For anyone looking to buy a used or CPO B8 (2009 through 2012) or a B8.5 (2013-2016), they're great cars and generally very reliable. This thread will hopefully answer some common questions about the cars, and provide some specific things to consider and watch out for when purchasing. If you are looking at an older or higher-mileage car, please see the bottom of this post for maintenance to be aware of.
- 2009 was the first year the B8 platform was sold in the US. It was also the only year that the 3.2 V6 was available. Most 2.0T motors from this year, a decent percentage of '10s, and some '11MY cars were affected by severe oil consumption, requiring a PCV replacement (stage 1) and usually a full engine rebuild for new pistons and rings (stage 2). These repairs were almost exclusively done by Audi dealerships. If you call a dealership with the VIN of the car(s) you're looking at, they'll be able to tell you if stages 1 and/or 2 of the consumption fix were completed. If stages 1 and 2 completed, you're in the clear. If they weren't, or if only stage 1 was done, run; you don't want to pay for that $4-6k repair out of pocket. On a car with an unmodified motor, Audi extended the warranty for this car to 80,000 miles. Some people have had the repairs covered with modified cars, and some have also been covered until slightly over 100,000 miles. YMMV on both of these. The other early-build issues were intake manifolds cracking, control arms which caused a vibration at high speed, usually above 65 MPH and a power steering hose that would cause the wheel to shudder during slow-speed parking lot maneuvers. These were covered by Audi under service bulletins. If a seller has proof that they were resolved or Audi confirms that the repairs were done, you'll probably be fine. A lot of 2009 and a small percentage of 2010 cars also have a manufacturing defect which causes the turbo to fail prematurely. The wastegate was made of an insufficiently strong metal, causing it to bend over time and bleed boost. It isn't serviceable and requires a turbo replacement. A dealer should be able to confirm whether a given car was affected and whether or not the turbo was replaced.
- 2010 cars have significantly fewer issues than 2009s. A much smaller percentage were affected by the intake manifold, oil consumption and turbo issues, and the control arms and steering shudder were resolved.
- 2011 cars were yet better; the oil consumption issue was almost completely resolved by mid-year production and the issues with the faulty turbo are no longer present. 2011 also marked the switch to the 8-speed automatic transmission (8AT) from the 6-speed (6AT) auto used in 2009 and 10 models. 2011 and '12 Premium trim level cars no longer have heated seats as standard equipment. Prem+ and Prestige do still include them.
- 2012 cars had no significant issues, however a very small percentage still suffered from high oil consumption.
- 2013 was the switch to the B8.5, which is mostly just a facelift. The Avant was also discontinued in the US and replaced with the Allroad, which has a higher ride height and additional body cladding. The engines and transmissions carried over, although some automatics with Quattro can run E85. The major mechanical change was the switch to electric power steering from the B8's hydraulic system. There is a noticeable difference in feel, and if you're debating between a 2012 and 2013 definitely drive both. Some early 2013 Allroads had defective electric steering racks. Audi replaced them under warranty.
- 2014 through 2016 cars didn't change much aside from slight variations in equipment, and a slight power bump. 2014 had larger shift paddles on the S-line steering wheel with the automatic transmission, and also included the S-line exterior (see below) and push button start as standard equipment with the Premium Plus trim level.
General minor issues that exist regardless of model year are wheel bearings, coil packs (updated versions of the coil pack largely eliminated this one), PCVs, and door lock solenoids as they age. The CVT transmission is also not known for smooth operation or longevity. Timing chain tensioners should be replaced around 100,000 miles as a preventative maintenance item. Any time the engine is apart, or around the same 100k mark, a carbon clean out can't hurt.
I won't even try to go through all of the variations of equipment and trim level, but I'll run through the basics.
Trim Levels:
- Premium
- Premium Plus
- Prestige
Engine/Transmission Possibilities:
- FWD/CVT (all years)
- 3.2 V6/6AT (2009 only)
- 2.0T/6MT (all years)
- 2.0T/6AT (2009-2010)
- 2.0T/8AT (2011-2016)
Premium model cars come with halogen headlights unless the lighting package is specified, and some do not have seat heaters. HID/LED headlights can be easily retrofitted into B8s for about $1,000, however B8.5s are more difficult to retrofit. Premium trim B8s have halogen tail lights, while some higher trims/packages (which vary by model year) also came with LED tail lights. These are difficult to retrofit into non-LED cars. B8.5 Premium trim package cars come standard with halogen headlights and tail lights, however higher trim levels (and Premium trim cars with the lighting package) come with HID/LED headlights and full LED tail lights.
