Advice for new Q5 owner

[cbuck4]

Hey there. Just bought a 2016 Q5 TDI with 52,000 miles on it. Absolutely LOVE it so far; however, I'm quickly realizing this is going to be nothing like the Hondas I've owned in the past. Looking for any tips and tricks/advice for new owners (and feel free to direct me to a previous thread if one exists that I couldn't find). Specific things on my mind:
- What are the things I can/should easily do myself (e.g. adblue, oil changes, etc)?
- how the hell do you check the oil on these things if you don't trust the computer?? Dipsticks appear to be non-existent?
- how does one "remove" oil when the computer tells you to?
- Thoughts on the stop-start function? should I just turn it off to avoid any potential (albeit low probability) wear and tear on the engine/turbo?
- Any other aspects of daily ownership I should know that differ from non-diesel engines?

Thanks in advance!

 

[gforce1108]

Buy vcds (or the cheaper, less functional OBDeleven) if you plan to maintain it yourself. There is nothing all that special. There are dipsticks available - can't say specifically if one is made for your model. The level sensor in the car seems pretty decent. When I did my oil change - it read mid-upper on the stick after adding the specified amount.
Typically no need to remove unless it was overfilled. I have mention of biodiesel causing the oil level to rise though. An oil extractor would be ideal for that (I've used a one man brake bleeder to suck excess out). Start stop should help economy but it's supposedly hard on motor mounts. I disabled mine for that reason.
Run good fuel with an additive for extra lubrication (for the high pressure fuel pump), 507 spec oil (DPF friendly) and make sure it's run long and hard enough to complete regens - they don't like short trips.
I do everything - nobody touches my cars unless it's warranty or recall.

 

[cbuck4]

Buy vcds (or the cheaper, less functional OBDeleven) if you plan to maintain it yourself. There is nothing all that special. There are dipsticks available - can't say specifically if one is made for your model. The level sensor in the car seems pretty decent. When I did my oil change - it read mid-upper on the stick after adding the specified amount.
Typically no need to remove unless it was overfilled. I have mention of biodiesel causing the oil level to rise though. An oil extractor would be ideal for that (I've used a one man brake bleeder to suck excess out). Start stop should help economy but it's supposedly hard on motor mounts. I disabled mine for that reason.
Run good fuel with an additive for extra lubrication (for the high pressure fuel pump), 507 spec oil (DPF friendly) and make sure it's run long and hard enough to complete regens - they don't like short trips.
I do everything - nobody touches my cars unless it's warranty or recall.

Much appreciated! What specifically is "good fuel"? I did some online research and it seems Chevron is a good call, which is where I've always gone with all my cars.

 

[whatnxt]

Congrats on your new purchase.

Here is a list of stuff that I put together for my brother. He just purchased a 2015 Q5 TDI Prem+ with only 21K miles on it. Drove it back from Dallas area to Spokane WA. About 2200 miles. Averaged 34 MPG. Loves the car.

Sites for information:

https://www.audiusa.com Create an account in myAudi and you can see the status of your car and maintenance as Audi sees it. Can download manuals and such. This registers you with Audi of America as an Audi owner.

https://forums.tdiclub.com

https://www.audizine.com

https://www.audiworld.com

Parts from Audi:

https://parts.audiusa.com/accessories/Audi_2016_Q5.html

https://www.audiusaoemparts.com

Parts Other:

https://www.europaparts.com/audi/q5

https://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-Q5-Quattro-3.0_TDI

https://www.idparts.com

https://www.fcpeuro.com/Audi-parts/Q5

Oil Dipstick:

Got this one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R7QY3ZH. OEM # T40178

Went to the dealer and had it calibrated for my 3.0 TDI. Top adjuster ring was set at 93. Oil measurement should be between 12-14 on the oil level display for top level fill. Looks just like the one that the dealer uses.

Light Bulbs:

Nice for interior, trunk and back-up lights. The white/yellow fog light bulbs and headlight bulbs are nice to. Lifetime warranty.
https://deautokey.com

Regular maintenance and Emissions Warranty information can be found on the Audi site. For additional maintenance, some follow ZFs recommendation to get the trans fluid changed at 60-70k miles. Audi says that it is "lifetime" while ZF does not. Get the other drivetrain fluids changed at the same time. Oil changes, some are 5k, 6.5K or at 10K. Your choice. Just use the correct oil.

Happy reading and driving.

 

[oilhammer]

I second the ZF maintenance. That's the one thing that seems to get overlooked, and then you end up with a $7k transmission failure.

