Audi A5 3.0 TDi potential purchase

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granty578

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Hi all,

I'm looking to upgrade my A3 2.0 Tdi to an A5. The 3.0 TDi looks the most tempting.

I was wondering if there is anything I should look out for? Must have extras and also common problems. I've done a bit of researching and can see the 3.0 seems a strong engine apart from inlet manifold?

I've got about 13k to spend I reckon so probably only get a 2008 sport. May be able to push a little more for an S-Line though. I did test drive an S-Line on an 09 the other day but it didn't have LED lights or fully electric seats? Is this right?

Are there any engine codes to be weary of and in general...anything I should know?

Finally, how much does the tank cost to fill and what kind of mileage should I expect driving a mix of A/B roads?

Cheers,

James
 
Whats your driving style (ie journey types, local or m/way?) and annual mileage?
 
Local really. 12 miles each way. Mix of country a-roads and dual carriageway.

Do a lot of other miles though for recreational, like travelling to lakes etc which is a lot of motorway.

Between 15 and 17k per year mileage.
 
Theres nothing really to worry about with the 3.0 TDI engine other than the intake runner issues, just check the car has a full documented service history.
There aren't that many 3 litre cars around compared to the 2 litre ones so it may take a little longer to find the right car and you may have to travel. The engine codes will either be a CAPA or CAWA, the CAPA is what is on my 08 A4 and the emissions are slightly higher on that engine compared to the CAWA so the road tax is a little higher. On my car it just creeps into the next bracket.
This is on an A4 Avant and it's quite possible on an A5 there won't be any difference as the car is lighter.
I thought the S Line got the HID headlights with the LED running lights. There are some SE spec cars around with really good options packages that work out as good as an S-line so don't discount them.

Karl.
 
Hi mate I'd say stretch as much as possible as you're only going to upgrade to certain things anyway. I have a fully loaded one and to me the must haves are: s-line post 59' heated seats, LED's, B&O stereo and cruise control. I got mine remapped but to fill a tank costs about £80 and that's using the premium diesel from BP with a usual return of about 420- 460 and that's with mixed driving but I always drive it fast on smaller roads once it's warmed up. If I do motorway runs I stick the cruise control on doing no more than 10% ;) and the best I've hit is just over 500.

Get an s-line because of the wheels and better package with roof lining and suspension. That's all I can think of for now.
 
Hi, I have jst recently purchased a 2007 3.0 tdi quattro for slightly more, around 14K, mines not an s-line, but mine does have sat nav, B&O, comfort pack (lumbar support ect), all electric, heated and memory seats, electric folding mirrors and interior lighting pack. When you mean LED lights are you on about the LED DLR's? Hope this helps.
 
That sounds good spec for a sport.

I meant rear light LED's, are these on all S-Lines?

So to surmise, options to look for are

B&O
Electric seats
comfort pack
Mirrors
Sat Nav (not a biggy)

I have been looking and I don't think I'll be able to get an S-Line in either 2.0l or 3.0l
 
granty578 said:
That sounds good spec for a sport.

I meant rear light LED's, are these on all S-Lines?

So to surmise, options to look for are

B&O
Electric seats
comfort pack
Mirrors
Sat Nav (not a biggy)

I have been looking and I don't think I'll be able to get an S-Line in either 2.0l or 3.0l
Click to expand...

Yeah i think i got quite lucky with the spec, although i did have the inlet manifold problem after 2 weeks, luckly the garage i brought it from paid for the repair.

Mine doesn't have the LED rear lights, i thought it was on slightly newer models, but i guess if you where looking at 08/09 then maybe thats when they where introduced. Can't be that hard to retrofit though surely?
 
I believe it's only the S-Line with the rear LED's. Look easy to retrofit but at £800 it's not worth it in my opinion.

How much does the inlet manifold problem usually cost to fix, do you know?
 
granty578 said:
I believe it's only the S-Line with the rear LED's. Look easy to retrofit but at £800 it's not worth it in my opinion.

