[SDS5]

Not Grinding but mild vibration

Yes, its definetely there if only slightly - I notice it mostly if I change gears under high acceleration. Its only very subtle though on my S5.

I have a hunch that its the springs that dampen the clutch working - it almost feels like a very small vibration at the engine RPM.

If what you are experience is the same as me, I would not worry about it. I worry about lots of things like this, but this one does not seem abnormal.

Anyway, why not drop it in to the dealer - they drive lots of these cars so they should instantly be able to spot if something doesnt feel right.

Hope this helps

 

[SDS5]

Clutch repairs - let's get wise first.

Sorry, I am kinda late to this post:

I assume the clutch issue being described here is EXACTLY what my new, 3-week-old S5 is experiencing (and has been since the end of week 1).

I describe it as "gritty." When you press down on the clutch it feels like there is sand in the movement and when you release it (especially noticable if releasing slowly) it gets "stuck" momentarilly here and there making it hard to shift smoothly as your foot actually comes off the pedal for an instant until the pedal catches up to your foot.

Sorry to hear about your clutch. I think a number of members are having similar issues. For me,the pedal releases smoothly, but I can feel a vibration while shifting at high RPM (>4000rpm). To be honest, I dont know if this is normal or not, but I think not.

Based upon a post on Audiworld, approx 1500 faulty release bearings made it past Audi's quality control - so many more members cars could have this latent defect, which would show up later.

I am particularly outraged that my S5 will probably need to have its Engine /transmission removed so early in its life. We can scream all we like, but if the bearing is faulty, then it have to be replaced - no option there.

What worries me more, is many bad experiences with dealer tech's here in the USA. Getting someone well qualified to do the job AND take the care in diassembling and assembling things correctly. Now since the S5 is a new transmission type and new body, this is my checklist before I will let anyone work on my S5;

a) has the tech been trained specifically to work on an the A5/S5 8T platform?
b) physically show me all the special tools athat are required to do this job - those are the tools that the manual says that will be needed. (I will post this later)
c) If there is a part number change due to a design flaw, then let's have that fully explained also - preferrably via a TSB from Audi.

d) lastly I would take pictures of the underside and interior so that when the car comes back damaged you have evidence that the dealer did it and it will be fixed.

Sounds harsh - its just based upon my experiences and that of others that I know.

My feeling is that if enough members are affected we could jointly write to AoA expressing our concerns and seeking assurance that ONLY qualified tech WITH the correct tools perform this outrageous repair.

Members feel free to chime in.

 

[SDS5]

Audi Quality Control

Hi Europa,

Well, we all have our perceptions and reasons for them.

I have owned Audi and VW since 1981. I like them because of their design, and yes Audi do go through extensive testing to validate the design - no dispute there.

However, my point is not about design per se. Its about Quality Control. A release bearing should last 100k miles+ or the life of the car. What we appear to have here is a part failing within less than 50 hours of operation.

This is not a subtle fault - I felt slight peddle rumble when I picked up the car. Others have had stickiness in the clutch pedal from the delivery day!

How did this kind of thing get past all stages of manufacture and test?

The fact that the bearing or release mechanism is rough should have been detected during assembly at the factory, or it should have been noticed by the techs that do the track test drive on each A5/S5 as the final Quality check prior to shipment from Germany, or at the very least.... the last in the chain - the tech at the Audi Dealer doing the pre-delivery inspection!

I am embarrased to tell my friends that my $63k car has to have a new release bearing at just 4,000 miles. This type of issue is outrageous! in my opinion. I will hold out until Audi tech's here have practised a few times on other A5/S5's.

Then there are other issues with A5/S5 Quality Control (not design) that are worth mentioing;

- the seat leather stiching/padding is failing on some cars requiring some seats to be replaced (equally outrageous, IMHO),

- one Audiworld member had a heater core fail and the whole dashboard had to be removed!

- Wheel vibration for some members - from new!

- Some LED's in the DRL assembly are failing.

-others have noticed more minor things such as the print rubbing off the start/stop button.

The clutch release bearing (if it turns out to be that) is just another example of poor quality control.

The bearing issue for me is a particularly annoying one - I purchased a 2004 Passat Wagon from new - in the first 15,000 miles the front nearside bearing failed. Before 50,000 miles were out, two more had failed. Maybe VW/Audi should change the bearing supplier or do 100% inspection on all critical bearings before assembly.

Don't mis-understand me.... I love everything about Audi's - the design, the technology, style and so on - its just that I don't buy the excuse that because the model is new, we should accept poor quality control as well - these are two different issues.

respectfully,

SDS5

 

[SDS5]

Hi DMD,

I checked and have not seen a TSB on this clutch issue. Audi are being remarkably quiet about this.

I have this rumble and vibration feeling under my foot and suspect that it is the clutch release bearing. Unlike other members, my pedal is smooth in/out - no stickiness, but nevertheless not right.

As for your Dealer's response this is probably going to be typical - they will have you believe that a bit of vibration is "normal" and not to worry about it. This is because Audi really don't want a major recall on their hands - they would rather only deal with clutch problems that make the car un-driveable, and hope that the other faults will be tolerated by the other owners.

Anyway, its worth making sure that each visit is recorded by the dealer in their log.

Sounds like I am being pessimistic, but I been round the block on these types of issues before.

Well, good luck......