Advice for buying 2012 S5

[jhlrs2]

Hello All,

I'm new here and I'm looking at a used 2012 S5 4.2L 6MT coupe with approx. 32,xxx miles. I'm wondering if you all have any tips or advice on what to look for as far as issues go and any common complaints, other than carbon build up. I'm having the car inspected later this week and have reviewed all service records available. I would greatly appreciate any advice!

Thanks in advance!

[DreDay]

There's plenty of topics on this via the search button my friend.

This motor is strong. Issues I've had include:

Fan motor
Motor mounts
Window regulator
Control arms

Other than that, great car.


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[jhlrs2]

Thank you for the fast reply! I plan to play around with the search function later tonight. Can you elaborate on the control arm issue? And how difficult/expensive was it to replace/repair the motor mounts?

[SLU_S5]

2010 bought at 29k, now 68k and I still absolutely love it. It can be expensive to maintain if any issues do come up so I'd suggest to find a good independent european/audi specialty repair shop. I can turn a wrench and have done plenty of my mods myself. Some of the tougher jobs require special tools and time that I just don't have so that's where I don't mind paying a little extra to make sure that the job is done right. My indie can typically do a job at half the cost of what my dealer would charge.

Things outside of general maintenance:

Fan motor ~ 50k ($400 parts and Labor)
Clutch, Flywheel, etc ~ 62k ($2,250 parts, $1,000 labor)
Wheel bearing ~62k ($400 parts and labor)
Motor mounts ~ 67k ($400 parts, $550 labor)

Yes, that's roughly $5,000 spent in the past 17k miles (a little over a year) to keep my car running the way it should be. Mods are a whole different story.

[HazeMyth]

Glove box is too small, so it's hard to fit all the panties that drop. S5 and RS5 problems...

[jhlrs2]

2010 bought at 29k, now 68k and I still absolutely love it. It can be expensive to maintain if any issues do come up so I'd suggest to find a good independent european/audi specialty repair shop. I can turn a wrench and have done plenty of my mods myself. Some of the tougher jobs require special tools and time that I just don't have so that's where I don't mind paying a little extra to make sure that the job is done right. My indie can typically do a job at half the cost of what my dealer would charge.

Things outside of general maintenance:

Fan motor ~ 50k ($400 parts and Labor)
Clutch, Flywheel, etc ~ 62k ($2,250 parts, $1,000 labor)
Wheel bearing ~62k ($400 parts and labor)
Motor mounts ~ 67k ($400 parts, $550 labor)

Yes, that's roughly $5,000 spent in the past 17k miles (a little over a year) to keep my car running the way it should be. Mods are a whole different story.

Damn! That's a pretty hefty bill. You mention you can turn a wrench--I tend to do my own maintenance and repairs, as well--did you happen to look into how much of a pain fixing the fan motor, wheel bearing, and motor mount issues would've been (clutch & flywheel are probably engine-out, I'd guess, and I don't have a hoist and space to do that)?

Also, does your username mean you're a SLU alum?

[jhlrs2]

Glove box is too small, so it's hard to fit all the panties that drop. S5 and RS5 problems...

Good thing they have a fairly sizable trunk!

[SLU_S5]

Damn! That's a pretty hefty bill. You mention you can turn a wrench--I tend to do my own maintenance and repairs, as well--did you happen to look into how much of a pain fixing the fan motor, wheel bearing, and motor mount issues would've been (clutch & flywheel are probably engine-out, I'd guess, and I don't have a hoist and space to do that)?

Also, does your username mean you're a SLU alum?

I don't expect to pay that much every year - just seemed like this year was one of those "when it rains, it pours" kind of years for my car. Clutch and Engine mounts are some of the big "wear and tear" jobs that would've had to get done eventually suppose. Probably could've waited a little longer for each but I'm obsessive with my car and like to make sure it's running optimally all the time.

The fan motor should've been an easy DIY but I couldn't get the motor to finally twist out for whatever reason after fighting with it for a few hours. I didn't want to break anything it so I took it in. The motor itself was the biggest part of that bill.

Wheel bearings shouldn't be all that bad but I don't have access to a press so I didn't mind paying the 2 hours of labor to keep my hands (and garage) clean.

Engine mounts require either a hoist or engine support. Couldn't find a good instruction guide for the V8 (there are a few for the V6). Probably could've done it myself but I got lazy and just wanted it done with so I dropped my car off in the morning before work, and picked it up later in the evening. A buddy of mine has an A5 and did his mounts by himself - said it was time consuming, but not all that hard. Not sure how different it is for the V8.

And yes, St. Lawrence University! Laurentian for Life!