For the high-end features and amenities that Audi is known for, Prem+ and Prestige cars are the way to go. Prem+ adds tri-zone climate control, automatic headlights and wipers, bixenon HIDs with LED DRLs, more display options in the gauge screen, and other minor features. It is highly recommended to get a car with Quattro; the FWD/CVT cars are not as high-performance or reliable as the Quattro models with the manual or automatic. If you're looking at pictures and it isn't specified, MMI controls behind the shifter (towards the rear of the car) means it is equipped with navigation. If not, the area behind the shifter will be blank and there will be a knob just below the MMI screen for audio control, and one knob (for Premium trim cars) or two knobs for climate control will exist on the console below that regardless. I annotated some pictures below to illustrate this.
Get a manual assuming that it would work for your use case. It transforms the character of the car completely, and makes it feel much more like a sports sedan. They retail for higher prices but hold value better. 5% or less of B8/B8.5 sedans are manual, and all Avants and Allroads were automatic.
The sports package (slightly lower sports suspension, 18 or 19 inch wheels, amazing sports seats, 3-spoke steering wheel, and S4 sway bars so there's a little less flex) is also very desirable, as is the S-line package. The contents of the S-line package varies slightly by year, but it has everything the sports package has, plus S4 front and rear bumpers, side blades, and even better seats. The Titanium/Black Optics package (the name changed midway through the B8's life) was available on standard and S-line cars and contains a gloss black grille surround along black window trim. The S-line Competition Plus package was available for 2015 and 2016, and contained everything in the S-line package plus more aggressive front and rear bumpers and the black optics package.
A note on cars with S-line bumpers: for most of the B8.5's model run Audi offered an "S-line appearance package," which gives you the S-line front and rear bumpers along with side blades and (for some reason) S-line fender badges. The interior and suspension were left unchanged. This does NOT make the car an S-line, as all "true S-line cars" have the exterior equipment, interior changes, and sports suspension.
A few pictures to illustrate differences:
B8 Premium with (European spec) halogen headlights:
B8 Premium with HID/LED headlights:
B8 (left) and B8.5 LED tail lights:
B8.5 Premium with halogen headlights:
B8.5 Prem+ with HID/LED headlights and sports package (note lower ride height and larger wheels than the B8.5 above):
Standard suspension:
Sport / S-line suspension:
B8 non S-line front and rear view:
B8 S-line appearance package front and rear view:
B8.5 non S-line front and rear view:
B8.5 S-line appearance package front and rear view:
B8.5 S-line Competition Plus front and rear view:
B8 standard steering wheel (this car has navigation):
B8 Sports package steering wheel (this car is Premium trim, note the single climate control knob, and does not have nav):
B8.5 standard steering wheel (this car does not have nav):
B8.5 Sports package/S-line steering wheel:
B8.5 S-line Competition Plus FBSW (flat-bottom steering wheel):
Standard seats:
Sports package seats:
S-line seats:
If you are looking at an older or higher-mileage B8, please see the list below. Thank you to member Zach L for aggregating all of this together.
- Timing Chain Tensioner: The original Audi design is faulty. Replace around the 100,000 mile mark (immediately if you just bought a car over this mileage without any record of the repair). Severe engine damage will result if the original part fully fails.
- Fuel Filter: Replace every 80,000 miles.
- Transmission fluid and rear differential fluid: All transmissions, even manual, and even though Audi says they use "lifetime" fluid. Fluid change should be done every 60-80,000 miles.
- Lube sunroof tracks: Seems unimportant until your sunroof fails. The OEM sunroof grease is proprietary. White lithium grease is an alternative, but not as good. Do this at 80-100,000 miles.
- Brake fluid and coolant flush: These should be done every 2 years regardless of mileage, especially the brake fluid.
- Intake valves carbon cleaning: Ideally every 40,000 miles, but most do every 80-100,000 miles. Helps fuel mileage, engine smoothness, and power. If the car has been burning oil and repaired, this becomes a higher priority as burnt oil will create carbon buildup.
- Timing Chain and Guide Rails: Replace every 120k miles to be safe. The guide rails are made of plastic and ruts wear into them from metal chain sliding across. See pictures below.
For more specific date on the oil consumption issue, here is a chart illustrating the percentage affected by high oil consumption by model year. For MY2009 cars it was damn near 100%, so just assume it will need to be done if it isn't documented. Thanks to @audrobotic for tracking this down.
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Originally Posted by bakedziti
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