How much does the inlet manifold problem usually cost to fix, do you know?
Click to expand...

£800, yeah i agree its not worth doing for that.

Well i orginally took it to Audi and they quoted £1700, which is alot, but the garage i brought it from wasn't willing to pay that (shock), so i got a mate who owns a garage to do it, got the new manifolds of ebay which where, reinforced with a 2 year guarantee and £85 back for the olds ones, so with that deduction and labour about £470.
 
Most of the time the inlet manifold runner issue can be sorted by just replacing the actuator arms, these weren't originally available as a seperate part so you had to buy the whole thing.

Genuine Audi Vw 2.7 3.0 V6 Intake Inlet Manifold Repair Set Kit Swirl Flap X 2 | eBay

There are sellers that do kits to replace the rubber washers and spacers inside the runners that wear.

Audi VW 2.7 3.0 TDI V6 Intake manifold-swirl flaps(parts)A4 A5 A6 A8 Q7 TOUAREG | eBay

You can find them cheaper if you look around. Replacing the complete item is a waste of money when 90% of it is fine.

Karl.
 
Yeah, if i had to pay for the repair i would have gone down this route of just replacing the part, although i have heard it can be a bit fiddly. But when the garage is paying for it, 8 days after i just brought the car, i decided on whole new manifolds :)
 
Hi - I had a 2.0 tdi quattro special edition s-line - a bit of a mouthful but essentially it was a pre-facelift Black Edition. In fact I have just replaced it with a new facelift version (2.0 tdi Black Quattro).

The S-line adds LED's front a rear as standard, as well as sports suspension, B&O, black grill, removal of external chrome around the windows, on the grill and around the front fog lights. It also has Sat Nav high with phone connect, front and rear packing and a boot-based hard drive to store music. I love the spec.

Must have? I have recently had an issue with my new car in that it was supplied without interior lights (none in the footwells, in the glovebox and on the doors / door handles). It sounds like a small issue (a £130 option) though it makes a huge difference at night.

BTW I've found that there is a HUGE difference in the current and former 2.0 diesel engine (it was changed with the facelift). The new engine is much punchier and faster and much more economical (560 miles per tank compared with 430 miles).
 
Thanks for that. What age was your old one and new one?

Some of the s-lines I've looked at doesn't have a lot of that spec.
 
Thanks for all your help guys.

I've just put a deposit down on a 58 reg in deep sea blue. Got pretty much every single option on it except heated seats from what I can see. Even got 20" alloys. look like RS4 ones..

Looking forward to getting it now.
 
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granty578 said:
Thanks for all your help guys.

I've just put a deposit down on a 58 reg in deep sea blue. Got pretty much every single option on it except heated seats from what I can see. Even got 20" alloys. look like RS4 ones..

Looking forward to getting it now.
Click to expand...
Where is she, if we can't see her, it didn't happen .
 
Hi all. Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread but I thought it may be more welcome than starting a new one on a very similar subject...I have decided on getting myself an A5 with the S line spec as spoke of above and have realised from research that the 3.0tdi is a good choice. If my weekly mileage is usually only 250 ish with a 20 mile motorway commute to work an then general around town trips would I get the most benefit from the 3.0 or should I opt for 2.0 tdi?.
I am coming from driving a 2.0 turbo impreza achieving 20mpg at best so fuel economy is high on my list of new benefits but I would like to keep some of the punch and driving fun I have gotten used to.i would be happy to remap in future if it helped.
Sorry to go on a bit! And thanks for any advice
 
If you want the punch and performance the 3.0 TDI is the one to go for , a remap and a bit of twiddling and you can get some nice performance with 35mpg tatting around and closer to 45mpg on a run. Have a look at my build thread linked in my signature, 0-60 around 5s 1/4 mile in 13.3 at 105mph.

Karl.
 
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