150K miles.

However, 2 things came up in the last week and then coming to read this forum concerned me further. I'll tell you those things below - but my main question is what is the experience from 100-150K miles going to look like. What major issues are likely to occur in that time period? Will there continue to be more and more things that I need to replace each year that it just won't make sense to continue? I've always admired those stories of cars with 200K plus miles and I assumed good German engineering and careful maintenance, no reason my car couldn't be one of those. Now, I'm thinking that only happens with good Japanese engineering.

So - the 2 things, first I got the letter from Audi about the Water Pump Settlement which at first seemed like a good thing but then when I realized at # of service years and miles, I wasn't covered so that seems like one expensive thing that is hanging out there to potentially fail sooner than later. The other one, that maybe is related. I never had oil consumption issues - I would do the oil change at 10K miles and never had the warning come on in the interim. Then, last time, I had it happen 8.5K miles after the 75K oil change, which my mechanic said was completely normal and nothing to be alarmed about. But after that oil change, it just happened - 3,200 miles after the oil change. Maybe its the sensor or because I had it parked on a hill earlier that day but certainly a bit concerning that this seems to be progressing rapidly, if there isn't another innocent reason.

Back to my question - are there people out there that keep their SQ5 for 125K, 150K, 175K miles? What is that experience like? Does it make economic sense to try to keep it that long or should I be looking to exit in the next year before there is a bigger issue?

 

A lot of the issues for high mileage Audis are engine specific. Which engine do you have in your SQ5?

 

It's the Supercharged 3.0 V6

 

I change my 3.0T oil every 5,000 - 6,000KM and have never gone past 7,000KM between OCI’s. Granted it’s pulleyed and tuned so it works a bit harder than stock.

Waterpumps are part of basic maintenance along with everything under the supercharger like Thermostat and PCV Oil Separator which I replace every 100,000KM.

What is the mileage on your current PCV Oil Separator? This is the first go-to if experiencing sudden oil consumption.

 

I had the oil separator replaced at 75K miles. Never actually had any consumption issues before it was replaced. All of sudden one day it was making a whistling sound and it had the crazy suction on the oil cap, so I brought it in and had that replaced.

 

Hi QuadBlackSQ5 - am about to hit 125k miles on my 2018 SQ5. I can speak to major wear and tear items but a lot of it has to do with whether you’ve done proper maintenance along the way and prevented/corrected (as much as possible) minor problems before they became major ones.

I bought mine new in 2018 and have performed Audi Care up to the 70k service at which I then performed all my own services. I have a Quickjack and air compressor to power top side oil changers and perform Liqui Moly synthetic oil changes every 5k miles (FCP Euro Lifetime replacement program). In addition I’ve done a fluid change on the transmission, rear sport differential fluid, and just changed brake fluid on my SQ5 after replacing all 4 disc rotors and brakes (Audi recommends changing rotors whenever you change brake pads otherwise there could be noises coming from the new pads). I’m now on my third set of rear rotors and pads in 125k miles and on my second set of rotors/pads for the fronts. NOTE: I drive pretty conservatively and do not really drive hard on my SQ5. But I also bought this with the intent to drive it until the wheels fall off. It’s primarily for eating up highway miles (approximately 300 miles weekly).

I did swap all belts, and water pump when I hit 100k miles. Ideally this should be done about 80k miles but absolutely at 100k miles. A failed belt/water pump/thermostat causes all kinds of internal engine damage so this is major preventative maintenance. My non-Audi shop was very surprised when I told them to swap the belts and water pump, thermostat even though nothing was wrong with the engine. Apparently no one these days actually perform these preventative services until a major failure occurs. Incidentally I inquired as to whether or not the cost to repair would be higher if I had waited and they indicated that more often then not the repair charges would be higher because of the asssociated engine damage incurred when a belt/water pump fails.

I have gone through 4 interior cabin filters, 4 air filters, 1 set of spark plugs (about to swap my third set of spark plugs and second set of ignition coils), and oddly am only on my “2nd”* set of tires.
*I went through the stock 21 inch OEM Pirelli P-zeros in 20k miles and then swapped out with 18 inch Enkei Yokohama Ice Guards for winter driving but liked driving on 18s so much for my usage (and a jump in highway mileage from 27 mpg to 30 mpg) that I ended up getting Good Years all season 18 inchers for non winter driving and have just alternated between the two of these since. Treadwear has been excellent with me rotating back and forth between winters and non-winters for the highway driving that I do.

I’ve had wheel alignments through Firestone (bought their lifetime wheel alignment package when I first got the SQ5) and I go in annually after swapping tires to make sure that anything that knocked off the alignment is squared away and back to normal operating parameters. This step helps minimize long term suspension issues with anything getting out of whack and potentially causing major suspension warpage/failure over the long run. This lifetime wheel alignment pays for itself if you go in at least 3x over the life of the vehicle.

AC has been fine - still blows cold.

The one thing I do worry about is the fact that the Audi SQ 5 has 3 radiators. Most high powered turbo/supercharged cars now have at least 3 radiators to cool not just the engine, but the turbo and sometimes the transmission. Radiators inevitably fail/crack due to them being subjected to many cycles of high temperature heating/cooling. At some point these and their associated pipes/connectors will fail/leak. If you swap one, the effort to get to the radiators and their associated connectors (have to take off the entire front end) suggests that when you replace one, you should really replace all 3 come into play. But, if your plan is to keep this until the wheels fall off, then once you’ve done this along with all the other major preventative items, you should be good for another 100k miles.

I have noticed a seemingly higher rate of oil consumption over the last 25k miles.

 

I did notice a big jump in oil consumption over the last 25k miles. Am going to see if this PCV oil separator is the culprit.

 

Check for passive stored codes such as this PCV replacement early indicator. CEL was not on yet but if left long enough then deterioration gets worse until finally CEL illuminates.

24194 - PCV Valve Malfunction
P052E 00 [044] - -
Intermittent - Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 6
Fault Frequency: 15
Mileage: 99473 km


If pulling the 3.0T supercharger then consider replacing everything coolant related underneath the blower. Can also consider an injector service. Remove both belts and spin all pulleys by hand to check for loose noisy grindy bearings. If any bearings are worn then I replace all tensioners and rollers and belts. Remember a coolant leak on the engine front face will soak all belts and pulleys which shortens their lifespan. A belt wet with any automotive fluids is considered an automatic replace, which is why it is wise to replace all the cooling bits under the blower in one service event.

 

Forgot one more thing - I had window tint (highest state legal limit) Xpel ceramic black window tint installed on all windows including panoramic sunroof first day I received it. The only window that blocks UVA/UVB from the factory is the front windshield on cars in the USA. Even if your non-front windshield windows are tinted colored from the factory it does NOT mean they actually block UVA/UVB light. I tested this with a UVA/UVB card (used to test whether Covid testing devices use correct lights for medical grade disinfection) from Amazon for $9 USD on all windows to confirm.

The resulting skin cancer prevention and the effects of cooler interior and less effort from AC while driving is a huge plus in warmer months but equally important is this also helps reduce weathering and aging of interior leather and plastic trim components.

I do clean my leather annually followed with leather conditioner to prevent seat leather tearing from seat cracking. This is to prevent having to reupholster my leather seats and replace color fading or warping plastic trim over time.