 

[gforce1108]

Much appreciated! What specifically is "good fuel"? I did some online research and it seems Chevron is a good call, which is where I've always gone with all my cars.

A high volume station - somewhere trucks frequent if you can. It's not as bad as it used to be when there were so little passenger diesels. I stick with one specific station so I know if there is a problem where it came from!

 

[gforce1108]

Regular maintenance and Emissions Warranty information can be found on the Audi site. For additional maintenance, some follow ZFs recommendation to get the trans fluid changed at 60-70k miles. Audi says that it is "lifetime" while ZF does not. Get the other drivetrain fluids changed at the same time. Oil changes, some are 5k, 6.5K or at 10K. Your choice. Just use the correct oil.

Happy reading and driving.

Good points - those were some of the first things I did on my A7. Trans/diffs, etc plus plus oil change and fuel/cabin/air filters. All fluids looked good at 110k miles. Air filter was original 2014! Second oil change coming up this weekend.

 

[joep1234]

My wife and I both have 2015 Q5's and the main thing I would recommend is an oil extractor so you can change the oil from above. Buy the correct socket for the oil filter so as no to damage it with an adjustable wrench, use the very best oil you can find for European diesel cars (I use Amsol) since the oil change comes every 10K miles which seems a bit excessive but the 2 Touaregs we had had the same mileage limit, change all of the paper filters, service the trans at 60k to 90k, a good scanner so you can check your car and go to your local Audi and have them put you as the new owner and ask the serviced writer for the repair history with Audi. That would be a good starting point.

 

[sbmellen]

Adding to the comments:
* Oil changes using an extractor is super easy. Also, props to Audi for location of the filter canister!
* I personally use Blue DEF in-between scheduled maintenance at the dealership.
* I haven't used start-stop since the first week I owned my '14 Q5.
* One addition to the parts, fluids, filter merchants: AutoHausAZ.com

 

[cbuck4]

Thanks for all the awesome info, everyone!

I'm intrigued by this notion of changing the oil from above; never heard of such a thing, but I'm sure there are some youtube videos for demonstrations.

 

[PeterA1]

I highly recommend FCP euro for oil, wipers, and air filters. They seem to be the only place that let's you return used oil for a free refund. In Seattle, I can get everything crammed into a medium/large box to their Connecticut location for about $30 using Pirateship. However, you will only see $30 oil, filters and wipers after your second change. However, I do not reccomended their oil extractor as it's not nearly big enough to hold 7 liters of oil and is messy to put in storage. I currently have a four uncles Amazon one that has a place to put the dirty dip tube but only holds 6 liters of oil, after I left it in and spilled a liter out the exhaust valve onto my garage...

 

[cbuck4]

So, dumb question in response to some of ya'll's advice: can I not just take my Q5 to an oil changing shop and have them do the job? Obviously I get that people have oil brand preferences, especially when changing their own, and I'm not at all opposed to doing my own as well if it's worth it. But is this all just personal preferences, or is there real risk in treating it like any other car and having a standard oil change place do the job?

 

[gforce1108]

So, dumb question in response to some of ya'll's advice: can I not just take my Q5 to an oil changing shop and have them do the job? Obviously I get that people have oil brand preferences, especially when changing their own, and I'm not at all opposed to doing my own as well if it's worth it. But is this all just personal preferences, or is there real risk in treating it like any other car and having a standard oil change place do the job?

I wouldn't take any car to an oil change place!!! In this case - you need a 507 spec oil. They most likely won't have it. They will pour in whatever they have in a 55 gallon drum.

 

[cbuck4]

I highly recommend FCP euro for oil, wipers, and air filters. They seem to be the only place that let's you return used oil for a free refund. In Seattle, I can get everything crammed into a medium/large box to their Connecticut location for about $30 using Pirateship. However, you will only see $30 oil, filters and wipers after your second change. However, I do not reccomended their oil extractor as it's not nearly big enough to hold 7 liters of oil and is messy to put in storage. I currently have a four uncles Amazon one that has a place to put the dirty dip tube but only holds 6 liters of oil, after I left it in and spilled a liter out the exhaust valve onto my garage...

Thanks much! What extractor do you recommend?

 

[TurboABA]

Fact - most who change their own oils do it because it gives them an opportunity to see\check other things while in there, and want to reduce the amount of butchers who touch their vehicle.
Fact - you won't save any time or money
Fact - you can still get decent "value" for an oil change at the stealership, as long as they aren't butchers and\or gouge you.

