2014 Q5 post-fix impression

DieselQ5

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Location
AZ
TDI
2014
I had my '14 Q5 fixed on Monday 1/15. I could not tell one difference in my car's performance after the fix. I took it on the highway and saw no difference driving 70-80mph. I saw no difference when leaving stoplights and no difference when passing, braking or anywhere else I can think to mention. An updated fuel economy sheet was left on my passenger seat and now rates the car at 26 HWY 23 City. For the $9,500 I got from the scandal I can live with that.
 

psd1

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2011
Location
OR
TDI
2006 Jetta 2013 Passat SE 6Man
Wow, only 26 for the new highway MPG, what was it before?
 

psd1

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2011
Location
OR
TDI
2006 Jetta 2013 Passat SE 6Man
For Premium Plus:
24 city / 31 highway
I'm pretty certain there isn't an MPG difference between sub models.

Still curious on the OP's claim that 26 is the (new) Hwy MPG.
 

Gumbus1514

Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2018
Location
Jacksonville, FL
TDI
2014 Q5
Just got my 14 Q5 back Tuesday. Engine seems fine but the transmission sucks. ~3 mile drive out of the neighborhood. 30ish mph was 1000-1200 rpm. Same speed is now 1900 rpm with lots of extra noise. Pedestrians, cyclists, and the greens keeping crew are all looking at me like I am some kind of deviant. I have even tried to manually take the higher gear but it is locked out. This is probably not something that is going to resolve itself through the adaptive logic. They let the politicians, beauracrats, lawyers, and the other slime wreck our cars.
 

RebelTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Location
Boston, MA
TDI
2016 Audi Q5 TDI, 2016 BMW 535d Xdrive
The higher rpms are to get the emissions components up to temp quicker. Question is, once it's up to normal operating temp, are the rpms back down to 1200?
 

DieselQ5

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Location
AZ
TDI
2014
Just got my 14 Q5 back Tuesday. Engine seems fine but the transmission sucks. ~3 mile drive out of the neighborhood. 30ish mph was 1000-1200 rpm. Same speed is now 1900 rpm with lots of extra noise. Pedestrians, cyclists, and the greens keeping crew are all looking at me like I am some kind of deviant. I have even tried to manually take the higher gear but it is locked out. This is probably not something that is going to resolve itself through the adaptive logic. They let the politicians, beauracrats, lawyers, and the other slime wreck our cars.
I've read other people experiencing your issues and that is why I shared mine. Seems like a split between yours and my results. I have always driven my car pretty hard, I just love the torque. Maybe my driving style kept the car more aggressive. I have no other way to explain that my car has not changed its behavior at all.
 
Last edited:

Q5TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2017
Location
US
TDI
Q5
I've read other people experiencing your issues and that is why I shared mine. Seems like a split between yours and my results. I have always driven my car pretty hard, I just love the torque. Maybe my driving style kept the car more aggressive. I have no other way to explain that my car has not changed its behavior at all.
What is your altitude where you are at in Arizona?
Read something in the booklet that engine performance may depend on altitude. We travel quite a bit to Sedona, where it is about 4500. The other guy is in Florida. The highest altitude in Florida is 345 feet. However, that does not seem to make sense, because the rpms should be higher at a "high" altitude, whatever that means.

Here is what the booklet says:
Engine sound may differ somewhat from your vehicle's prior
operation. There might be a difference in combustion noise from
the engine that may be noticeable during vehicle warm-up. The
potential change in sound will not result in any noticeable
changes to the driving characteristics of your vehicle.

Shift Patterns - The shifting behavior has been adapted to run
with slightly higher engine speeds during vehicle warm-up and
when driving at high altitudes.
 

DieselQ5

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Location
AZ
TDI
2014
What is your altitude where you are at in Arizona?
Read something in the booklet that engine performance may depend on altitude. We travel quite a bit to Sedona, where it is about 4500. The other guy is in Florida. The highest altitude in Florida is 345 feet. However, that does not seem to make sense, because the rpms should be higher at a "high" altitude, whatever that means.

