quattrosky

I am curious when people started to notice rattles settling in. Did they show up near day 1 or only after several months?

I am going on 6 months (2012 P+ 2.0T), 15K miles (we drive it a lot), and I am probably dooming myself to say this, but I continue to be extremely satisfied, with not a single rattle/squeak to be heard. Every other car I've ever had (including 2 other Audis) has developed at least a few squeaks and rattles - in some cases, a whole symphony of them.

Maybe I got a lucky build, or maybe it's just a matter of time? ANY car will eventually develop some off-normal noises, if I got 3 years out of a new car with no consistent rattles, I would consider that an impeccably built car (I've not found one yet).

Coolieman1220

My 2009 started rattling a lot when I got rid of it. Manly back seat and sunroof.
My 2012 rattles even more.

I think Audi quality has gone down. Especially for its segment.

m1964

buy RX350, and you will start enjoying you "rattle-free" Q5...

Recently our Q5 was in twice for sun-roof leak, after the second repair (first time they "could not reproduce the problem") I hear distinctive "clunk" type noise somewhre in rear.

I emptied the whole rear of the Q5 including the tire jack/tools, plastic trays- everything I could remove, test-drove and the noise was still there.
I asked my 15y. old daughter to croll into the rear of the car, test-drove and she heard the noise -I had to remove/uncrew a panel on the side of the laggage compartment, under which I found a 3/8" ratchet extension...left by one of the techs I guess

The moral of the story is: taking your Q5 to the dealer may create more problems w/ noise.

PS
While at the rear of the Q5 removing the "foreign object", I also "found" two lose "black boxes" - one under each of the rear seat. 2 years ago the seats had to be removed to fix lose BT connector-apparently not only the tech "forgot" his tool in the vehicle, but also "forgot" to clip into place the "black boxes" under the seats; I was able to clip the boxes into something above that appeared to hold them just fine.
I am 100% sure that lose rattling boxes under the rear seats would not be detected by the dealer while test driving Q5-would take two people to hear the source.

Since it is 2 hour round-trip to the dealer+1-2 hours "fixing"time, it was easier for me to "fix" that myself.

luv2sleep

My Q5 is our first Audi and I love it so far. I do have some concerns with the build quality (ie. little rattles and squeaks). The dealership experience wasn't as professional and as nice as say, Mercedes, Infiniti or Lexus. They just didn't seem to have their act together. That's the same feeling I get with the build quality of an Audi. They've come a long way but they still have work to be done. No car is perfect but rattles and squeaks... c'mon Audi!

mfpearson

Well, I decided to get rid of the Q5. Too many things working against me. No dealer could fix my sunroof rattle (which I couldn't learn to live with - too annoying), couldn't stand the steering wheel vibration at speeds over 70 mph, steering column shudder at slow speeds couldn't be completely fixed by the power steering hose TSB, navigation system was completely outdated, and my back seats shook violently (I could see it in the rear view mirror and hear it) even at slow speeds on smooth roads, and I was told that was normal by 2 dealers. I don't even want to know what else would've gone wrong, since this all happened in less than 2 months. I'm sure I would've had carbon buildup sooner than later.

So, I ended up losing a few thousand dollars, but regained my peace of mind - which is most important. I had high expectations for this car, and I am extremely disappointed in Audi for their subpar build quality. My wife's 2005 Chevy Equinox has fewer problems and makes less noise. Hopefully one day I will find it in my heart to give audi another chance - but it won't be anytime soon. Here's what I learned from the experience:

1. Do your due diligence when researching a car, and believe what you read! All of these issues were mentioned in one way or another on various forums, but I figured they were just isolated incidents.

2. If you're going to buy a used Q5, don't buy the 3.2 v6 engine. Your check engine light WILL come on sooner or later, and although there is supposedly a new tool to clean the carbon buildup out, you may still get stuck with a hefty bill.

3. If you do buy a used Q5, get something IN WRITING from your dealer stating that they promise to fix squeaks, rattles, and other interior cabin noises. Otherwise they will claim that it is only covered for the first 12,000 miles, and tell you that it is a normal function of the car. Even if it sounds perfect during your test drives, the noises will creep up sooner or later. Just page through this forum - everyone experiences them, some have more patience for them than others.

4. If you have ~$35,000 to spend on a used Q5 - either bite the bullet and buy a new one, or buy a different car with up-to-date technology. Don't get sucked in by the allure of owning an Audi. Their technology has come a long way in a few short years, and you'll be better off in a later model car of a different brand with properly functioning technology and navigation,

I guess build quality has been an issue with Audi for a while now, but I found out the hard way... Learn from my experience! Don't waste your money like I did. The car drops in value significantly when you take possession of it, so make sure that you are completely comfortable with your purchase.

Sorry for the rant, but you can clearly see how disappointed I am. I loved driving this car, the look of it, as well as the luxuriousness - but that is all a facade for a poorly built vehicle. Feel free to PM me if you want to know more.

Thanks to those on this forum that have helped me out over the past couple months! This Q5 forum is the only good thing I took from my audi experience.

vwtoys

Sorry that you had so many issues. We have a 2011 2.0T and no rattles and squeaks other than the rear seat which was an easy fix. The car is awesome to drive around in. My wife loves it. My brother also has two Audi's (2011 and 2012) and they both are trouble free. My experience has been very good.

JohnBoyToo

Ditto on 2011 Q5 P+

and IMHO - the dealer is not Audi....
just like anything there are good and bad ones

rez

I'm wondering if not all Q5 assembly lines are equal - we've had a mostly positive experience with ours so far but a loaner I was given (same year 2.0T motor but only a P not a +) was almost like it was a different car - lots of rattles , wind noise, low howling noise coming from the back end and some weird vibration in the steering wheel.

mfpearson

that's certainly one explanation, as people seem to be having drastically different experiences. i know my car was in for service 3 times - each time, i got a 2.0T Q5 loaner - different car each time. All 3 loaners had low mileage, and just as many squeaks and rattles as my Q5, if not more. They were coming from the instrument panels, vents, seatbelt buckles, rear seats, sunroof - you name it.

i just didn't want to hold onto my Q5 long enough to find out what was going to go wrong next. i truly am jealous of those that have had a completely positive experience - as i said, i did love the car, and wanted to keep it for a long time. i just didn't feel comfortable doing that after owning the car for 2 months.