Hey yall, I got a 2023 Audi S5 and noticed that it makes a ticking noise while cruising at speed. It only makes it when im in motion and at idle/a stop it doesn’t make a sound. Wondering if y’all know what it could be.
After an exhaustive search, and endlessly wavering between the practicality of A5 vs. fun factor of S5, I've finally settled on two used vehicles that fit my needs and budget. Hoping I can get some advice to narrow this down and drive home my first Audi!
2023 A5 Sportback 45 S-Line (Premium Plus) - Daytona Gray
2024 A5 Sportback 45 S-Line (Premium Plus) - Chronos Gray
Both ~20,000 miles, Black Optics, S-line interior
Questions:
I only test drove a Mythos Black at a dealership, so I haven't seen either of the grays in person. Any +/- for each that I should consider?
Dinamica seats - Are these a pain and/or preferable to the plain leather seats?
Wheels: I'm just not a big fan of the 19” 5-arm that comes on these. I would prefer 20" S5 wheels or similar. Financially better trying to negotiate into purchase deal with Audi dealership, or just get different aftermarket wheels/tires later down the road? Anything to be aware of swapping wheels with regard to the AWD system or extended warranty?
I really wanted ventilated seats, but it's a rare option - and those seats aren't as attractive to me. User reviews seem to be very mixed about the effectiveness anyway. Will I be missing anything truly spectacular without it?
Any final thoughts, MUST HAVE options, words of wisdom?
Hey everyone, looking for advice before I make the decision.
I currently drive a 2015 VW Golf TSI with 112k miles (180k km). The car is healthy and has been reliable. For the past 2 years I’ve basically only done oil changes and haven’t had any major issues, so I’m a bit worried about leaving a car I trust.
I’m considering switching to a:
2009 Audi S5 4.2 FSI V8
88k miles (141k km)
354 hp naturally aspirated V8
Quattro AWD
ZF Tiptronic automatic
Maintenance history:
Oil changes done every 3–3.7k miles (5–6k km).
Transmission serviced at 53k miles (85k km):
fluid, filter, gasket, and connector sleeve/seal replaced.
Carbon cleaning done summer 2020 at 65k miles (105k km).
Valve cover gaskets replaced.
Suspension refreshed and brakes done in 2024 (~80–85k miles).
Timing chain health checked at 88k miles using camshaft phase readings:
around -1° to -3° KW (seems to be healthy range).
Owner has had the car 8+ years and seems to have done preventative maintenance.
I know the 4.2 V8 can get expensive if neglected, but this one seems like a maintained example. My biggest hesitation is leaving my Golf, which has been very low stress and reliable.
Would you make the switch? How reliable would you expect this S5 to be with this history, and what else should I check before buying?
Thanks!
I’m currently looking at a 2007 Audi S5 and I wanted to ask how reliable these cars are, especially regarding the timing chain.
The one I’m considering is a manual with 220,000 km on the clock. The control arms have been replaced, it has a nee clutch and flywheel and the engine has had a carbon clean. However, the timing chain has not been replaced.
The seller says there is no rattling noise on cold starts and no warning lights, so according to him the chain is still in good condition.
My question is: does this really indicate that everything is fine, or could the timing chain and/or plastic guides still fail in the near future? I’ve read that the plastic guides often start to wear around 200,000 km on these engines.
Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
I've been contemplating switching from my B9 S5 Sportback which is now fairly high in mileage ever since I got a new job that pays well and I've been burnt by the rocker arms.
For context the S5 is pretty much my dream car, everything from the design to the B9's fit and finish and of course the power are the best package I can think of besides the S7/RS7 if I wasn't living in Switzerland where it's a little too big. The tuning potential was also very appealing at the time, as I got it to make well over 500WHP, but came with the earlier mentioned downside of reliability that's becoming more and more questionable with time as we find out about cylinder scoring and already have enough issues to deal with like the waterpump and PCV (which I had to replace twice already).
If I switch to a different car I've already narrowed it down to the closest I can get to a reliable and economic S5, which is the BMW i4 M50, but it's less about what I'm switching to but what I'll miss from the S5. Little things like the AC controls, quilted leather seats with massage, etc. After test driving newer cars the cost savings really became apparent with everything the S5 comes with. Of course the lack of an exhaust is also a bummer, but admittedly less than I expected since the interior sound it makes is quite fun. In terms of driveability they're quite similar but the BMW is noticeably heavier and more RWD biased. The instant torque is cool but since tuned B9s already pull quite hard it's not as jaw-dropping as for people switching from something like an A3 to an EV.
Overall I know that if the S5 continues to require more than just regular maintenance the i4 will break-even easily. And I'll probably have to do the transmission oil flush soon anyway if I want to take it another 50tkm or more, among other things. Having already done some big items like the timing chains and waterpump recently I have some remorse about that but also a general concern that this platform will just become more of a moneypit as time passes, completely opposite to an EV.
