First Audi A5 advice. 2.0tfsi/2.0tdi?

[Fozzy786]

Hi everyone.

Just made this account so that I can get some unbiased advice from people who actually have these cars.

Just a little backstory - I'm in the UK so not sure how the engines differ from the US counterparts. Anyway, I have been saving for a good 2 years because I really wanted to buy an Audi A5 B8. As I looked into it more and more, I learnt more about the car and the specific features that I would want the most. What I have decided is that I want the 5door Sportback model for the added practicality and I prefer the looks of it too. However, I have been reading about the oil consumption issues of the 2tfsi. Looks like its hit and miss but how common do you think the issue is?

I have spoken to a couple of owners already and they admitted that their car does ask for oil top ups quite often and that seems to be the norm. My initial idea was to get the 2tfsi 180bhp and then have it remapped by Revo to get close or around their claim of 260bhp. Now if this car is already consuming that much oil on factory settings, and some people having to pay ridiculous amount of money to have it fixed, I'm worried the remap would make it that much worse. And I don't have any money to spare for those sort of repairs, like i said, it took me 2 years just to save up enough to even think of buying the car.

The compromise I can think of is buying the 2tdi model instead, but I wanted to know how much of a performance difference would there be and is it really as bad to drive as people say? Currently I have a 110bhp Honda Civic Sport so any of the a5 models would feel like a rocket ship to me lol. I was also thinking of remapping the tdi engine to around 200bhp for that added oomph but again, not sure how it would compare to the 2tfsi.

Please can anyone give me some advice on their experiences and what they think? Is it better for me to get the TDI instead of the TFSI because of the oil consumption issues? Is it THAT bad to drive? I still want a fun car that can throw me back in the seat when I want it to. And lastly, Should i just get the 1.8TFSI instead or is that prone to the oil consumption issues too?

Sorry for the essay but hopefully some of you can help me. Was really disheartened when I found out about the issues but I still want to get the a5 and join the Audi club!

Thanks in advance. :)

[1Topcat]

First off, welcome to the forum, there is a great amount of experience and knowledge to tap.

I am by no means an expert, but my experience with the A5 may provide some help to your question. I have several cars, Porsches and a Pantera, which are not practical daily drivers, and a truck that I can't get rid of because it hauls a big trailer for track days. The truck is not practical as a daily driver because I travel a lot for work and it gets horrible gas mileage. So I needed a reasonably priced, daily driver with good gas mileage and a classy but sporty look. The A5 2.0L TFSi was perfect for that. After 2 years I still prefer its lines to most all others in that coupe design. When I bought it, the acceleration was barely ok, but I kept telling myself, hey this is your DD, who cares, just be happy going to the gas station about 1/3 as frequently and filling up a smaller tank to boot (than the truck). In time, largely because I have built out my other cars and because I can never leave well enough alone, I wanted to up the power a bit. Mine is a 2010 CPO and bought it with a 100,000 mile extended warranty. First was a remap and an exhaust, and that really woke up the car, not outrageous, but definitely more commensurate with the looks of the car. It became obvious to my taste that the 2.0 TFSi in stock trim was a dog. Even still, in stock trim, you will certainly like the improvement over your current 110bhp Honda Civic, but you also need to remember that the A5 is a lot heavier than the Civic, so there is some loss to reconcile.

In time, the remap/exhaust wasn't enough and like an idiot car addict that I am, I pushed a wad of money into a bigger turbo, and a water meth kit. It's really quite impressive. Amazing what a 4 banger with this set-up can do in a AWD configuration. And still able to get great gas mileage if I don't keep my foot into it. Its been 15,000 miles since my second upgrades and I have driven it 40,000 overall. The car is around 72k miles and I have the oil consumption issue. I get about 281 miles to the quart. Its my belief and logic that all the model years affected by the faulty oil ring issue will likely come to that point at some time in their mileage. I think the US settlement by Audi is telling. It covers the 2.0 TFSi engine used in the A5 during the 2009 to 2011 time period. That's the time period that they are covering some special warranty provisions all the way up to tearing down your engine and replacing the oil rings. That's basically a complete rebuild, as they may have to replace pistons, compression rings and even the block if any item is not to spec. It's probably obvious but worth mentioning, all of that work won't be performed or covered by Audi if you have made any of the aforementioned upgrades or modifications. I am arguing with Audi right now because the problem that I am experiencing is the same issue that is happening to other Audi Owners that haven't made any modifications. I hate Audi for not standing up and taking care of their latent defect and taking sooo long to deal with it and trying to put on band aids and mask the true issue with the "stage 1" fix. We can all thank corporate attorneys for that.

With all of that said, you can do a google on the US settlement and get more specifics on the settlement and form your own opinion. It would seem reasonable that if the time period covered by the settlement is 2009 to 2011 for the engines used in the A5, some 126,000 cars, then you might be safe to assume if you avoid those affected years, you might be safe from the oil consumption issue. I do not know too much about the TDi version, so I can't help with that alternative.

Whatever you do, good luck and enjoy the process, and read as much as you can to form your own opinions. Others may have had an entirely different experience than mine.