Here is what the booklet says:
Engine sound may differ somewhat from your vehicle's prior
operation. There might be a difference in combustion noise from
the engine that may be noticeable during vehicle warm-up. The
potential change in sound will not result in any noticeable
changes to the driving characteristics of your vehicle.

Shift Patterns - The shifting behavior has been adapted to run
with slightly higher engine speeds during vehicle warm-up and
when driving at high altitudes.
I am in Phoenix and we are at 1000' elevation. My car was warm when I picked it up so I don't have any experience with any extra noise during warmup. Thanks for pointing that out. If I notice any different noise the next time I drive it I will comment here.
 

bhuizer

Well-known member
Joined
May 26, 2017
Location
Iowa
TDI
2014 Toureg TDI, 2014 Q5 TDI, Past: 2012 Touareg TDI, 2012 Jetta TDI
My Touareg does the same thing during warm-up. It's the most annoying part about the fix. However, once everything is up to temp after a few miles the shifting patterns go back to normal.

Also, just because your coolant temp gauge says 200 degrees, doesn't mean the exhaust components are at the correct temp. So the warm-up shifting pattern can occur anytime the exhaust components have cooled off. This is just what I've noticed in the below-zero Iowa temps the last few weeks. EGR needs high exhaust temps to do it's thing, idling or low load situations don't create much heat with these engines.
 
Last edited:

Q5TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2017
Location
US
TDI
Q5
I am in Phoenix and we are at 1000' elevation. My car was warm when I picked it up so I don't have any experience with any extra noise during warmup. Thanks for pointing that out. If I notice any different noise the next time I drive it I will comment here.
And the other guy with the high rpms when cold is in Florida. My experience has been that the winter nights can be fairly cold, even in Phoenix. Depending on where the guy in Florida lives and if he keeps the vehicle in a garage, maybe he has a colder start.

Seem the elevation should have no effect at 1000 feet, but I am just guessing.
 

bird67

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2012
Location
Snowy North
TDI
2014 Touareg TDI*
As I've read more and more reports coming in from 3.0 owners and their experiences with the "fix", I've wondered if there is a north-south (ie warm/cold weather) difference. It seemed anecdotally, and not tracked scientifically, that the warmer the climate the fewer complaints owners had. That would make sense, I suppose, since the "fix" was supposed to address the 3.0's behavior when warming up the car.

It's largely a moot point - it's not like class counsel is ever in a million years going to seek to reopen the settlement based upon subjective comments made here and on similar sites - but it is interesting at minimum, and when there is a fair body of data from which to draw conclusions, it may inform some of us about whether or not we want to submit to the fix, and when.

So, please keep the experiences, pro and con,coming.
 

bhuizer

Well-known member
Joined
May 26, 2017
Location
Iowa
TDI
2014 Toureg TDI, 2014 Q5 TDI, Past: 2012 Touareg TDI, 2012 Jetta TDI
A positive with the new warm up procedure (even with the annoying shift points) is that the engine gets up to temp much quicker. I'm going to say it cuts warm up time by more than half in freezing temps.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
A positive with the new warm up procedure (even with the annoying shift points) is that the engine gets up to temp much quicker. I'm going to say it cuts warm up time by more than half in freezing temps.
It takes about 25% of the time. When I leave my house in the morning it’s warm before I get to the interstate. Pre-repair it wouldn’t be warm until I got to work.
 

Gumbus1514

Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2018
Location
Jacksonville, FL
TDI
2014 Q5
RebelTDI -1900 comes down to 14-1500. 1900 is 5th. Pretty clear I used to glide through the hood in 7th. I even tried to get a higher gear in manual mode. Would not let me upshift period. I did a down shift and then it would not allow me to shift back. Had to cancel manual mode so the trans would shift itself. I was planning on a ECU tune but am going to hold until there is a TCU tune also.
 