So those of you who own B9s, is the fit and finish and exhaust and a few small features like massaging seats worth the pain of the platform, engine and overall running costs of an ICE? I'm starting to feel like a boomer as this is the first time I'm looking at new cars and just not really seeing the upgrade beyond running costs, warranty and things like that.
I purchased a 2023 S5 last weekend. I purchased an APR intake, intercooler, exhaust, and stage 1 tune to install this week. What am I missing? Or what should I do next???
just heard it this morning when walking in front of my car. thought it sounded kind of off. any thoughts?
Has good maintenance history and had rocker arms replaced recently. Just wondering if it’s a good buy.
Some background, I’m buying a new set of tires soon and currently hate the look of my oem rims. I saw some beautiful 20’ TTRS carbon forged rims for sale and itching to buy them. However, I’m not sure how the 20’ would affect driving vs the 18’ ones. I also want to get tires with more tread on them since I am living in Utah where it snows a lot and I doubt I’ll be able to do that with bigger 20’ rims.
Any advice or suggestions would be great or if anybody has had experience going from 18’ to 20’ and your experience so far would be awesome. Mostly concerned about winters but I think looks wise it’s a no brainer lol.
Also, any rim shop recommendations would also be greatly appreciated as I am shopping around right now
Have a b9 s5. Car has been driving fine then yesterday it wasn’t building power when driving. It makes this higher pitch noise when accelerating, it revs fine. No engine light.
Took it to the shop and they said this part is leaking… anyone know what this part is called or what else it could be?
Anyone with a Jackal tuned B9.5 have sound clips with stock sport exhaust and resonator delete?
I like burbles but what I really don’t want are the stupid artificial sounding “pops and bangs”
I know nothing about Jackal / their tuning customization .
For some reason 034 removes cold start/catalyst heating cycle with their tune and there’s no way to enable it. Hoping that’s not the case with Jackal
Need some insight
Came out to the parking lot to find a B9.5 parked next to me. Not sure if you’re in here but hell yeah 💯
Selling my 2018 S5 (B9). Loved it, but under 65k miles the water pump died and now there's a slow oil leak. Looking for honest input from people who've owned these.
Use case: not a daily. Road trips, often in heavy mountain snow, with the odd fire road every couple years. Just me and my partner, but I want four doors this time — some friends have mobility issues and my old coupe was rough on them.
Priorities: at least as quick as the B9 S5, more reliable, ideally $50–65k (can stretch to $70k). I love Audi's design and speed.
Weighing: 2023 SQ8, RS3, new S5. I know they're totally different segments — that's my dilemma.
Does anyone else feel extremely satisfied for such small DIY fixes like I do - recently my B9.5 S5 started making this creaking/clunking noise when I switch off the car sometimes. Not all the time, just sometimes. Unpredictable. But for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what was making the noise and I thought something was broken.
I knew it came from the front of the car and it sounded like windshield wipers when they streak across the windshield and make terrible noise. But the sound was so short lived that I couldn’t put my finger down on it. I only had a clue.
Then I began googling “do the windshield wipers move on a B9.5 S5 when turning off the car”
To my astonishment, they do. And I had NO idea. I had no idea the car intelligently moved the blade to rest on either side with occasional shut offs in order to extend the life of the blades and they don’t get stuck on the windshield on one side.
Then the recommendations were to replace the blades, as apparently we are supposed to every 6 months to a year.
I looked at other reasons why the wiper blades would make noise…. Dirt/dust/debris. Ok, let’s go put the wiper blades in service mode and check them out. Sure enough when I did that and the blades moved up, I heard that creak on the way up briefly. Cleaned the blades, cleaned the windshield, restored the plastic trim at the bottom of the windshield (it was gray now it’s back to being matte black). Returned the blades to resting position and tested them. Noise is gone.
It’s literally the dumbest things like this that make me happy. I was about to go spend $70 on new blades but the decision to try and clean them instead saved me money. LOL.
So if any of you hear a strange screech upon vehicle shut down, it’s your windshield wiper blades and your car is perfectly ok and not broken 😂😂
Hey y’all, ended up getting a 2019 s5 sportback fairly recently.
I’ve got the RS5 wheels and an RS style grille, but trying to keep that OEM+ look. It’s also got an IE intercooler, IE intake and inlet, AWE switchpath exhaust, and tuned with 034.
I am looking to get a front lip for my B9 S5 and I have an aftermarket RS bumper on it. There are some options for it, but I personally really like the Future Designs body kit but the issue is it comes only for the RS5. I’m wondering if I could fit a front lip that was originally designed for the RS5 which has wider fenders (pretty sure like 18-20 mm on each side).
I'm not particularly looking for more power, just want better tuning for the clunky transmission.
It's jerky when it's cold and I've noticed that it sometimes likes to hang in 1st gear then slam into 2nd. I love everything about the car except for the transmission.
If there are none, what's the most reliable ECU+TCU tune?
There seems to be such a huge divide between 034, IE and Jackal.
I'm not looking for what has the most power. If need be, I just want a conservative tune and mainly focused on transmission drivability.