kevin8661

Ok. To answer your question, I don't know. You may be right but why not believe the manufacturer? If you don't believe the Audi intervals are suitable then it's only opinion. I don't know what the construction of current timing belts is so I'm on the fence as to what is too long. I believe there's no natural rubber content so they don't degrade and they are a much more durable than in the past. I just don't know. I'm not cynical enough to think Audi want them to snap especially as they probably wouldn't be getting the business for older cars anyway. However there are still people who insist on changing their oil every 3 to 5K miles even if it's less than a year since the last change. Maybe this is the same. Do what you're comfortable with. Problem is the cost of breakage is so great it may be best to err on the side of caution anyway. Again, I just don't know.

Don't know what you mean. I simply answered the question which was what is the interval. I quoted the Audi UK intervals which are in line with what Europe have been doing for years. If individuals decide to do it earlier than that's entirely their call. You then enter the same debate as "is flexible servicing bad for engines or is branded fuel better than supermarket?"

My Audi app for my Q5 TDI states 140,000 miles with no age limit. I'll not be going that far but probably 80k ish if I still have the car unless my specialist tells me otherwise.

I think Audi UK were the outlier on timing belt changes. The intervals certainly in Europe were longer and Audi UK were being asked why they were out of line with everywhere else and being accused on various forums of it being a revenue generator. All they've done is brought the intervals in line with Europe. I've not seen any evidence of timing belts in Europe going bang. I'm not clear from the original post but I assume the belt has snapped. Bad luck, bad batch of belts or some other engine issue causing it? Audi's response is poor but not unexpected and personally I wouldn't use them. I'd go to a specialist.

I was told 19 inches would fit but I never tested it. Mine was the TDI facelifted in 2020 so brakes might be bigger on yours being the tfsi. If it is a big problem the cost of upgrading to air suspension would probably be a lot less than selling the car and buying a replacement. When I looked 2 years ago there was only an air system for the previous model but that might have changed by now. I understand why you'd want to keep the V6. Don't know whether softening the springs would result in poor handling due to the power. Good luck.

Hi I've been there. I had a 2017 MKII Q5 TDI sline and wasn't particularly unhappy with the ride. Bought a 2023 SQ5 TDI at 3 months old and loved everything except the ride, the synthetic sound and false exhausts. As you say its jarring especially on our rough roads. I found the adjustable dampers made no apparent difference. Mine was fitted with 20inch wheels and I did consider going to 19inch and investigated a retrofit air suspension but I couldn't find one and also there would have been warranty issues. I had it for 6 months (10,000 miles) and traded it in for a Q5 Vorsprung that has air suspension. I wish I'd tried a SQ5 with air suspension. Love the ride on the Q5 now.

Yeah I like the black

The fact they can knock off £1300 immediately shows how much they try to overcharge. They wanted £208 for a sunroof service and I got it done for £60 at a specialist near Newcastle. Swift Moror Engineering in case anyone is interested.

It defies logic.

Surely it's made of gold. There are companies that clean them or alternatively find either an Audi or DPF specialist and try them. I didn't take out Audi's warranty/servicing/ MOT combinations because I see them as a cheap loss leader so they can screw you on consumables like brake pads/discs etc. Getting this done elsewhere might affect the warranty for things affected by the DPF (if any) but at that price in my opinion it's worth the risk.

I can't understand why they would have your car off the road waiting for used parts unless it's not an Audi warranty and there is a limit to the costs they will pay out. Everything done so far isn't cheap.

Did you do a search for Judder? I posted about this a while ago.

Intermittent faults are the worst. Hopefully it won't come back.

Any update?

I echo that. Recently the change intervals were vastly extended without any changes, as far as I know, to the belts themselves. I would certainly factor in a change into your calculations. I don't know but I'm sure it should have been changed in 2021 under the old regime as I thought the intervals were extended in 2023. If it was changed then it's not yet due.

Good idea. Try it out on someone else's car first.😁

DSG or manual?

Sorry I misread your car model, Your's wont have a DPF.

If it is fuel dilution you should change the oil as soon as possible but it's also possible you didn't give it long enough to settle into the sump before measuring. As overfilling is not good I would generally just fill to 2/3 or 3/4 on the dipstick. You can also get fuel dilution by regularly interrupting DPF regeneration cycles on short journeys due to the extra fuelling to heat up the DPF if not driven regularly on longer journeys.

Get a second opinion. Is there a different Audi dealer that you could use locally? Or maybe a good independent? Skoda Seat and VW use the same engines so you could try one of those although they may charge you. The car is still under manufacturer's warranty but I don't know for long.

As an update on the fault with my car it seems the fluid change has so far cured the problem. Does that mean it should be a service requirement along with DSG oil change? I don't know. My car had only done 27k miles.

Afraid I can't help much. There are several different Quattros (3 that I know of) Torsen, Haldex and Ultra. Mine is Ultra but yours being an SQ5 has I believe the Torsen set up due to the vast torque being too much for Ultra. I had an almost new 2023 SQ5 for a while and never noticed that problem but it may turn out to be normal. If I'd specced air suspension I'd still have mine because I loved everything except the ride. Oh. and the sound activator on the bulkhead that I disconnected! There are other Audis with the same transmission who's owners might be able to help but I can only suggest get on to the dealer. Good luck.

How to Change the Transmission Oil on a Passenger Car - ZF Aftermarket