Onetrack97

New member
Joined
Jan 20, 2018
Location
Dallas area
TDI
2015 Q5 TDI
Just got my 14 Q5 back Tuesday. Engine seems fine but the transmission sucks. ~3 mile drive out of the neighborhood. 30ish mph was 1000-1200 rpm. Same speed is now 1900 rpm with lots of extra noise. Pedestrians, cyclists, and the greens keeping crew are all looking at me like I am some kind of deviant. I have even tried to manually take the higher gear but it is locked out. This is probably not something that is going to resolve itself through the adaptive logic. They let the politicians, beauracrats, lawyers, and the other slime wreck our cars.
I just got my 2015 back today, my experience is exactly as you have said. I don't have a lot of miles on it yet. I tried to go Manual also, can't get it into 6th until it's ready. I drive this thing pretty easy in town and about 75 or so on the highway in Texas. I normally get around 30 mpg. It's definitely going down.

Just doesn't feel like the same ride. I wonder how much less it's worth now in-trade.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
I tried to manually shift to third gear yesterday and it wouldn’t shift. On the interstate it doesn’t want to go into eighth and if I shift it manually it shifts back to seventh. It’s getting close to 1/4 of a tank and has a little over 300 miles since the fill up.
 

DieselQ5

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Location
AZ
TDI
2014
I tried to manually shift to third gear yesterday and it wouldn’t shift. On the interstate it doesn’t want to go into eighth and if I shift it manually it shifts back to seventh. It’s getting close to 1/4 of a tank and has a little over 300 miles since the fill up.
Is that with a pc Q5? I have not driven mine since the day i picked it up but I'm planning a long drive later this week. I will report with my mpg results.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
Yes. I filled mine up today for the first time since the dealership filled it after the fix. It averaged 22.8 mpg for the tank. That’s much less that it averaged pre-fix.
 

Mythdoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2011 Touareg, 2015 Q5, 2015 Golf
Yes. I filled mine up today for the first time since the dealership filled it after the fix. It averaged 22.8 mpg for the tank. That’s much less that it averaged pre-fix.
What kind of commute are you running? I am curious about the length of effect of the warm up cycle. My suspicion is that the sensors in the exhaust stream need to reach a certain temp. If the car is not taking 8th on the highway that suggests the ECU does not consider the system warm, even though the gauge may say otherwise. As with the Q7 fix reports, reaction is all over the place. I am getting the fix as soon as I have time to go to my local dealer. I may wait a month for warmer weather, though, lol.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
I drive 12 miles to work. It’s about 2 miles to the main road and another mile to the interstate. After I get off the interstate it’s 2 miles to my office.
 

Mythdoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2011 Touareg, 2015 Q5, 2015 Golf
^^That puts you in warmup mode essentially the whole time, it seems to me, except when you drive longer distances. What are you planning to do? Restore your tune? Keep us posted. Also, how is your wife’s car doing? Did you put the chip back in?

I plan to have the fix done in mid February.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
^^That puts you in warmup mode essentially the whole time, it seems to me, except when you drive longer distances. What are you planning to do? Restore your tune? Keep us posted. Also, how is your wife’s car doing? Did you put the chip back in?

I plan to have the fix done in mid February.
I’m putting the Chipwerke Pro back on her car tonight. We’ll probably trade one of them for a BMW X5d and keep the other. Mine has a rear sway bar and front drivetrain stabilizer too so we’ll probably keep it.
 

Q5TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2017
Location
US
TDI
Q5
I’m putting the Chipwerke Pro back on her car tonight. We’ll probably trade one of them for a BMW X5d and keep the other. Mine has a rear sway bar and front drivetrain stabilizer too so we’ll probably keep it.
Have heard varying opinions on BMW reliability. I am considering an X5d or X3d after unloading my Q5. Any opinion on BMW reliability?
 

truman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 18, 2000
Location
columbia,MO,usa
TDI
'05 Passat Variant, Still miss the 03JW
FWIW, it is my understanding that X3 uses CP4 and X5 has CP3
I am also interested in reiiability comments
 
Top