Audi A5
EA288 generation 2.0-litre diesel as successor to the EA189. Fundamentally more mature and reliable than its predecessor, but EGR valve and DPF are critical weak points with short-trip use. With correct service intervals, mileages over 300,000 km are realistic.
Solid everyday engine — does its job
190 hp 2.0L for everyday use. Watch for known weak points.
Engine Weaknesses 5
At high mileage or from DPF-related oil contamination, turbocharger bearings can wear. Typical BorgWarner turbo on the DETA shows problems from around 200,000 km.
Symptoms: Whistling or howling noises, power loss, blue smoke, oil in intake pipe, fault code P0299
A defective camshaft shaft seal allows oil to escape onto the timing belt, significantly shortening its service life. Detected too late, the belt breaks and causes engine damage.
Symptoms: Oil spots in the timing belt area, belt appears shiny/oily, whistling from the belt drive
Early EA288 engines up to production date September 2014 had a faulty water pump with a defective control valve (TPI 2041955). Coolant temperature rises to up to 130°C.
Symptoms: Coolant temperature exceeds 120°C, red temperature warning light, coolant loss with no visible external leak
The EGR valve carbons up from soot particles in the exhaust stream and blocks. Especially prevalent with short-trip use. Cleaning helps short-term; replacement is often required.
Symptoms: Rough idle, stumbling when accelerating, increased fuel consumption, engine warning light, fault code P0401
The diesel particulate filter only regenerates with sufficiently long, high-load drives. With frequent city use it clogs with soot and ash and triggers limp mode.
Symptoms: Engine warning light, 'Particulate filter loaded' message, increased fuel consumption, engine stumbling in limp mode
Vehicle Weaknesses 7
Around 1.16 million vehicles with 2.0 TFSI (model years 2012–2017) were recalled. The electric auxiliary water pump can overheat, cause a short circuit and in extreme cases start a fire.
The S tronic dual-clutch gearbox tends to shudder and judder at low speeds. Clutch disc wear in city traffic is severe. A full rebuild is often necessary.
Early starter battery weakness and associated infotainment faults. MMI shows frozen screens or crashes when the on-board voltage drops.
On some A5 F5 Sportback and Coupe models water enters the boot. The cause is an inadequate seal in the area of the tailgate aperture.
Some A5 F5 models show steering wheel vibrations between 80 and 120 km/h. Audi addresses this as a goodwill gesture by replacing the control arms with hydraulic mounts.
Starter battery fails on early F5 models, particularly with short-trip use. Cold-start problems in winter are frequent.
Well-known fault code with the automatic headlight level adjustment. The issue occurs across all build years and has never been fully resolved by software update.