derXmasta

I'm barely 300 miles into my new 2.0T automatic.
i turned on the car last night and the car started violently shaking, like i was in an earthquake for like 10-15 seconds.
then it calmed down a bit...
anybody else experience this?
was it the spark plugs not firing right? or the turbo?

i shut the engine off and then restarted after... there were minor shakes but it wasnt as bad as the first time and it wasnt really that noticeable.
should i bring it in for service?
or just an one time freak happening?

glaive

I have noticed this as well with my 2008 S5, 14k miles.

When I start it in the morning, the engine shakes the car pretty violently during the startup sequence - 10-15 seconds. I wrote it down on a card along with some other things I want the techs to check on when I bring it in for my 15k. I've only had the car 6 weeks so I'm not sure if it did the same thing when it was new.

derXmasta

did it ever happen again?
or was it a one time thing?

glaive

I just called a dealership and the service advisor said that it has been a known issue (warrantee fix) with their cars, especially the S5. She said that the engines seem to be very sensitive to the ethanol mixture in fuel and suggested I (continue) to only use high-quality 93 (I normally fill at Sunoco). She said this happens at a cold start, and the Audi engine warms up very quickly, which is why after 10 seconds or so, the idle is smooth again.

They have been calling the problem something like a "cold start misfire".

She said it is a treatable condition - they clean the carbon out and use an additive that has been working very well lately.

Tomorrow night I am dropping my car off, then they are going to reproduce the problem the following morning, fix it, then give it back on Friday afternoon. I will let you know how it goes.

Kristine, the service advisor, seemed to believe that she was 90% sure this is what's happening, it's a full warrantee repair, and it should not affect the reliability of the engine. Either way, I am getting the work done tomorrow.

glaive

To answer your question, this happens every cold start (morning). I started noticing it several days ago.

derXmasta

i started the car at 7pm in the evening when it was like 70 degrees...
the last time i drove before that was 11pm the night before.

Thanks, let me know what the service people say.

newbie2quattro

Are these vehicles sitting outside in the cold or are they garaged? Just wondering if same results happen for a car that is garaged.

derXmasta

my car was outdoors
not garaged.

AudisticS5

This is good to know. For those that have it how cold is the temperature?

derXmasta

mines was outdoors in about 70 degrees temp.
car was off for about 8-9hrs?

does anybody think it has to do with not sitting in the car w/ engine on after a drive to let the turbo cool off?
i know the fan keeps going sometimes but are we suppose to sit in the car for an additional 5 mins as well?