B9_SQ5

I could use your help to decide if I should get rid of my 2018 SQ5 with 85k miles. I have enjoyed the car through 5 years of ownership but now face some pretty expensive repairs. I'll preface by saying I have an excellent independent mechanic specializing in Audi, so I trust the findings.



Short version - I have the dreaded failing water pump and an oil leak + ongoing electrical issues. The ballpark estimate is ~$4k, hopefully a little less, to address the oil and water pump, not counting the electrical issues. The mechanic tells me that with these problems + some of the other 2018 model year concerns starting to show up (ex-rocker arms), it might be a good time to consider getting out of this car rather than performing repairs. I will need to schedule a time to drop the car off so that he can fully identify the source of the oil leak with the engine cool, so the estimate above is just a ballpark based on what he could see using inspection mirrors with the engine warm.





Long version

1) Due to the failing water pump, I have dried coolant all over my engine bay, including electrical connectors and an actuator, which I think he said has something to do with the turbo system. Based on what he saw, I will need the standard water pump/thermostat replacement and likely to replace the corroded connectors. Estimate ~$2200 (does this sound fair?)



2) Oil leak/consumption - the car lost over a quart of oil in 4,000 miles. I added a quart and quickly lost ~1/2 of it over the next 1500 miles. The mechanic sees oil and coolant collecting in the "valley" of the car. The best guess is that it is coming from the oil cooler, but we will need to do a more in-depth tear-down to confirm. I believe he mentioned a lot of labor, possibly involving turbo removal, to get to the area of concern, so even if it is just a cooler gasket, labor charges will be quite a bit.



Other problems:

• The MMI frequently crashes reboots when driving.
• The backup camera flickers, displays in black and white, displays inverted or sometimes works normally.
• The passenger seat belt warning goes through periods of chiming nonstop while driving, even though no one is in the seat and no objects are in the seat. I've fought this for years, but Audi would never fix it while under warranty.
• The overhead map/dome light has started turning on randomly. It happens when hitting bumps, but I have also seen it turn on for no reason. Sometimes it strobes, other times it is solid. It will not respond to on/off presses when acting up. However, if I tap around the overhead console near the sunroof buttons, it will eventually turn off.

Outside of all of this, there are the reported issues of rocker arm failures specific to this model year. I know it's debated how many are affected, but the potential is on my mind. I am also concerned about the clogging of the sunroof drains, which causes water to floor the rear computer compartment. The car lives outside, and I use my sunroof often. I am doing the best I can to test the drains often to try to stay ahead of it.



What do you all think? Should I love it or leave it? If I leave it, do I gain anything by going to a newer 2020+ SQ5?

njspeedfreak

I suspect you already are leaning toward what my advice would be - move on. The car is 6+ years old, how much longer do you really want to keep it for? I've been driving Audi's for the past 30 years and I usually hold them for about 5 or 6 years (around 100k miles) before trading them in. Besides just wanting to move into a newer model with more HP and newer styling and tech, it becomes too much of a gamble past that point when it comes to maintenance.

I waited too long to trade in my 2018 S5. I was hoping I could hold it long enough for the B10 to be released but the rocker arms gave out before that happened. The $25K in equity in my car was reduced to $10K overnight.

I'm in a 2021 SQ5 now, can't compare it to the 2018 version since my last car was the S5 not the SQ5, but I don't think you will notice much in the way of any difference other then the larger touchscreen for the MMI.

B9_SQ5

NJ - that sounds like sage advice. I don't want to part with the car, but I do think it's time. In reality, a 4k repair wouldn't be a big deal if I did not have the ticking time bomb of other electronic issues and some degree of confidence that I could maybe get another 50k miles without much trouble.

The hardest thing for me now is deciding what comes next. Every car I am interested in is German, and I really do not mind the higher maintenance cost. I do mind the reliability concerns that seems to plague most performance models across the brands. I am researching hard now to try to find a balance of luxury, performance, and reliability.