[Fozzy786]

Hi Topcat, Thank you very much for your input. I've read up on the US settlement which you mentioned a few days ago and my understanding is that it is only in effect in the US and not in the UK? I may be wrong on that so please let me know if I am.

also around 300 miles per quart of oil is what a lot of people are saying, that would be like every couple of weeks for me which I think is just overkill. I really like the b8 model and unfortunately the 2.0TFSI falls within the 2009-2010 so I guess i wont be able to avoid it unless I go for one of the other engines. A 1.8 which probably wont feel quick enough unless I get a remap and the 2.0TDI which I have heard isn't as fun or as refined. Plus the 5 door sportback only comes in the 2.0tfsi/tdi engines so I'm really stuck for choice...

Part of me says I should just bite the bullet and get the tfsi and top it up with oil whenever it asks, but I'm not sure how much that would cost if I'm having to fill it every 2 weeks. It's crazy how a premium brand like Audi can turn a blind eye to something so bad and has affected so many of their customers. But I'd much rather have a less powerful a5 than one that requires an engine rebuild as I just wont be able to cover the costs.

I'm considering buying through a car dealer and get warranty that way, but not sure if that would cover the oil consumption issue and that would also mean no modifications/mapping allowed either. :(

Been saving up for so long only to be let down just months before I was in the market for one.

[1Topcat]

Fozzy, yes the settlement only deals with cars in the US, but the case speaks volumns. Just for fun, think about at 300 miles per quart and $9/quart, the cost of oil adds up. I get over 450 miles from a tank of gas. What you say....add a quart of oil more often then a fill-up? Yeah, right on Audi !!!

Why not look for an A5 outside of the affected years? I don't know if people are having the true oil consumption issue that the partial '09, '10 and '11's are having? Anyone aware of the issue on A5's 2.0 TFSi's outside of those years?

[Fozzy786]

Fozzy, yes the settlement only deals with cars in the US, but the case speaks volumns. Just for fun, think about at 300 miles per quart and $9/quart, the cost of oil adds up. I get over 450 miles from a tank of gas. What you say....add a quart of oil more often then a fill-up? Yeah, right on Audi !!!

Why not look for an A5 outside of the affected years? I don't know if people are having the true oil consumption issue that the partial '09, '10 and '11's are having? Anyone aware of the issue on A5's 2.0 TFSi's outside of those years?

Yeah that does sound ridiculous. So far I've heard that the 1.8t doesn't have the oil consumption issues so I'm leaning towards that now.

Do you or anyone else have experiences with that model?

Wanted to know if remapping the 160bhp to 200bhp would be noticeable and if it will cause any issues? Someone said that it will cause the Clutch to go much sooner because it can't handle the extra torque and the upgrade parts are around £1k which is too much for me.

And lastly, what is the space like in the back of a 2 door a5. I know its only for 2 passengers but is it decent enough to fit 2 people in. I'm not expecting luxurious head room and leg room but is it just enough to justify 2 seats even being there and would it make the odd long car full journey bearable?

Thanks.

[Stifens]

I have the 2.0tfsi. Absolutely love it ;) mine had the oil consumption problem aswell... Engine code (CDNC) German import car (I live in Norway). Had some of it covered by warranty since I bought it from a dealer. So mine now has new pistons, rods. But if you live in the UK, I would highly reccomend looking for a 3.0TDI with manual trans. Those things are ridiculous! Especially if you plan on tuning it. My cousin has one with 330hp. Ahd thats just with a ABT exhaust, DPF delete and REVO stg2. And it does use less fuel than the 2.0tfsi as well. So if I were to choose again, I definately would have gone for the 3.0TDI.

There's plenty space in the back of a 2 door A5. I'm 6"1 (186cm) and I fit in the back just fine. And I'm far from thin. No problem sitting in the back on longer trips.

[Fozzy786]

I managed to test drive a 2.0tfsi the other day. Felt very quick as I never drove a turbo car before.

I would like to get the 3.0TDI but as I am only 23, insurance in the UK would kill me.

Currently I think the 1.8TFSI would be best as I hopefully wont have oil consumption issues and it can be mapped to 200bhp which should feel quicker than the already quick stock 2.0TFSI.

Anyone have any experienced with the 1.8tfsi model? Better yet, anyone remapped it and can tell me about the difference and how it felt?

Thanks.

[Stifens]

Just FYI, the 1.8 also have some issues with oil consumption. At least it has been several cases here in Norway. Not nearlh as bad as the 2.0 though.

Why is the insurance more expensive on the 3.0tdi? Do they rate it by cylinder volume? They're the same price to insure here. Anyway, what you pay extra on insurance you'll probably save on fuel consumption. It's that much cheaper to run than the 2.0.

One more thing to check if you decide on the 2.0tfsi is if it has had the Cam follower changed.

I've driven the 1.8 without quattro both original and remapped by APR. It definetly hauls ass compared to a old 1.8t (b6,b7) with a remap.
It might not be that much quicker on paper, but it felt much more useable all over the rev range han earlier 1.8t cars.

That being said, you'd stand no chance with a remapped 1.8tfsi compared to a remapped 2.0tfsi. At least the B8 version with 211hp. They're alot quicker. So if you go for a tfsi model, I would say that the 2.0 gives the most fun for the money.