GeicoGecko

Hey all,

So just after a year of Audi ownership I'm looking at buying another one (no-one told me this could become a habit!). March last year I found an S8 I wanted to buy but passed on it due to an oil leak. In April I ended up buying a 2013 RS5 with 26K on the clock. It is fantastic but sadly has become a garage queen (I know, I know they should be driven). The thing is, every time I drive the thing it feels amazing and if I drove it everyday I would just get used to it.

... therefore I figured I should buy one I do drive everyday and use the RS5 at weekend The GTi took exactly 3 hours to sell so onto the next!

I have found a 2012 S5 Cabriolet with sports diff, an APR stage II tune, TCU tune and some other mods (including Magnaflow exhaust) - 74K miles. Being the cabriolet it's the 3.0L Turbo but I'm struggling to find too much info on the cars themselves (what to look for, weak points etc). Every time I search for the 2012 S5 I end up with the other models which seemingly have different transmissions and engines.

I was hoping you all may be able to bring me up to speed. Plan is to take the car to a local shop for a PPI next week so it would be great to be prepared.

Oh and also help me understand where this slippery slope of Audi ownership ends? Should I prepare now for being divorced and living in a workshop with a single bed in it but surrounded by Audis?

Thank you!

mhoran89

the 3.0T supercharged V6 engines are very stout. PCV valve can go bad on them but it's not the worst job in the world. nothing else too major to look out for. sometimes a leaky water pump or at really higher mileage you can see coolant crossover pipes leak. since it is tuned, I would suggest a compression test and leak down test on the cylinders to make sure things are in good shape (a mechanic should be able to do this as part of a PPI for extra $).

Glisse

The 2012 (US sales year, which is likely 2011 production) S5 was sold in two body types, the coupé and the cabriolet. The coupé was the original A5/S5 design, came out in 2007. The Sportback and cabriolet were released late 2010, in Europe. The Sportback version was not sold in the US.

The S5 coupé used the 4.2FSI NA V8, with either a manual transmission, or a ZF6HP torque converter transmission. The cabriolet was fitted with the new 3.0TFSI supercharged engine, and new (Audi designed, VAG built) DL501 S tronic dual clutch transmission (which is also in your RS5). The coupé did not get this drivetrain until the B8 facelift (B8.5 in forum-speak) version. That's why you are seeing different engine/transmission specs - you are comparing coupé vs cabriolet.

I would be wary of buying a 2012 3.0TFSI with a Stage 2 engine tune, plus a TCU tune. The DL501 has a very definite torque ceiling, and the type of tune you described typically bumped up mid-range torque way over that ceiling. In 2011 production, Audi was using this transmission with very aggressive software, capable of achieving 8ms upshifts on full throttle. Fantastic, but creates big static torque loads through the drivetrain. One reason why Audi programmed a lifetime launch counter limit into the software. Some tuners pumped mid-range torque, and also removed the launch limit with TCU "tunes". Result, more likely to encounter a mechatronics (valve operated shift control section of the transmission) failure. Initially unrepairable. Now a repair kit is available for the mechatronics unit, and if you have a failure it will only cost between $3500 to $5000 to repair the transmission. But I'd do some research on this, and certainly test drive the car to make sure you are happy with shift behaviour, particularly low speed shifts, and how easy it is to get reverse, etc.

Whilst your RS5 also uses the DL501, it doesn't make as much mid-range torque as the 3.0TFSI, and it is rare to hear of mechatronics failures in these. Helping that is laptop tuners can't just hack the software to say "More Boost Everywhere" with a NA engine.

Nice car though, I liked our B8 S5 cab, had plenty of character. I also liked the B8 RS5 coupé, but in cabriolet form, the S5 was better than the RS5. The extra weight of the cabriolet was better suited to the supercharged engine's mid-range grunt than the top end power of the V8.

mhoran89

well said I forgot about the dreaded mechatronics. My buddy went through this on a S4 and it cost him a pretty penny.

My First S5

Did you end up buying this S5? I am in the market for one as well. There is one in Florida was is not tuned but looks like it was resprayed.

GeicoGecko

I did not. I ended up buying two S4’s instead with the same engine one had a temperamental DSG but a fluid change seems to have solved that. Fun engines and cars. I would recommend going down the stock route and modifying yourself.