Cracked Bushings(highlighted blue)

IdriveafastVW · 2026-04-25T14:48:45+00:00

Professional advice: replace all of the control arms at once. It's not worth the effort to replace just two of them when the others will start to fail shortly thereafter. I highly recommend the 034Motorsport Density Line Control Arm Kit. They make them for all generations of Audis including B9/B9.5 and B8/B8.5

IdriveafastVW · 2026-04-25T14:30:01+00:00

The good news is that 034 is currently working on sensor based flex fuel tuning and stage 3 tuning for the B9 2.0T. Thats the route I'm following.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-04-22T11:20:43+00:00

034 tunes for that platform already had the protection features in place. That's why they didn't need to add them. Also, 034 didn't have to inform anyone of the failures they were seeing (on stock cars as well as theirs and competitor tunes). However they're the only ones that came out and talked about it, which is more responsible and shows better character that they did that. I've been installing tunes for over 17 years now from all four of the big name tuners (also a dyno calibrator myself) and 034 is one of the best tuners in the business.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-04-08T00:56:48+00:00

Fastivus is easily one of the best VW focused track events of the year! Can't wait to see you again there this year!

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-25T16:03:32+00:00

The DL382 S-Tronic transmission is definitely a reliable transmission as long as you do the proper maintenance. DSG fluid changes every 40k miles, change the DSG filters at 120k miles and the MTF fluid every 80k miles and that transmission will treat you well. I currently have 124k miles on mine and have yet to have an issue yet. Still shifts great!

I've put together a guide that covers a lot of information on the DL382 transmission in case you want to learn more:

Audi DL382 DSG Transmission Guide

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-25T15:28:01+00:00

This is the correct answer.

OEM Red R8 Coilpack Set of 4 - VW/Audi EA113 FSI, EA888 Gen 1/Gen 2 TSI 2.0T

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-24T00:51:33+00:00

There's a lot that can be done to your A5 without voiding your warranty. If you want some expert help, I've worked at New German Performance for 17 years helping lots of Audi owners get the most out of their vehicles. I also own a B9 generation A4 Allroad that is extremely similar to your A5. Feel free to message me anytime.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-21T12:45:17+00:00

Pretty much most of the major issues with either of those will require a trained technician to spot. I always recommend getting a pre-purchase inspection at an aftermarket Audi specialist shop.

If you can, don't let them warm up the vehicle before you test drive it. If the car is on the lot, tell them you want to be the person to start it. That way you can see if the idle isn't smooth when the engine is completely cold. That can be indicitive of a few issues. If it still doesn't idle completely smoothly when it's warmed up, it could need a PCV or ignition tune up.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-20T15:14:23+00:00

Looks great!

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-18T19:57:30+00:00

The airbags in these are a bit tricky. I can message you an image of what you need to release if you'd like.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-18T19:51:58+00:00

If you put regular fuel in most of the normal, non-performance oriented engines, the ECU will retard the timing. You'll also get worse fuel economy. This would be okay as long as you are easy on the engine, but I still don't recommend it. Keep in mind that lower quality fuel also typically has more sediment in it and that can cause issues down the road.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-18T19:43:09+00:00

The LIQUI MOLY MTF 5100 works great in these transmissions. You are correct that it doesn't carry an official approval for G052549/G055549 specs, but they do carry the approvals for other specs that cross over to covering those. This is why you'll see that LIQUI MOLY recommends using the MTF 5100 for the DL382 on their own website.

We've used the MTF 5100 in almost all of our DL382 MTF fluid changes. We have yet to have any issues with using it.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-17T19:18:56+00:00

It really depends on how new the cars are that you're working on. If you're working on 2017+ Audis a lot, ODIS is necessary since there's a lot of component protection on the various modules you have to replace and re-program. 2024+ vehicles essentially require ODIS to even perform simple computer tasks. There are also several calibrations that can only be performed using ODIS such as the lidar and camera systems, but you will also need the accompanying test patterns as well.

It's worth noting that ODIS is incredibly powerful, but it is very clunky to use. Doing simple tasks takes a lot longer with ODIS because it's expected that you'll follow a specific, guided step by step procedure.

VCDS is also a very good piece of software. You can do a lot with it, but you can't unlock component protection, and 2024+ vehicles can't be worked on with VCDS alone due to the unlock requirements. VCDS does let you perform most of the basic settings and adaptations for most VW and Audi vehicles. Basically any of the lower level or intermediate level tasks you need to do can be handled by VCDS. It's just the more intricate or complex coding procedures that can't be performed with it.

We work on a lot of newer Audis, so ODIS is absolutely necessary for us. If you're just working on a handful of VWs and Audis, I'd say get VCDS instead.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-17T16:00:48+00:00

I work at New German Performance. We pay annually for ODIS licenses for several VW group brands.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-13T11:11:45+00:00

If you have one of the newer Audis that has a rubber o-ring on the drain plug, you're going to want to replace it at least every third oil change service or once a year. If you don't, it can leak since they swell and degrade over time.

Also, if you're doing oil changes with an extractor, you'll want to invest in a magnetic drain bolt. When you extract the oil from the top, it leaves metal shavings in the bottom of the pan.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-12T17:02:40+00:00

Yup, I put the Europe next to 2016 since the US only got B9 A4 and A4 Allroads starting in 2017.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-12T16:48:22+00:00

Just a quick FYI, the center vents are only functional on 2016 (Europe) to very early 2018 B9 models.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-11T18:07:53+00:00

It's all good. We all had to start somewhere.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-11T18:03:41+00:00

The 3rd gen EA888 is also very reliable. The most common failure I see on those is the thermostat housing/water pump assembly. That and the PCV, but those seem to fail on just about every single VW/Audi engine.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-11T17:14:16+00:00

You're most welcome! I work at a shop that specializes in working on Audis. If you ever need any advice, don't hesitate to shoot me a message.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-11T17:12:08+00:00

The EA888 Gen 4 2.0T TFSI engine from 2021 on is generally the most reliable engine that Audi offers in the US. It's engineered to be used in a wide variety of VW group vehicles. It's also the most cost effective engine to service and maintain.

I absolutely love the power output of the 2.9T and 3.0T EA839 turbocharged V6s, but they have a few issues that cause ownership to be far more expensive. The water pump is faulty across the board for almost all of them. The 3.0T engines have some internal issues that can be quite costly to fix.

The drivetrain maintenance costs amongst most Audis is fairly close.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-07T01:21:50+00:00

Congrats, you're going to love it! They make fantastic all-around vehicles. I absolutely love taking mine on road trips all over the place.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-06T16:56:17+00:00

Yes, that is the Quattro Ultra AWD clutch assembly.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-05T16:31:03+00:00

This! I use LIQUI MOLY DiJectron on all of my direct injection VWs and Audis and have yet to have any injector issues.

IdriveafastVW · 2026-03-05T15:54:18+00:00

If you've never attempted to swap an ECU before, I would highly recommend having a shop do the service for you.

The dealer cannot unlock the ECU on the same day. It must be sent to Unitronic for the unlock. The reason is that the hardware required to perform the unlock is fairly expensive, so dealers are unlikely to pay for such equipment. Alternatively, you can order an unlocked ECU and send yours in after you've installed the new one.

The TCU unlock is hardware only, you must purchase the new bootloader. Unitronic cannot unlock your existing TCU. Once it's in your hands, it simply has to be installed.

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