 

[cbuck4]

Buy vcds (or the cheaper, less functional OBDeleven) if you plan to maintain it yourself. There is nothing all that special. There are dipsticks available - can't say specifically if one is made for your model. The level sensor in the car seems pretty decent. When I did my oil change - it read mid-upper on the stick after adding the specified amount.
Typically no need to remove unless it was overfilled. I have mention of biodiesel causing the oil level to rise though. An oil extractor would be ideal for that (I've used a one man brake bleeder to suck excess out). Start stop should help economy but it's supposedly hard on motor mounts. I disabled mine for that reason.
Run good fuel with an additive for extra lubrication (for the high pressure fuel pump), 507 spec oil (DPF friendly) and make sure it's run long and hard enough to complete regens - they don't like short trips.
I do everything - nobody touches my cars unless it's warranty or recall.

Quick follow-up: If I just want to get rid of the stupid "service due" indicator, do I need a high-end VCDS, or does something cheap do the trick?

 

[TurboABA]

Depends on what the trigger is. There are some other "tools" that are capable of resetting service reminders\notifications.

 

[TurboABA]

I also assume that you've already tried through the MMS options under car... there's usually two types of resets you can do there... one for oil intervals and one for inspection or something like that.

 

[cbuck4]

I also assume that you've already tried through the MMS options under car... there's usually two types of resets you can do there... one for oil intervals and one for inspection or something like that.

Yeah everything I've read seems to indicate that you cannot reset the non oil change service due indicators through MMI

 

[arjax]

For additional maintenance, some follow ZFs recommendation to get the trans fluid changed at 60-70k miles. Audi says that it is "lifetime" while ZF does not. Get the other drivetrain fluids changed at the same time.

Quick question. What are the fluids that are needed to service the transmission and best place to source them (ie the dealer of local parts store/online)?

 

[oilhammer]

Just google 'ZF Lifeguard 8' and pick your source.

 

[gforce1108]

Quick question. What are the fluids that are needed to service the transmission and best place to source them (ie the dealer of local parts store/online)?

I searched around and found that europaparts had the best price for a ZF8 service kit. But - if you factor in fcpeuro's lifetime warranty - they would be cheaper in the long run.

 

[whatnxt]

Note: For the service kits, they include 9 bottles of the trans fluid. Changes only use 6 bottles as the trans will not fully drain.

 

[reyxlp]

I would add 2 more things:

(1) ***Drop the front underguard panel to check for leaks.***

It has a built in "diaper" or some kind of absorbent padding that I cannot imagine could have any other purpose than to hide leaks, and I am hoping someone who knows better can correct me on this.

I started to notice a spot forming on the floor of the garage that looked like the beginning of an oil leak.

Mentioned it to the dealer a couple of times, both times they said it's just water from the A/C. In winter. When I don't use the A/C. Maybe the heat also drains condensation?

Recently decided to do my own 55k mile service when same dealer quoted me almost $2k for it.

When I dropped the underguard panel, the "diaper" was full of oil and I could see an oil leak that is either coming from the lower oil pan gasket and/or above.

It doesn't look like a terrible leak but it was definitely being absorbed and therefore concealed by the underguard panel's "diaper."

Used to be you couldn't trust the dealer, especially as the car was approaching end of warranty- now it looks like the factory is also helping them out on that. Again, hoping I'm wrong and someone more in the know will chime in to correct me.

(2) ***Know your Dieselgate settlement warranty***

If you don't have the printed version provided by Audi upon Dieselgate fix, I forget where sorry but someone here or on another forum posted a PDF from VAG/Audi listing exactly every part covered. I have read some owners having to show this document to their dealer after the dealer claimed a part was not covered under the Dieselgate settlement warranty.

I am about to find out first hand on this oil leak, taking it into the dealer Tuesday. As they denied the leak twice, I am trying to be prepared for them to deny it is covered under warranty, as well. Hopefully they will do the right thing.

Otherwise--

Pretty happy Q5 TDI owner so far. 58k miles. Still under extended Audi/Fidelity plus extended Dieselgate warranty.

Have had the following failures/issues:

radio dial on steering wheel
low pressure turbo hose, a hole developed in it
intermediate steering shaft
they forgot to top off Adblue when they did Dieselgate fix
then forgot to reset Adblue "counter" when they topped it off lol

Hope this helps.

 

[gforce1108]

Quick question. What are the fluids that are needed to service the transmission and best place to source them (ie the dealer of local parts store/online)?

Europaparts carries the Rowe hightec ATF 9008 which I am told is the supplier for ZF fluid)