B9_SQ5

I meant to ask in my original post - do we know yet if things like the water pump, sunroof drains and rocker arms were resolved in more recent models of the SQ5?

njspeedfreak

Not sure about the water pump, that's not an issue I was even aware of on the S models. Sunroof drains are always going to be an issue and need to be cleaned regularly - the dealer does mine on every service visit.

Rocker arm bearings were fixed sometime in 2018 I believe, so anything after MY 2019 *should* be safe, although it's not entirely clear at what point between the 2018 and 2019 MY runs the change over occurred and if it occurred at the same time for all models. Q5 platform is built in Mexico, the engine is built in Hungary. So there is probably some amount of lag in inventory compared to the S4/S5 which is assembled in Germany.

spindlewood

The water pump issues have been around since at least the B8. I haven't heard of any changes, but I'm not all that knowledgeable in this realm. However, there have been reports of the diagnosis being incorrect and the fix actually being to replace a cheap DIY coolant pump switching valve. This link might be helpful:
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...ture-reference)

Regarding the Rocker Arms, there have been two (I believe) updates to the Rocker Arms which should make this a non issue for newer (2019+) B9 S5 & SQ5s.

I'm really interested in what you come up with as an alternative. I have the same 2018 SQ5 but fortunately none of the issues so far. As for cost of keeping vs new, it's at least $4000 per year more in depreciation for new vs repairs for keeping. The tipping point for me would be the hassle of the repairs plus if the niggles you describe electrically are driving you nuts.

packardv8

Einstein's definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result.

jack vines

383vett

Faster car with a warranty. Dump it.

B9_SQ5

I spent today blindly test driving cars. Nothing will ever compare to German engineering and performance in my eyes and truthfully mean that. It's been a good 5 years of ownership for me, to break it down for anyone interested, sticker on my car was 67k in 2018. I bought it July 2019 for 43k with 30k miles and I have had 5 pretty solid years. I love this car, and I really mean that. I don't make financial decisions lightly, and it quite honestly took me about 3 years of research to decide on the SQ5. I've never once complained about the high cost of maintenance as I knew it came with the territory. I have been overly frustrated with my local Audi dealer refusing to fix some issues under warranty and just being dismissive in general, but overall a positive experience. Depreciation sucks, as there was a time during the pandemic that Carvana and others were offering to buy my car for close to what I paid. Today, I found most trade in values to be in the 16-18k range.

Cars looked at / test driven today- and yes, I know these are all over the place....
2023 4 Runner SR5 - not for me, felt a lot like my 2007 Tundra that I sold when I bought the Audi. I am sure it's super reliable, but very boring.
2024 Acura RDX - SH-AWD - a touch bigger than my Audi, not quite as quick, but didn't feel anemic with acceleration. I might consider this as a valid more reliable option if i can find an a-spec advanced package in my price range.
20222 Acura MDX SH-AWD - I did not drive this one, but looked nice inside and felt decently luxurious.
2023 Infiniti QX60 Luxe - I drove this one, no real complaints other than just plain boring. Nothing wrong, but no spirit at all. Shifts smooth, drives decent, feels cheap inside. Over all, boring.
2024 Mustang Mach-E - drove great and plenty of acceleration - a bit small for my 6'4 frame. I needed a touch more leg room to be fully comfortable in the drivers seat.
2024 Lyriq - Tons of good deals on leasehackr.com, my local dealer could not compete. Visited them today and they would not let me drive since we were so far off on numbers. However, i think it was the best looking and most comfortable interior i saw today.

I have never leased a vehicle, and have been raised to think that lease is not a good idea (no offense to anyone leasing) However, I am intrigued but not sold on an EV for performance reasons. I may consider a short EV lease deal just to get an idea of what ownership is really like. The performance is there, but outside of Lyriq, nothing comes close to the Sq5 in luxury.

brian_tii

I’d ditch it. I test drove a Model Y performance and OMG that thing is stupidly fast and made the X5 M60i (twin turbo v8) feel slow. I was ready to drop my Q5 for it but the wife hates the minimalist Tesla thing. Overall I was impressed though, and I expected to hate it.